Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Ottoman or Chair?

So this is how I found Logan when I went to get him from his nap today and yes he is sleeping on the glider ottoman. His body fit perfect and from the knee down he was over the side.

And this is how I found him tonight when I went to check on him a few minutes ago. Of course I put him back in his bed : )


Logan has been in his Toddler bed since the beginning of November and has pretty much stayed in it until this past week. He has decided the past 4 days to sleep on the floor at nap and bed time, He always starts out in his bed but then has ended up on the floor. Well today this was the scene, I think it all goes with he feels comfortable/safe now in his surroundings and feels like he can step out of the box a little. I always tell him to stay in his bed and I have talked to him about this. I am not sure how I feel about it yet, is it just a faze or should I try to nix it now? I really think in a few day's it will end so for I now I think I will just let it go and see what happens in the next few days.

Monday, February 25, 2008

Attachment Parenting

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2008802200304

Here is a link to an article from the paper that my Step-Dad pointed out to me last week on "Attachment parenting" It is everywhere, this article is more about Bio-kids than adopted but it just goes to show you if you are thinking about it and people tell you "I didn't raise my kids that way" and you start having doubts do what you want. I have said it before and I will say it again who cares what ANYONE thinks, do what YOU feel is best for YOUR child. I feel that it is very important for adopted kids just coming home to have only the parents do any care taking or showing affection for the first couple months until you get to know your child and they get to know you, after all we are complete strangers to them and vice versa. Here is a quote from the article "It sounds like a throwback to good, instinctual parenting," says Larry Ro-Trock, a psychologist and family therapist in Kansas City. "Kids and parents need to be connected before they separate. A lot of adults who have problems didn't have a sufficient parental bond."

Logan has been home for 17 months and I truly believe that his attachment has just recently went from an anxious attachment to a more secure attachment. I believe that all along he was attaching, but for him it was steps forward and then steps back but all part of the process. I have read many times that it take an infant 10-12 months to form a SECURE attachment to their mother from birth. I have read many times that a secure attachment usually takes as long as the child has spent in an institution. So for Logan it has been a little less, he came home when he was 18 1/2 months old.


On another note, one thing that Logan has been doing is playing on the computer, he loves to type on it. My Mom got him the Fisher Price Easy-link for Christmas and he loves it and so do I. I don't have to be over his shoulder making sure he is not where he shouldn't be, like one time he was on the lap-top and I looked up and he was trying to install a printer, UH-OH. Thank you easy link he can not do that when hooked up to you : ) So about 3 weeks ago I hear him spelling his name and then he says "look Mama" so I look up and he typed his name, OMG he is not even 3 yet, he amazes me everyday!

I took Logan for a hair cut the other day and if you noticed in the last pictures I posted was the awful BUZZ cut, it is Winter for Gods sakes. Last time she did a great job this time she used the clippers, I thought that is what Jeff told me she did, he took him last time and before I knew it was to late to stop her. She did put the longest blade but still it's way to short and we were supposed to go for his B-day pics so I rescheduled them and it's a good thing because of the wall accident the other day. His hair is so short I hope it grows a little before next Thursday.

Here are a couple of pics of Logan in his Frog towel that I got him for Valentines Day, he was funny he told me yesterday to put them on the computer so we could look at them online. He is way to cute : )

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

My Siberian Prince Snow Baby!



Logan LOVES the snow, he really cannot get enough of it. I on the other hand am done with it. We have had sooooo much snow this year and I just do not like it. As I am getting older I hate to drive in it, I get very nervous, not because of myself but because I look around and see 100 year olds and 16 year olds and I just want to get off the roads, LOL!



Logan is doing so well these day's, I know I said this a few post back but he has changed so much since Christmas. His behavior, his speech, his ability to process things. The way he hugs, holds hands, plays and his all around affection has changed so much. It is such a nice feeling to have your child come to you for a hug and kiss instead of always asking for it. I swear a light bulb went on in his head and I think he just knows now no one is going any where and there are no more revolving mommies, just one, me : ) I am so happy for him that he has made this revolution he all around just seems so much more happy and content, his eye contact is wonderful. He has always woke up really fast as I entered his room and jumped out of bed, not any more he lays there rolls around a bit wants to snuggle, he is just so much more comfortable, I LOVE IT FOR HIM. One BIG thing that he has done was to fall back to sleep in my lap, that has NEVER happened. When we were still in Russia he fell a sleep on me a few times but not since coming home, he has dozed off at bed time while singing songs but woke up as soon as I put him in bed. The other day I got him from his nap and he fell back to sleep in my lap for about 30 minutes, it was great :)


Logan is not very steady on his feet when he doesn't take his nap I noticed around 5/6 he starts to get a little wobbly. Well this is what happened yesterday he ran into the kitchen slipped on the tile and crashed his head right into the corner of the wall, OUCH!


I went to the Bon Jovi/Chris Daughtry concert the other night with my aunt, my cousin and one of her friends, we had a great time. I was a little bummed that Daughtry only played like 4 songs and we missed them all, he went on at 7;45 and was over by 8:10, what the heck that is really why we all wanted to go but Bon Jovi ROCKED as usual and put on a great show. The last time I seen him I was 18, OH MY GOSH what a reality check half my life ago :( That was the first time someone other than Jeff or I have put Logan down for bed so I was a little worried but he did great and has been fine, YAHOO!

Friday, February 15, 2008

Nap Time and A Day Trip

So when Logan and I went to Florida he didn't get to nap at his normal time a few days because of our travels, usually I put him down at 1 and I wake him at 3:00. I have only let him sleep past 3:00 a few times (unless he was sick) and after 2 hrs 45 minutes I woke him fearful that he would not sleep at night. I always questioned if I should be waking him but it always worked for us and it didn't bother him. I have since read a few different articles that say they only should be napping 1 1/2 - 2hrs, that they do not need more than that. I have also read that it only takes missing a scheduled nap 1 or 2 times and that many children will just not nap any more. OK, any ways he even didn't take a nap one day down there, he played happily by himself in the room for 1 1/2 but never slept and only slept 30 minutes the next day.

Well since we came home he has happily went up to his room and most days has napped but at least once a week he is not sleeping. Instead relaxing and playing. I am leaving him up there for at least 1hr 15 min to 1 1/2. Logan is being well behaved right up until bed time and then he is getting a little cranky. I think the new plan is to not let him sleep longer than 1 1/2 hours because when he is napping for 2 hours he is starting to stay up late playing in his room. He does not have any toys just a few stuffed animals and books in his room but he finds ways to entertain himself. I always knew the day would come that his naps stop but I think at least until he is 4 we will have down time. I hope he still sleeps most days because I know he feels better when he naps.

Not only is Logan napping less he has been waking up about an hour earlier than he usually does. It's killing me, I have never been a morning person, I am a night owl and always have been. Logan has always gotten up around 8-8:30 so I get up around 8 and get going a little before he gets up. Well with him waking around 7 its killing me, I know poor me right.

Jeff and I took Logan to Frankenmuth Saturday. It was a nice day trip, we spent about 3 1/2 hours up there. Logan had a great time, we went to the Bavarian Inn and played some games and Logan finally got to play Putt-Putt, the poor kid has been asking for months now. I can't believe the pool wasn't an issue, he LOVES the water, he did ask a few times but we just said not now and he was good with that. He was such a good boy, another day without his nap and he did great. He did get a little crabby as we were getting ready to check out but no bug deal. I thought he would snooze in the car for a few but nope. We went to Bronner's, a kid surrounded by Christmas, of course he loved it.




Thursday, February 14, 2008

Happy Valentines Day!



We hope you all have a nice Valentines Day.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Play Date Wounds, Elmo and Some Funnies




My friend Debra and I took our boy's to see Sesame Street Live today, neither of our boy's have had the theater show experience before so we weren't really sure how they would react. I don't think Debra or I could take our eye's off our kids for the first 10 minutes, they were both in AWE! I loved watching Logan's expressions. He was so excited about going this morning that's all he kept saying once we got dressed. He did not want to wait for them to get here he just wanted to leave and we left at 9:30 this morning.

We were supposed to go last weekend but Alec got the Flu, I really wasn't feeling all that great and Logan had a runny nose. I called and asked the theater if there was anything we could do and they said as long as we got there before OUR show started we could exchange our ticket's, how cool is that. Debra was really happy about that so her and I took a drive down last Saturday and exchanged our tickets for today : )

The funniest thing just happened tonight, LOL!!!!!!!! Logan is in bed and I can hear him talking to his stuffed animals, basically just winding down from the day. He starts calling me and usually I give it a minute but I could tell in his tone that he needed me so up I went. He tells me he has to go potty so in we go and I notice he as socks on his feet. I know that he should not because I took them off as I was tucking him in, he does not like socks on his feet at bed time. Then I notice he doesn't only have one pair on, I start to peel the socks off and there are 3 socks on one foot and 2 on the other. I just started laughing, it was so funny. Then of course I told him not to play with his clothes, blah, blah, blah it's night night time. 10 minutes later he was out, I am not sure if he even moved after I tucked him back in.

Logan and I were at the craft store picking up some supplies and he had asked about 3 times to go and I kept telling him in a minute. The next time he says to me "Mom we need to go before I get grumpy" I almost died and so did the lady next to us. Where on earth did that come from and how funny is that.

Logan got his first wound from playing with another kid the other day. He got socked in the eye with a Weeble Wobble and man those things are hard and heavy. I am not sure why because they have played together well for a long time. I felt so bad for Logan, he has never gotten hit before (I spanked his butt a few times a while back but it really didn't work for either of us). He is not an aggressive kid at all so to see him come running and then notice a swollen eye and redness I was upset. He had just walked back in the room and turned around and ran out screaming. I have tried to take several pics but it is just not showing up. He has a little black/blue under his eye and a little bruise right on the bone. His friend felt really bad once she realized that she had hurt him she even cried so that was good I think she really realized what she did. I don't think she meant to hurt him but she meant to hit him (make sense?). I guess we can't protect them all the time but that was a first to watch my baby get hit like that I didn't like it at all :(

I've had this dang cough forever it seems, the past 2 days it has only been first thing in the morning after I wake up from laying there all night. I feel 99% better, my throat is a little scratchy, I know that is because of the cough but I can deal with that. Logan only got a runny nose, it was for about 5 days but he never got anything else along with it so that is good.

In the TMJ news my jaw is still locked up, although I can force it open with only a slight pop now. It has been opening on it's own in the mornings for several days now but as soon as I start talking to Logan and then have breakfast it locks up again, EERRRRRR!