34 Months Old

Only two more months until we will have a 3 year old on our hands! Rocco's 2's have been very fun. We've certainly enjoyed him at this toddler stage. We are beginning, however, to see a little trouble. He often asks for gum or candy, which he calls "Blue green." If we ever tell him, "No," he squints his eyes and pooches his lips at us arguing, "Yes, yes!" He certainly tries to get his way and doesn't give up easily. If I eventually ignore his request, he'll insist, "Mommy! Mommy!" until I ask, "What is it Rocco?" "Blue green. Blue green."

The biggest thing I've noticed this month is that we have a little parrot. Rocco is learning so many new words at such a fast rate that I cannot keep count. When we talk, Rocco repeats the last few words of our every sentence. It's funny to hear him get his lingo mixed up. For example I'll say, "Yes you did." He'll joke back and contradict me with, "No did." Or if I say, "Pee Yew!" He'll reply with ,"No pee, no yew!"

Just this month we've been working with him on how to spell his name. He can tell you, "R, O, C," and that's about it. We're still trying to teach him that his name has 2 C's.

Potty training isn't going so well. He may tee tee one time a day at Nana Carolyn's house. He only tee tees for us when he wants candy. And when he does, it's only a few drops. His diaper will be full, but he thinks he deserves candy since he did tee tee.

Rocco is becoming a little more independent. At bath time, I've been working with him on undressing himself. He can usually get off his socks and pants but needs help with his shirt and diaper. Immediatly after he is naked, he'll go running down the hall patting his bootie. "Spank that bootie!" well say. This really gets him tickled.

He is definitely all boy. When a show like Angelina Ballerina comes on TV he will cry and pitch a fit until we turn it off. At Kangaroo Jakes jumping gym, he would go down every slide except the one that had the pictures of princesses on it. Even with coaxing he just refused. He is also laughing now at his burps and toots. In the bathtub he'll play with his toys and make funny splurting sounds with them just for laughs. The skunk book really cracks him up, too. "Pee yew!" He basically laughs all day long off and on at the silliest things. Throughout the day a phrase we'll say may hit him a certain way and he'll just laugh all over himself. So, we have to say that same phrase over and over because he keeps begging, "Again!"

If we ever go out to eat, he'll be sure to tell the restaurant goodbye. "Bye eat!" he says.

He has an ongoing joke with his granddaddy. If he falls asleep in his recliner (often he'll just pretend to be sleeping) Rocco will tip toe over to him and hit him on the leg with something. The other joke is that he won't sit in granddaddy's lap. Gary will beg, "Come sit on granddaddy's knee." To which Rocco replies, "No, nana's knee!"

During the day he still takes a nap. The naps last 2 - 3 hours. And of course he is still taking a bottle to fall asleep. The dentist would have a cow, but the doc doesn't read my blog so we're safe!

At night he is still in the middle of us. If we ask him which bed he wants to sleep in, Rocco's or Daddy/Mama's, he'll reply, "Daddy, Rocco, Mama's big bed." Obviously he thinks our bed is also his.

As far as toys go, the Trains are still his favorite. And even with over 30 trains, he can always tell you if one is missing. He also likes to blow bubbles on his own. He can pretty much do this now without my help, though occasionally he'll spill a lot of bubble solution on the floor when he's not paying attention. Play-doh is another favorite. He usually insists, "Mommy sit down! Mommy Rocco dee-uh (play) day-doh!"

He has learned how to take turns by playing BINGO. I'll pick a card, then he'll pick one. If we have the matching Thomas picture, we'll cover it with a ticket. This is one of his favorite games. That is other than hide-n-seek. He squeals with delight when we hide under the covers from daddy. He makes me think of a little spastic turtle trying to squeeze quickly into his shell. It's so funny watching him get antsy while daddy tries to find us. Often we'll hide when daddy isn't even at home. I'll remind him that daddy isn't at home, but he still insists, "Hide, daddy!"

From My Heart

The purpose of this blog has been mainly to chronicle our adoption journey. It has served as a way for me to journal about our life with Rocco. Adoption has been a beautiful thing in our life, though the road we traveled to get to Vietnam was not an easy one. There are a lot of heartache, tears, memories, and circumstances along that 10 year journey that are much too numerous to mention here. Regardless, I marvel at the miracle Rocco is to us. In my heart, I know that I was made to be a mama. My sweet neighbor, Sandra, always told me that. And it was so true. Being a mother to Rocco is one of the greatest blessings that I have ever been given by God. It is a responsibility and gift that I do not take lightly.

Each day I strive to cherish the moments with my son. Perhaps it is because of the miraculous heart surgery that changed my view on life at the young age of 23. Or maybe it is the longing desire that was in my heart for years to have a child. Yet still it may be because I had children later in life and am more mature. I'm sure it has something to do with just knowing how fleeting and fragile life is. So many have told me how fast they grow up. And so. . . there are many days my house doesn't get cleaned. Instead you'll find me playing upstairs in the playroom with Rocco. Playing with Thomas the train, putting a puzzle together, singing and dancing to silly songs, or reading a book in all the voices that make my little man laugh. These are the moments that make life so precious.

Having said all that, it is obvious how much I adore the role of motherhood. For the last year I have wanted to start the adoption process again. Rocco is such a blessing in our life; I can't even fathom how wonderful it would be to have more children. Jason and I both have siblings, and I definitely want Rocco to have that same experience. I look around me at work, within my own family, at our church, in the community and people are having babies left and right. For whatever reason, I have never been able to conceive. One thing my friend Kim Lan said to me one day has made more sense than anything anyone has ever said when trying to explain away my infertility. She simply said, "We live in a broken world." How true. How much more broken can you get when children are born in homes in which they're not wanted or cared for or even abused. And yet others who long for the opportunity to hold a child still have empty arms.

I can easily look at those circumstances and say, "It's not fair. It doesn't make sense. " But then again, years of experience have taught me that I am not God. He is sovereign, and His ways are far above my own.

What breaks my heart even more are the 144 million plus orphans in this world. Oh how I wish I could take some of them in. When I mention adopting again to my husband, he says that he is not ready yet. I understand that we are enjoying Rocco and that we should be content. At the same time, I know in my heart that our family has room for more. There is not a day that goes by that I do not pray for those children. The children who have not yet made it to us. Whether they be within my own body or in some foreign land. Whether they be in another state or just the next town over. It may be in a few months or it may be years from now. Whatever the situation may be or however the story will unfold, let it be known that I am ready.

Below are pictures of just a few of the orphans that are throughout our world. Alone, no place to call home, no mother or father to say, "You belong." Just the meager basics to make it through the day. How my heart hurts for them. Say a prayer for them tonight.

Spiked

After bath time we played around and gave Rocco spiked hair. Here he is sporting his new do while wearing his house robe. The expression on his face shows that he is doing one of his fake laughs. He was trying to convince daddy that he was cool and funny in his spike.

Bedtime Duty

Jason and I are a real team when it comes to nighttime duties with Rocco. I am truly blessed to have a great partner in this wonderful task we call parenthood. Without my husband, I don't know what I'd do.

Normally I give Rocco his bath, and Jason puts him to sleep. (He still takes a bottle). Both of us usually read him books and pray with him. Tonight we are switching it up because Jason has a show he wants to watch, Burn Notice. So what will Rocco and I do before we go to bed?

We'll read some Thomas the Train books. . .

put together a puzzle or two, and maybe play a round of Bingo (Thomas style of course).

What We Did on Inauguration Day

Today's a big day in history, even if you're not an Obama fan. And I'm not. Honestly, I did not vote for him. Most of his political views and policy that he wants to accomplish do not align with my view/beliefs. Regardless, I did watch a lot of inauguration coverage today. It stayed on my television in the classroom all day. At 11:30 we stopped everything and watched the swearing in of our new President. After school I watched the parade, and this afternoon I was still watching Obama coverage of the ball. This is a day that will go down in history, so I wanted to make sure I saw it and allowed my students to see it as well. So what did we do big on this inauguration day?

Rocco got new Thomas bedding! After we washed and dried it, he wanted to put it on "Daddy, Rocco, Mama's bed." Yes, he thinks our bedroom belongs to him, too. (At one time he was in his own bed. . . with one of us sleeping with him. Somewhere along Christmas break we reverted to all being in the same bed again.) I insisted that the Thomas bedspread go on his bed. So here he is. . . all smiles with his new bedding. And, no, he is not sleeping in this bed tonight. No persuading him. At least his room looks cute.

Jason gave the devotional to the girls' high school basketball team and was gone most of the afternoon. While all of the Obama coverage was on our tv, we played with our Thomas the train tracks, threw balls off of the balcony, ate my favorite snack together (Cinnamon Teddy Grahams with peanut butter), watched Cat in the Hat, played a sorting game with silverware, and laughed to our silly rhyming game. And that's what we did on this big day in history. Life with a 2 year old is so much fun.

Facebook

Ok, so here's for all my old friends that have found me on facebook and are now looking at my blog. Here's a pic of me, my husband of 12 years, and our wonderful son, Rocco.

And if you haven't signed onto facebook, you should. It's really neat. . . and addictive. Already I've found over 20 long lost friends.

Gingerbread House

Our Christmas get-togethers are over and we're back to school / work / reality. Those two weeks off were wonderful. Sleeping late, cuddling with Rocco, playing all day, taking a nap, eating whenever we wanted, having friends over. . . you know the good life. At least I am blessed with a job that I really love. Going back to work isn't all bad, but I admit I secretly dream of being a stay-at-home mom.

Even though the Christmas season may be over, you could barely tell it if you came to our house. There are two trees still decorated, and we're still having Christmas fun. Tonight we decorated our first gingerbread house together, just the three of us. I think it turned out really cute. The funny thing was that Rocco kept eating the gumdrops.

Though the house may have suffered from the holiday rush, the one room that is organized is Rocco's playroom. Can you tell that he got "more woos?" (That's what he wanted. . . more trains.)

Pooched Lip Puppy Dog

A simple shot of Rocco after bath time in his new hooded towel. This picture makes me smile every time.

Looking Back at Our Christmas

December came and left in a hurry. It's Jan. 1st and I'm just now posting about our Christmas. It's obvious by the pile of toys and books that Rocco is a very blessed little boy. The picture below shows his pile of goodies as of Christmas eve. At this point Santa had not been and he had not even opened up presents from mama and daddy either. What you see below is from my parents, grandparents, Tyler, Jason's parents and sister's family, and cousin Susan who drew his name. We really had to organize the play room and clean out the living room before Santa could even come that night! The next morning we slept in late. Rocco did not go to sleep until after midnight. I suppose he kept tossing and turning from all the anticipation. Around 9:30 he woke up to find more toys in the living room. He was all smiles!
Rocco was very busy all day on Christmas. He played mostly with his train tracks, but every now and then he'd realize a new toy that he hadn't see before. . . rhythm sticks, sand blocks, books, a Thomas night light, and play doh "day doh." For the first time Rocco experienced squishing playdoh out with a special tool. We called the stringy strands worms; he really got a kick out of making them and cutting them with play doh scissors! Rocco also found a really cool Thomas couch just his size!

Exploring all of his new toys made us hungry. Jason fixed an unbelievable Christmas breakfast with sausage, bacon, biscuits, gravy, eggs, and juice. He's really been holding out on me all these years. We've been married over 11 years and this is the first time he's handled Christmas breakfast. If I have my way it won't be the last.

Rocco and I stayed in our pajamas all day and played until we finally left to see my family. A little incident with my brother ended him in the ER, but he is fine now. With my mom taking care of my nana after her surgery and the added stress from Tyler, I figured she needed a little sunshine. And everyone knows that Rocco is Mimi's sunshine.

December was a very busy month for my camera. I just didn't know where to start when it came to posting them. Here are a random few from our family get-togethers. Enjoy!

My brother, Tyler, and cousin Dillon

Rocco and cousin Zachary (Dillon's brother)

My nana and her sister, Pat

Rocco with my dad (his papaw)

My nana, mom and me

Rocco and his great-grandfather AKA Papaw Billy

Rocco at nana and granddaddy's house

The three of us at nana and granddaddy's house
Jason's immediate family

Rocco and Drew playing with puppets Drew designed and made especially for Rocco

Rocco with his 1st cousin Baby Sydney

Rocco and cousin Colston (Jason's side of family)

Cousins Chloe and JJ (Jason's side of family)

Jason and his cousins at Papa's house