Ian's Story

A New Party

2008-09-01T23:27:00.003-05:00

I've finally started a FAMILY blog. I'll now be blogging at http://connerpartyoffour.blogspot.com

Getting Ready To Merge

2008-08-19T15:28:00.002-05:00

Now that Drew's home, I'm finding it more and more difficult to keep up with 2 blogs. So...I'm going to start a new one for the family. I'll still keep both Ian and Drew's blogs live so families can look back at our journey. Now the difficult part...coming up with a name. I'm using all of my creative juices with a 13 month old and a 3 year old at present. So, please make a comment and give me some ideas for a new name for our blog.

Catching Up

2008-07-18T00:56:00.002-05:00

It's been a pretty exciting week....actually the past couple of weeks have been pretty exciting.

First....congrats to the Haverty's!!! They received their referral of a beautiful baby girl from Korea. Woo, hoo!!! Ryan's new little sister, Evie, is adorable and we can't wait until she comes home.

Second....the family we traveled to India with, the Borski's, just received their referral of a precious little boy. Looking forward to hearing about Ahlyana's reaction to having a little brother. We are thrilled for them.

Last...but not least.....IAN'S BABY BROTHER IS COMING HOME. Yep...we received our approval on Monday night. We leave on July 26th for Vietnam and on July 31st, Drew will be ours forever.

We're going to the Kiddie Park in Bartlesville tomorrow evening. Saturday we have lots to do and then Sunday we're going over to Marcia & Bill's for pizza. This is weird...it'll be the last weekend as a family of three. Wow.

More news as it happens!!!

Another "nuggett"

2008-07-13T22:58:00.002-05:00

One more little nugget from Ian that I don't want to forget.

Barrell Feet....a.k.a.....bare feet

Also, Ian experienced his first, real busted lip tonight. He was playing at church, tripped and fell on a ball and his busted his lip...and skinned his chin. It's kinda puffy and a little bloody....but the drama....oh the drama when he saw his mommy. We thought ice cream might make it better...but my child does not like ice cream. What? How can that be? So, we headed home and I cleaned it up a little, kissed it and all is fine now.

Fun-Filled Holiday Weekend

2008-07-08T00:19:00.002-05:00

We had a GREAT weekend. Lots of fun! Ian loved the fireworks at the Hav's....had a blast swimming in Uncle Brad's pool....loved running around at the church picnic....decided the fireworks "scared" him. I'm pretty sure the fireworks "scaring him" at the church picnic was a result of a long, busy weekend. He didn't appear scared...just tired..."I'm ready to go home now mommy."

What a great kid! We love this rotten little guy so much. It's past midnight and I should be in bed snuggling with my little guy...and my big guy. But, I wanted to get these pictures up and I'm stalking my email hoping for some news from Vietnam.

Could It Be?

2008-06-29T22:47:00.002-05:00

Maybe...just maybe....hopefully....we're potty trained. Well at least "pee-pee" potty trained. Last Tuesday evening, out of the blue, Ian said "I want to wear big boy underwear to school tomorrow, OK Daddy?" Woo, hoo!!! Well of course it was OK.

So Wednesday morning, he proudly put on his undies and off he went to school. He had a couple of accidents during the day, but for the first full day in underwear....I'm not complaining. Each day has gotten better. Yesterday he only had one accident and it was because we couldn't make it to the potty fast enough.

Today was a test for us. We decided to brave it and go to church like normal. We even stayed after for a pre-school work day. No accidents until late this afternoon...when he should have been napping...instead he was playing "peek-a-boo" in the hallway.

It's taken us a while to get here are we're very proud of his accomplishments. We're hoping that he doesn't regress much when Drew comes home.

Oh....one other cute thing that he does when he'd gone potty...he'll run to me and tell me and then say "does that make you happy Mommy?". You betcha little man...you betcha!!!

They Melt In Your Mouth...And Your Nose Too

2008-06-22T23:17:00.002-05:00

Yep...M & M's! They melt in your mouth....and as of a couple of hours ago, we have discovered that they melt in your nose. After pee-peeing in the potty, Ian got 3 mini M & M's and a sticker. We were ready for bed and all of the sudden he said "where did the M & M go mommy?" I said, "In your tummy Ian." To which he followed with "no mommy it's in my nose." So, I tried getting it out with a carefully placed Q-Tip, but soon discovered that melting chocolate was coming out. I stopped. Then he blew his nose several times....lots of chocolate.

He's fine. Of course, the drama was huge. Afterwards we had a long talk about putting things in our nose. We'll see if he learned his lesson.

Precious and Frustrating

2008-06-22T19:14:00.002-05:00

That describes Ian....precious and frustrating. He thinks he's the boss a lot of the time. He is trying to be so independent and it comes across as bossy much of the time. He tells us "NO" a lot..."go away" a lot...."I don't like you"....occasionally.....therefore spending LOTS of time in the Thinking Chair. I'm sure this will pass....but geesh it's frustrating.

He's also one of the sweetest little guys around. Yesterday in the car he said "hey Mommy, you know what".....I said "what Ian"....he said "I love you Mommy."

Recently we attended Vietnam Heritage Weekend that our adoption agency sponsors. I volunteered to be on the committee thinking we're certainly have Drew home. But...we didn't. So, it was a little painful, but we had a good time. I think Ian thought we were going to Vietnam Camp to get his baby brother. When he saw some of the babies come in on Friday evening, he said "is that my brother?" Just before we were ready to leave he said "mommy, when do we get Drew?" Bless his little heart...he's ready for his brother to come home (so are we).

Today on the way to the Zoo, Ian and Daddy were talking....I'm not exactly sure what about....but Ian said "What's that all about?" Now where did that come from? The words and phrases that come out of his mouth amaze and surprise us sometimes.

Wonderpets, Wonderpets We're On Our Way....

2008-06-16T15:20:00.002-05:00

Ian has never been a child that watches much television. He really could care less. Which is a good thing. BUT...he LOVES the Wonderpets. So, I found these cool pajamas...complete with cape. There's not a lot of stuff out there yet for The Wonderpets, but I have a feeling it's coming. Yikes....watch out wallet.

Prayers of a 3 year old

2008-06-05T22:44:00.002-05:00

Now I lay me...down to seep...pray de Lord my soul keep....God Bless my Daddy, my brother, my friends in my classroom, my Brad, my Mommy, my Daddy, my brother, Autin, Miss Michelle, my Daddy, Miss Connie, my Daddy, my Mommy, my Brad, my brother, my Daddy......AAAAAAAAAAAAAmen.

Warmed my heart tonight when he did this all by himself.

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will not enter it." Luke 18: 16-17.

Weekend Fun

2008-05-28T22:40:00.001-05:00

Fridge-a-gator

2008-05-22T22:02:00.002-05:00

Fridge-a-gator.....that's where the drinks are Mommy....in the fridge-a-gator.

Don't want to forget that little nugget. :)

Being Silly

2008-05-17T13:16:00.002-05:00

Check out Ian's new "do".....a Faux Hawk! We had fun being silly. Of course, Ian wants to "wear it like this to school...OK Mommy?" Charlie would die!

Whee.....Swinging On Mother's Day

2008-05-12T22:32:00.001-05:00

Mother's Day 2008

2008-05-11T23:57:00.003-05:00

It was a great day. The weather was beautiful and my little Ian was awesome. Lots of hugs and kisses for Mother's Day. In addition....a beautiful plaster hand print. Love the "art" projects from school...they are truly the best.

We had a great day at church followed by lunch at my favorite restaurant...Mexicali Border Cafe. Then it was home to take a nap. But....Ian took a power 10 minute nap in the car and that was it. No nap today. We went to the mall later this afternoon and then to Hunter Park. We had so much fun just watching him run around. He loves to swing and daddy loves to push him WAY too high (which scares Mommy).

He didn't go to bed until around 9pm tonight, which surprised me since he didn't take a nap. But he's sleeping soundly now in mommy and daddy's bed. Can't get this little guy to sleep in his own bed. Oh well....he'll grow out of it I suppose.

I'm truly blessed with an amazing son and one more still waiting for his mommy and daddy in Vietnam. I can't wait until next year when I have two little guys giving me hugs and kisses. It just doesn't get much better.

I'll post some pictures later....it's bedtime.

Before I Was A Mom

2008-05-10T22:06:00.000-05:00

Before I was a Mom

I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.

I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.

I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never been puked on.

Pooped on.

Chewed on.

Peed on.

I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.

I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom

I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests.

Or give shots.

I never looked into teary eyes and cried.

I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.

I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom

I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down.

I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.

I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.

I never knew that I could love someone so much.

I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom -

I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.

I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.

I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.

I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom -

I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.

I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache,

the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.

I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom

How'd He Know?

2008-05-10T21:51:00.002-05:00

The words a mother longs to hear....

"I LOVE YOU MOMMY"

This evening as I was preparing dinner, Ian was patiently waiting at the kitchen table. Out of the blue...."I love you mommy". How'd he know I desperately needed to hear that? I'm truly blessed with the sweetest little guy in the world.

I waited a long time for a child to call my own. God knew the right time and the perfect child.

Thoughtful, cranky, crabby, sweet.....

2008-05-04T23:22:00.002-05:00

That described about 2 minutes with Ian today. He was WILD today. He has a bit of a cough and runny nose, so I don't think he's feeling himself.

This child can be the absolute most thoughtful child on the planet from time to time. I had a broken nail yesterday and he was so concerned. "Awwww....I sorry mommy." Kissed my finger and then moved on.

Today...he's been cranky and crabby. No...why....scream...no....why...scream. That's about it.

He had to spend a few minutes in the "thinking chair" tonight and he kept trying to get up so he could come over and "tell mommy sorry."

After a day of ups and downs...he sat on my lap and out of the blue looked up and said "I love you mommy".

All better now :)

One other little tid bit from the day. One of our rules is "no throwing balls in the living room". Charlie threw the baseball (the soft kind) to Ian so he could practice catching it in his glove. Ian said "we're not supposed to throw balls in the living room." So...Mommy had to send Daddy to the "thinking chair". Ian walked him over and proceeded to "talk" to him. After the time out was over....Ian wanted to "talk" to Daddy about what he'd done. He said "Daddy, don't throw things in the living room again, OK?" Charlie and I both just about lost it.

Love me some Ian!

Spring Time Fun

2008-04-28T18:17:00.005-05:00

Ian has had a good spring so far. Finally the weather is warming up and we can be outside a little more. He LOVES being outside. Thought I'd post a few pictures from the last month or so.

Daddy & Ian playing cars

Jumping on the trampoline

Leslie, Nicky & Ian

Smiley Boy

Mommy's handsome boys

Sweet kisses for Mommy

Running in Woodward Park

Trying to blow the dandelion

Walking hand in hand with Daddy...priceless!

Birthday Party at Daycare & Playing In the Park

2008-03-24T21:17:00.002-06:00

He's 3

2008-03-24T16:45:00.002-06:00

Today, little Ian turned 3. Can he really be 3 already? Wow...that was fast. It seems like yesterday when I was planning his 1st birthday. Now my baby is 3. Before you know it he'll be graduating high school. Yikes! Charlie and I took cupcakes and balloons to his class today. Then we went to a local park to play. He's such a sweet little guy. We just love, love, love, love him. I'll post pictures tonight after he goes to bed.

Happy Birthday Ian!

Easter 2008

2008-03-23T22:23:00.002-06:00

Happy Easter everyone!!! Today, like last year, was not the day we had planned. But...it was still fine. Ian has been sick all weekend. Friday evening he threw up while we were at Target and then again after we got home. He started running a fever and coughing quite a bit. Saturday he was pretty miserable. Fever all day and evening, lots of coughing and then throwing up again (all over mommy this time). His fever broke about midnight last night, but we were a little afraid to take him to church this morning. He probably would have been fine, but we were worried that he might be contagious. So, we stayed home. Last year, I was so sick and we didn't get to go to church on Easter Sunday morning. This year, we did get to go to our Service of Darkness on Thursday evening. Ian did pretty well for about half an hour. As we were getting ready to go forward for Communion, it was really, really quite in the church. Ian says "can I take my fruit snacks daddy"? Those around us chuckled a bit. He was pretty much done after that. So, Charlie spent the rest of the time in going up and down the stairs in the lobby.

This morning, Ian found his Easter basket and had a great time. He had M & M's for breakfast. At least he was eating something and keeping it down. Brad came over this evening for dinner. Ian loves his uncle Brad.

Tomorrow is the big day. Our little man turns 3 tomorrow!!! Yay!!! He's such a big boy...or at least he thinks he is (until he wants mommy to hold him like a baby). We are so blessed to have this amazing little man in our lives.

As we celebrate Easter today, let us not forget the reason for the celebration. Our Savior, died on the cross and rose again!! HE IS RISEN....RISEN INDEED!

Everything To Me

2008-03-17T20:52:00.001-06:00

As we get closer to Ian's birthday, my thoughts always go to Ian's birth mother. This song by Mark Schultz just touches my heart. I know half way around the world there is a women who is thinking abouot the child she gave birth to. We are so grateful to her. She gave everything to Ian...and she gave Everything To Me.

Beautiful Day For An Easter Egg Hunt

2008-03-12T22:32:00.002-06:00

Our church, First Baptist Church of Tulsa, held it's annual Easter Egg hunt on Monday. This was Ian's first time to participate. It was a beautiful, sunny but chilly evening. That didn't stop Ian. He had a great time and came home with way too much candy.

Car Conversation

2008-03-01T14:45:00.002-06:00

The conversation in the car last night went something like this, according to Charlie.....

Ian: Where'd mmommy go?

Charlie: She's at the ladies retreat at church?

Ian: What mommy doing?

Charlie: Learning about Jesus.

Ian: I like Jesus.

Charlie: I like Jesus too.

Ian: I proud of you Daddy.

Out of the mouth of babes....God speaks to us.

Gotcha Day Pictures

2008-02-17T22:32:00.002-06:00

Gotcha Day 2008

2008-02-17T22:02:00.004-06:00

It's Gotcha Day!!! Or as some might say...Forever Family Day. Whatever you want to call it...it's a special day for us. Two years ago today, we became a family of three. Two years ago today, Ian was placed in our arms forever. WOW....has it only been two years? It seems like forever.

I always get a bit emotional around this time of year. We had no idea just how wonderful parenting could be. Of course, there are those "trying" moments...but for the most part we really enjoy being Mommy and Daddy. It does help to have a great kid though. When we met Ian for the first time, I think I was numb. He was so precious and so tiny. He wasn't really tiny, but he seemed tiny to me. I thought I knew what love was....until I held my son. Then I thought I knew exactly what love was...and then I saw Ian in Charlie's arms. Not only was I in love with my son, my love for Charlie grew beyond what I could ever imagine. There's just something about seeing a child with their daddy.

Those first few days and weeks seem like a blur now. We were away from home, with a new baby...being first time parents. We were tired, scared, emotionally drained...but yet, so much in love.

We are so thankful that God chose us to be Ian's parents. His plan, not ours, was set long ago. When we had so many fertilitiy issues early in our marriage, I had no idea that God was planning to build our family through adoption. We are so blessed.

We shared our day two years ago with Todd, Michele and Ahylana. Ahly is just 9 days younger than Ian. This family is and always will be special to us. Usually you travel alone when you're going to India, but, as God would have it, we traveled with this great family. I know we'll always keep our families connected. We love you guys!!!

Today was pretty low key for us. We got up and got ready for church. Ian enjoys going into the sanctuary and listening to the Praise team sing. He doesn't know quite when to be quiet yet though. We usually take him to his class after about 20 minutes.

This evening Brad came over and we had cake and ice cream. We watched the video of the first time we saw Ian. I picked up a few balloons this afternoon. Ian LOVES balloons. He so enjoyed Uncle Brad's visit. They played and played. Then Ian was ready for a bath.

Two years ago our lives changed forever....two years ago Charlie and Nadra became also know as Daddy and Mommy....two years ago God placed this beautiful little man in our arms.

We love you Ian. Happy Gotcha Day!!!

Special Time Of Year

2008-02-15T17:14:00.002-06:00

This is a special time of year in our household. Not only was it Valentine's Day yesterday, but Sunday is Ian's Gotcha Day!!!

Two years ago yesterday we boarded a plane and headed to India. Wow. It's hard to believe how much our lives have changed in just 2 short years. I've been very "teary" yesterday and today. Just thinking about how blessed we are to have been given our most amazing gift....Ian. He is such a good little guy and we love him so much. I'll post more about our Gotcha Day happenings on Sunday.

He continue to amaze and entertain us. He's now in a new class at daycare. He moved up almost 4 weeks ago. He's back in a class with his buddies Tezzie (Cortez), Sol-mon (Soloman) and Peston (Preston). He really likes his new teacher, Ms. Michelle. I don't think he's crazy about Ms. Diane yet....but he'll get there. His vocabulary continues to grow. Things come out of his mouth and I have no idea where he's heard them. So far...nothing really bad though.

His new thing this week is the Hokey Pokey. Wednesday night, we did the Hokey Pokey probably 20 times. He just giggles and sings. It's cute as can be. Then all three of us danced around the living room and ended in a family hug. Ian said..."we're in our home?". I said "yes, this is our home". He said "this is good mommy". He was so right....this is good.

We're working on potty training. He does really well some days and others...not so much. I think it's helping to see the other little kids in his class using the potty. Hopefully we won't have too much of a set back once we get Drew home.

No real news on the Drew front. Hopefully we'll hear an update in the next week or so. We're still hoping for a March travel date....but who knows.

More later this weekend....with pictures.

Cheese

2008-02-12T00:21:00.000-06:00

We had a great weekend. Friday night, our friend Colleen was in town from New Hampshire. We had fun visiting and catching up at dinner with Coll and a bunch of our friends. Ian and Nicky had a great time "cheesing" it up for the camera. Cute, cute boys. Sunday was Dillon International's Lunar New Year Celebration. It was such fun seeing some of the kiddos that we only read about on blogs. Ian has a new buddy...Zakary Binh. He had such fun running around in the lobby with Zakary. Here are some new "cheesy" pictures.

Ian at Dillon's Lunar New Year Celebration

Ian's new friend Zakary Binh

On Stage

Cheeeeeessssseeeeee

I might be up to something

Ian and Nicky

Songs In The Key Of Ian

2008-02-07T22:09:00.000-06:00

Ian loves to sing. Sometimes I have no clue what he's singing and other times it's perfectly clear.

Last night, we were in bed and Ian said "Sing Powder Cake Mommy". OK...that's a new one for me. "Powder Cake?" I say. "Yes...sing powder cake"....then he starts to clap his little hands. OH....Pat A Cake? So, we sing "powder cake". The best part was "roll it up and throw it in the can".

Then he proceeded to sing all of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" by himself.

I asked him to sing his ABC's and he did so without a thought. He does really well until he gets to "s"...then he goes from "s" to "y and z...now I know my ABC's, next time won't you sing with me?". So, to only skip t....u...v....w....x.....not too bad.

Love me some Ian!!

Incredible Outing

2008-01-22T01:05:00.000-06:00

Saturday evening Charlie and I decided to do something with "just Ian". You know, one of those things that we might not be able to do with just him for a while after Drew comes home? Charlie said "let's go to Incredible Pizza". For those of you outside the Tulsa area or without an Incredible Pizza in your town...it's a fun and food place for the family. They have all kinds of games, go karts, minature golf, bumper cars, and every arcade game you can imagine (or at least I could imagine). Plus, they have a pizza buffett (the salad bar was actually quite nice). I was actually pleasantly surprised by the experience.

When we got there, the line to get in was crazy long, but it moved pretty fast. We decided to eat first...smart mommy. After we ate, then we headed toward the fun. Ian's little eyes were wide with wonder. I didn't know if they'd have stuff suitable for an almost three year old...but they did.

Ian spotted the "car" first. The last time he wanted to ride a car, he was fine until it moved and then he was done. Not this time. He rode the car about 5 times before we convinced him to try something else. Then we played "whack a mole"...great...teach a 3 year old to hit something. Then we found the carousel. Haven't been able to get him on a carousel before. Saturday night....we couldn't get him off. Every time we took him off, he just cried and cried. But soon he'd be distracted by something else and he was fine. He climed the stairs to the landing over the ball pit...then he couldn't figure out how to get down. So, the tears started to flow...not too much though. Charlie walked around to each side of the stairs and guided him down. Then he went back up and down the stairs several more times. He rode the train, played in the balls, ran around, rode the carousel about 50 times (literally) and watched the go karts go around the track. He was mesmerized by the go karts. He stood there with his little face and hands pressed against the glass watching for about 15 minutes.

He figured things out rather quickly. When one of his car rides was over, he said "more time". Charlie said "let's play whack a mole"...Ian said "no...more time Daddy"...and proceeded to point to the card reader where you slide your card to pay for the ride. We both laughed when we realized that he had figured out how to make it go. Every time if would stop...he'd point to the card reader and say "more time".

It was great fun. All three of us enjoyed our evening. When we were walking to the car, Charlie said "any idea what time it is?" Neither of us had a watch on. We arrived at Incredible Pizza around 4pm. I said "it's probably around 6:15 or so."....Charlie pulled out his cell phone and it was 7:30pm. Wow...3 1/2 hours.

It was worth everything to watch Ian having so much fun. We had an incredible outing with "just Ian".

Has It Been A Year?

2008-01-19T15:36:00.000-06:00

One year ago today...Ian officially became Ian. We waited way too long for finalization, on January 19, 2007 it finally happened. Even though he had been Ian to us forever, in the eyes of the court he was finally Ian Everett Kushal Conner.

One year later....sweet little Ian is a toddler in full force. Driving his mommy and daddy crazy some days, but that doesn't last too long. He's very independant, or at least he thinks he is. If we hear it one time a day, we hear it 20..."I do it"....and most of the time he can. His vocabulary amazes me. He loves to sing and his favorite thing to watch is The Wonder Pets (sweet little Nick Jr. show). He's never been much into TV or movies or anything like that, but for some reason The Wonder Pets fascinate him. He can sing all of the words to their theme song and and almost recite some of their episodes. He has his favorites though...The Wonder Pets Save the Egg and The Wonder Pets Save the Chameleon. The egg is his absolute favorite...the others come and go. Fortunately we have almost every episode recorded so we can watch them about 20 times a day. Sometimes the consequence of bad behavior is not getting to watch The Wonder Pets.

Ian has come a long way in a year. We're very proud of our little man. He's now waiting to be a big brother...even though he doesn't really know what that means.

The Shirt Says It All

2008-01-10T23:52:00.000-06:00

Although I'm not one for words on shirts....this one was just too cute to pass us. Crazy hair, sippy cup and a picture of Drew in his hand....it just doesn't get much better :)

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T00:03:00.000-06:00

Happy 2008!!!!

2007 was a great year for Ian as well as his Mommy and Daddy. Ian has brought pure joy to our lives. He continues to amaze us every single day. It's hard to believe that 2 years ago we were waiting for word that his passport had been issued so we could travel to India. Now...we're waiting for his little brother Drew's paperwork to make it's way through Vietnam.

2008 promises to be a year of many changes. The biggest change will occur when we bring our second son home from Vietnam. Having 2 little boys running around will certainly keep Mommy and Daddy busy and hopefully sane. We're so looking forward to having both of our boys home. Ian knows his baby brother is from "Bietnam" and his name is Drew...and that he'll stay home and get all of the toys ready for baby Drew while Mommy and Daddy are gone to "Bietnam". I don't think he understands that completely, but probably as much as an almost 3 year old can. Yikes...almost 3 years old? Where has the time gone?

God has provided so many blessings for us. Ian is, obviously, more of a blessing than we could have ever imagined possible. But, we thank God for the greatest blessing of all...his Son...Jesus Christ. We hope and pray that God will work in the hearts of many people this year and that His name will be glorified.

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!

More Ianisms

2007-12-30T21:49:00.000-06:00

This post is more for me than anyone else. It's just fun stuff that I don't want to forget.

McDonnies = McDonald's
Treatment = Treat
More time? = One more time?
Mommy hold de Ian = self explanatory
Piccups = Hiccups

Conversation today...in his little Cozy Coupe car:

Ian: I go to work, OK Mommy?
Mommy: Sure. Where do you work?
Ian: Church
Mommy: What do you do there?
Ian: Sing

Part two:

Ian: I go get breffast, OK Mommy?
Mommy: Sure. Where are you going?
Ian: I be right back.

A couple of seconds later he parks his little car in front of our bakers rack, puts his little head out of his car window and says "I want picken and french fies. OK. Thanks." Then he drives away.

I think we're spending too much time at McDonnies. :)

Conner Christmas 2007

2007-12-26T15:33:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas To All......

2007-12-25T00:19:00.000-06:00

And To All A Good Night....

Who Would Have Thought?

2007-12-21T17:43:00.000-06:00

Who would have thought that we'd have the sweetest boy in the world? I could have never imagined it. But....it's true. I know all of the other mommies out there think their little guy is the sweetest....but....I'm sorry to say.....Nope...Ian has that market cornered. He can just cheer his mommy up with his sweet smile and a hug.

Lately he's been singing a lot. It's so sweet to listen to him. He's not a big TV watcher (thank goodness). But he LOVES "The WonderPets". We have several episodes DVR'd. He can now sing almost the entire theme song with his Daddy. So cute...and so sweet.

Yesterday was his Christmas party at Daycare. As soon as I walked in, he was ready to go. I wanted him to play with his friends, but oh no...Mommy's here...so let's go bye-bye. I convinced him to stay and play for about an hour. His little classmates are so cute. I'm hoping to post a few pictures later this weekend.

Then we visited Santa Claus at Utica Square. Ian did great. He even told Santa he wanted "cars and a fire truck" for Christmas. Hopefully Santa took note of that.

My sweet boy will be home soon, but it's Bunco night for Mommy. So, I won't get to see my sweetie until a little later. But, when I get home, I'll get a sweet hug and kiss from the sweetest boy in the world.

Ice, Ice Baby

2007-12-13T18:59:00.000-06:00

We are sitting here in our nice, warm hotel room. That's an important since we haven't had power since Monday morning. Sunday night, we awoke to the sounds of limbs cracking, popping and falling in our yard. It was an eery sound. We have 3 large trees in the back yard and 2 in the front. When it was daylight, we could see many large limbs down in the back yard. But, it didn't appear that there was much damage. When we opened the front door....more limbs down. Charlie had to move one of them so we could get out of the driveway.

It continued to rain ice on Monday. We went home to check on the house at lunch. We had no power. But, we had wood in the garage to build a fire, so we thought we'd be OK. We'd camp out in the living room and have fun. When we got home from work around 6:00pm, we found more limbs down and a special limb in our kitchen ceiling. It's not a big limb...but any size limb through the roof and ceiling is too big for me. Ian did not like the dark at all. Poor little guy. I had tried all day to get a hotel room to no avail. I had better luck on Tuesday morning, but nothing was available until Wednesday evening. So...I booked it.

Tuesday evening was better at home...cold and damp, but better. Ian was ready for bed around 7:30pm. We kept him up until around 8:30 and then he crashed in my lap. We had a wet kitchen, but other than that it was OK.

Wednesday some men from our church came over and cleaned up the limbs from our front yard. They tried to clean up the back yard, but we still have a very large limb hanging and it's up so high that it can't be reached easily. So they were afraid to move anything in case the limb decided to fall into our house. We've filed a claim with our insurance company and we're going to call a roofing company to get the roof fixed. We checked in the hotel yesterday evening and it was wonderful. It was great to take a hot shower. Ian slept well and that made his mommy and daddy sleep better too.

Today....all day long we had no power. The pets are fine...a little chilly, but fine. On my way home I stopped by the house to check on the pets. Woo, hoo...POWER. Yay....we have power. It's only 54 degrees in our house, so we're staying at the hotel one more night so the house can warm up.

We have a huge task ahead of us. I'm sure all of the stuff in our fridge is bad and we have a ton of stuff to clean up in the yard. But, through it all, we're fine and we survived. It was stressful. Charlie was, once again, my rock. Thank goodness for a calm husband.

On a happy note...Ian had allergy testing done last Friday. Dr. Sood was afraid he was allergic to our cats. But....all of his tests came back 100% normal. No allergies to food or environment. Thank goodness.

Hopefully life will return to normal in the next couple of days.

Santa....Not So Bad

2007-12-06T22:28:00.000-06:00

Tonight was the Kids Christmas Party at my office. We had a BUNCH of kiddos running around. It seemed like most of them were between the ages of 2 and 3. It was a little crazy there for a while. Santa made his appearance. Only a couple of the kids cried. One little guy was so tough...he was all about seeing Santa...until it was his turn. Then he just lost it. He cried and cried.

Ian, on the other hand, hopped up on Santa's lap and gave him one of those "what's up with you" looks. He couldn't quite figure out Santa's big beard. But, he didn't cry and he did give Santa a hug. No big smiley pictures like last year, but still a couple of good ones.

Can't wait until next year to see what it will be like with our 2 little munchkins running around. I've always loved the Christmas season, but it's truly amazing when you see everything through your child's eyes. Ian is really enjoying all of the lights, Christmas trees, wreaths and nativity scenes. I'm looking forward to the day when he understands the real meaning of Christmas.

Tomorrow night is Parents Night Out at our church. Woo, hoo....a date night for mommy and daddy. The kids are having a birthday party for Jesus. That sounds like fun. Ian always has such fun playing with his friends at church.

The pictures are from tonight's party. Enjoy.

Fun Christmas Survey

2007-12-03T23:39:00.000-06:00

50 Question Fun Christmas Survey

Before Christmas

1. Does your family send out Christmas cards? Yes...I usually address them on Thanksgiving night.
2. How soon do you start shopping? Little stuff around the first of November...but I'm a BIG Black Friday shopper.
3. Who do you shop for? Immediate family, friends and co-workers.

Decorations
4. Do you put up a Christmas tree? Yes
5. If so, is it fake or real? Fake
6. Do you like tinsel? No...my cats don't like it either.
7. Do you use homeade or storebought ornaments? Both
8. Do you put Christmas lights outside your house? I love to, but Charlie isn't much for it.
9. Do you put lights on the tree? Oh yes...lots!
10. How about popcorn and cranberries? No
11. Is there a wreath hanging on your door? Yes

Christmas Eve

12. Do you celebrate it? Yes
13. Do you hang up your stocking? Yes
14. Does your family read "Twas the night before Christmas?" Yes and Luke 2

Favorites
15. Christmas Movie "A Christmas Story"
16. Character from any Christmas Movie...The little boy in a Christmas Story...you know the one who wanted the BB Gun.
17. Christmas Song "O Holy Night"
18. Christmas Memory...So far, it was seeing Ian's little face last year on Christmas morning.

This or That

19. Give or Receive? Give
20. Eggnog or Cider? Eggnog
21. Red or Green? Red
22. Ham or Turkey? Ham
23. Star or Angel? Star
24. White Lights or Colored Lights? White
25. Blinking Lights or Still Lights Still
26. Were you Naughty or Nice this year? I like to think I've been nice...but there's a little naughty streak in me.

Presents

27. What do you want for Christmas this year? Besides a travel date to Vietnam...a new watch with a heart rate monitor.
28. When do you open your gifts? Now that we have children, on Christmas morning. Before Ian...as soon as we got home from church on Christmas eve...I couldn't wait.
29. What's the best gift you've ever gotten? A new piccolo when I was 13.
30. What's the worst gift you've ever gotten? A girdle
31. Who gives you the most gifts? Charlie
32. Have you ever had a secret Santa? Yes
33. Do you like wrapping gifts? NO, NO, NO

Random

34. Do you put change in those red buckets? Yes
35. Do you burn a yule log? No
36. Can you name all the reindeer? Yes...Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen....and of course Rudolph.
37. Do you bake cookies? Yes
38. Have you ever seen your mommy kissing Santa Clause? No
39. Have you ever gotten a kiss under the mistletoe? Oh yes.
40. Do you go caroling? I love to, but I haven't done it in several years.
41. Do you drive around and look at the Christmas lights? That's one of the things we do after church on Christmas eve. One of the churches / bible colleges here in Tulsa has a huge display. We go there every year. Plus we love driving through the neighborhoods.
42. Have you ever left Santa cookies? Yes, when I was little. Now that we have children, we're doing it again.
43. Have you ever sat on Santa\'s lap? Many times.
44. Who do you celebrate Christmas with? Charlie, Ian and our best friend Brad.
45. Where do you celebrate Christmas? Our house.
46. Have you ever had a white Christmas? Several. Being from West Virginia and now living in Tulsa...we get them occasionally.
47. What part of Christmas do you look most foward to? Our Christmas Eve service at church. It's such a beautiful family time.
48. Have you ever had your picture taken with Santa? Yes...many times.
49. Does your family always take a picture at Christmas? At some point. Our new tradition is doing a "family picture" every other year and one of the kids alone the other year.
50. Have you ever heard the song "Thank God For Kids" by The Oakridge Boys? Love that song. Hadn't thought about it in years.

That's it for me. Now all of my blogging friends...I hope to see this survey on your blogs soon.

Happy Christmas Season.

Sick Little Guy

2007-12-02T23:48:00.000-06:00

Our sweet little Ian has been sick for the past several days. He started coughing last Tuesday. On Wednesday we got a call from daycare saying he had a fever of 101. When I picked him up, he just looked and acted like he felt bad. That evening, he sat in my lap and snuggled. Then about 8:30ish, he started throwing up. He wasn't running a fever at that point, but he was sick. Charlie stayed home with him on Thursday morning. I called his doctor and they wanted to see him. After a visit with Dr. Sood, a quick (but traumatic) chest x-ray, we were told that he had a ear infection and had it looked like he had just started to get pneumonia. Dr. Sood gave him an antibiotic and asked us to give him breathing treatments. Ian does so well taking his medicine. He HATES...HATES....breathing treatments. The first 3 or 4 times we did them on Thursday and Friday, he was fine...but after that...he was done. He screamed and cried. But...he's feeling better. He's still quite clingy to mommy, but his cough is better and he is still not running a fever. So, we're attempting daycare tomorrow. Hopefully he'll do OK.

It's hard being the mommy when your sweet baby is sick. I just want to make him well. Poor little guy. It's been a long weekend at our house, but we're on the mend.

It's a busy week for us and this Thursday night is the Kid's Christmas Party at my office. Santa will be there. I'm kind of anxious to see how Ian does this year. Last year he did great. But at this age you just never know.

Thankful

2007-11-22T23:57:00.000-06:00

Today...and every day....we are so very thankful that God put an adoption plan together for our family. He brought Ian to us and now is bringing Drew to us.

Today we celebrated our 2nd Thanksgiving and it was great. Ian is such a great little guy. He's full force 2 3/4...almost 3....but he's a joy.

Today...my sweet angel kissed me and said I lub you mommy.

Today...I'm thankful for the most amazing husband in the world.

Today....I'm blessed beyond measure and I am so, so grateful.

I'm reminded of the song "Thank You Lord"....For all you've given to me...for all the blessings that I cannot see...Thank you Lord.... Thank you Lord.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

Citizenship

2007-11-09T17:24:00.000-06:00

On Wednesday, November 7, 2007, Ian Everett Kushal Conner was issued his Certificate of Citizenship from the United States. Even though he became an American citizen when our adoption was finalized in January, this is the last and final step. It was a little anti climatic. We arrived at USCIS in Oklahoma City around 8:50am for our 9:00am appointment. There was a huge line of people. We finally made it through the security line. We went into the room where all of the other people with their cute little kiddos were. We had to change lines because everyone was blocking the doors. Finally, the nice lady took Ian's immigration card. She walked back over, handed the certificate to me and asked me to check for accuracy. Then she had me sign two photos and the back of one of the certificates. She said..."OK, you're done." and handed me a flag for Ian, his certificate of citizenship and a letter from the President.

It was a very good day though. Another family from our church was there. They adopted their little boy, Henry, from Guatemala. They arrived home with Henry around the same time we came home with Ian. Henry and Ian are about the same age and are in the same Sunday School class. Ian spotted Henry first and said "Hengry". They were in line behind us. When they finished we were able to take some pictures of the boys together and our families together. I'm glad we were able to share this day with them.

So...our little man no longer has a "green card". He's officially a citizen of our wonderful country...The United States of America!!!!

Halloween Fun

2007-11-01T22:17:00.001-06:00

We have had so much fun the past few days. On Sunday evening we visited the Tulsa Zoo for their annual HalloZOOeen. It's a great event. Very younger kid friendly. There were a ton of people there....according to the news about 4000. But, it was very organized. Ian loved the train ride. He didn't want to ride the carousel at all. He enjoyed the goblin stops...and like getting candy in his little pumpkin.

Wednesday night was our Fall Festival at church. It was different for us this year. Last year, Ian had fun...but this year....he had a GREAT time. Of course, he was very excited to find out that there were train rides. He rode the train about 6 times. The pony rides were a big hit too. He decided to try the "no hands" bit...just to see how mommy would react I think. Then he started saying "giddy-up". He played a few of the games...and was quite the little hit. There were so many cute kiddos...but being a totally unbiased mommy...Ian was cuter that cute. He did have a little melt down moment and decided that biting daddy seemed like a good idea. So...we had to have a time out in the middle of the Fall Festival. He wasn't too happy about that, but he didn't move.

We're through the first of the holidays this season. Now it's time to start gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I'm ready to put my Christmas tree up NOW...but for some reason I don't think Charlie is thinking the same way.

Our little man is growing up way too fast. He has lost so much of the "baby" look in his face. Makes me a little sad...but...that's part of life.

Enjoy the pictures!!

Fall Fun

2007-10-22T21:58:00.001-05:00

Discipline

2007-10-21T17:05:00.000-05:00

How to discipline is always a concern. We don't want to be too tough, but we have to set some boundaries. Lately, "time out" has been working well for Ian. We didn't know for sure if he understood or not. Today...we got our answer.

Charlie and Ian were playing basketball in the living room. Charlie shot the ball and it hit the table. I said "Daddy"...with an ever so slight mommy tone. Ian then took control. He said "don't throw my ball." Then he promptly walked over to his time out spot and said, ever so sternly......"TIME OUT DADDY....SIT DOWN."

Cutest Thundering Herd Fan Ever....GO HERD!!!

2007-10-13T22:34:00.001-05:00

That's MY Brother

2007-10-08T18:31:00.000-05:00

I'm not sure that Ian understands totally what's going on, but he knows that the picture of Drew is his brother. He was so cute Friday evening when we showed the picture to him. He said "baby?"....and then "toes, momma....stinky feet"...then he giggled. Then we told him that was his baby brother in Vietnam and he said "that's my brother"...and kissed the picture. Throughout the weekend we'd show him the picture and he'd repeat..."that's my brother". We'd ask him where is baby brother was and he'd say "biet..nom". He thinks it's pretty cool right now, but just wait until he finds out he'll have to share his stuff with him.

These are the pictures we took when we first showed Drew's picture to Ian.

Ian's A Big Brother

2007-10-05T22:55:00.000-05:00

Introducing Ian's little brother.....Drew Austin Quang Conner. For details see our Vietnam blog http://connervietnamadoptionjourney.blogspot.com/

Faces

2007-09-27T23:05:00.001-05:00

Lately Ian has been making his new "faces". He started by saying "Ian Sad"...followed by the sad face. Then..."Ian happy"...with the smiling, happy face. The past few days it's been "Ian Surprised". I'm assuming this is something he's been working on at daycare. Whatever the case, it's cute as can be. I wonder what his next "face" will be?

New Friend From South Korea

2007-09-25T21:59:00.001-05:00

Welcome Home William Michael Choi Dreesen. William arrived home from South Korea last Thursday, September 20th. He is 8 months old. I work with William's Mommy...Mary. It's so fun to finally say Mommy Mary. :) Mary and Michael waited a long time for William's referral, but now the real fun begins as they start their lives together as a family of three.

note: the mosquito's in South Korea LOVED William....he had several bites on his sweet little face.

Conversation With Ian

2007-09-23T22:47:00.001-05:00

Friday evening, Ian and I actually had a conversation on the telephone. It went something like this....

Ian: Hi Mommy
Mommy: Hi Ian. What are you doing?
Ian: Eating kicken and fren fies
Mommy: Is it good?
Ian: Yep
Mommy: I'll be home in a few minutes, OK?
Ian: OK Mommy. Bye, bye.
Mommy: Bye Ian. Love you.
Ian: Lub oooo Mommy. See ya.

How sweet is that? He's such a sweet little guy. I couldn't wait to get home to give him a big hug. He sure knows how to melt his mommy's heart.

He's been singing a lot the past few days. "Wheels On The Bus" is one of his favorites. He gets stuck on the "up and down" part. He repeats that over and over and over again. He's also trying to sing his ABC's. He does pretty well. When he gets to L-M-N-O-P...it's more like...LA, LA, LA, O-P. He looks so cute doing it.

We can't wait until he has a new brother to play with. It's hard to tell what Ian will teach him.

Catching Up

2007-09-15T23:06:00.000-05:00

Computer is home now...and all is well. It's a crazy little thing, but I really missed it.

We've had a fairly busy couple of weeks. Ian is just talking, talking, talking. Sometimes I just don't know where it comes from. His little vocabulary is picking up quite nicely. He still puts his own spin on his words and sometimes we have no idea what he's saying...but that doesn't stop him. He'll keep saying it until his SLOW parents get it.

Some of our new "favorites"....

pic up puck (pick up truck)
ambeeance (ambulance)
fire puck (fire truck)
salren (siren)
go fas daddy (duh...go fast daddy)
winteeld (wind shield)

One of his latest phrases upsets me somewhat...."no talking mommy". Now where did that come from? Out of the blue sometimes when I'm talking, he just says "no talking mommy".

He had his first dental appointment this week. We practiced showing our teeth to the dentist several days before our appointment. He's put his little teeth together and say "cheese". Then he'd open wide and say "ahhhhh". He did pretty well for his first time. He didn't want to sit in the big boy chair, but they were fine with that. He sat on my lap and when Dr. Jim came in to check out his teeth, we just layed him back in Dr. Jim's lap. Ian did GREAT. Dr. Jim said "open wide for me...like a lion" and Ian said "rrrrroooooaaarrrrr". It was so cute. After Dr. Jim checked him out, he took him over to the "prize wall" and Ian got to pick out a prize. It was a very successful first appointment. Ian's teeth look great and so far no problems from the thumb sucking.

We're working on potty training. Somedays are better than others. Some days...no pee pee in the potty at all. He has pee pee'd in the potty at school three days this past week. Hopefully soon, we can ditch the diapers.

Today we went to Race For The Cure. It was such a beautiful day. A little chilly...but that's OK....I love this weather. Halloween will be here before we know it and then poof...it'll be Christmas.

Ian will attend his first football game in October. TU plays Marshall (our alma mater) on Saturday, October 13th. I CAN'T WAIT. I ordered Ian a Marshall jacket so he can be all decked out in his official Marshall gear. GO HERD!!! I'm afraid they're going to get thumped by TU, but that's OK....it'll be good just to see the team play.

One of my friends from work, Mary, leaves tomorrow to go to South Korea to pick up her son William. He'll be 8 months old tomorrow. Mary, Michael and William will return to Tulsa on Thursday. Can't wait to see them.

If you have a moment and are so inclined, please click on the link on the side of this page marked Baby Emy. Our friends Angie & Dustin (Mia's parents) have had their baby....Emy. She was born 3 months early. She's in the NICU in Oklahoma City. She's having good days and bad ones, but that's really to be expected. Please, please pray for this sweet family.

We are almost "officially" on the waiting list for our child from Vietnam. As soon as our paperwork comes back from the consulate in San Francisco...we'll be on the list. Hopefully it won't be too much longer before we find out who Ian's little brother is. There are several families in Vietnam right now picking up their children. Two of the families live here in the Tulsa area. Can't wait to see them when they get home. They are adopting two little boys that have lived in the orphanage together for a long time. The boys are both 3 years old. The links to their blogs are posted on our Vietnam blog (link is on right).

I promise, I'll post some pictures very soon. Ian is so cute and has such a sweet little personality. He continues to amaze us daily. We are so in love with this child.

More updates soon....

Two Years Ago

2007-09-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

How time flies when you're having fun.

Two years ago today we saw the face of an angel....our angel....our Ian. What an incredible two years it has been. God blessed us with an amazing child that we love beyond imagination.

I'll post more and post more pictures when my computer comes home from the shop. In Ian's words "pooter kick" (translated computer is sick).

Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey

2007-08-21T22:19:00.001-05:00

My dear friend Pam started this survey on her blog, so I must participate. Welcome to the Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey!!!!

1. How many blogs are listed under your favorites list that you check EVERY day? Way too many to count...probably between India Blogs and Vietnam Blogs....close to 50.

2. How many times a day do you "go to the bathroom" and end up checking blogs? Not many during the week....usually only after Ian goes to bed. But the weekend...that's a different story.

3. Do your kids recognize the other kids from the blogs that follow?? Ian recognizes Mia, Jadyn, Ryan and Ahlyana.

4. Do you keep track of how often people update their blogs and get upset when they don't keep to the schedule?? Duh....how am I going to get my fix if people don't update their blogs.

5. Favorite time of day to check blogs? Are you on a blog checking schedule?? Usually I check them after Ian is in bed. But...if I'm expecting something big to happen (like a Gotcha Day), I've been known to check them before I leave for work.

6. Who's blog is your favorite? Outside of the two blogs I have, Angie's (Mia's Blog) is probably my favorite.

7. How many of the blogs that you follow are people that you have never met in person? More than people I've actually met.

Ok...now some "getting to know your online friends whom you've never actually met questions"

8 How long have you been married? Keep in mind....we must have been pre-teens when we married....we've been married for 20 years.

9 Fav. food? Mexican.

10Fav. TV show? Outside of All My Children (thank Heavens for Soap Net), it's probably any reality show. I'm a reality show junkie.

11 Anything that you forbid your kids to watch on TV? Charlie probably has more shows in this category than I do. My big criteria at this point is language. Ian is repeating so much of what we say.

12. How long was your adoption journey from beginning to end? 21 months from application to Gotcha Day (then another 11 months until finalization). The journey to our second child, from Vietnam, has been 5 months so far.

13. How did you decide on the country you adopted from? We didn't decide on India....God did it for us. Vietnam is the same way. Doors were closed to India for us for a reason that only God knows. So we're just trusting Him.

14. What did you imagine your family to be like as a little girl? Oh my...."my" plan was to be married by 21 and have 2 kids by 25. Hmmmm....again God had a different plan since I didn't even get married until I was 25.

15. Favorite Momma down time activity? Getting a pedicure.

16. Do you have more online friends than "in person" friends? I think it depends on the day of the week you ask me. :)

17. Tell us the cartoon character that you are most like: I've always answered "Miss Piggy" to this question. I'm really sweet and lovable until I'm not happy then "BLAMMO".

18. What toothpaste do you use? Cinnamon Burst Crest

19. Stupidest adoption comment/question that you've received? My two favs so far are "Did he speak English when you got him"....duh...he was only 10 months old. And..."how much did he cost."

20. Fav. non-adoption website? My old hometown newspaper. I love reading the on line articles to see what's happening in Huntington, WV.

OK adoption blog buddies....it's time to complete the Adoption Bloggers Anonymous Survey. Copy the questions and paste into your blog and then answer the questions.

Pals

2007-08-11T12:41:00.001-05:00

Ian, Cortez and Solomon at Day Schools. They made their own Tye Dyed shirts the day before this picture was taken.

Our Silly, Funny Helper

2007-08-11T00:39:00.000-05:00

Another week down in the Conner house. Ian's daycare was closed today (Friday), so Charlie stayed home with Ian. They ran a couple of errands and stopped by my office to see me for a few minutes this morning.

Ian continues to amaze and amuse us daily. This morning we were sitting on the side of the bed and Ian decided he wanted to "zerbert" daddy's belly. So he did. Then he pulled up his own pajama shirt and tried to "zerbert" his OWN belly. We thought it was funny and laughed of course...which made him try to do it many, many times.

He's really into "helping". Everything is "Ian helping Momma". Or if he sees us doing something that looks interesting to him, he run across the room saying "helping, helping". He's really good at putting water in the fridge. He's much more independent these days.

He's fascinated by yellow cars. He point out every yellow car he sees...and even a few that he doesn't. Motorcycles are another thing that gets his attention.

We are so in love with this child!!!!

As soon as Charlie scans in a new picture for me, I'm going to post it. It's a picture of Ian with his friends from daycare, Cortez and Solomon. They look so cute together. We hear about "Tezzie" and "Sol-mon" daily. Tezzie and Sol-mon are getting ready to move to the next class and I know Ian will miss them.

It's outrageously hot in Tulsa. It's been near or over 100 degrees for a week now and we have at least another week of it. I'm so ready for Fall!!!!!

Friends Forever

2007-08-04T19:28:00.001-05:00

India Camp 2007

2007-08-04T18:50:00.000-05:00

Dillon International hosted yet another successful India Heritage Camp this weekend. The camp started on Thursday, but work commitments kept us from attending until Friday night. On Friday evening we attended the Family Fun Night at Camp Loughride in Tulsa. That is a beautiful facility. Ian wasn't interested in getting in the water...or so he said. After the struggle to change into his swimming trunks, we headed into the pool. I think he's part fish. HE LOVES THE POOL. I think he'll be swimming in no time.

A little later in the evening, Mia arrived with her Mommy and Daddy (Angie & Dustin). Ian was surrounded by lots of little girls at that time, but he still smiled that big Ian smile when he saw Mia. They had a moment of hugs and played a little in the kiddie pool. Dustin jumped in from the high dive and then the daddy's played in the pool for a little while with the kiddos. Ian's swim trunks kept falling off. The evening ended about 8pm and we headed home anxious for the next days' activities.

Today, we got up, ate breakfast and got ready for camp. We arrived just in time for the adult adoptee panel. Ian stayed in the nursery with Mia, Jadyn and Avi Joy (from Vietnam). We finally connected with Natasha (Avi Joy's Mommy). They too are in the process to adopt baby number 2 from Vietnam and they live in Tulsa. The adult adoptee panel was great this year. Two young adults adopted from India openly shared their story. You can tell that they are loved greatly and have adjusted beautifully. I kept looking at the young man, Fritz, who spoke and kept imagining what Ian will look like when he's older. These kids made their parents proud today!!!!

Then it was lunch time. Ian was more interested in running around than he was eating. Then the "campers" did their presentations. I can't wait until Ian is old enough to actually be a "camper".

We got lots of pictures of Ian, Mia and Jadyn this weekend. These three kiddos are so, so cute. We love spending time with their parents. Grace, Shane, Angie & Dustin seem like part of our family!!! I can't get over how adoption bonds families together.

Beautiful kids all around this weekend. We are so thankful that we live in Tulsa near our agency and that we're able to take part in these important heritage events. Hopefully we'll see more families coming to India Camp as the years go by. It really is a great time to get these kids together and it's a great time for the parents too.

Anticipation

2007-08-01T23:07:00.000-05:00

I'm getting so excited. It's time for India Camp. It begins tomorrow, but due to my work schedule, won't be attending until Friday night and then all day on Saturday. We're so looking forward to seeing everyone. Especially Mia, Jadyn and Chandrima. We haven't seen Chandrima since Christmas and I can't wait to see how much she's grown and changed. Ian is still to young to be a true "camper", but he'll still have fun playing with his friends...his "girlfriends".

Another family is getting ready to travel to India to pick up their little girl. Congratulations to Cliff and Tami!!! Can't wait to follow their journey to bring Raina home. It's always so exciting to see another family come together. Our God is GREAT!!

A couple of Ian's buddies at daycare are getting ready to move to the next class. Tezzy (a.k.a. Cortez), Solomon and Ian are quite the threesome. Ian will be moving soon, but it makes me a little sad that his buddies won't be there. Oh well...momma will get over it. Ian will be moving up soon and they'll all be together again. Plus...it's not like their moving very far...they'll be in the next room.

Hopefully I'll have some good pictures to post from camp this weekend. With the beautiful kiddos....I have no doubt that I'll have GREAT pics to post.

Having Fun At The Dillon Run

2007-07-29T16:06:00.001-05:00

Friday evening we had lots of fun at Dillon International's Run For the Children. We didn't actually "run" the course...but Charlie ran around a lot with Mr. Ian. He loves his wagon and LOVES to ride. Brad joined us and Ian loved spending time and running around with him. We also got to see our new friends Chris & Al and their daughter Lainey and Elsa. This was our third year to participate in this event and we love it. It was a warm but beautiful evening. What could be a better birthday celebration for Momma than watching her handsome little man having so much fun?

Go Herd!!

2007-07-22T23:54:00.000-05:00

Ian in his Marshall University (Momma and Daddy's Alma mater) T-Shirt. Cutest Thundering Herd fan ever.....GO HERD!!!

Another "Ianism"

2007-07-22T23:44:00.000-05:00

I'm going to bed...it's late and I have an insanely busy week at work. BUT...not before I post another "Ianism".

This morning we had breakfast in the living room. Why? Our carpets were cleaned yesterday and our kitchen was still full of stuff from the other rooms. Ian and Daddy sat in the floor at the coffee table and I sat in my rocking chair.

Ian was finished with breakfast...or so we thought. He had eaten pretty well. He hadn't touched his food for over 5 minutes and it was time to clean up. So, Charlie...being the good daddy he is...cleaned up the table. A minute or so later...here comes Ian...."where my beckfas?" The words alone were not the amusing part...but the intonation of the phrase and his little hand gestures. He had his little hands up as if to say "I don't know". He repeated "where my beckfas" several times and then proceeded to say "Ian hungee".....so we gave him a Nutri Grain Bar and he was happy. Charlie and I have laughed about this several times today.

Except for the temper....I'm loving this age. His little vocabulary is exploding and he's so expressive. Can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Things I Don't Want To Forget

2007-07-20T23:09:00.000-05:00

It seems like there's something new every day now with Ian. It's hard for a momma to keep up. So, I'm hoping to jot these little things down so I can remember them.

He's counting to 3 all by himself. He's can also count 8, 9, 10 alone. After each set (1, 2, 3 and 8, 9, 10), he's so proud of himself.... he claps his little hands and just smiles.

He's a climber. Tonight he almost tipped the recliner over because he was climbing over the top of it. Then...he walked in the kitchen and climbed up in the chair that his booster seat is in...promptly turned around, sat down and said "buckle peese".

"Me-mote control" = remote control. "my me-mote control, daddy's me-mote control".

Tickle, tickle, tickle....one of his favorite things to do.

"Airpanes...up in ky"...."burbs up in ky"..."bees up in ky"....."aboon up in ky" (balloon). Every time he hears and airplane he stops whatever he's doing and says "airpane up in ky" Not exactly sure where he learned that airplanes are up in the sky....but that's OK.

"boose"....juice

Loves to listen to "Wheels On The Bus" and "If You're Happy And You Know It" (he's got the clapping, stomping and hooray thing down pat).

He can show us where India is on the globe. Amazing.

In daycare this week, they've worked on shapes and colors. For Ian...most everything is green. He starts off with green and then moves to the right color. But, he's always been good with shapes. His "teachers" are thrilled that he'll say the shapes when they point the them....and even get their attention and say something like "triangle". Tonight, he was all about rectangles and triangles....with a few stars and hearts thrown in.

The way he dances...or what I think is his version of dancing. He tries...it's really cute...but really funny to me.

He knows when I get the camera out that he's supposed to turn around and say "cheese". When he's tired of momma taking pictures he'll say "no cheese momma".

I think he could probably eat chicken for every meal. He LOVES chicken. Loves french fries too.

He says his name so sweetly. He's progressing nicely with his entire name. If we ask him to say our names..."say Charlie".....he smiles and says "daddy"...."say Nadra"....."momma". Eventually he'll say them, but I'm surprised that he really knows what our names are. Charlie and I usually call one another daddy and momma.

He's still not sleeping an entire night in his big boy bed. But...that will come. Hopefully.

Yesterday evening was rough. I'm not sure what was going on with him, but something was. He was incredibly fussy and clingy. Nothing made him happy...I mean nothing. He was just miserable all evening. Tonight...completely different. Who knows.

OK....I'm probably boring all of you...but it's important that I write this stuff down. Time is flying by and I so want to remember as many of the sweet, rotten and amazing things Ian does.

Tonight I saw a glimpse of a little boy...not a baby...but a little boy. Where has my baby Ian gone? He's so sweet, but he's growing up way to fast for his momma. As I watch him grow and learn, I'm just so thankful that God paved the way so that we would have the joy and honor of being parents to such a great little guy.

More Ian Conversation

2007-07-19T00:07:00.000-05:00

Another adoptive Mom reminded me how special it was to hear the word "momma" spoken by your child for the first time. Micah finally said "momma" to Pam this week. What a special day.

Ian has been saying Momma for about a year now. He says it quite well and often.

Here is just a sampling of a recent conversation....

Ian: Momma
Me: Yes Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: Yes Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: Yes Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: Yes honey
Ian: Momma
Me: Yes baby
Ian: Momma
Me: Yes Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: Ian
Ian: Momma
Me: What is it Ian?

Get the drift? It continue a few more times and then he was done. Giggling by the end and finished by saying "no way momma".

Music To A Momma's Ears

2007-07-17T20:01:00.000-05:00

We just got home from a feeding Brad's dogs and a short drive around the neighborhood. In the car, Charlie asked Ian if he wanted to count....Ian replied "Yep". So they counted....one, two, tree, four, five, sicks, cheban, ate, nine, ten. Great job. Then we heard him in the back seat saying "one, two , tree".

Ian proceeded to say "king a-b-a momma". I didn't quite get that, so I asked him to repeat it..."king a-b-a momma". So I got it that time..."Sing ABC's Momma". So...we sang the ABC's. Each time I'd stop...."no momma, sing a-b-a's". He would sing with us...."a, b, a, b, a, c, r"...in tune...but not in the exact order. It was so cute though, even after 30 times of singing "a-b-a's".

Love this kid...just love him.

Polite and Cute

2007-07-14T22:44:00.000-05:00

Every day is a new day with Ian. He's still cute as can be. The past few days we've noticed his vocabulary picking up significantly. He'll pretty much try to say whatever we ask him to, but now he's starting to say more things on his own without our prompting. The past 2 days he's been doing the cutest thing. If we say "Thank you Ian"....he says "I welcome Momma". Polite and cute....wow what a combination.

When I rock him to sleep at night, I always sing "Jesus Loves Me". The past couple of nights he'll sit on my lap and look at me and say "Jesusth momma". I say "do you want to sing the Jesus Song and he says "yes peese". So I start singing. When I get to "yes Jesus loves me" part...he'll sing "yes Jesusth me". He's so sweet.

We have an amazing little guy and I'm so thankful that God chose me to be his Momma. "Yes...Jesus Loves Me".

Swimming On the Fourth Of July

2007-07-05T21:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we decided to go swimming in Uncle Brad's pool. Uncle Brad is in Florida, but we're checking in on his dogs while he's gone...so we are taking advantage of the pool. Ian was ready to get in as soon as we walked outside. He LOVES the water. He didn't like his float much. He preferred being in Daddy's arms. He even went under water several times. Each time he'd come up smiling. Then a few seconds later he'd say..."ready....set....go". He had so much fun. He was a little prune by the time he got out. He did venture out a couple of times to check out a flower in Brad's back yard and to try to figure out the doggie door. He kept trying to see if he could go through the doggie door. Fortunately, he hasn't figured it out yet. But, it won't take him long. It's a large doggie door, so he can fit. We had hoped to go see fireworks last night, but after an afternoon of swimming Ian was ready for bed. He crashed about 8:30 even though we tried to keep him up. So....we'll see fireworks another time.

STINKER BALL

2007-07-03T23:24:00.001-05:00

Ian and Daddy have a new game.....STINKER BALL. Ian picked up his Spiderman ball and then picked up the blue ball for Daddy. They bounced it off one another for a while and then Ian's ball hit the ground. Ian said "stinker ball". So...everytime the ball hits the ground (of if Ian does)...one of them will cry out....."Stinker Ball". Who knows why Ian calls it Stinker Ball...but it's pretty fun to watch them play.

Pictures

2007-07-03T22:53:00.000-05:00

Momma has a new camera....woo, hoo!!!! Tonight I figured out how to download my pictures. Another woo, hoo!!! I LOVE MY NEW CAMERA!!!! I was so tired of waiting for my other digital camera to take a shot. Now I have one that has amazing shutter speed. Woo, hoo!!! These pictures are from the past few weeks. I could post a bunch more...but these are a few of my favs. Enjoy!!!

Ian's Skin

2007-06-25T22:25:00.000-05:00

Ian has developed some strange light spots on his face. I've tried several different types of lotions and nothing seems to work. So, today I called the doctor to see if we needed to see a dermatologist. Dr. Sood wanted to see him just to make sure it wasn't anything major. After a quick look by Dr. Sood....it's nothing to be concerned about. He said that because Ian's skin is so dark naturally, this will happen to him in the summer months. His skin is very dry and we'll just have to do our best to keep it hydrated. We'll also need to make sure we're using sunscreen at all times when he's outside. That's going to be a challenge. Sometimes Ian likes lotion and sometimes he says "no otion momma".

Two's and Guilty Momma

2007-06-24T22:29:00.000-05:00

It's official....the "terrible two's" are real. Ian is definitely going through some sort of phase now so I'll assume it's the terrible two's. He has really started using his words more...primarily the word no. I know we'll get through this, but it's challenging to say the least.

He didn't get a good nap yesterday. We attended Vietnam Family Day and it started right around his usual nap time. We only stayed about an hour because he was just too cranky. Then last night he fell asleep just fine and even slept in his big boy bed...all of 15 minutes.

Today....again...not a good nap. But...so far, he's asleep in his bed. Hopefully he'll sleep well tonight.

He stayed in the bath tub a little longer than normal this evening. When he got out, his little fingers looked like little prunes. I think that's the first time that has happened. He didn't like it at all. He kept saying "momma fix it" and kept trying to wipe his little fingers on my shoulder.

He's also going through another "velcro" stage with me. He wants to be by my side...in my arms...on my lap....all the time. I love the closeness...but I can't get anything else done. I'm feeling so guilty. I told Charlie today while we were waiting for church to begin that I'm just feeling to guilty for not being able to spend more time with him. By the time we all get home in the evening it's nearly 6:00pm and he starts getting ready for bed around 7:45. So...not a lot of time with my little guy. What's a mom to do? I know I'm not the first or the only mom to have these feelings, but it's sure tough on momma heart when he cries. I'm taking a couple of days off in July...so maybe we can spend some more momma and Ian time together then.

Conversation With Ian

2007-06-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

This morning I had the pleasure of experiencing morning drive conversation between Charlie and Ian. Charlie's car had to go to the shop, so the boys took me to work. The conversation goes like this:

Charlie: Way

Ian: No Way

Charlie: Way

Ian: No Way

Charlie: Way

Ian: No Way

Get the drift? This went for about 3 blocks and then Ian started talking about "pick-up pucks", "cars", "vans", "burbs (birds) up in sky", "airpanes up in sky", etc.

Usually my drive to work is quiet with the sounds of contemporary christian music on the radio. Today, it was completely different....and I LOVED IT. What a great way to start the day.

Ian is Mr. Talkative at home and in the car. I think he talks quite a bit at school too. But, he doesn't say much at church or around people he doesn't know well. It takes him a little while to warm up...but then....watch out...he'll talk your leg off.

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things

2007-06-10T22:58:00.001-05:00

Ian & His New "Bike"

2007-06-04T23:13:00.001-05:00

Where Did That Come From?

2007-05-17T22:13:00.000-05:00

It's something new almost daily with Ian. His vocabulary is really picking up. He pretty much "talks" non stop when it's just the three of us at home. He's in a "shy" phase right now. It's taking him a lot longer to warm up to people. But, that's OK.

His new thing today is "don't like it". Where in the world did that come from? Pretty much everything I asked him this evening he'd just shake his little head and say "don't like it". Who knows.

Ian & Mia

2007-05-12T00:41:00.000-05:00

Angie sent this picture to me. It's also posted on her blog. The kids are adorable. I love this picture and just had to share. Little Jadyn is not quite sure what to think of these two. Ian is one lucky little guy...right in the middle of two beautiful Bengali Princesses.

NO....NO, NO, NO

2007-05-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

I had convinced myself that my precious little guy would be sweet and easy going forever. OK, I'm delusional. But I liked it that way.

This weekend, Ian discovered the word NO. Wow it's a fun word. He likes it so much, he says it a million times a day. The funny (not really) thing is that he knows HOW and WHEN to use the word. When he says NO, he's responding to a question or a request. He doesn't just say it once...he repeats it...NO, NO, NO. Shaking his head and pointing his little finger / hand all at the same time. He's really discovering lots of new things. I think he's testing his Independence somewhat. Momma's not ready for that. It's great fun watching him grow, develop and learn. I just don't like this "no, no, no" stuff.

Oh well, we will get through this phase. We're not the first to go through it and we certainly won't be the last.

From Kolkata to Oklahoma...Ian, Mia and Jadyn

2007-05-05T22:43:00.000-05:00

Pictures of our incredible day with Mia, Angie, Dustin, Jadyn, Grace and Shane. Three beautiful children...all born in Kolkata, India....all now with their forever families in Oklahoma.

Play Date With Mia and Jadyn

2007-05-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

Today we finally got together with the Tucker's and the McMahan's. It was SOOOOO good to see everyone. It's hard to believe how much our kiddos have grown. I haven't seen Jadyn since the night they arrived home from India. She is such a cutie and is developing so well. She has a sweet little personality. She was very quite when she first got to our house. Partly because she had just woken up and our crazy dog Molly was barking incessantly. She finally warmed up (or woke up)...and she's PRECIOUS. She's tiny, but can certainly hold her own with Ian and Mia.

Miss Mia...wow...what a doll. This little one has a very, very special place in our heart. As everyone knows, she and Ian were side by side in the orphanage until Ian came home. God is so good. Who would have thought that these two orphanage pals would be a mere 100 miles apart in Oklahoma. It's a God thing. She came in blowing kisses and saying hi. She shook Ian's hand a little later and said "how you?" They gave each other lots of hugs and kisses throughout the day (with a little prompting from us).

Ian...well today he was a bit cranky. He learned a new word today....NO....and he used it a lot. He loved seeing everyone at our house. He had to show off for everyone when they first arrived. Then he just wanted to play. He's loves to have fun and he's such a happy little guy....most of the time.

We played at the house for a little while and then loaded up our cars and headed for the Zoo. It was a bit overcast today, but the breeze was great. We didn't get to the Zoo until about 3:30 and there were not very many people there....which made it nice. Ian wanted to constantly be moving. Not much stopping for anything. We tried several times to get great pictures of the three of them...but usually Mr. Ian started throwing one of his lovely little fits and screaming "walk" (he wanted us to walk...not him). We got the kids out of the strollers to let them play on the playground for a little while. The slide was the favorite for all three of them. Mia can climb the steps on the big slide all by herself.

Most of the animals were inside their habitats...so we didn't get to see a lot of things. But....by this time (it was almost 6:00pm) the Zoo was closing. Plus....we (the adults) were starving. We left the Zoo and headed to India Palace for dinner. Ian was tired and fell asleep in the car on the way. He was wide awake when we stopped the car and got him out.

It went well at first...then Ian decided he'd had enough. He ate a little...mostly "rios". He wanted to get up and walk around. He did for a little while and then we got a different chair (a regular one). That seemed to help for a few minutes. Bottom line...all 3 kiddos were tired. We had done a lot in a short amount of time. Plus Jadyn and Mia traveled quite a ways to Tulsa. We finally finished dinner. The momma's were all outside with the kids while the daddy's paid our checks. The food was great...but it just takes too long to get it. By the time we get our food, the kids have had it and are ready to go.

Overall, it was a great day. We all experienced a melt down or two with our kids today, but that's to be expected. Mia and Jadyn and just beautiful and so, so sweet.

We are so blessed to have these great people in our lives. We all waited a long time for our wonderful kiddos and through that wait God led us to one another. We all laughed and cried with one another through the agonizing wait to travel to India. We prayed for one another and praised God for the amazing blessings he gave us. We might not be able to get together every day...or every week...but we're all close enough that our kids can grow up near one another. How great is that?

What's That Word & Other Ramblings

2007-05-04T16:36:00.000-05:00

Ian is talking up a storm. Some things we understand clearly and others we have to really listen and then ask him to repeat it (several times sometimes). He's really cute when we have to continually ask him to repeat something. He gets LOUDER each time he repeats it. :)

Here's just a sampling of a few of his "Ianisms":

Ack = clock and sometimes milk
Ack = watch (it looks like a clock)
wach = watch (sometimes)
poon = spoon
bow = bowl
outtide = outside AND inside
bred = Brad
lub = love
wheeelll = wheel (duh, momma)
shoe aww = shoe off
shoe on = shoe on
tinky = stinky (his feet)
i k = I'm OK (when he fell off the hearth last night)
bok = chicken (you know...bok, bok...chicken)

my new favorite...

Rios = cheerios

There are lots more...each day it seems like he's saying something new.

It's a busy weekend in the Conner household. Tonight momma and daddy have a date. Marcia, Bill and Amanda are going to watch Ian this evening.

Tomorrow...it's ISRC baby day...for us anyway. Mia and Jadyn (and their mommies and daddies) are coming to Tulsa for a play date. We're going to the Zoo and then to India Palace for dinner. We are so excited to see everyone. I'm sure we'll take lots of pictures. I'm just thrilled that we all live so close together and our kids can see each other from time to time.

Gotta run.....must get ready for my date :)

May 1, 1987

2007-05-01T00:18:00.000-05:00

20 years ago today...in a church in Huntington, West Virginia....a young woman and young man stood before family, friends and their God and vowed to love one another forever.

Today...a somewhat older woman and man...are still fulfilling that vow.

20 years ago today....May 1, 1987....Ian's Momma and Daddy married.

For some reason, I'm so emotional about this anniversary. God has given me so much.....an amazing husband who is the best daddy in the world.....an incredible son who makes us smile with wonder everyday....and He's blessing us again with another child. What did this small town girl do to deserve such magnificent gifts?

Charlie...if you're reading this....I was so much in love when we married. But...not really. When I look back I realize every day we have been married you have taught me how to love just a little deeper. You are my rock...my soul mate...my best friend....and I love you with every fiber of my being. Thank you for being the man you are....and the man you've yet to become.

May 1, 1987....20 years ago today....our lives began as one.

Way To Go Lori!!!!

2007-04-29T22:21:00.000-05:00

Our dear friend, Lori, ran the Oklahoma City Memorial Half Marathon today!!!! We are SOOOOOOOOO proud of her. Her training schedule has been grueling. Her commitment has amazed and inspired me. There were days that she didn't want to run, didn't feel like running and just wanted to give up...but she stuck with it and accomplished her goal. Lori ran her first 5K race in 2005. She ran Dillon's Run for the Children. Since then, she has run several other 5K's...but this was her first half marathon. She had great training buddies too that gave her lots of encouragement.....Missy especially.

Lori...we love you and are so proud of you. Now put that 13.1 sticker on your car and relax for a couple of day. We love you!!

Sweetest Boy In the World

2007-04-26T23:47:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, but it's so true....Ian is the sweetest boy in the WORLD.

When I was gone to St. Louis in March, Charlie taught Ian to say "I Love Momma." That just melted my heart when he said it to me over the phone a mere 24 hours after I left home. Since then, we've worked on it and he'll have fun with it when I'm trying to get him to say "I love Momma"...he says "I love Daddy"...then he giggles.

The past few days whenever we say "I love you"...either to one another or to Ian...he repeats it. Cute, cute, cute.

Tonight, as I was rocking him to sleep....Ian looked right at me and said "I love you". I didn't think I heard him right, so I said "what honey?". He looked at me and smiled and said "I love you".

Made my day!!!

I'm serious...sweetest boy in the world!!!!

Boys Will Be Boys

2007-04-23T23:01:00.000-05:00

I'm still amazed at how filthy dirty a little guy can get. This week at daycare, there's something special or different going on each day. Today was "Silly hat /wear your clothes backwards" day. Tomorrow is "Teddy Bear & PJ's Day".

I'm not sure if it was because his shirt was on backwards or what...but...I don't think there was a clean spot on his shirt. He looked like a little piglet when I got home. Plus his hands were dirty, dirty, dirty. I suppose he had fun playing outside this afternoon. It looks like he rolled around on the ground.

They also had a fire truck visit daycare today. Miss India (one of his teachers) told Charlie that most of the little kiddos were afraid of the truck....but not our Ian. He wanted to touch the truck, get in the truck and DRIVE the truck. He is a determined little guy.

I know we're in for many more "dirty" days...and I'm sure I'll be "amazed" every time. You can tell I'm a first time mom. :)

It Finally Happened

2007-04-20T22:45:00.000-05:00

Ian finally has skinned his knees. I can't believe it. He's two years old and both knees are skinned. This may sound trivial, but it's one of those "firsts" for us. When I got home this evening, Charlie said "well, we have a milestone today." Excitedly I asked...what? He said "look at his knees". Ian then points to his little knees and says "knees". So I look...sure enough...skinned. He was running at school and fell. Their not skinned badly...just skinned. I kissed them and then we put a Curious George band-aid on them....all was better after that. Until, of course, when I started to take the band aid off before bath time. He loved his "sticker" on his "boo-boo". I promised that we'd put another one on. After bath time he'd forgotten all about the "sticker".

Last night when it was bed time, out of the blue he said "blanket". He NEVER sleeps with any sort of cover. He never has. He just kept repeating it, so Charlie went in to his room and got a blanket and brought it back to us in the living room. He wanted to be covered up. I started to take it off him, and he told me, in no uncertain terms..."mine". So I covered him back up. Tonight, he wanted his blanket again. Not sure what's up with that, but he has a blanket now. We'll see how long this lasts.

Tomorrow we're going to Ponca City, OK to see some friends. A group of old Jaycees will be together for a meeting. Last week, at Amanda's birthday party, we saw Cheryl. I didn't realize that she had never met Ian. That started me thinking....a lot of people we were in Jaycees with in Oklahoma have never met Ian. So, we're going to take this opportunity to make a road trip to Ponca City. It should be a gorgeous day and it'll be great to catch up with some old friends.

Smile Baby Smile

2007-04-16T00:19:00.000-05:00

This smile can brighten even the darkest of days. We're so in love with this little guy and his big, big smile.

ELMO

2007-04-12T23:05:00.000-05:00

Tonight, we saw ELMO!!! Woo, hoo!!! Ian had a GREAT time (and so did Momma and Daddy). We had so much fun just watching Ian. He laughed, giggled, talked, squealed, danced, clapped his little hands, waved....cute, cute, cute. Charlie and I both laughed hysterically when he tried to "rush the stage". He was ready to go up on stage and dance with Elmo. The picture of him above with his back to the camera is him trying to get by me to get to the stage. He made several attempts. It was a great evening.

There's nothing better than seeing the world through the eyes of a child. Thank you God for allowing us to be parents to this amazing little guy!!!

The Journey Begins----Again

2007-04-12T16:40:00.000-05:00

And so it goes.....

We are beginning the process to adopt a second child. This time, God closed the door to India but He graciously opened the door to Vietnam. So, before long...Ian will be a big brother.

Please pray for us during this long process....you all know that patience is not one of my strengths. Hopefully waiting for Ian helped me become a little more patient....NOT.

Here's the link to the blog for our Vietnam journey http://connervietnamadoptionjourney.blogspot.com

I will continue to update Ian's Story.

Here we go......

A Different Easter

2007-04-08T23:56:00.000-05:00

Today was not the Easter I had planned at all. I had planned to help the Easter Bunny hide eggs, have a great time at church, take some great pictures of Ian, etc., etc. Things don't always turn out as I plan :(

First of all...it was 26 degrees this morning. Way too cold to hide eggs in the back yard.

Second...I'm sick as a dog. I have been home from work since Wednesday evening. I had a temp of 102 this morning and I'm still coughing my head off. So...no going to church for me. Charlie didn't want to go on Easter Sunday without me.

So...instead....Charlie got the card table from the garage, ran to McDonald's (so Mommy wouldn't have to cook breakfast), and we turned the computer on the our office and watched our church service on the internet. It was not your typical Easter Sunday...but it worked.

Ian liked his Easter basket...he loved the Hershey's kisses. He's such a sweet little guy.

Even though today was not the day I had imagined, God again showed me that He is in control. We had a wonderful time just sitting around the computer, worshipping together as a family. That's what it's all about anyway....Family...God's love in our family.

OUT-TIDE

2007-04-02T23:16:00.000-05:00

Our word of the day, week, hour, minute....OUT-TIDE (outside). How are we ever going to get this child to come in side later this summer. He wants to be "out-tide" all the time. These are a few pictures of Ian on Sunday playing at Lafortune Park, during Reanna Beth's 4th Birthday party and then at home. Notice the dog that's like 10 times his size....he loved it.

He has a bit of a cough and a runny nose...but with the amount of pollen and gunk in the air, it's no wonder.

We are so enjoying the new daily discoveries of Ian. His vocabulary is increasing almost daily and he tries to repeat everything (ooops, guess I need to watch my mouth a bit :) ).

Two Year Check Up

2007-03-26T22:14:00.000-06:00

Today, Ian had his 2 year check up with Dr. Sood. We love Dr. Sood. Ian's not so sure...but he's warming up to him.

Dr. Sood is VERY pleased with Ian's progress. He says he's a perfectly healthy, developing toddler. He was able to witness Ian's temper first hand. He gave us some great tips on handling it and we were able to practice them tonight.

Ian weighs 26 1/4 pounds (30th percentile) and is 33 1/2 inches tall (20% percentile). I don't think she got a good measurement on his height...I think he's a little taller than that. We knew he had gained weight. Charlie kept saying that he must weigh 35 pounds...it just feels like it when you carry him for a while. He's still a little guy, but growing so quickly.

We have scheduled his first dental appointment. We see the pediatric dentist on Thursday, April 12th. We'll see how that goes. Ian loves to brush his teeth, so maybe this won't be so bad.

Our baby is not a "baby" anymore...he's a big boy!!! A rotten big boy :)

Dillon Baby

2007-03-26T21:40:00.002-06:00

We visited the Dillon office on Friday afternoon to see Jynger and the rest of the staff. He was a little shy at first, but then he starting running around the office smiling and and visiting with everyone. I asked him who we saw and he said "gin...ger". Of course, I had a great picture of Ian and Jynger together...but it was fuzzy. There will be other opportunities.

Birthday Pics

2007-03-26T21:28:00.000-06:00

Just a few pictures from Ian's Birthday party at daycare on Friday afternoon and then on Saturday at our house. Somehow I changed the setting on my camera and I took some really bad pictures on Saturday :( Charlie fixed it and now things should be fine. But, I missed some really good shots. Other people were taking pictures at his party, so hopefully they got some good shots. He's such a little stinker now. Instead of posing or smiling for the picture, most of the time he wants to TAKE the picture himself. Oh well...this too shall pass.

Ian Turns Two

2007-03-24T21:51:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Ian!!!!

Today Ian turned 2 years old. He's such a big boy. We had a small party at our house this evening. Nicky, Tag, Ryan and Reanna joined us. Ian loved playing with his friends. We had pizza, birthday cake and juice...well at least that's what the kids had. Ian was fascinated with his cake. It was Winnie The Pooh in the forrest...or something like that. There were several trees on the cake. Ian decided that he wanted all of the trees on his piece of cake. OK. He opened presents after that and got very excited with all of the cars he received. He's getting much better at opening the presents. We had paper and bags all over our living room. Ian definitely knew that everyone was there to see him. Every time someone came in, he started jumping up and down (he recently learned how to jump). He LOVES our friend Nancy. I thought for a moment he and Nicky might fight over her. Nicky was hugging Nancy and Ian thought it was his turn. Cute, cute, cute.

I loved having our house full of kids and laughter. It just brings such life to a home.

It was a beautiful day shared with our wonderful friends. Thanks to Lari, Jason, Tag, Leslie, Nicky, Donna, Mike, Ryan, Amy, Dewayne, Reanna, Brad and Nancy for making Ian's day even more special.

Note to Ian: Momma and Daddy love you very, very much. You bring more joy to our lives than we could have ever imagined. Happy Birthday little man.

Remembering Ian's Birthmother

2007-03-23T23:00:00.000-06:00

My thoughts have turned to India the past couple of days. I keep thinking about Ian's birth mother. I'm sure it's because of his birthday. While we'll never meet her, we will always be grateful that she made an adoption plan for Ian. When I look at him, I know she must have been a beautiful and kind woman. I bet she has a great smile and that's where Ian's fabulous smile comes from. Whatever her circumstances were that led her to give Ian up, I know that in her heart it had to be painful. I wonder if she's thinking about him today?

Today we'll light a candle in her honor as we celebrate Ian's birthday. I'm Ian's momma now, but someday we'll share the story of his brave birth mother.

Another Dillon family posted the lyrics to this song by Michael McLean, "From God's Arms, To My Arms, To Yours. I find it extremely poignant as we prepare to celebrate Ian's birthday and remember that I am not the only mother who loves this amazing child.

From God's Arms, To My Arms, To Yours

So many wrong decisions in my past,
I'm not quite sureIf I can ever hope to trust my judgement anymore.
But lately I've been thinking,
Cause it's all I've had to do.
And in my heart I feel that I Should give this child to you.
And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before,
By someone, who delivered your one,
From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.

If you choose to tell him,
If he wants to know,
How the one who gave her life
Could bear to let him go.
Just tell him there were sleepless nights,I prayed and paced the floors,
And knew the only peace I'd find,
Was if this child was yours.
And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before,
By someone, who delivered your one,From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.

This may not be the answer,
For another girl like me.
But I'm not on a soapbox,
Saying how we all should be.
I'm just trusting in my feelings,
And I'm trusting God above,
And I'm trusting you can give this baby
Both his mothers' love.
And maybe, you could tell your baby,
When you love him so, that he's been loved before,
By someone, who delivered your one,From God's arms, to my arms, to yours.

Ian = God Is Gracious

2007-03-13T20:44:00.000-06:00

Ian's name says it all....GOD IS GRACIOUS. He chose us to be the parents of this amazing little guy. We are so, so blessed.

These are Ian's Easter and 2nd Birthday pictures. Ian will turn 2 on March 24th. Where is the time going. He's looking much too grown up in these pictures.

Love him, love him, love him!!!!

Ryan's Weekend

2007-03-13T20:33:00.000-06:00

This past weekend we celebrated with our good friends Mike and Donna. Their son, Ryan, turned 2 last Thursday. His birthday party was Saturday afternoon. Sunday morning was his baptism. So, we headed to Owasso two days in a row to share in Ryan's special weekend. These are a few pictures from the weekend activities.

Happy Birthday Ryan and God Bless you on your Baptism. We love you!!!

Circus, Circus

2007-02-26T23:19:00.000-06:00

Sunday, we went to the Akdar Shrine Circus. Ian's first circus. He's still a little young for the whole thing, but he did GREAT. Aside from being passed between Charlie and I the entire time, he was wonderful. He didn't care for the aerial acts and such, but was interested in the animals and the little Shriner cars. Our friend Marcia organized the event for us. Overall....a good day. The pictures are from the event. You'll notice that he didn't quite know what to think at first and by the end (or about 15 minutes before the end) he crashed. He was sound asleep. But, the show lasted 3 hours. That's a long time for an almost 2 year old. Later in the evening (maybe I should say later the next morning...around 4am) we discovered that part of his drooling, fussing and sleeping was due to teething. He's cutting another tooth. I'll be so happy for him when they're all in. Bless his little heart.

Friday night, I had the opportunity to go to the airport to welcome home another Dillon family that was returning from India. Grace, Shane and baby Jadyn made it in to Tulsa around 11:10pm Friday night. There were tons of people at the airport to welcome them and I was honored to be part of that celebration. Jadyn is precious. She has the cutest little smile. Grace and I have chatted alot via email through her process and we met in August at India Camp. They are a sweet couple that waited a LONG, LONG time to bring this precious little angel home. God is so good!!!

Ian is sleeping now and hopefully he has a better night than last. He has to be tired. His birthday is coming up in just under a month. I can't believe that he'll soon be two. Where does the time go?

This tired momma is going to bed. More about our adorable Ian soon.