Cole Turns 15 Months Old Today

Our little guy is growing quickly, and I've been busy reading up on what he should be able to do at his age:)

He should be able to walk well, bend over and pick up an object, and use at least 1 word. He will probably be able to use 2 words, drink from a cup, scribble, and point to a desired object.

Also he may possibly be able to point to 1 body part when asked, use a spoon/fork (but not exclusively), and build a tower of 2 cubes.

Emotional Development: At fifteen months, toddlers can be expected to communicate pleasure, warmth, interest in new experiences; to play games with parents; to protest; to begin to accept limits.

A Girl And A Boy

I wonder how long we'll have to wait, before we'll have them both? Or should I be more concerned with how long it'll be before we have just one:) Hopefully not too much longer now. The last word from our agency was 3-4 months, so that would put us in August or September. I guess we'll have to wait and see if we'll be in Uzbekistan for Marc's birthday, or mine!

*On a side note, I just noticed that both of our adoptions were started exactly 1 year to the day apart!! We started Sofia's adoption on 4/19/06, and Cole's on 4/19/07. How bizarre. Besides being a popular day to start an adoption, it also just so happens to be Marc's brothers birthday.

Miss M & I Finally Meet!

After months of corresponding, me & my favorite pen pal get to meet in person. We had a wonderful visit, like I would expect anything less from her! And she brought the most adorable baby blanket for Cole. Oh, and her Wish for Sofia. What a sweetie-pie. Thanks M!!

I look forward to a long friendship filled with memories of our children playing together. BTW, Miss M gets all the credit for introducing us to our son, the best gift of all:)

This is Cole's 1st & most special baby blanket

Off to Uzbekistan!

I just found out that our dossier will finally be sent off to Uzbekistan today. It ended up going out about a week later than we had planned on, but at least it's on it's way. This brings us one huge step closer to our darling son Cole.

Cole's crib, coming soon!

A huge Thank You goes out to our parents who all pitched in & purchased this fabulous convertible crib for Cole:) We can't wait for it to arrive! It converts from a crib into a toddler bed, and then into a full size bed. Gotta love that cool Surf Blue color!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day! I received my 1st Mother's Day gift this morning. Marc's mom gave me 3 wonderful, and very useful books. We then headed out to Bonnie Ruth's for a fabulous brunch. What a nice Mother's Day, and the biggest surprise of all.....Grandma Linda bought a new construction house today!! That's right she is now the proud owner of her very own Texas home (3BD/2BA). She will of course be renting it out for now, as she's still living & working in CA, but she'll have it here waiting for her when she comes out to visit her grandson:) Oh, and might I add that she got the deal of a lifetime! Y'all might want to reconsider moving to Texas, seriously.

Grapevine, TX

We spent an absolutely beautiful day in Grapevine with Marc's mom, had a wonderful lunch, and Cole got his 1st little outfit from his grammalin:) He's gonna love the dinos! The shop owner made us promise that we would bring Cole in for a visit....can't wait to!

Some History on Uzbekistan

Ancient cities of Uzbekistan were located on the ancient Silk Road, the trading route between China and the West. The route took its name from silk, the commodity most in demand in Europe from China during the Roman period. Some of the most influential and savage conquerors came and ruled these lands. Alexander the Great set up at least 8 cities in Central Asia between 334 - 323 BC before the caravans began traveling through the Silk Road after around 138 BC China opened its border to trade. Between 484 - 1150 Huns, Turks and Arabs came from the west and the latest brought with them a new religion of Islam. Many mosques and Madrassahs were built in Uzbekistan cities of Samarkand, Bukhara and Khiva during this period, including remaining structures of the Samanids. Most of the cities were destroyed during the invasion of the Genghis Khan in 1220. Later Timur, known also as Tamerlane, resurrected once famous cities by using the labor of slaves and artists captured during successful crusades. Timur conquered Persia, captured Baghdad, and lead expeditions to Anatolia and India. Most of the architecture that is found in Samarkand was build by Timur and his grandson Ulugbek.

Back from Austin

Howdy y'all! After spending 45 minutes waiting for our criminal history background checks in the police dept. on Thursday, we jumped in the car & headed to Austin. We were making great time, and then wouldn't you know it, red flashing lights, oops, can you say 87 in a 70! That'll be $200 please. Guess we'll have to put the ticket in Cole's life book!! It's been a crazy chase, but I'm happy to report that our updated paperwork is finally complete! And now we wait...

We have Cole's birth date

His birthday is February 28th. That's 2 days after his Grandpa Del, and 5 days after his Uncle Jeff:)

Year of the Dog

The Dog is the sign of fidelity. Loyal, honest and generous. You have a strong sense of duty. Others can rely on you completely without any fear of betrayal. Idealistic, fair and just, you are blessed with true moral integrity. Having a good sense of intuition, you work well with others. You are nostalgic about the past and don't adjust well to change. You are honest and faithful to those you love-but you tend to worry. Loyalty and trust are the key characteristics of this sign.

Celebrities born in the Year of the Dog

Female celebrities: Jennifer Lopez, Mariah Carey, Madonna, Uma Thurman, Cher, Sharon Stone, Claudia Schiffer, Mother Theresa.

Male celebrities: David Bowie, Gary Oldman, Andre Agassi, Ethan Hawke, Matt Damon, Elvis Presley, Norman Mailer

New Photos

We can't wait to see this smile in person!