Spring!

We do a lot of fun things together as a family. However, now that have a napper in the house again (and we've found that Aliyah really doesn't do well skipping her nap), we've had to split up more often for outings.

Yesterday we woke up to a beautiful Spring day so I decided to take the boys to a baseball game. We rode the train in and went to see the A's win their first game of the season. The weather was absolutely perfect and it was a great way to spend a day with Nick and Noah to kick off Spring Break!

Where do babies come from?

It's a question that as parents we know we will some day be asked by our children. The other day I was telling Pete of a high school friend who I had heard from who had just had a baby. Nick chimed in and asked "Where did her baby come from?" As I was thinking of how best to respond he continued, "Did it come from her belly or did she adopt it?" I love that he thinks that way and that we have a little while longer to answer that other question :)

Hand Me Downs

We have been so fortunate to receive so many wonderful hand me downs to get us started on Aliyah's wardrobe. Ok, to be honest, the hand me downs didn't start her wardrobe, they ARE her wardrobe! She has a closet and a dresser full of wonderful clothes and boxes full of sizes for her to grow into. So thank you to Delaney, Cassidy, Tristan, Morgan, Alexandra, Lucy and Mary for sharing your adorable clothes with us! (and to your moms too of course :)

Health

Overall Aliyah is really healthy but we still have had a few health issues to address since she came home. When we received our referral pictures we were told that she had a few small lesions on her chin. Well in the four months between the referral and when we traveled for our first court trip we found out that they are actually molluscums and they had spread, a lot. The picture above is from our first trip when she had several of these pox marks all over her face and legs. We talked to two different pediatricians about this and they both said the same thing, it's highly contagious and other than eviscerating them, there's not much you can do. Luckily they have slowly cleared up and she has not developed any new spots. She is down to three now and hopefully soon we will be rid of this pesky virus.

A recent picture of her almost molluscum free face :)

The only other major health problem has been that she has Giardia. This came up during the original lab panel that the doctor ordered when Aliyah first came home. The doctor prescribed medicine and didn't feel the need to retest since the medicine is highly effective. We recently had reason to believe that she might still have it so we retested and sure enough, she has a "resistant" strain. Giardia is a parasite that she likely got from the water. The interesting thing is that she doesn't show any of the typical symptoms of Giardia which I'm guessing is because she's had it a long time and is used to it? I'm hoping that this second round of treatment will take care of her Giardia. With this third round of testing we are at about 20 stool samples collected and it's absolutely as disgusting as it sounds. Of course the boys are fascinated by the whole process. Me, not so much!

Babysitting

And now an educational moment brought to you by the Houstons. That's how it sometimes feels as we get used to the quizzical looks and questions when we are out and about. So far we haven't had any negative comments, thank goodness. Mostly I get a lot of comments about cute Aliyah is. I'm getting more comfortable and don't even notice the looks as much any more and just feel like I am out with my daughter. A few people have asked me if she is adopted and when I reply that she is they usually have a question or a personal story of adoption. The most interesting questions though have come from children. I love the innocence of children as they try to make sense of our family. We often play on the playground at school after picking up Nick and I've had several children ask me if I am babysitting. I had one little girl ask me yesterday if I was babysitting and I replied that Aliyah is my daughter. The little girl then commented that we don't look much alike and that Aliyah's skin is much darker than mine. She then thought about it for a minute and said "she must have spent a lot of time in the sun." I was chuckling at her comment and her mom was nearby and was able to explain about adoption. I love those moments!

Day Off

Yesterday my friend Shannon and I drove up to the snow and went skiing for the day. We had a great time chatting on the drive, enjoying the serenity of the ski lift and we lucked out with great weather and ski conditions. It was very nice to get a little break especially with the hectic schedule we have in the coming weeks with spring soccer and baseball season starting for the boys.

Turning Two!

This weekend we celebrated Aliyah's second birthday with a trip to the snow! It was Aliyah's first time seeing the snow and she had a blast. She had no fear when it came to the tube carousel or even going tubing down the hills.

Nick concentrating on his snow art.



Every time we got to the bottom of the hill, Aliyah would say "Again Momma, Again!"

Nick on the moving carpet.

Noah skiing for the first time! He did great with the balance.


This ride was the best because it gave mom and dad a chance to relax for a few minutes.

Then when we got home we had cake and presents. All in all, a wonderful way to celebrate one very special little girl turning two!