My Dream Come True... And Baby No. 2

Have you all seen Parenthood? It is one of my favorite movies. Scoff if you must, but I love it.

I used to watch it when I was younger (it came out in 1989 - so yes, I was much younger) and I loved, loved Justin - remember Justin? The little boy who ran down during his sister Taylor's recital and ruined the whole thing? Yes, that's him. I always said that I hoped my child would be just like Justin. Apparently, I said this out loud, a lot. It has come true. Instead of blond curls, my son has beautiful brown curls (which I love). But, like Justin, my son has the ability to make us laugh hysterically and the ability to make us leave school-sponsored functions in shame. Let me explain...

Remember when Justin wore a cowboy hat and a holster... and that's it? Micah comes up with outfits like this on a daily basis. Here is a recent ensemble that had me giggling. He asked to have all of these things put on...

It may not look that strange to you, but in person, it was silly. Frog boots (that he specifically asked for at the resale shop), camo shorts, snoopy shirt and a hat. This outfit is mild, comparatively, but some things are not fit for the Internet.

Second, we have recently entered the toddler stage in full force. Micah is testing the limits every day and has acquired the gift of continual movement. Our child has always been "busy" and "spirited" but he is taking it to new levels. Levels that are sometimes questionable - such as when we went to a recent adoption forum put on by our school district and he decided that ALL of the toys in the room were HIS. How dare those other children even pick up a toy? SO, I attempted to follow him around and give the toys back to the children as he ripped them from their hands. Then we received a long look from the administrator, so we left in shame. Thankfully, our parent-educator came two days later and told me how normal it is at this age. She gave me some great ideas (consistency being the most important) and we are working on it.

Tonight we went to a music class and Micah did okay - he tried to pay attention and lasted about 20 minutes, which is good for him. Tomorrow we are taking a trial class at the Little Gym - we believe that Micah has a real strength in the bodily-kinesthetic intelligence and we're hoping to foster that in him (as well as get some energy out and offer an opportunity for socialization). We really want to find a way to allow Micah's "spirited" side to grow and prosper in a constructive way, rather than to dampen his spirit and reign him in. It's not easy, but we've known that this would be our challenge from our first few days with him. It's a 'challenge' that we are happy to take on and we hope we can do our best for him.

Okay, if you've made it this far, you probably have a 'spirited' toddler yourself. Otherwise, you'd have grown bored of my long-windedness. (Is that a word?) If you have any stories to share, or tips, I'd love to hear them.

And, baby #2.... I was wrong about the fingerprints - we do have to have them done again. Not a big deal - we're going Thursday and then hopefully we'll have our 171-H 4-6 weeks after that. The plan is to have the dossier finished by then so we can get everything certified and off to Ethiopia by December. So, we're still moving along... albeit a bit more slowly than I thought. :)

And, after a long post such as this, I like to share some random cute pics, so here goes...

Hanging with his peeps

Sweet Yogurt-Face

Scary Yogurt-Face