Talking Talking Talking!

We're in the process of finishing the latest battle with RSV/bronchiolitis here.  It's not been fun, but nothing keeps our boy down - not even spending a night in the hospital with oxygen.  This was taken after he was discharged.  (I wouldn't normally take my sick kid out shopping, but the doc said to go do our normal stuff, he was doing very well.  And he was no longer contagious.)

One of the most enjoyable things about this time in Aidan's life is watching his language development explode!  He has said the basics (Mama, Dada, dog, etc) for months, but in the past few weeks, his vocabulary has increased by a huge amount!

Words used regularly (some constantly, ha!):

• Mama
• Dada
• Dog ("dog-dog," actually)
• Puppies
• Water
• Milk
• Juice ("juuuuuuuuuice!")
• Chicken
• Cheese
• Yogurt
• Cheerios ("cho-cho's!")
• Crackers
• Cookie
• Waffles
• Banana
• Pears
• Beans
• Peas
• Pizza
• Bread
• Cup
• Up
• Down
• Please
• Book
• Wow!  (This is the CUTEST thing I have ever heard because of the tone he uses!)
• Ball
• Toys
• Snow
• Window
• Bye-bye
• All done
• More
• Stairs
• Diaper
• Car
• Truck
• Bus
• Trees
• School
• Grandma
• Grandpa
• Other relatives' names
• Night-night
• Shirt
• Pants
• Socks
• Jammies
• Phone
• Legos
• Santa
• Pretty
• Toes
• Eye
• Nose
• Mouth
• Chin
• Ears
• Bath
• Tub
• Fish
• Towel
• Bubbles (which he uses for the bubbles in the tub as well as falling snow!)

Geez, I didn't even realize how many there were until I started typing this list.  I'm sure I've missed a few.

I can't believe that I have a little talker on my hands!!  So much fun.

An Outstanding Read

(Image courtesy The R House on Etsy. Go check their adoption stuff out!)

You must, must, MUST read THIS POST over at The R House - which is, by the way, one of my very favorite blogs!

Whether you're intimately involved with open adoption or barely know anything about it, you need to read this.  THIS is what open adoption is all about.  For all parties, it's about sacrifice, selflessness and most of all, pure love for a child.

This post (mine, not hers) is dedicated to all those people who sent me messages during all the pet-ition hubbub a few months ago telling me what an awful human being I am for adopting my son.  The same people who assumed that I was going to lie to him his whole life about who gave birth to him... and hide his original birth certificate from him (because apparently we're back in 1957 again).  The ones who compared me to a drug dealer or a pimp, or who accused me of buying my son.  And my personal favorite, the one in particular who 'informed' me that my son is irreparably damaged and will never be well-adjusted or happy in his life because I 'ripped him from his real family.'

Read that post and realize that open adoption, when done right, is an amazing, incredible, beautiful thing and that the children in these open adoptions are happy, well-adjusted, successful, and very loved!

Okay.  Putting my soapbox away.  For now...

Second Fiddle

See that over there?  -------------->

That's a link to my crafty blog.  You should go follow it.  That would make me really happy.

Oh, and while you're there following it, you should also read it.  The new Idea Book just came out and HOLY COW, is self-control in short supply for me right now.  The rush of orders I've taken from customers recently proves I'm not alone in that opinion!  One other note, don't forget we have digital scrapbooking program too.

* * *

You know what's hard?  Suffering through years of infertility, years of medical intervention, years of adoption waiting, and three failed adoptions, only to end up as second best in the eyes of your kid!

For as long as he's been alive, Aidan has preferred the company of his daddy to that of his mom.  Except for two days.  Yes, I have had two glory days out of almost 17 months.  Seems fair, no?

Now that hubby and I are carpooling, we drop him off and pick him up at daycare together instead of me doing it alone.  And every afternoon when we walk in, he sees me, smiles, then sees Daddy, chucks whatever he has in his hand(s), and runs frantically toward him with his arms up, squealing with glee.  It's the sweetest thing in the world!  I'll admit that on Friday, I deliberately stood between the two of them, hoping to be the recipient of this shower of affection.  What did the little turkey do?  He ran AROUND me to fling himself into Daddy's arms.  So funny!

Okay, don't get me wrong, I am over-the-moon THRILLED that they are such good friends.  I really am.  There are so many kids who don't have dads like he has, and that's just a shame.  Dads who wrestle around on the floor with their kids every single day, or who don't shy away from hugs and kisses or saying they love them.  So there's no way I'd trade the benefits of their relationship (for BOTH of them) for anything.  But I'll be honest, it would be nice if I was first choice sometimes.

Hopefully my time will come... before he leaves for college!

Daddy & Aidan cruising for manly things last weekend.

This was the first time we've ever let the boy have free run
in a store like this... mostly because it was Super Bowl
Sunday and the store was completely dead.
Boy, did he have fun! So cute to watch.