Kira turns 1 month old

["1" on her onesie stands for "I am 1 month old"]

Our lil' pumpkin turned 1 month old a day after Christmas. Time surely goes by fast. At her doctor's appointment we got the following:



Weight-9 lb5oz (50%)

Height-22 inches (75%)

Head circum.-14.5 (50%)



No shots today.



Kira and I had a cold over Christmas but are getting better. Cliff's paternity leave has come to an end, Greg and Cathy are leaving tomorrow, and it's going to be just me and the babies. I am a little bit anxious about the first couple weeks...
Kira loves sleeping in our arms and is not a fan of her crib. As soon as we put her down she fusses and then cries if not picked up. I ordered a baby carrier and expect to get a good use out of it to free my hands for Aaron while having Kira on me at the same time.
New pictures in the new album.

PS Happy 7th Anniversary to Seriy and Jules!

7

Our family is celebrating 7 wonderful years today. Without a doubt the best present we could get on this day is two healthy happy children. The Lord has blessed us so abundtantly! Thank you, Cliff, for being a godly husband and father and for always being there for us.

20 days old

The little chub-chub is 20 days old and is putting on pounds like there is no tomorrow. Actually I don't know how much she weighs right now but she definitely got bigger. I put a 3 month old outfit on her today and it fit her just right. Newborn outfits and diapers are already too small for her. It's hard to believe considering that she was born so small.

Her tummy has been causing her troubles lately. She can't sleep well neither at night nor during the day grunting all the time. We're praying she outgrows it soon.

She's getting better and better at holding her head. When she's on her tummy she can lift it up and hold it up for a couple of minutes.

Aaron loves his little sister. In the morning, Aaron storms into our bedroom, jumps on the bed and gives Kira lots and lots of kisses. If Kira is not around he always asks where she is.

It's snowing in DC today, and unfortunately it's too cold (20F) to take Aaron out.

What do you think?

Kira and Aaron at approximately the same age:

Gingerbread Man

A video of Aaron decorating his Gingerbread Man:

We started setting up our Christmas decorations:

announcement

Baby Toile Pink Birth Announcement

Find hundreds of elegant baby birth announcements at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Kira's first doctor's appointment

She's 4 days old and is back to her birth weight, 5 lb 15 oz. She was 5 lb 9 oz when we left the hospital, the goal was not to drop below that number by the first appointment. Kira is a healthy baby, she eats a lot and sleeps a lot. Our hearts are overfilled with joy and gratefulness for her. Aaron seems to be doing well so far. He gets plenty of attention from his grandmommy and papa. I try to find time to spend with him as well. Hoping the transition will not be too rough for him. He likes making funny things to make Kira laugh (though, she can't yet), and laughs at her when she acts like a baby. He likes giving her kisses to her forehead and cheeks, and usually tries to be gentle with her, but I wouldn't leave them together alone:)

Kira Madeline Cislak

Was born on November 26, 2010 at 04:03 am, weighing 5 lb 15 oz, 19.75 inches long. She's a very sweet little girl and makes us all very very happy. Praising Lord for the gift of her life!

Today...

I meant to blog a lot about today. It was a great morning with Babushka and Dedushka at the park flying the kite. However, this afternoon Aaron woke up with fever 101.2 and complaints of sore throat. So, I am not in mood for writing much right now. Enjoy the pictures! Click on the collage below to see it larger.

Blessed Child

Nothing makes a mother happier than seeing her child happy. Just the other day Cliff and I were talking about how much the Lord has blessed our son with love from his family. Unfortunately, Aaron isn't growing up next door to either of his grandparents but the time he spends with them is trully filled with joy, love and happiness. I am so so grateful to both sets of our parents for being there for Aaron, and being the best grandparents I ever wished for him.


One of my favorite quotes these days is: "To be in your child's memories tomorrow, be in his life today".

We're enjoying Dedushka and Babushka's visit this week. Aaron loves all the attention he gets, and every morning is looking forward to the new day with his Ukrainian grandparents.
Today is supposed to be the last warm sunny day, so we enjoyed our time at the park and had a picnic there too. I made some panini sandwiches (thank you, Carol!). Just wish Cliff was there too.

PS More pictures in Fall 2010 album

Forgotten pictures

As I was transferring the videos of Aaron to the computer I found lots of pictures from Jules' and Sergey's visit that I didn't know were there. So, I posted them in a separate album. It was fun to go through them and see how much fun the boys had.
Below is a video of Aaron waiting for his ice-cream. I had to videotape it for history-he shakes with excitement for ice-cream. And if love for sweets is genetic-it's not from me:) I remember a funny story about Aaron and Cathy. One day I put Aaron down for a nap and Cliff and I decided to run some errand. Cathy would stay home to watch Aaron. We didn't plan to be out long as I was afraid Aaron could wake up in the middle of his nap. So we came back in 1 hour to find Aaron happily sitting at the dining room table munching on a cupcake. As it turned out, he woke up and cried for mama, was unconsolable, but when Grandmommy pulled out a cupcake-a magic happened. He didn't even care that I came home:)

Fall Greetings

I took some more picture of Aaron and Cliff at the park the other day. The weather is beautiful. The trees are yellow and red, and match Aaron's new jacket from his Grandparents so well. He's definitely his father's son-he wears 3T-4T outfits.
Awhile ago I mentioned here that I got Aaron some new books. The Human Body Encyclopedia is one of his favorite books right now. He loves to ask questions about how our body works, and his favorite system is skeletal. I think it started after he watched the cartoon about Curious George where the monkey broke his leg and had to go to the doctor.
He's been waking up at night lately calling out for me. I am hopeful this shall pass before his sister arrives. I forgot how hard sleep deprivation is.
He's a sweet, kind, tender and affectionate little boy. Temper tentrums are behind (for now) and each day with him brings lots of joy into our lives.
These last days with him as a single child make me sad. I am sure he'll miss them too.

Setting fire

Aaron almost set our house on fire. Well, maybe not the whole house but the breadmachine for sure. This morning I started a fresh loaf of wheat bread in my new breadmachine from Cathy and Greg. As I was working on putting the ingredients together Aaron was playing around in the kitchen. He took his little chair, stood on it and checked out the breadmachine. Apparently, some time when I turned away he dropped a tea bag in the breadmachine. I didn't even see him opening the machine but I did see him playing with the teabags. So, when my bread started baking I started smelling something burning, then smoke came out. We thought the machine was malfunctioning, and we unplugged it. As we took the bread pan out we saw a half burned teabag...So glad we were at home. We were planning to go to the park all together.

About Aaron. Metamorphosis of Vanessa cardui L. (aka Painted Lady)

Several weeks ago, before I went on bedrest, Aaron and I started a sort of a science project. We oredered 5 larva and watched them turn into beautiful butterflies. Now we have 5 beautiful butterflies living under our ceiling...and Cliff is the one taking care of them:)
Aaron was very interested in a life cycle of a butterfly since he was a little shy of 2. It seems like this interest has passed. He's into skeletons and human body anatomy right now.
A few more pictures are in his Fall 2010 album.

35 weeks

I saw my Dr. yesterday and everything looks good at this point. Just a little bit longer before the baby can be born. I am feeling well. Cliff is working from home on Mon. and Tue. this week and next week, and then we're expecting my parents for a visit. Hoping the little Missy will be born some time then.

34+

Чувствую себя гораздо лучше. Еще тяжело быть на ногах долго, особенно ходить долго, но в остальном чувствую себя отлично. К счастью, Аарон может просидеть на диване рядом со мной большую часть дня за книгами, так что мне так легче. Мама Клиффа уехала сегодня утром. Вчера Аарон нас насмешил. Когда он поел свой обед, я его спрашиваю:
-Эрон, это грэндмами сделали для тебя обед. Что ей нужно теперь сказать?
-Сорри.
-Нет.
-Экскюзми.
-Нет.
-Гуд монин.
-Нет. Нужно ее поблагодарить. Как ты благодаришь?
-Спасибо, грандмами, за вкусный ужин.

***

With the help of the Lord and the family I have made it this far. Just a little bit more before I feel completely safe for our baby girl to be born. Cathy left this morning and we already miss her very much. Not sure where we'd be by now without her help. I feel much much better. I still can't spend too much time on my feet but rather than that I feel great. The Lord gave us a toddler who'd be happy to sit next to me on the couch most of the day reading books, and that helps in this situation.

One of grandmommy's favorite stories from her visit:
Aaron finished his lunch and I asked him:
-Aaron, grandmommy made your lunch. So, what do you need to tell grandmommy now?
-...Sorry!
-No.
-...Excuse me!
-No.
-Good morning!
-No. You need to thank her. How do you thank people?
-Thank you, grandmommy, for delicious dinner!
That will work:)

How we are doing

So, I am 32+ weeks right now, and as some of you might have already heard things are not going as smoothly as we wished or expected. Last week (31 weeks) at my dr's appt. I brought it up that I wasn't feeling right and was having lots of contractions. The dr. was concerned about preterm labor and put me on bedrest. I was also started on a medication to stop my contractions but I stopped taking it after the first dose as I was feeling much sicker. Bedrest and fluids have been the most helpful so far.
I need just 4 more weeks...

Happy Birthday, Awesome Brother/Great Brother-in-Law/Cool Uncle Seriy!

We love you!

Мама и папа, спасибо вам за то, что вы вырастили нас и вложили в нас столько сил. Какой это тяжелый труд, я поняла только сейчас.

I was so happy to get everyone's cards and Birthday wishes. They always make my Birthday special. Thank you!



PS. You might not be able to see the videos from youtube full-screen if you watch them directly from the blog. If you click on the video it should take you to the youtube website where you'll see the video full-screen

Imaginary Friend

Aaron got a friend that only he can see. At the moment, as he's having his snack he's talking to Brother John (from the nursery rhyme "Are you sleeping, Brother John?") He's sharing his peanutbutter jelly sandwich and orange juice with his friend.
-------------------
У Аарона появился воображаемый друг-Брат Джон (из английской детской песенки). Аарон сидит за столом и кушает бутерброд с арахисовым маслом и вареньем, и запивает апельсиновым соком. Время от времени он протягивает свой бутерброд кому-то и говорит: "Кушай, Бразер Джон. Эрон поделился с бразер Джоном." Потом говорит: "Эрон хочет писять." Я говорю: "Давай скорее пошли". А он: "И бразер Джон тоже идет писять".

He'd better be embarrassed of this when he gets older

Aaron found my only pair of high-heeled shoes in the closet.

This morning...

...I went to pick up Aaron in his bed. He seemed to be in a good mood, so I asked him:
-Are you going to be in a good mood today?
He answered: Yes! Aaron woke up on the right side of the bed.

Сегодня утром я спросила Аарона:
-Ты проснулся в хорошем настроении?
-Да! Аарон встал с той ноги.
***
After we visited the farm I asked Aaron to tell me what animals he saw there. He said:
-There were chickens, and pigs...
-And what color were the pigs?
He thought for a moment then said: Usually, pigs are pink, but the pigs on the farm were some unclear color (They were sort of grey/black and white)
***
We were talking about a friend of his and Aaron said:
-We need to buy him a mommy?
-A mommy?
-Nooooo....Mommies are not sold.
-Then where do you get a mommy?
-Papa gets you a mommy.
-And where do you get a papa?
-God gives us papas...

Разговаривали с Аароном о его друге. Аарон говорит:
-Ему нужно купить маму.
-Маму?
-Нееет...Мамы не продаются.
-А где же берутся мамы?
-Папа дает маму.
-А кто дает нам папу?
-Бог!

***
We were reading a book about this tiny girl who was found in a flower (not sure of the English name) We get to the page where the elf boy and the girl are playing together-the happy end. Aaron goes:
-But in reality elfs do not exist!

Читали с Аароном сказку про Дюймовочку. На последней странице Дюймовочка нарисована с Принцем Эльфом. Аарон говорит:-Но на самом деле, эльфов не бывает!

Homestead Farm

Aaron and I joined a group of other moms and kids today at Homestead Farm for a hay ride, apple picking and animal petting. Everyone had a very good time. Of course, Aaron's favorite were the tractors and the hay ride but he enjoyed every moment at the farm. On the way home he ate a whole apple (no leftovers) and fell asleep at home in 10 minutes. More pictures in the new photoalbum.

[As we came we were greeted by the friendliest retrievers who live on the farm]

[And off we go!]

[The best farms have real tractors on site]

[Bye-bye! Munching on a delicious apple]

Books

We recently purchased these books for Aaron. They're very good and I would recommend them to anyone who has young children:

[Aaron might be a little young for this one-he hasn't seen it yet-but it describes everything about how our body is built and how it functions on a kid's level. Beautiful pictures. Very interesting]



[Awesome book about animals. Colorful, big pictures, has lots to offer for an exploring mind]



[Excellent source for a parent who didn't grow up in the US culture-that is me. It offers lots of rhymes, songs and folk tales that American parents should know. I find the songs on youtube and Aaron and I sing along. Besides, it talks about a preschooler's development and provides some guidence to the parents. I thought it was meant mainly for parents, but Aaron likes to sit down with me and look through the pictures that accompany the rhymes, songs and tales. The book is broken into several sections, including art, science, history...And though I am not the biggest art connaisseur, I enjoy going through it with Aaron. It's amazing how many details he can spot in a painting that I don't pay attention to. Also, it's a great way to develop a child's language skills offering him an opportunity to talk about a painting.]

I would caution parents, though, that DK First Reference books (like the first and second ones) support the evolution theory. You don't find it much in the books but every now and then there is a line about how humans came from monkeys:) We're not sharing that with Aaron right now, and when he gets older we'll use it as an opportunity to tell him that it's deception.

Our sweet little Aaron

Oh, where do I even begin to talk about him. He is the source of the greatest joy, happiness and encouragement and at the same I often feel discouraged and overwhelmed. I am definitely feeling a lot of "perks" that come with this age. And I can't help but be surprised how different his personalities can be from day to day, how 2 opposite natures can combine in one humanbeing. Some days he's the sweetest boy I've known: loving, caring, attentive, compassionate, independent (in a good way), and then there come the days when I just don't recognize him and wonder where all THIS came from. Sometimes I get discouraged not knowing how to find the way to his heart to change his behavior, rather, his attitude. But I keep pressing on because I know I'll reap later what I sow now. I understand that it's a critical period in his life and this behavior is typical for this age, but nevertheless, that doesn't make me feel better because something still has to be done to correct this behavior and attitude. His negative attitude is directly mainly towards me, not so much towards Cliff, and I haven't seen him acting out with other children at the playground (at least, not yet). I wonder if that's because I spend the most time with him enforcing rules, so for him it's like a battle for power and control.
I just pray and pray and pray for wisdom to raise him a Godly man.
New development in his eating habits: I stopped spoonfeeding him anything a couple of days ago. So far not as bad as I expected. And indeed, it worked for the benefit of everyone.
Last night was rough: our neighbors' car alarm went off twice(right under Aaron's window). I slept in and we all missed church. So, we decided to do home church with Aaron. We read the story about David and Goliath from Aaron's children's Bible that Uncle Carter and Aunt Becky gave him, discussed it, sang a song "Only a boy named David" and watched the Veggie Tales cartoon about David and Goliath. Aaron enjoyed our home service:)

Finish Line

I guess I am officially in my 3rd trimester now. Hopefully the finish won't be for another 3 months but I bet they'll fly even faster than the rest of my pregnancy.

I had my 28 week appointment today and was tested for gestational diabetes (routine testing). I don't know the results yet. The baby girl measures at 28 weeks as she should be, her heartbeat was 152 beats/minute. She's moving and kicking and I think she moved into the right position with her head down because I feel much stronger kicks under my ribs. We'll see where she is in 1 week...I am having another ultrasound. The reason for that is my frequent contractions in the past week, which neither I ( I had the same with Aaron) or the doctor seemed to be concerned about but he decided to be on the safe side and ordered another ultrasound to make sure I am not progressing yet. By the end of the day I sometimes have about 4 contractions/hour. They go away as I rest (which is only when Aaron is resting) and I don't feel them at night. It seems like my doctors order an ultrasound for anything:) Not a big deal except that taking care of Aaron in the middle of the week and in the middle of the day while I am at the doctor's is not always convenient for Cliff's work. But...it's better to be safe than sorry.

Last weekend we enjoyed a visit from Greg and Cathy. Aaron (and us) was so happy to have them here. On the weekend we went to an airplane show and had a good time there. The highlight for Aaron, though, was the military Hummers. He got to sit in one of them and I later regreted letting him do so, as he was very upset to have to get out of it after about 1 minute because there was a line of other kids waiting to try it out. I will probably post more about our little man and his new developments later. Will try to upload a video here in a second.

Pickles before bedtime

is a very bad idea.
We decided to grill hotdogs for dinner tonight. As Cliff was grilling outside Aaron was running around on the patio getting excited that we were going "to have a picnic". Everybody enjoyed their dinner outside and we shared about 5 pickle slices with Aaron which he loved. Ever since then he doesn't stop asking for water. So, now I wonder how many sheets and diapers I am going to change tonight and if I am going to get any sleep...

Update: It wasn't too bad. He had an accident at 5:30 am, almost right before he usually wakes up. He did have a hard time going down. Cliff was putting him down for almost 2 hours. After 1.5 hours of surfing internet in the hallway, taking a short nap on the floor, Cliff decided to come downstairs thinking that Aaron was already fast asleep in his bed. Not a chance:) As soon as Cliff came downstairs, Aaron ran up to his door and called out: "Papa!" I thought it was cute that he was calling out his papa, but Cliff kept asking me what the deal was:)

A new haircut

Yesterday afternoon I decided to give Aaron a haircut. No, I didn't get carried away. I knew it was going to look something like this:) I felt like I was getting worse and worse with my haircutting skills and I thought it was a good time to "reset" his length and try it again when it grows back the same length. I still can't get used to this new look. It feels like he grew up about a year with his haircut. Not like he needed a haircut to make him look older than what he actually is...I went shopping for some girly clothes this morning and found lots of good stuff which Aaron approved. Sometimes I wonder how much he understands about his sister. He bring up his little sister in conversations even when I do not talk about her. Does he really believe in what he's never seen? Like this morning, he came up to my belly and said "Hi" to her, then he said he was going to read his book to his baby sister. He calls her by name which means we are most likely to keep the name we already picked for her. At the same time I wonder how he will act when the baby is actually here. I watched him interact with Vitaliy: at times he'd be gentle with his baby cousin, bring him toys, give him a hug. Then other times he would want to sit on his cousin who happened to be crawling by, or push him away. I know, though, that ultimately he'll be the kind of a brother that Cliff and I teach him to be.
Not much new with our little Miss. She's growing fast. I gained about 14 lb since the beginning of my pregnancy. I am 26 weeks pregnant and am very thankful to God that He's allowed me to carry her this far.

Summer In Pittsburgh

Aaron and I spent a week visiting Seriy and Jules and the boys in Pittsburgh. We had such a great time and felt very welcome there. Thank you, Jules, for delicious homemade meals and for being such a wonderful hostess.
The past week was full of new discoveries about Aaron. I didn't see Aaron playing so well with another child. He loved wrestling and playing with Nikolai, and just doing things together. Also, Aaron's sharing skills were put to a real test and I must say they need some work:)
There are many pictures that I opened a new album for (Summer in Pittsburgh). Here are some of my favorites to summarize our time in PA.

24 weeks

Little Missy is now 24 weeks old in utero. I had another ultrasound yesterday to check her heart (the tech couldn't examine it at 20 weeks as she was all curled up). We praise God, everything looks good. Her little heart was beating at 138 beats/minute. I think she was resting during the exam but usually she's a very very active baby, especially at night:) I could see her opening her mouth, her little fingers were near her face. During the exam she was head and feet up in the air, like a gymnast. Once the sickness of the first trimester passed the time started flying fast. In 4 weeks will be my last appointment of the second trimester and after that I will be seeing my doctor every 2 weeks. I try to enjoy every day of this pregnancy but looking forward to holding her in my arms when the time comes.
As far as her name, we keep going back and forth. At the moment I think we have decided but that could change by the time she's here:)


Her big Bro is doing well though we've had some troubles with his sleep (should I had mentioned anything about what a great sleeper he was in my last post?:)) Some days he wakes up on the wrong side of the bed-everyting is wrong, he can't even pinpoint what exactly:) It's also something I am learning how to deal with correctly as I don't see this behavior in him very often. But then the next moment is all fine-happy and smiling. The weather has been hot but we're trying to hit our playground in the morning before the heat of the day, and spend a lot of time inside doing crafts. This weekend we'll be visiting Aaron's big cuz Nikolai who turns 3 today! Happy Birthday Nikolai! Aaron can't wait to give you your present:)

2 year-old wellness check up

I took Aaron to his pediatrician today for his scheduled wellness check-up.
So, at 2 y.o. he weighs 30 lb 6 oz (75th %), his height is37 1/2 inches (97th %) and his head circum. is 19 3/4 inches (75-90th %)
He got his Hep. A and Prevnar vaccines and was tested for lead (not detected) and hemoglobin (13.1). As always, he was such a little trooper. I admit, I had to bribe him. I promised him one gummy penguine after the Doctor looks at him, and then another one before the "mosquito bites" (shots). When the doctor left the room (Drs. leave the dirty job of administering vaccines to nurses:)) Aaron just couldn't wait for the "mosquito bites" as he remembered that he'd be rewarded with another gummy penguine:) He hardly cried for the shots but he was so pittiful when the nurse was taking blood. And I just felt terrible. He wasn't hysterical, he just kept saying that his finger hurt, and tears were running down his cheeks:(
Overall, he's doing great. He's a happy and healthy little toddler (I forgot to mention his hazelnut allergy to the Dr.) Thank you, Lord!
As the Doctor was asking me questions about Aaron's milestones, the little guy was climbing all over me, giving me hugs and kisses and reminding the doctor every now and then that this is HIS mama:)I thought it was precious (not sure how it looked to her:)) and this public affection won't last much longer...

Also, about a month or two ago Aaron started sleeping through the night (too bad I don't any more) and going to bed completely on his own. Cliff gives him a bath, we read him books, pray, give kisses and hugs, then he asks us to turn off the lights and leave the room:) The last part still seems surreal to me. We didn't have to go through nights of screaming and hysterics. It just happened on its own. The first time Aaron asked us to turn off the lights and leave the room Cliff had to clarify with me that that was exactly what he understood Aaron saying:) Because of that we took down the gate to his room as there was no need in it any more. In the morning, at 6 am sharp I hear a thud, then toddling...then the steps stop (Aaron is still used to stopping at the gate:)) then toddling again and finally he's in our bedroom climbing on my side of the bed. 30 more minutes of waking up and he's ready to go:)

Not a whole lot with his eating habits. He independently eats what he likes (pasta, buckwheat, rice, french fries, bitochki, kotlety, omlet, pancakes, tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, watermelon, grapes, ice cream) using a spoon when appropriate, and I feed him the rest (soups, morning cereals...)
He's reciting rhymes and making up his own (no kidding!) He still loves books...as long as they have trucks or things that go in them. So it became a bit more challenging to sit him down for an educational book. He pretends he can read and often guesses the word correctly. He loves to play hide-and-seek though he usually helps us find him on the first try:)
He has an amazing spirit of giving and sharing. It's not just letting other kids take his favorite toys. He actually picks up a toy he's playing with and hands it over to the kid who asked for it. I hope he keeps it up.
And yet, as a normal toddler, he has both good and bad days. We see some temper tantrums, and his negation of our every other statement seems to be at its peak right now. He's learning and we have fun teaching him.

Аарон играет в прятки/ Aaron playing hide-and-seek

Аарон и Клифф прячутся в шкафу. Я иду искать:
-Хм...где мой Аарончик? Может быть он под подушкой?
(Голос Аарона из шкафа): -Нет, он не под подушкой!
-А где же он?
Тот же голос:-Он в шкафу!
---------------------------------
Aaron and Cliff are hiding in the closet. I am looking for them:
-Hm..where is my Aaron? Maybe he's under the pillow?
(Aaron's voice from the closet):-No, he's not!
-Where is he...?
The same voice:-He's in the closet!

Firefighter's Busy Day

We decided to celebrate Aaron's birthday one more time, at home. Just because I felt like doing something special for him. So, in the morning we went to the waterpark in Gaithersburg. At first Aaron was apprehensive and would cling to me like a monkey, though he wouldn't want to leave the pool. In about 20 minutes he warmed up to it and wouldn't want even to hold my hand-he wanted to swim all by himself. The pool was adjusted for kids. It was shallow at first and then gradually became deeper. So Aaron would walk from the shallow to the deep part until his face appeared almost under the water. Then of course he did not want to leave.
While he was napping I made him a firetruck cake and we sang Happy Birthday Aaron one more time which made him very happy:)
This morning after church we took him to ToysRUs and let him pick presents from GiGi and GiGiPa. He picked an Emergency Playset, two sets of Lego Duplo blocks, a Construction set, a traffic mat and a golf set. Earlier this week I took him to a bookstore and let him pick a present from Great Grandmother. He picked Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things that Go book, and a Truck Sticker book which we already did together (60 stickers). The new book is now his favorite. We'd like to thank the family for their generous and thoughful gifts. They made Aaron's birthday (week).

Video from Aaron's 2nd Birthday Party

What a wonderful little boy he is! Thank you, Lord, for making us his parents.

2nd Trip to Mackinac (part 2)

Day 6

(Cliff and Aaron watch a Firefighter's cartoon while Aaron is having his pistachio snack)
Today we moved to Grand Hotel. Aaron did not take a nap the second time in a row and he let us (and everyone around) know about it at around 7:30 pm at the Dining Room of Grand Hotel. At 8 pm I took him out in hopes to calm him down and maybe bring him back to finish my dinner, but he fell asleep within 10 minutes in my arms.

Day 7

We took a carriage ride around the island. This was my second time and Aaron's first time to ride in a carriage. He was very well behaved the whole time and liked the horses. Interestingly, the carriage driver and the horses, Bird and June, were the same as from 3 years ago when I did it for the first time.

Day 8





Cliff took Aaron with the rest of the family on a bike ride around the island. I stayed at the hotel to relax. Just the thought of riding a bike around the island made me tired:) Then Aaron and I enjoyed a couple of hours at the pool. The pool was not shallow enough for him so I had to hold him every time he was in the water. He absolutely loved it! Then Cliff came to check on us and threw Aaron into the pool couple times. One time Aaron went way under water before I caught him. He fussed about it for a second and then he was fine, but declined any further offers from Cliff to do it again. Then we had a nice lunch at the pool side. I especially enjoyed it as Aaron was free to move around and run on the grass when he was done with his lunch and I could finish mine. Dinners at Grand Hotel were a bit more challenging. Aaron does a great job sitting in his chair through the whole 2 hour dinner, but it takes some effort to keep him entertained and busy, or else he'd be ready to go as he's not so much interested in food. So, every night we'd be equipped with good Truck/Car books, coloring books and match box cars. And the actual feeding part goes something like this: "Aaron, open your mouth, this is an excavator. It needs to park in the garage..." You might laugh but it always works when nothing else does:)
This was also the night we celebrated Mary's early birthday (July 12). Happy (now Belated) Birthday, Aunt Mary!

Day 9

The vacation is over and we're heading home. Not looking forward to traveling back. We left the island at around 9:30 am and didn't get home until after 10 pm. I was exhausted from traveling. Aaron took only 1 hour nap in the car and fell asleep on the way from the airport home.