Cousins and 22 month update

This picture was taken on December 24th. Mormor and Morfar with all the grandkids (from left to right: Klara, Lara, Eva, Emilia, Lukas, Elsa, Samuel, Alex and Annika).

We've had a great Christmas in Washington! Alex is getting really use to having lots of people around so going back to MN tomorrow might be a shock. Some fun things we've done have been to throw rocks into the Puyallup River, go to the Sumner Tractor store, go to the Washington State History Museum, went swimming at the Y with all the cousins, and went on a carousel. Vacations sure are a lot different when there are kids involved! Alex hasn't had any problems sleeping so we feel really rested too (thankfully!).

Alex turned 22 months this past Friday. His newest thing is that he starts thinking about something and won't stop talking about that thing or person for a very long time. It's really funny listening to him while he is going to sleep (we are sharing a room in WA) and hearing him talk on and on about whatever is on his mind. We are able to pick up enough words to put together some of his thoughts. This is probably even more pronounced since he is experiencing new things everyday and processing them at night.

Best wishes for a Happy New Year!
Anna

"Melkame Genna" (Merry Christmas)

Last night was the Ethiopian Kids Club Christmas Party. It was a lot of fun! As always, it was great to see the kids who were in the care center the same time as Alex and other families who we've gotten to know the past two years.

I didn't post Alex's 21 month update, so I'll do that here. Alex has become very verbal and loves naming the things he sees. He keeps us surprised with what he is able to verbalize. He is also talking about himself a lot in the first person for example, "Adit eat", "Adit sleep", "Adit play." It is also fun when he says someone's name out of the blue and I realize that he has just been thinking about his friend or relative. This past month I have had to be even more creative figuring out ways and places he can burn his energy. He loves climbing and jumping and I am trying to balance allowing him to do those things with keeping his limbs from breaking.

Update on Baby Girl!
We have our 1st meeting with our Social Worker this Wednesday at Children's Home Society and then our 2nd meeting with our Social Worker the following Wednesday at our home. We should be approved by the end of December and then we will be able to put our dossier together in January and get on the wait list.

Hope you are all enjoying this holiday season!
Anna