At Last...

At Last...

At Last... I have a chance to update.

At Last... I didn't pass out at some ridiculously early hour.

It's been a rather busy 3+ weeks around here. Several social events, 2 colds, 1.. 24 hour flu, a case of food poisoning. NO not my cooking. And that's just me :o(.

Tamara had a cold one week and a 24 hr flu like bug. She's doing fine.

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Let me back track a bit and see if we can get this blog up to speed.

First of all..

Happy Birthday Big Brother... yes Zoran is has hit the big "50"

Below are a few pictures from his surprise party.

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Tamara & Cousin Katie listen to Cousins Nicky & Alan jam on their guitars.

Zoran's Birthday cake. Pool themed to go with his new billiard room.

OK.. check it out he's wearing the same outfit as the little guy on his cake. Olga did you lay his clothes out the night before? lol

What did you say? Oh.. they say the hearing is the first to go.

Bruce and Cousin Nicky take Tamara out to play.

Yup... she's excited.

" Catch me Daddy"

Tamara & Mommy

Tamara loves Babies. Cousin Anna shows off her new Grandson Kolton to her.

A fun party... very nicely done. It was great seeing all the family and some of my brothers friends whom we haven't seen in years.

Congratulations Christina on your engagement. He's a keeper ;o)

It was also very nice to see Cousins Anthony and his new bride Lyia. Lyia is actually from Tbilisi. She and Tamara seemed to have connected?

Thanks for the gifts guys & gals... Tamara loved them.

Below she opens one the next morning. She's a little frustrated at the packaging but she loves her new doll. Thank You!

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Time for a Tea Party with her babies. Tamara plays in her room.

Putting Panda in his high chair...

"Sit Mommy"

Panda looks like he's had one too many. He's her favorite sleeping buddy. Or what we refer to as a "lovey" in the adoption world.

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The last few weeks have been hectic and somewhat stressful. Not only were we under the weather. It started with Tamara being sick the day after Zoran's party and so we had to cancel going to her playmate/ classmate / neighbor's 3rd Birthday Party the next day.

Happy 3rd Birthday Zach!

Then there was my first run in with Tamara's pre-school teachers. They were "concerned" that she had a "hop" when she ran. That she didn't know the Hookie Pokie, didn't know how to cut with scissors yet and that she refused to repeat words after them? OK ... those of you who know me well know how much self control this conversation took.

1st off Tamara just learned how to run within the last few months at home. When we got her.. her muscle tone was so weak she would rest after several laps around the living room in Tbilisi. They said she ran like a 2 year old. Well... Hello she wears a 2T. Grrrr...

Oh and the Hookie Pokie that's my fault... until I watched her class tying to do the Hookie Pokie the 1st day of class it never occurred to me to teach it to her. After all the Hookie Pokie is something I have been doing for the last 20+ years at my cousins weddings after 2-3 drinks and the Chicken Dance. And as far as I saw no one in her class knew how to do the Hookie Pokie.

Scissors... could you cut with scissors at age 3? I don't think I was allowed. Bad Mommy... sending her to pre-school unprepared. Never occurred to these women that in Tbilisi most households probably only own one good pair of scissors and I'm sure they don't allow 3 year olds to practice.

Oh yes they also said that the children start forming clicks by Thanks Giving? 3 year old clicks? They said they were concerned that Tamara may not have friends if she doesn't start speaking and running without a hop? I could go on.... with details of what happen next. I'll make it short and sweet. That afternoon when I picked Tamara up she with Mommy present spoke. The following week during a parent coffee clutch one of the mom's informed me her daughter "loves" Tamara and named her doll Tamara. My little girl has since become somewhat of a social butterfly forming her own "click". As for the teachers.. well according to the School Director who I'm friends with the teachers didn't sleep very well that night and have since been very sweet and attentive to my daughter's needs. ;o)

The next day.. when I told my Mom about what happen she told me not to leave a trail of teachers bodies behind my daughter. She said I had many years to go dealing with such nonsense. Yes Mother is right.. there will be many years ahead and many teachers to deal with. But I have no intention of letting someone judge my daughter at age 3 after only 4 months in country and 6 - 2-1/2 hour classes. They are not qualified to even have an opinion at this point. I think I made my point clear to them. If they forget for some reason I will be more then happy to remind them of their qualifications.

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We've also been busy running to different medical appointments. She had her cat scan and her brain is 75% developed which the specialist tells us is perfect for her age. We also had her hearing tested and it's fine. yay. Next is an eye exam. Pretty sure she's ok. Lord knows she can see more then I can. We were also told that her soft spot isn't as fragile as we had thought which is great. Now Mommy can breath a little better ;o).

We will continue to monitor her skull over the years to come .. just to make sure she'll doing well.

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OK.. Time for Mommy to get some sleep... Pre-school tomorrow. Tamara absolutely loves school. Thank God. She always gets so excited when I tell her "Tomorrow Pre-school" no hesitation going to bed or getting ready for pre-school.

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Tamara's freshly manicured hands. We've started working on bedtime prayers. Cute no?

At Last ... I can get some sleep. ;o)

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Our House...

Our House...

is a very.. very fine house.

With two cats in the yard.

Life used to be so hard.. now everything is easier because of you.

Love that song... just makes you want to La.. La.. La la la la la la la la..la la la.

OK.. so I'm getting punchy here.

It's been a pretty busy week around here and next week looks even crazier.

I'll try and bring every one up to speed before dawn breaks.

Eeek.. yeah.. sleep would be nice. ;o)

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Lets start with some photos.. I know that's really why you all tune in.. to take a peek and check our progress.

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Sunday AM

A chilly morning.. Tamara models one of her lighter coats.

As you can tell... I use the world model loosely. She's hard to catch.

A custom made fleece embroidered coat and hat set. She really does look adorable in it.

Sunday after noon.

Darren (Appleton) & Kelly's son Brydon turns 6

So off we go to Tamara's first kid Birthday Party.

She seems to get the concept. Singing, gifts, cake. ;o)

Below Tamara is annoyed as she wants to ride little brother Brody's train but she's not heavy enough. No traction :o( wheels just spin when she sits on it.

Ah... finally something she can play. Elfun. She has it at home.

Playing with Brody & friend (name escapes me)

It's a DOG.. it's a dog... IT"S A DOG.... DOG.

Tamara runs for cover. She has decided she doesn't like dogs? Too bad Joy the resident yellow lab is a sweetie.

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Tamara talking to Auntie Jay

"OK... Mama How are you doing this?

Your lips aren't even moving."

How to freak out your 3 year old.

My sister and I sound very much a like on the phone. Over the years we have fooled children, husbands and even parents. ;o)

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Tuesday... Class picture Day at pre-school.

Tamara and one of her new friends on the play ground.

Tamara playing with the kids. After my hair dressing assignment was completed I went to take a peak at what Tamara was up to. I found her playing a form of "Peek a Boo" through the play house window. The Play house was filled with classmates that were laughing hysterically. Yup.. yup... she may become a stand up comic?

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Wednesday... Tamara finds her US embassy flags and starts waving them around.

Wednesday eve. Mommy has a pre-school committee meeting. Daddy puts her to bed. She cried when I left. When it was time to go to sleep twice? And waited up for me anyway.

One of the ladies on the committee gave her a play house. To be delivered the next day.

Thursday... After pre-school Tamara stalls taking a nap.

She and Daddy dead head Mommy's flowers as an excuse to stay up.

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Tamara's New House

She loves it. I call it a starter home. What I'd like to do is build a miniature of our house for her in a few years. Complete with a front porch and two car garage for her pink convertible and jeep. Which she still needs..lol. Something that looks like a 2 story but actually would be one. An open floor plan with an eat in play kitchen, living room. It needs to have a full size door at one end. My thinking is when she out grows it I can turn it into an awesome potting shed. When she's all grown up and has a real house of her own complete with children. We can then convert it back into a play house and have it moved. Or we can leave it here for the grand kids. ;o) Cute and practical idea.. no? OK.. I will have to check about permits. Our town requires one every time you sneeze so I imagine a 9 X 18 ft. mini house will create some interest down town? Especially with the tax man. Daddy thinks I'm a little crazy but I'm sure if Tamara says "Daddy please" which I'm sure she will he'll cave.

Tamara checking out the windows.

Climbing the back half wall.

Her first house guest. "Come in Daddy"

"OH NO.. Mama Daddy's stuck"

"Stand Up Daddy"

Time to go. Tamara gives Daddy a hand.

"Daddy's stuck again... Push Tamara... Push" Too funny. lol

You have to admit. Daddy is a good sport.

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OK... Here are a few more pictures of the lingering flowers in our garden. We had a breach in our deer fencing this week so Bambi pretty much wiped out most of the fall color. Grrrr.

Question.. does anyone know what this plant is? We have a few on the property. They grew in wild. They're pretty cool looking but I can't figure out if they're poisonous? Before I rip them out I thought I'd ask.

Rose of Sharon.. still blooming. Later then usual this year.

Hydrangea tree. So heavy this year ..it's dripping with blooms.

Roses... what's left is going strong.

Geraniums hanging in there... barely.

More Morning glory. Late start this year.

Oh yes... Today.

Today I'm sitting at my desk trying to sort through / delete / catch up on email and out of the corner of my eye I see a black object moving across our front yard.

A BIG FAT BLACK BEAR ... following the outside of our deer fencing. Crosses our driveway, walks through our abhor into the neighbors yard. Eeek! Luckily Tamara was napping at the time. But it does concern us. If I had to guess he's about 400 lbs. That's a pretty big bear. Not that size really matters. Lets face it a 200 lb bear is a problem. That was the 2nd sighting this week. The first was Tuesday night when he went after our neighbors trash can. Jersey black bears are pretty savvy. They actually do learn the trash collection schedule and once they get a taste of take out.. they come back for more. Usually follow the same exact path. I remember about 5 years ago there was a bear that would walk up our road at 4 pm every day. You could set your watch by him. Anyone have some Black Bear repellent?

Below is a picture that Bruce managed to snap of his butt. lol. Gotta love that zoom. ;o)

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So Our house never seems to have a dull moment these days. With the pitter patter of tiny feet it's an adventure.

Tamara is becoming more independent every day. I'm told by the pre-school staff that's very normal for her age. She wants control. She wants her opinion to count. Sometimes not always. She tests boundaries constantly. Which I know is normal.

We've experienced our first "real Tantrum" Eeek! Wow... lol. Today she also decided not to wear her shoes while we were at Target. So I picked them up and put them in the cart behind her. She didn't like that response much so she whips off her socks and tosses them. Grrrr.. ok. socks go in her shoes in the cart. That lasted about 10 minutes until we got to the shoe department and she wanted to try on a pair of sparkly pink sneakers. She's a cutie ... she's got Daddy wrapped around her pinkie and knows exactly which buttons to push with Mommy. Yup... I'd say we've bonded. We're just like any other family with a 3 year old.

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All my life...

All my life...

I've tried to make the best of it. To look for the pretty side of life.

The fun side. After all.. life is short.. even if you live past 100... if you live it well... it will never be enough. So it's important to live in the moment if you can. To preserve the memories.

I remember when I was single. You know BB (before Bruce). My Dad asked me what I was doing as I was always on the go. I told him "Gathering memories... If it's true that our lives flash before our eyes when we pass? I'm gathering memories. I'm buying myself another 5 minutes."

I hope we can pass this along to Tamara. To not sit around and wait for the pretty side but go find it. Sometimes her quest may take her far away? Sometimes she will find it in the simple every day things that surround her.

As Summer ends and Fall begins I find myself looking forward to the leaves changing, our first snow fall, Christmas and yes even New Years. Tamara's first everything. I think it's pretty safe to say she's never stood knee high in changing leaves or freshly fallen snow. You know the kind that squeaks when you walk. This will be her first year for Santa, a Christmas Tree. Wow... this should be interesting being that our house starts to resemble Christmas City every year. New Years... hum... what does one do when you have a 3 year old for New Years?

One of the amazing things about having a young child is seeing everything through their eyes again for the first time. Sort of like having your life flash before your eyes but not having to check out to watch.

All my life... I can remember wanting a little girl. A live little doll I can play with, dress up, teach about life, share and pass down my many wacky ways. Scary isn't it. lol

All my life... I've had this extra love stored up waiting for her.

Now that our daughter is home it seems like she always has been a part of us and we a part of her.
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This week we had a few beautiful crisp days. Perfect for walks and taking pictures ;o)

Below ... my Morning Glory is still blooming.

New camera takes pretty good close ups no?

Tamara hangs out with Mommy & Daddy as we check things out on the property.

Can we feed the fish now?
Daddy is trying to get her to hop side ways. She learned how to hop forwards this week. It's amazing. Guess I'll have to teach her how to skip? Don't think Daddy knows how?

Happy to report the man does not skip. ;o)

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A quick trip to my parents house for lunch on Friday.

Tamara's after Dido's remote. Never did get it from the KING of remote controls.

Grandma & Tamara enjoy the garden and feed their fish.

Tamara looking so small in her sweater coat among the flowers.

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Tomorrow.. pre-school pictures.

I was asked to help out and be the official hair dresser for the kids.

Hum... pony tails for everyone. ;o) Ha... just kidding.

Should be interesting to see what Tamara does when Mommy starts grooming 14 of her class mates.

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Yummy Yummy Yummy...

Yummy Yummy Yummy...

I've got love in my tummy.

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It's the little things. It's Daddy teaching Tamara how to eat an Oreo properly.

Daddy's personal childhood favorite. His comfort food. ;o)

Over the years I learned not to stock the pantry with Oreos... they don't last for long around here. Anyway.. it's the little things we take for granted.

We've had to teach Tamara many little things. She catches on almost instantly. Whether it's a toy she's never seen or a yummy new food.

So while she'd never seen an Oreo before and needed to be taught how to play with toys. She does do many other things that I imagine the average 3 year old doesn't.

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Below Tamara gets a lesson on the Proper way to eat Oreos.

First we twist them apart...

And then we eat the cream from inside.

Your turn.As you can see Oreos were a big hit. Of course Daddy would have preferred the full size cookies ;o) ... for training purposes of course. Ha...
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OK... 4th Day after Pre-school.

Tamara plays outside with Daddy.

"Throw the ball Daddy..." Taking a breather...
OK.. all rested time to play...
What about my Messy hair Mommy?
She is a cutie.
Still loves school. Her teachers say she's doing great. :o)

Yay! ... Yahoo!

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