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.