the many happenings of November and December

Silas turned 3! We celebrated with a family party and a trip to the zoo. He was a happy boy.

My Mom and brother Steven visited for Thanksgiving. We braved Washington D.C. and Annapolis in verrrrry coooold walking weather, and cooked a lot of comfort food. This was one of my favorite Thanksgivings so far: the boys were up early rolling out pie dough with Ricky and me, and that set the stage for a peaceful day of cooking. We even had time to walk by the lake while the turkey roasted.  

My brother Luke came home from Italy and stopped by our place for a few days. He was all traveled out, so we enjoyed a lot of cozy at-home time. He brought really good wine, and we made good food to go with it. We did venture out to see The Hobbit 2 in Imax 3-D, which very much exceeded my expectations visually. Luke, being one of those people who actually read the book, of course had some qualms about the adaptation.

Ricky's family came for Christmas (we started a new tradition a few years ago of alternating cities, and this was our turn) and we rented a big house in Annapolis so we could all stay together. It had an enormous kitchen, a fireplace, huge windows, and many other fun details--the boys' favorite being the electric fireplace in their room. 

 The grandparents stayed a few extra days, and we ventured out to see the big tree in D.C., and took Nicky ice skating at the National Sculpture Garden. It's one of my favorite spots in the city: Nicky used to take naps there when he was a toddler and we lived here for a summer, and it has an enormous fountain that doubles as a skating rink in the winter.

Ricky and I even got to take a little getaway to Philadelphia, which was truly special. We saw the Pennsylvania Ballet Company perform The Nutcracker on its final night, and visited the touristy things like Independence Hall, the "Rocky steps" at the Philadelphia Art Museum, and the Eastern State Penitentiary. And of course we sampled some cheesesteaks.

We made it back home for a quiet New Year's Eve with good food and drink, and one last night with Abuela and Yoko (there's a story behind the name; let's just say Nicky couldn't quite say Abuelo when he was little) and a farewell to them on New Year's Day.

Whoosh! We're tired but happy, and right now enjoying a big-for-us snowfall from last night. I may wrap my head around a routine again sometime soon. I hope your holidays were lovely; I don't think ours have ever been this jam-packed before! We were rich in visitors, which is really quite special when you've moved thousands of miles and don't see family too often.

On to 2014!

we settle in

So, we moved. Very far from New Mexico. It occurs to me that Ricky and I are very good at jumping off of cliffs. Foster care felt like a cliff, like a hold-hands-and-jump endeavor. This move feels a bit like that too. But, it's pretty important to note that prior to our cliff-jumping shenanigans, we talk about whether or not we should jump for a long while. Years, typically. I don't know if that still counts as spontaneous, but it certainly feels that way. The whole should we move conversation's been happening since Nicky was a baby, but never really took form until the summer. I believe in keeping inventory of dreams, lining them up on shelves, dusting them off occasionally, putting them back, and when the time is right taking them down. The tricky part is knowing when the time is right. This dream just felt more and more right.

So here we are. It's September and already chilly; we bookend the days with jackets. There are crunchy leaves and hidden parks and forest trails. There's the thrill of something new and the ache of not having our people around to share it with.

Routine helps. There's a sweet neighbor who calls me baby (as in, hey there baby, you gettin' yourself together? and before I can really answer she assures me that's all right, it takes time) and we've tried a few churches. Sometimes all the newness is exciting, and sometimes I just want to hurry up and find our places here. 

Here are some pictures of our first weeks.

a little garden at Nicky's school

Silas loves "pitter-pillars" and unfortunately has discovered that stepping on them makes goo come out.

We have "lots of nature", Nicky says.

first day of second grade

taking Nicky to the bus stop

we spent a lot of time in our sweet little backyard

and this one loves to push all the things

My mom came to visit, and to stay with the boys while we finalized the adoption.

We all went to Washington DC a few times. I love that it's so close.

It wasn't until she left that the move started to feel real. We've had so much excitement in just the span of a month. Househunting, goodbyes, packing, the actual move, exploring a new town, unpacking, finalizing the adoption, my Mom's visit, new job for Ricky, new school for Nicky.....wow.  I've certainly needed some space and quiet to process it all.

Now, we settle in.

three weeks

Tomorrow it will be three weeks that Little Miss has been with us. We found out yesterday that her mother is waiving custody for the time being (nothing permanent at this point), so she will be with us, but we still don't know for how long. It is difficult not knowing; as is predictable we are bonding with her and making space for her in our daily routine and in our hearts.

So, this post doesn't have too much of a point but here are some random happenings:

The summer rainy season has begun. Next to fall, this is probably my favorite time of year. Such a relief from the June heat. I caught Silas playing in the rain a few days ago and took video, but he was naked so that's not appropriate for the internet I guess. Too bad; it was super cute.

This is kind of a difficult age. He's all sweetness and then screeching and swatting and throwing himself down. But so, so curious. He loves big shoes and watering plants (and concrete) and basically doing whatever I'm doing. He goes to time-out now, and when he gets out puckers up his lips to say he's ready to be nice again. He repeats everything, and he has a complicated friendship/rivalry with a Bassett Hound that mainly revolves around the sharing or witholding of food. He still drinks his milk bottle in the morning and at bedtime, with his finger in his belly button. He says "mas?" in his raspy, lispy way about a hundred times a day, and he would eat otter pops constantly if I let him. He pats his diaper and says "pee pee pee poop poop poop" when it needs to be changed, or when he's trying to stall at naptime. Nineteen months. He looks enormous next to the baby. But he's still a baby too, with lashes and cheeks and curls that slay me.

Nicky has been at his Grandma's house (my mom's) for almost two weeks. It was going to be for one week, but then his cousins were staying for two, so. I'm so ready to hug that boy and bring him home. And, selfishly, ready for him to entertain Mr. Silas a bit. There are trees to climb and sprinklers, a sandbox, a horse, goat, chickens, and three cousins to keep him busy for a few more days though. Silas likes to look at pictures of "Ditty" and points to the front door asking for him sometimes.

Life with Little Miss is challenging but good. The lack of sleep catches up with us sometimes, not to mention the exhausting nature of the situation. But as we learn more about her, we feel more for her. She's been through a lot in her short life, and will have some challenges ahead. I feel lost in this sometimes. But there are resources available and I'm resolved to take advantage of pretty much whatever I can. And pray more. And choose to go to bed early more often.

She's still fussy, but not like she was. She's more awake and alert these days. And she smiles at us--oh how that helps. She's not hating tummy time quite so much now, and she's getting stronger. Every day there are little victories along with the frustrations. Just like with any infant I suppose. She's a tiny fighter.

His mercies are new every morning. I really need that these days.