21 Months Old

Dear Charlie,

It hasn't been a full month since the last post, so let's see what I can say ...

You went to the doctor yesterday for some more shots. You didn't like that part very much, but you were pretty happy during the rest of the visit which made Mama and Dada pretty happy too. The doctor says that you have about six teeth all coming right now. Great.

Today, Doctor Joyce called to say that your blood work came back and your counts are all wonderful. She even said that if we are giving you a vitamin, we can stop it because you are chock-full of them! This is fantastic news, because we don't give you any vitamins and sometimes it feels like we feed you nothing but french fries. Maybe all the vitamins are coming from ketchup. (Just kidding. You eat tons of fruits, veggies, dairy, meat, and grains every day! As well as about a quarter cup of dirt and a bucket of bath water.)



Since the last post, you have discovered your POINTER!! You point at everything and you still say those little goobledy phrases that no one understands. The thing is, you say them repeatedly and always the same way each time. You definitely are trying to tell us something. You have about 15 words right now. This is not bad for being under two and having been in the U.S. for only 6 months. We have a feeling that you are going to wake up one day and ask, "Can I have a bottle of milk and could you turn on Elmo, please?" And we'll just gape in awesome wonder.



You went to your first wedding. It was an exercise in exercise. You ran us all ragged. You didn't stop walking/running around the ENTIRE time -- except you did sit still for about 5 minutes to inhale some pulled pork and fresh green beans. Other than that, you were a blur to most of the family. I think you had a great time! You especially liked the archway made of balloons and all the bubble-blowing. You also enjoyed yourself at the hotel. It was a great experience.





Cousin Heidi sent you some new outfits, and these are our thank you pictures. We will send them to her ... someday ... when I get my pictures ordered and organized!



We had a get-together with another family who adopted from Semey at the same time as us. It was great to see them. Lucy is your same age and was also living in the "bird room" at the baby house.





These pictures from the Bolens' house are actually from last month (I think) but I never got around to posting them until now.



Friday marks your six-month anniversary of being home. We are so proud of you, Charlie. You are such a brave little boy! You have been through a lot of changes in your life, and it's quite possible that you have never had six months in a row with the same caregivers. You've had so many firsts, and so many new tastes and smells and experiences since you came home to us. We just can't believe how much you have grown and how ROBUST and LIVELY you have become since leaving the baby house. It is an amazing experience. We cannot imagine life without you!