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Sunday, April 30, 2006

It's A Small World



Our "Mini" United Nations.....Ian (from India), Molly (from China) and Ryan (from South Korea).

The Conner Family April 30, 2006

Photos of the Day





Photos from Ian's Baby Dedication.

Dedicaton Day

Today was Ian's baby dedication at church. What a special, special day.

Ian woke up bright and early this morning in a very good mood. We all got ready and headed off to church. We decided to have Ian in his Kurta that we got for him when we were in India. It's still a little big on him, but not too much.

When we arrived, our friend Daniele met us. She had saved seats for us and our friends in the front of the church. She also taped the ceremony for us today. Soon, we saw Pastor Deron. Ian was all smiles. We did a little test just to see if Ian would go to Deron and he did without a whimper. We waited a little while before we headed off the the church parlor to wait until it was our time to go on. We ran into Brad on the way in and told him where to sit.

We waited in the church parlor for a little while, not long at all and then Annie escorted us to the side door of the sanctuary. After the greeting and welcome, it was time for us. Ian was in the best mood. Lots of smiles today.

When Deron started introducing us we walked out. He started by saying that this had been a long time coming. When we got onto the stage, he took Ian. Ian looked back at me for just a minute and then he was fine. He started laughing and kicking those cute little feet (bare feet). Deron talked about how all of the had come about and what we had gone through especially when we faced the decision of accepting Ian's referral. He talked about how there was no doubt that Ian was our child and meant for us. Ian was smiling and laughing through all of this. What a happy, happy baby.

Deron always asks new parents how they have seen their spouse change since the baby has been in the family. I thought it was kinda funny on Friday night when I talked to Deron, he didn't ask me that question. Now I understand. Today he said that Charlie was the first Dad that had ever beat him to the punch. Charlie emailed him earlier this week and said that rather than answer the question....pictures speak louder than words. Charlie emailed him the picture of Ian and I just minutes after we got him in India where Ian was already sleeping in my arms and I looked so content. I was doing great until that moment. Charlie can be so sweet and thoughtful....and sneaky sometimes. Deron had the picture shown on the big screen in the church. Lots of tears at this point....even sneaky Charlie had a tear or two.

God gave us the greatest gift when he brought Ian into our lives. Today, in front of our church family and our friends we committed to raise this child to know the Lord....a committment we do not take lightly. He has blessed us beyond belief.

Today we celebrated with some of our dear, dear friends who were able to make it to the church service bright and early this morning. Brad, Mike, Donna, Ryan and Debbie were all there this morning. That doesn't count the countless friends we have at First Baptist. After church, like all good Baptists, it was time to eat. We met our friends Stephanie, Paul and Molly at Mimi's for breakfast. We laughed because our table looked like a mini United Nations....India, Korea, China, Ireland and the US were present.

Afterwards Charlie and I came home and watched the video. Ian was sitting near me on the bed and then when Deron had them show the picture of Ian and I in the orphange, he made this cute little sound and started crawling toward the TV. Not sure really what he saw, but the timing was cute.

I'll post some pictures shortly. He's getting a little fussy and it's getting close to bed time.

Today was a special day for the Conner family and one that we'll remember always.

Wednesday, April 26, 2006

The Latest

It's been a pretty uneventful week so far. With the exception of a few sleepless nights, everything has been pretty good. He didn't sleep well Sunday night, so that really messed us up on Monday and then again on Tuesday. Today he had a great day at daycare. He's been asleep since about 8:30 tonight and he hasn't even made a peep. So, hopefully he'll sleep through the night tonight.

He's moving around a lot more and he's getting fast. He's still doing that combat crawl thing, but he certainly gets where he wants to go (and places he shouldn't). We've also noticed that he's becoming more vocal. He can now officially say "dog"...or as he says is "dawg". Of course he still says "hey", "da-da", sometime "da-di", then he does a bunch of vowel sounds.

I'm a little frustrated. I've had this whole camera dilemma thing going on since his birthday. My old digital camera has been in the shop since March 24th. Long story. Anyway, when Ian got his first haircut on April 7th, I took pictures with my old 35mm camera. I had the film developed and asked for a picture CD. I have the CD, but it's blank. So, I'm going to take it back to Walgreen's and have them fix it. That just really irritates me. When I get the electronic pics, I'll post a couple of haircut day. He did great and didn't cry at all. He now looks like a little boy and not so much like a baby (that's good and bad in my book).

We finally got our appointment set with the neurologist. We will see Dr. Benner on Thursday, May 11th. I'm looking forward to that visit just so my mind can rest.

Sunday, of course, is baby dedication. We're so looking forward to it. Afterwards we are going to go to Mimi's Cafe (at 71st and Memorial) for brunch. It's completely on the other side of town, but we really like it and it's kid friendly. We hope that you will be able to join us for this special day. For those of you outside of the Tulsa area, you can watch it on the web at www.tulsafbc.org Click on the sermons link and then you can watch it live at 8:30am.

Next Monday is our anniversary. Charlie and I will be married 19 years on May 1st. Wow. That's a long time. He's a wonderful man, a great husband and an amazing father. The past 2 months since we've had Ian, I've watched him blossom into this incredible daddy. Ian and I are so very blessed to have him.

Please continue to pray for our friends Angie & Dustin as they await their travel clearance to get little Mia Supritha. Mia's birthday is May 20th and we all want her home by then.

More pictures soon and updates as we have them.

Wednesday, April 19, 2006

Shots

Today we had an appointment with Dr. Sood. Ian had to get a some shots and a check up. He's doing great. He's up to 20.3 pounds (that a 2 pound increase in 6 weeks). Dr. Sood was pleased with his progress and development. I'm going to call the Neurologist's office tomorrow morning and set up an appointment just for a baseline exam.

Ian was a trooper. He got 4 shots...yes 4...and he did great. Much better than mommy. It's just so hard to see him upset. He only cried for a few seconds this time. He wasn't cranky or fussy at all this evening. He ate a great dinner, played and then it was time for our bedtime routine. He didn't make it to story time tonight. He was asleep shortly after he finished his bottle.

I'm hoping we can see the Neurologist in the next week or so. I want to get that done. I know that he's fine, I'm just antsy.

We don't go back to see Dr. Sood until he is 15 months old....which won't be long.

On a different subject....A wonderful couple that we met during this whole adoption process (Angie & Dustin) are close to traveling to India to pick up their little girl Mia Supritha. Mia was in a crib beside Ian in the orphanage. They live in Oklahoma City. I think it's a "God Thing" to have these two little babies who were side by side in the orphanage for several months just a few miles apart in Oklahoma. They have had a delay in their paperwork and are still waiting for one last thing to be completed before they can travel. Please pray for them. Mia's first birthday will be May 20th. Like us, they really want to have her home for her first birthday.

More updates as we have them.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Just A Reminder

We want to remind everyone that Ian's baby dedication at our church is Sunday, April 30th (not this coming Sunday, but the next one) at First Baptist Church (downtown Tulsa) at 8:30am. We'd love to see all of our friends there during that special time.

Also...Ian has another doctors appointment tomorrow (just a check up and shots). Please pray that he's doing fine and the shots are not too tramautic this time.

Sweet Little Tid Bits

Ian does such cute little things (like all children). I don't want to forget any of them, so I thought I'd jot a few down.

He loves to give kisses now. You know...those big, open mouth, wet kind. He was kissing all of his friends yesterday at day care. When he kisses...he says "aaaawwwwwhhhhh". Cute, cute, cute.

His sandal kept falling off on Sunday afternoon, so he took the other one off and handed it to me in the restaurant. At least he didn't throw it.

He's so very intense. When he's focused on something you can really tell it.

He loves to snuggle with mommy first thing in the morning.

He calls the dog "ga".

He LOVES to eat. He's becoming a bit more independent these days. He wants to try to feed himself. We've only let him try it a couple of times. He knows the spoon goes in his mouth, but he can't quite get anything on the spoon.

He loves to brush his teeth. We gave him a little toothbrush to play with while we are getting ready to brush his teeth. Then when we're ready, he hands his toothbrush over to us.

Even though it's nuts when it's happening, he fights going to sleep almost every time he's tired. He is just so afraid he is going to miss something.

His crawling is so cute. He's still "combat" crawling, but he's getting faster and faster.

He understands the word "no". He doesn't like being told no. His little bottom lip comes out and he starts crying. That hurts my heart.

Have I ever mentioned just how cute he is? Well...he is.

There are so many more, but this helps me get started.

More updates as I get a chance....

Sunday, April 16, 2006

Ian's First Snow Cone


All kids love snow cones, right? Well...not this kid. I gave him a bite and he made a face, so I thought that he just didn't know what it was. So we tried it again. The face posted is the result. No snow cones for Ian!!!

Woodward Park - Easter Sunday 2006




Before and After Church






Easter

Happy Easter everyone!!!

Today we celebrated our first Easter as a family. What a glorious day. Ian got up a little too early this morning. He was awake around 5:30am...after a not so great night. He fell back asleep on our bed with Daddy. When we got him up to get ready, he was a happy, happy boy.

He looks smashing in his little suit today. I'm going to post some pictures after this post. He surprised us by NOT taking his tie off. He had in on until we got home. When I started to leave him in the nursery at church this morning, he didn't want to get out of my arms. That's the first time he's done that. I'm sure it had something to do with the week he's had at daycare.

Church was great today. We were back in the sanctuary for the first time today. What a wonderful day for that to happen. I always love Easter. The message today from Pastor Deron really spoke to me. The music was wonderful. There was a great special ensemble number by a group of men from our church led by my favorite singer...Bobby Hart. The song was called "The End of the Beginning." I wasn't familiar with the song at all, but it was wonderful and had a powerful message. How blessed are we to live in a country where we can worship freely and serve a wonderful Savior? I'm looking forward to the day when Ian can understand the Easter story.

Ian fell asleep in the car on the way home. We hadn't even reached the Broken Arrow Expressway and he was asleep. Playing is hard work. When we got home, he took a two hour nap.

After nap time, we had some lunch. Then we went out so Charlie and I could eat. I felt bad not cooking Easter dinner. But, I just couldn't get my stuff together. After we ate, we went to Woodward Park to take some pictures. Brad met us there and we had a great time. It was beautiful here today and the park was great. The azaleas are still in bloom and some of the roses are too. There were lots of people there today.

We've had a full weekend. Yesterday we went to Amanda's birthday party (Marcia and Bill's daughter). Marcia hid eggs for the Easter egg hunt in the back yard. Ian didn't quite know what to do, but we helped him find a few. Our friend Leslie's little boy, Nicky, was quite the egg finder. His little basket was over flowing with eggs. He's such a cute little guy. We got a call from Marcia tonight. It seems that one of the little boys at the party who is about 18 months old woke up today with the chicken pox. Ian is scheduled to get his chicken pox vaccination shot on Wednesday. Let's pray that it's not too late.

Tomorrow starts week two of daycare. I'm anticipating a tough day tomorrow since he's been home with us all weekend. Maybe I'll be surprised.

I hope that everyone had a blessed Easter. We certainly did!!!!

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Grass Everywhere

Today was a good day at daycare. He ate well, played a lot, laughed a bunch and took a pretty good nap. When I got there this evening Ian was asleep on his cot. Miss Stacey said that the kids were playing outside (it was 90 degrees this afternoon) and he just decided it was time to take a nap so he layed down in the grass and fell asleep. She picked him up and put him on his cot and that's where he was when I arrived. She said she didn't have the heart to wake him up and brush him off. He was covered in grass and dirt. The joy of having a little boy :)

When I picked him up grass fell out of his pants and was all over me by the time we got to the car. He was in a great mood. When we got home, we changed his clothes and brushed the grass off of the bed. He even had grass clippings in his hair.

Anyway....he had a great day and we are so very thankful.

We're going to keep praying that this transition continues to go smoothly.

He has a follow up appointment with his pediatrician next Wednesday. He'll have to get 3 shots and Daddy has to take him alone because I have a meeting in OKC that day and won't be back in Tulsa in time. Hopefully all will be well.

In case I don't get to post before Easter Sunday....I have all of you have a Blessed Easter and remember that Christ is Risen...Risen In Deed!!!!

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

One Day At A Time

Things are moving right along with our daycare situation.

Yesterday (Tuesday) was better than Monday. He had a rough time in the morning, but was better by the afternoon. He ate his breakfast at home AND at daycare. But...he didn't eat much lunch. I wasn't too concerened about that since he had eaten a pretty big breakfast 2 hours before. He wouldn't drink anything that Miss Stacey offered him. She was so sweet and so very concerned about that. When I picked him up yesterday evening, he didn't see me at first. He was laughing a playing with Miss Reitha (one of the other teachers). When he saw me, it was like he thought "oooo, I have to cry"...so he did. Not really crying...just fussing. He was clingy again yesterday evening. But, that's OK. I love being near him.

Today was even better than yesterday. He had a great night's sleep and woke up in a wonderful mood this morning. When I picked him up, Miss Stacey was so excited because he drank all of his juice today. He again ate some breakfast at home and at daycare. He ate all of his lunch and even had a snack in the afternoon. He took a short nap...on the cot (which was new for him). They said that he was playing a laughing more today. He was very tired when I picked him up.

The major excitement of the day.....Ian was bitten by one of his classmates. The daycare director called me this afternoon and said that she just needed to let me know that Ian had been bitten today. They felt terrible about it. Miss Stacey said that he and some of the other kids were playing and one of them bit him. He has quite a mark on his little right hand. I felt so bad for him. I know those things are going to happen. But, just knowing that someone hurt my child gave me a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Continue to keep him in your prayers. I know this week is tough on him and he'll probably have rough days next week and probably after that. I just want him to feel secure and know that Mommy and Daddy will always come back to get him.

We'll just take this daycare thing one day at a time and we'll get through it.

Monday, April 10, 2006

Rough Day :(

Today was a rough day in the Conner household. I went back to work today. My work was fine...just lots of stuff going on. That's probably a good thing...it kept my mind off missing Ian so much.

Ian had a horrible day. Actually he didn't make it all day. The daycare center called me around 10:15am and said that Ian had been crying since about 9:00am. They were unable to console him. He wouldn't eat, he wouldn't take a bottle. He wouldn't do anything. He didn't sleep well last night. He has a bit of a cold, I think. His little nose is running, but stuffy all at the same time. He has a slight...slight...cough. I think it could be the temperature change, allergies or the like. Anyway, he didn't sleep well, so I think he was a little tired. Plus, not feeling well made it rough on the little guy. So, Charlie picked him up around 11:00am and brought him home. He's been very clingy all day. When I got home this evening, he was very happy to see me, but I couldn't put him down after that or he whined. I'm not really sure what's going on with him, but I think he'll be OK.

I was really surprised when Miss Karen (the daycare director) called me this morning. He did so well on Thursday and Friday. He did great in the nursery yesterday at church. I kinda expected him to have a slight problem in the afternoon since we haven't left him for longer than 2 1/2 hours. But, it all happened this morning.

I'm hoping that he gets a good nights sleep tonight. We're going to try it again tomorrow (Tuesday). Charlie and I both have extremely busy and tight schedules tomorrow. I actually have to go to Oklahoma City for a meeting. Maybe the meeting will be short and I can get home a little early.

Please pray that our little guy settles in tomorrow. It's so hard to see him upset. The upside is I don't think he has any attachment issues with Mommy or Daddy. If his little cold is not better tomorrow, I think I'll call the doctor and see if there's anything I need to be doing besides giving him Pedicare.

Thanks in advance for all of your prayers.....

Friday, April 07, 2006

Last Full Work Day At Home

Today is my last full day home with Ian. It's truly hard to believe that we've been home 6 weeks and that we've had Ian for 7 weeks. What an amazing time this has been. I've enjoyed every minute of it. He really is a good baby. He has his moments (like at 1:00am this morning), but for the most part...he's just a baby.

Yesterday I took him to visit the daycare center for the first time. He will be attending Day Schools, which is a pretty reputable and long standing center here in Tulsa. I was able to stay with him for about the first hour and then I had a bunch of enrollment paperwork to do.

He's in a class with kids who are all under the age of 2 (there's one little boy younger than him in the class). But...he is absolutely the smallest one in the class. The little boy, Cortez, that's younger then him just started walking this week. Ian has pretty much mastered crawling, but walking is a ways away. Who knows though, it might happen sooner than I realize. Because he is so small, I think the kids thought he was some kind of toy yesterday. When I put him in the floor, they all ran over and started touching him. He didn't mind that at all. But then, one of the little boys decided it was time to pull his hair. Ian didn't like that at all (who'd blame him). He started to cry (which broke my heart), but his primary caregiver (Miss Stacey) immediately went over and redirected the other child and picked Ian up to comfort him. That made me feel better. One of the little girls, Eva, just wanted to keep kissing him. I think she kissed him 15 or 20 times. When I left he was fine and when I came back...guess what...he was OK too. He was glad to see me and I got lots of hugs and kisses, but he was fine.

Today, we took him back again for a couple of hours. No fussing, no crying....just happy Ian. When I went back to pick him up, Miss Stacey said that he did great and even played in the Jupiter Jump a little this morning. It's a special week at the daycare and today they had the Jupiter Jump there.

So...Monday...that's the big day. Charlie will take him in the mornings and I'll pick him up. I think the first few days will probably be fine and then he might have a problem with Charlie leaving...but then again....he may always do well. Who knows. I am anticipating that our sleep will be a bit crazy next week. When Charlie went back to work, that week was pretty tough. Ian may surprise me.

I'm thankful that I had this time to spend with him. I'm going to miss those special moments that we had each day. I especially love it when he wakes up from his nap and is such a happy boy. I'm going to miss the days of discovery. But, I have to know that while I may not be the first person to see a lot of his discoveries, I'll certainly see them all and many more.

For those of you still faithfully reading this blog...thank you. I love to write this stuff down as I can. Please continue to pray that Mommy will adjust well when she goes back to work.

More updates later....

Sunday, April 02, 2006

New Pictures




These are pictures that we've taken over the past week. Today was Ian's first time in the swings. As you can see, he had LOTS of fun (so did we). There's nothing like the giggle of a child to melt your heart.

Question of the day..."Does This Child Ever Fuss?"

Charlie and I picked Ian up from the nursery today after church and the Pre-School minister chatted with us for a while. Sabrina is fairly new to our church, but I already love her. She's so kind and gentle and her love for the children is quite obvious. When we went to Ian's room to get him, he was busy playing on the floor with another little boy. He looked like he was having great fun. Charlie said his name and he turned around and flashed that beautiful smile and said "da-da". The workers in his class told what a great little guy he is and they were amazed at how happy he is. We started walking to the stairs and ran into Sabrina again. She commented on how happy Ian is and said "does this child ever fuss?" Charlie and I both giggled and said "oh, yes...especially around nap time or when Mom isn't feeding him fast enough." We really are blessed though. For the most part is he is happy, happy, happy. He smiles at anyone who speaks to him.

Tomorrow I begin my last week off work. It's hard to believe that I've been off 7 weeks already. While I'm looking forward to going back to work, I know it's going to be hard to be away from him all day. We have such fun and it seems like everyday he's doing something new or discovering something new. He has a busy week this week. Sooner Start is coming on Tuesday for his evaluation. Thursday morning we go to daycare for a couple of hours and then that afternoon he has his evaluation with Parents As Teachers. Friday, he's going to visit daycare for a little while and then I'll go back and pick him up.

With all of that, I'm still hoping to get him to the Zoo. If I get all of my stuff done tomorrow, we might attempt it tomorrow afternoon. It's supposed to rain on Wednesday, so that probably won't be a good day.

Sometime this week, when he's napping, I really want to write down alot of the things he's done already so I don't forget them. Like the first time he really crawled (the day before his birthday).

I'm going to post a few pictures from this past week. We went to the park just down the street from our house this afternoon. He loves to be outside. We put him in the swings for the first time. At first, he wasn't quite sure what the heck was going on, but then he got the hang of it and realized that it was quite fun...especially when Daddy made him go really high. Charlie called him his "little thrill seeker." I'd have to agree with that.

I'm getting ready for bed so I can be up and ready for my last full week home with Ian. My, my...time is flying by already.