I'm a little horse (hoarse).

I've been hoarse since Saturday night. I wonder if I have the congestion/cold that Zeke is just getting over. Oh well. At least I feel ok.

We actually had SNOW Saturday night. Can you believe it?!?!

Zeke is doing better. His cough has decreased significantly. He finished his antibiotics. Here's hoping we're done with coughs and ear infections for a while!!

Zeke's first school photo

So, we didn't even know he was going to be having his photo done or we would've chosen a different outfit.  When I picked him up one day, his teacher said, "We did school photos today but Zeke didn't seem to like it."  I didn't think much about it.  Then today, the school's director told me she had the photos for me to review.  Before she brought them out, she said, "I just want to warn you.  The photographer showed up late and so the toddlers had their photos done right before nap time.  They were not happy about this.  We're having photos re-done on the 10th.  Anyway, here are Zeke's photos.  You don't have to buy any of them."  Well, I couldn't help myself...I burst out laughing when I saw them.  I mean, he looks so pitiful but of course, that's not why I laughed.  It's because his face perfectly expresses how I have always felt about school photos.  Between my cackles, I told the director that I just had to buy a sheet of these because someday, when Zeke is much older, we'll look back at these and we'll all laugh our heads off.  So, Zeke, I'm afraid that this is the start of a long line of school photos.  At least next time, we'll dress you better, buddy.

Zeke & Mom @ Gymnastics

Mizzou-Rah!

Take that, Cornell!!

Zeke eats!

If I Had a Rocket Ship, I'd Never Want to Land

Brad and I caught a glimpse of the space shuttle and the space station in the night sky yesterday. At least we're pretty darn sure that's what we saw. It's neat! Zeke was in bed by then and even so, I'm not sure he would've been impressed. It was just a small bright light moving across the sky.

What's floating my (Missy's) boat these days?
*Taking Zeke to the park when the weather is nice
*Watching the entire series of Freaks and Geeks on DVD (this is what we do after Zeke goes to bed)
*White cheddar breakfast sandwiches from Panera Bread
*Wearing flip-flops in March
*Preparing for a short weekend away in Vegas in April
*Contemplating the possibility of adopting from Ethiopia
*Survivor and waiting to see when "Coach" gets voted off
*Re-reading Duma Key by Stephen King
*Eagerly awaiting Twilight coming out on DVD this week!

Happy St Pat's!

It's time to sip your Shamrock Shake! We've got another warm day here and we're LOVING it! It was lovely yesterday and Zeke and I enjoyed being outside for a while before I had to teach my class. Zeke is now in "eating mode" and has had several meals in a row where he's eaten like a little pig. Thank goodness! Of course, I figure the pendulum will swing in the other direction at some point so I'm trying not to get too excited.

I've enjoyed having a few chances to look at Zeke clothing for the spring and summer. I think it's too early to go buying him a warm weather wardrobe because I hope he gets bigger between now and May. So, I'm trying to hold off. I have bought him a few cute t-shirts because I can buy those a little big. Pants are always the problem. He has a tiny waist so it's hard to get pants that are long enough for his legs and small enough for his waist. When shorts season arrives, that will make it much easier since length won't be an issue.

What Recession?!?!

That's a phrase we often repeat these days. We went to the mall this afternoon and it was packed. People were lined up at various stores to buy clothes, shoes, jewelry, you name it. The only bread line Americans are standing in is at Auntie Anne's. After the mall, we made a few other stops and we ended up at Jump Mania. They have those huge inflatable mazes and slides indoors. They have a small area for kids 3 and under in the back. We took Zeke back there and he seemed to have fun. There was only one inflatable for his age group and he didn't want to go in. He would've been the only one in there but he still didn't go for it. He did enjoy playing with all the Fisher Price toys they had scattered around in the baby area. Oh, and we got in free since he's under 3...that was nice.

Zeke had a good day yesterday at the doctor. He had gained 12 ounces since his last visit and he did NOT have an ear infection (Praise the Lord!) even though his nose is runny. This is a FIRST! So, the ear tubes are helping. He had a horrible night last night. I bet he was up 8 times or more crying and carrying on. He got some vaccines while we were at the doctor's office yesterday and I think he must have been fussy from those. Also, he's teething and I think that was bothering him last night. At any rate, he was NOT a happy camper. He woke up at 5AM...we all did. Ugg. Prior to last night, he had been sleeping through the night so here's hoping we can go back to that routine tonight!

Hoping for a Big Number!

We take Zeke to the doc this afternoon for another round of immunizations and we also will check his weight. He had been down last time because of his pneumonia. He has done ok with eating since then...but it's a struggle to get him to focus and eat. He did well at dinner last night and I think breakfast today went ok. FINGERS CROSSED! My mom told me that I was not a good eater when I was little. And thanks to others who have shared info about their child not eating as much as you'd like. We'll see what the scales show today!!

Eat, baby, eat

Zeke goes through phases where he won't eat much. He's in one right now. We offer and offer and offer him food, all kinds of food and he just won't eat a lot. This is especially frustrating because he's getting weighed this Friday to see if his weight is up. The last time we saw the pediatrician, she told us to put him on two "fattening" baby shakes a day. Well, we can't even get him to drink one whole one. We started using the shakes to wet his oatmeal, instead of water but that doesn't work if he won't eat his oatmeal. He ate it this weekend with the shake mixed in and seemed to like it but then rejected it this morning. Yesterday, he didn't even eat a whole meal, though I offered him one of his favorites: mac and cheese. Please pray that he will open his mouth and belly and will eat. I don't know what to do. We have avoided loading him up on sweets because we don't feel that's healthy for him but if that's how people fatten up their kids, maybe that's what we should do. We add butter to everything he eats and we mix in sour cream, when appropriate. Any ideas?!?!?!?!?! I am about to panic over this!!!! Last week, I weighed Zeke and he was below 19 pounds. But when I weighed him this weekend, he was over 20. I'm happy his weight was up this last time but I know that it could go down again this week, especially if he continues to be a picky eater. This is so frustrating. HELP!!!!!!!!!

Demotivators--Hilarity Ensues

Check this out. There are some really funny gems...among my favorites:

Procrastination: Hard work often pays off after time, but laziness always pays off now.

Mediocrity: It takes a lot less time and most people won't notice the difference until it's too late. (accompanied by a photo of the leaning tower of Pisa)

Achievement: You can do anything you set your mind to when you have vision, determination, and an endless supply of expendable labor. (accompanied by a photo of the Pyramids)

Breaking Dawn

I'm so glad that when I drive in to work before 7AM, the sun is coming up. It makes it easier somehow to be awake. Take a look at Brad's cell phone pics from last night's gymnastics class with Zeke. Brad thought this would be a fun activity for him and Zeke on Monday nights when I teach my class. I love that they have this bonding time and look forward to being there myself in a few weeks when my students are on spring break.

A word about Zeke's birthmother: We sent her a photo album and Christmas card (no letter) and it was actually delivered on Christmas. Last week, we received a thank you letter from her in the mail. It was such a lovely surprise! It was in Vietnamese and a good friend helped us get it translated right away. Her words were so sweet and kind as she thanked us for sending her such beautiful photos of the baby. It just confirms my committment to send her 2 photo albums each year. I'm also working on finding someone to translate a letter into Vietnamese so she can know our impressions of Zeke and how he is doing. Each adoptive family ought to decide what's right for them and what they are most comfortable with when it comes to communicating (or not) with the birth family. I actually prayed that we would be matched with a child whose birthmother we would meet. I felt this would be such a blessing for Zeke as he grows up to know something about his birthmother and most importantly, to know that she loves him.

Zeke Goes to the Gym

Zeke is now enrolled in an eight week "gymnastics" class at Springfield Aquatic & Gymnastics Center.  It's more about being active than mastering the rings.

Zeke Eats!

Zeke LOVES blueberries and even tries to say "blueberries." He has done extremely well post-surgery. No complications and he doesn't seem to have any pain. He runs around and plays just as hard as ever. There is one big difference: he seems happier than he has been in weeks. I think it's because the pressure on his ear drums has been relieved. Here are some photos from this morning. Enjoy!