I tend to gloss over people's blog posts when they brag about their kids stats. You know what I'm talking about: "Junior is getting to be SUCH a BIG BOY! Even though he's only 2 months old he is already sleeping through the night, rolling over, crawling, eating with a spoon and using sign language to tell us when he needs to go potty!"
I try not to do that with my posts. But, unfortunately, my kids are so cute and smart and great, that anytime I write about them it always sounds like bragging. What's a girl to do?
Actually, I kind of understand why people would want to post stuff like that. First of all, some relatives (namely grandparents and such) actually want to read about it. And secondly, your blog is kind of a family journal and it's important to write this stuff down so it'll be there for your kids to read when they're older.
So, that being said, I'm still not going to give you a list of stats. But if, at times, it sounds like I'm bragging, just gloss over it and recognize that it's for the children. The children!!
Caleb is 15 months old now. He started walking as soon as we got Noah. He literally took his first steps in our hotel rooms. He also started signing more then, too. His first real sign was "book". He was already signing "please", but not consistently enough for me to believe he actually knew what he was doing. He also signs "more", "all done", "milk" (though now he just says "Muk" when he wants milk), "eat", "thank you" and "nap". He just recently made up his own sign for "Hey, Mom, let's sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider"". I cannot resist that sign. I just can't. As far as speaking goes, he can say "mama" and "dada", but he doesn't really use them on us. His first real word, in my opinion, is "book".
Since he learned to walk he has explored pretty much everything in the house. He's pretty good about leaving stuff alone when we ask him to, but he's also pretty good about making us ask him to leave stuff alone. His current loves are Grandma, Dad, books, music and dancing, and pretty much anything made out of cloth: blankets, stuffed animals, shirts, socks, etc. He is old enough now for Zack to throw him around and it is awesome to watch them play together. He seriously gets more fun every single day.
15 months old!
Noah is almost 7 weeks old. He still loves to sleep and eat. When he's awake he pretty much just stares at us. I think I caught a smile yesterday, but I'm not sure. We bought a swing that swings from side to side which he really doesn't like. I pulled out our old swing that basically just swings (you know, the old-school kind) and he likes that. Go figure. I think I'll sell the new one on ksl or something. It just takes up space. Noah's real claim to fame right now is the fact that, starting this week, he's been sleeping for 6 to 7 hours a night before he wakes up and needs to be fed. This, combined with the fact that Caleb is now over his cold and is now sleeping through the night again, has caused my sanity to come back.
6 1/2 weeks old!
This week I started baby-sitting a friends baby 3 days a week. He's 3 months old. That's right. 3 kids under 1. I call my house "Baby City". It's been a challenge figuring out everyone's eating and napping schedules and trying to keep everyone happy all day. But, on the plus side, I don't have any problem getting to sleep at night and I'm never bored. It's hard to go anywhere with three babies, but I did manage to get a walk in. I carried Noah in the SleepyWrap and pushed the other two in the stroller. I might have looked like a crazy person, but at least I was a crazy person who wasn't cooped up in her house all day. The only down side is that I couldn't take the dogs. One woman, 3 kids and 2 dogs? Even III start to question my sanity at that point.
So, that's what I've been up to. These kids may be a lot of work, but I love it. Waiting 7 years for something really changes your perspective when things get challenging. When I start to get frustrated because there's a crying baby, or a toddler is trying to pull the blinds down, or there's clutter everywhere, I step back and think how lucky we are to have these kids. And when the clutter consists of baby books on the floor, tiny shoes, a couple boxes of diapers, burp cloths, and a bunch of bottles in the sink, I remember when the house was super clean and there were no baby items anywhere. And then I don't mind the clutter so much.
And I'm so grateful for these two boys.
Even when one is grumpy.... and the other won't look at the camera.
Zack's grandpa has a big garden next to the house.
It was about 10:30 at night when we got there, and Caleb had been sleeping in the car, so he wasn't so sure about things right away.
In Zack's grandparent's kitchen, high up on the wall, there is a mirror set into a piece of wood. The mirror is kind of set far back in the wood so you can't tell it's a mirror unless you get up really close to it. From a distance it looks like an opening to a cave or something. For as long as Zack can remember his grandpa would ask him or his brother (or any of the grandkids) if they wanted to see the monkey who lived up there. Then he would lift them up until they could see their own face in the mirror. Caleb, of course, had to be part of that tradition. He looks a little surprised.
And here's one of the many times we played cards. Ah, vacation at it's best. 
I know it may sound funny, but I'm always nervous when other family members meet or interact with Caleb. Some part of me wonders if they're really going to accept him as family or if they're going to treat him differently because he's black or adopted or both. Well, I never should have doubted these people. They treat him like one of their own. They understand that family isn't all about blood and genetics. It's just about love.
