Look at Me!

I finally love the "Busy Ball Popper"! It is so much fun, and I play with it all of the time!

This week we mostly stayed at our house so S could continue to get adjusted to us and to his home. We've also had a few visitors and have been out a few times in the past week. Last Friday, my brother and his girlfriend and my parents came to visit. Then, on Saturday, several of my very best friends traveled from West Tennessee to meet S for the first time. I've grown up with these girls since being in the church nursery together through going to college together and being in the same sorority, and we've remained close despite now living in different cities. Here is a picture from our time together:

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On Sunday, we had a family birthday party to celebrate Mommy's birthday and Michael's grandmother's birthday at Michael's parents house, and S rode the John Deer Gator as he was pushed by his sweet cousin and loved it!

Then, on Tuesday, S went to see a doctor due to an eye infection. He had gained a little weight since our appointment in Russia, and Mommy and Daddy were very excited about this! We had to wait an hour for the doctor, so Daddy gave S a ride in the exam room on the doctor's chair to keep him busy!

Michael has been sick since we returned from Russia, and I got sick late Tuesday night, so Wednesday and Thursday, S was mainly at home with us. He did visit one of his great grandmothers for the first time on Thursday night, as she has been in the hospital since we returned from Russia and has been moved to a short-term nursing facility where he was allowed to visit. She was very excited to see him!

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On Friday, we went shopping at the mall for a bit with my mom and S rode in his stroller. Then, we visited my parent's house and ate with them. S absolutely loved their golder retriever Ally! It was so cute, and we had to keep a close eye on them, as S loved to pull her hair!

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Today, S went to Target for the first time and then to Mommy's favorite restaurant Chick-fil-a! He did not get to eat the food there, as we need to make sure he does not have peanut allergies, but he had fun drinking from a straw and even ate a little ice cream, too!

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A few other updates...S seems to recognize us more and wants us to hold him a lot and if we are at home, he wants to make sure he is in the same room as us and follows us if we walk into another room for a moment. He learned to say "uh oh" this week after Mommy said it and repeats it over and over (very cute!), and he learned how to turn lights out, too. He's doing better with a sippy cup and has also learned to drink out of a straw. He is still having formula issues, even with trying suggestions from everyone, including the doctor we saw this week. On Monday we have our first appointment with our international adoption doctor at Vanderbilt, and we hope she will give us some good suggestions for the formula issue, as well as his diet in general. We will also see an occupational therapist on Monday and look forward to learning how she feels about his development. He continues to take steps unaided, and it seems that he will just take off any day now.

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We can't believe he has only been with us for 3 weeks now as he has settled very well into our family. He seems to be doing very well and is generally a very happy little fellow. God has truly blessed and enriched our lives with our sweet little boy!