Isaac Laughing (video)

Recently Isaac has started to burst out laughing on his own and without the "tickle monster" to induce his laughter. If you click on the picture on the right just underneath the title "A Laugh And A Smile" you can watch a short video clip of Isaac sitting on the couch like a big boy, laughing at daddy being silly. He is just the sweetest little boy! We can't believe that he will be 1 year old on May 16.

Springtime for Isaac (slideshow)

Happy Easter from Isaac

Isaac was all smiles after meeting the Easter Bunny for the first time Friday night. A little ironic that a rabbit is at a hunting and sporting goods store, but that's a discussion for another time. What a CUTE picture of our little man who had a very good week and has really changed a lot in his personality and his development in recent days (both for the good). We will give a more detailed update this week on Isaac's 1st Easter and the other happenings in his world. Until them, we hope every enjoyed some time with family and that all is well wherever you are reading this.

In like a lion...

March has roared in with a very busy week. I had FBLA district competition this past week (Spokane's team placed 5th out of 17 schools and 7 of my students will be competing at state), parent teacher conferences, and I took in some playoff basketball. I also had my first job interview for a principal for next year and it went well. I'm a bit out of practice since it's been 7 years since my last interview, so if nothing else it was good practice. I continue to look and have some more applications and resumes to send off soon for posted jos.

Also within the past week came word that we have an actual court date now for Tenaye!! May 18 we will be represented in Ethiopia along with 10 other families with Hope Adoption Agency. We are SO relieved that progress is being made and are thinking good thoughts as we wait another 2 months and PRAY that we pass court on the first try. This would mean travelling in late June or early July...right about the time Laura will be finishing summer school. Tenaye's room has been completely cleaned out and we bought a bed for it. How wonderful it will be to see her sleeping in her bed and hold her in our arms.

After another round of a cough and cold, Isaac is back to being his happy self once again. We hope this is the last one for the season, but with this crazy weather you never know. He is REALLY starting to enjoy eating his baby food and gets pretty cranky if he doesn't get a spoonful fast enough. He loves his food (just like his mom)! Favorites include applesauce, pears, sweet potatoes, and carrots.We can tell he's growing but aren't sure of his weight. He's 26 inches now and we're guessing he's skipped the 15's and is in the 16 pound range. He LOVES sitting now and can do so for quite some time and is starting to stand (with minimal support) while holding on to furniture and his exer-saucer. No crawling yet, but we're patient with this and other parts of his development that we know may be a little slow.

He took his first trip to the zoo with his cousins Kaleb and Kyle and sported a new STL Cardinals hat that he got from one of the teachers at Jason's school. He wore it well and had a good time looking at the animals.

Isaac's top two teeth should be popping through any day as his gums and bumpy and swollen and he's gnawing on everything in sight and drooling at an impressive rate. Also growing is his hair. Just look at the curly Q's on top of his head!

This last picture is Isaac with his serious face and pose. I'm fairly certain that he just spit the bib out of his mouth right before the picture was taken.

Finally!!

We got a message from our agency that the paperwork that we have been waiting on for the last 6 months has finally been obtained and filed and we are now waiting to be assigned a court date for Tenaye! Yea!! It could take a while to get a date as the courts in Ethiopia are very back logged, but at least now we feel like we have taken a step forward.

Dedication and All Better!

Over the weekend Isaac finally got rid of the nasty RSV that had taken him over recently. His breathing is completely normal, his cough is gone, and he is back to eating like it's his job. Now that he is back to good health, we decided it was time to start him on baby food. The meal of choice was squash, and he did really well with it and seemed to enjoy it much better than rice and oatmeal.

Right before he got sick he had his infant dedication at River Bluff Fellowship Church in Springfield where we have been attending since last summer. It is the perfect church home for our family and the pastor there, Scott Watson, is an absolutely wonderful man. Isaac was a pretty handsome little man in his khaki pants and blue shirt; he didn't wear the hat to church.


Tomorrow it's off to daycare and Miss Becki's house, where Isaac hasn't been in two weeks because of the winter weather and his illness. I'm sure she has missed him and he has missed watching the big kids play. It looks like things are back to normal around here. We continue to pray that the adoption agency and orphanage are able to secure the proper paperwork for Tenaye, but we know everything is in God's hands and it is his timing as to when she comes home.

Snuggle Bug

Unfortunately, the RSV bug has bitten Isaac. He has been really sick for the last week. Instead of enjoying our snow days we spent time at the doctor's office and hospital having chest x-rays, a breathing treatment, and a nasal swab. All signs point to RSV. Yuck! So he has spent a majority of the past few days snuggled up on mommy or daddy's lap. Poor little boy has no appetite (he has lost a pound in the last 7-10 days), has a terrible cough, and is really congested. Thankfully his fever is gone and he isn't struggling to breathe like he was last week. Hopefully he has turned a corner and is on the road to recovery.

Here are some pictures we have captured over the last few weeks. Our little guy is really changing! He can sit on his own for long stretches of time, has two bottom teeth, and is really starting to talk our ears off! He has the cutest, sweetest laugh I have ever heard. (We are trying to figure out how to put video on the blog, so stay tuned!)

Isaac enjoying the warm weather and fresh air over the weekend.

Reading at 8 months! He is a genius!

Ummm, oatmeal....

Playing Hungry, Hungry Hippos with Cousin Kyle