No, I haven’t forgotten about the blog, we’ve been just busy growing up…
There were quite a few things that needed to be done last week including picking up my and Jason’s Bulgarian passports from the Bulgarian consulate, figuring out how to get one for Vanie, bringing Vanie to my work so all my colleges and coworkers can finally meet him, checking out a few daycares and what not…
Vanie absolutely liked daycare and getting to spend some time (during the tours) with the kids there. Now I actually feel some relief that if it doesn’t work out with my mother-in-law, we have a plan B (not a bad one, too). I can’t believe I am going to work soon … ok, at the end of the month but still … I can’t imagine not spending the entire day with our little boy who btw keeps changing and growing by the minute.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Vanie loves the playground
Here are a few pix from us in the park:
Loving the slide (and climbing up on it - Zina helping him go up)
Enjoying the swings:
Having a snack after all the workout:
Loving the slide (and climbing up on it - Zina helping him go up)
Enjoying the swings:
Having a snack after all the workout:
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Pix with the grandparents (Moscow - Dec 09)
My mom and dad with Vanie
Proud grandparents with bundled up Vanie outside
I can't find any pix with my sis so i will have to ask her to send some b4 i can post them.
The long awaited Moscow Updates (A month late)
Vlad-Moscow Updates (12/27-12/30) – LONG POST
So, here are some of the events you missed because we were both sick and then I was too busy chasing Vanie around the houseand just being a mom. I have to admit I don’t really get the chance to get much done while I am with him…
Flight to Moscow:
Vanie was great and didn’t cry for most of the flight except at the end. The problem was that he only slept for 30 min’s while waiting for take off on the plane and then for about 20 min’s on decent and landing. He pretty much stayed awake the entire 9 ½ hrs flight. I didn’t really get to eat anything and only got to use the restroom once about an hour before landing. Vanie had a seat but didn’t really use it and was in my lap for most of the flight. The seat was a lifesaver when it came to putting all his gear somewhere.
Some of the other flight highlights:
• Getting on the plane: We had to take a bus to the plane, not a big deal, except we had to wait in the freezing cold outside to get from the bus on the plane. From what I saw, Russians are not exactly used to letting people with children go first. After 2 minutes in the cold and Vanie screaming with freezing hands (although he was pretty bundled up), I had to use my Bulgarian manners to get in front of the line. No one really helped me with the luggage. They just looked at me trying to carry a baby and two bags up the stairs. I was pretty pissed off.
• The drunk Ukrainian: We had a crazy Ukrainian across the aisle from us who was already drunk when he got on the plane. Although he was nice to us and even entertained Vanie a bit (and told me a hundred times how proud he is of me – most probably the alcohol speaking), he ended up drinking even more and throwing up all over his seat… I am just glad he was on the other side of the aisle. Needless to say he slept for the most part of the flight after that.
• The other helpers: There were two Russian families flying from Vald. to Moscow and then to Sofia (going to Borovez for a ski vacation). We became friends quickly after they found out that I am from Sofia and that Vanie was just adopted. Vanie even played with their kids. Both moms helped me during the flight.
• Vanie’s entertainment: He spent most of the time in my lap playing with the remote control of the individual TV screens we had. The playing was more like banging the remote into the seat, or just drumming with anything he could find. I was really surprised no one complained.
Overall, everything was ok during the flight except that Vanie continued to cough and sneeze and was getting worse than the day before.
Moscow:
We were expected by Lena from the agency and had no problem getting to the hotel. Vanie fell asleep in the car. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, just a few steps from the Kremlin (which we didn’t even see while there).
The hotel and our room was really nice and we got a crib for Vanie. Only minutes after checking in my parents and sis arrived. I was so happy and excited to see them but also so exhausted, I couldn’t even cry although I really wanted to. I have to say that I wasn’t really who they were looking for. They saw Vanie and just grabbed him out of my hands. They didn’t let him sleep for quite a while. I think it was love at first sight for all of them. :-)
In the same spirit, here are the highlights of the stay in Moscow:
• Vanie: He behaved most of the time and loved spending time with his grandma, grandpa and antie. His cold and cough got worse. Lena even helped us get him to the US embassy doctor who told us Vanie just had a cold and is teething and just has to get through it. We all know that it turn out to be much more serious after that. Vanie had fever twice but we had OTC US and Bulgarian meds to bring it down. I had to promise my mom that we will go to the doctor as soon as we land (which we did). Vanie also became pretty comfortable walking in the room and also behaved in the stroller when he was with my parents.
• Getting the US visa: We had to go to the US embassy to pick up the immigration visa on a really cold and snowy day. Lena and my sis came with us but were not allowed in so I had to carry Vanie alone. Three were a few other families and kids there and Vanie was one of the youngest and most “active” ones there and didn’t stop moving around. He kept throwing pretty smiles and long lashes at the lady who was processing his file and before we knew it we got his passport with his immigration visa.
• The crazy loving grandparents: What can I say, I just love them and I am soooo glad they were there to meet their 1st grandson and to help me with him. They brought Vanie so much stuff that we had to return some of it with it due to lack of luggage space. I arrived in Moscow with one big and one small suitcase and ended up leaving with 4 big suitcases and my carry-on and most of the stuff was toys and cloths for Vanie. My family absolutely fell in love with Vanie and just wanted to take him with them to Sofia. There was one additional bed in my room and they were fighting every every who would sleep in our room (vs their hotel) or who would hold him. The constant thing I heard (from my dad the most): “ok, I think he had enough of nap now, let’s wake him up and play!” :-) I saw my parents turn into kids and they just seemed genuinely happy.
We didn’t really get to see anything outside of the hotel room or the embassy and a few stores (our of necessity) b/c Vanie was not feeling well at all but it was still the best trip ever as I got to see my parents and they got to meet their 1st grandson.
See the following post for pix with the grandparents.
The flight to LAX:
We ended up spending good 2 hours at the airport with my parents as we just couldn’t part. My dad was let inside with us to help us check in the luggage. Remember how we couldn’t figure out how heavy Vanie is b/c the Vlad doctor’s scale was broken? Well, problem solved. There was a luggage scale at the airport and we used it to weigh Vanie. He was about 8.6 kg (19.1 lbs) at that time. All went well except that the coughing continued and Vanie didn’t want anything but formula. It was a long flight, 14 ½ hours with boarding and taking off, and I am very proud that Vanie behaved very well pretty much the entire time. He slept for about 6 hours and fell only once from the chair when he kept turning around.
• Aeroflot: Did you know that this airline serves free alcohol only with the food and all other alcoholic drinks have to be bought? Even with that the flight was full of drunks.
• The plane: We had two out of three seats on the very last raw of the plane, right next to the restrooms and kitchen. Sadly enough, we were on a older Boeing and there was only one restroom with a changing table and it was at the very front of economy class so we had to walk through the entire plane every time we needed to do a diaper change.
• The helpers: There was one family, American husband and Russian wife with their 7 yr old daughter who were nice enough to help me during the flight.
• The accident: I was running out of toys for Vanie and ended up giving him a mustard pack (like the McD ketchup packs) to play with. Of course, he lost interest after 2 mins and just dropped it on the aisle floor and I didn’t pick it up just because. Guess what happened next! Yes, the flight attendant walked over it with the drinks cart, punctured it and sprayed the old lady on the other side of the aisle (who was already unhappy every time Vanie would cough or cry out). It was hilarious: she was so mad, mumbled something in Russian and started cleaning up her pants. It was pretty bad. Her entire leg, purse and table were covered in mustered spots. I felt bad and yet couldn’t stop snickering. C’mon, it was really funny!!!
• Landing in the US: We were sent to the immigration desk (as expected) and had to wait there for at least 30 minutes. For some reason, there was some kind of Pilipino immigration invasion and they were all lined up at the immigration desk, waiting to be processed. We were let in front of them b/c of Vanie but the officer was not familiar with the paperwork so it took some time to get everything processed. After we were done, we asked for someone to help us with the luggage and off were to go out and meet Jason who was waiting for his 2 most favorite creatures to finally come home. You know how the rest of the story goes….
So, here are some of the events you missed because we were both sick and then I was too busy chasing Vanie around the houseand just being a mom. I have to admit I don’t really get the chance to get much done while I am with him…
Flight to Moscow:
Vanie was great and didn’t cry for most of the flight except at the end. The problem was that he only slept for 30 min’s while waiting for take off on the plane and then for about 20 min’s on decent and landing. He pretty much stayed awake the entire 9 ½ hrs flight. I didn’t really get to eat anything and only got to use the restroom once about an hour before landing. Vanie had a seat but didn’t really use it and was in my lap for most of the flight. The seat was a lifesaver when it came to putting all his gear somewhere.
Some of the other flight highlights:
• Getting on the plane: We had to take a bus to the plane, not a big deal, except we had to wait in the freezing cold outside to get from the bus on the plane. From what I saw, Russians are not exactly used to letting people with children go first. After 2 minutes in the cold and Vanie screaming with freezing hands (although he was pretty bundled up), I had to use my Bulgarian manners to get in front of the line. No one really helped me with the luggage. They just looked at me trying to carry a baby and two bags up the stairs. I was pretty pissed off.
• The drunk Ukrainian: We had a crazy Ukrainian across the aisle from us who was already drunk when he got on the plane. Although he was nice to us and even entertained Vanie a bit (and told me a hundred times how proud he is of me – most probably the alcohol speaking), he ended up drinking even more and throwing up all over his seat… I am just glad he was on the other side of the aisle. Needless to say he slept for the most part of the flight after that.
• The other helpers: There were two Russian families flying from Vald. to Moscow and then to Sofia (going to Borovez for a ski vacation). We became friends quickly after they found out that I am from Sofia and that Vanie was just adopted. Vanie even played with their kids. Both moms helped me during the flight.
• Vanie’s entertainment: He spent most of the time in my lap playing with the remote control of the individual TV screens we had. The playing was more like banging the remote into the seat, or just drumming with anything he could find. I was really surprised no one complained.
Overall, everything was ok during the flight except that Vanie continued to cough and sneeze and was getting worse than the day before.
Moscow:
We were expected by Lena from the agency and had no problem getting to the hotel. Vanie fell asleep in the car. We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, just a few steps from the Kremlin (which we didn’t even see while there).
The hotel and our room was really nice and we got a crib for Vanie. Only minutes after checking in my parents and sis arrived. I was so happy and excited to see them but also so exhausted, I couldn’t even cry although I really wanted to. I have to say that I wasn’t really who they were looking for. They saw Vanie and just grabbed him out of my hands. They didn’t let him sleep for quite a while. I think it was love at first sight for all of them. :-)
In the same spirit, here are the highlights of the stay in Moscow:
• Vanie: He behaved most of the time and loved spending time with his grandma, grandpa and antie. His cold and cough got worse. Lena even helped us get him to the US embassy doctor who told us Vanie just had a cold and is teething and just has to get through it. We all know that it turn out to be much more serious after that. Vanie had fever twice but we had OTC US and Bulgarian meds to bring it down. I had to promise my mom that we will go to the doctor as soon as we land (which we did). Vanie also became pretty comfortable walking in the room and also behaved in the stroller when he was with my parents.
• Getting the US visa: We had to go to the US embassy to pick up the immigration visa on a really cold and snowy day. Lena and my sis came with us but were not allowed in so I had to carry Vanie alone. Three were a few other families and kids there and Vanie was one of the youngest and most “active” ones there and didn’t stop moving around. He kept throwing pretty smiles and long lashes at the lady who was processing his file and before we knew it we got his passport with his immigration visa.
• The crazy loving grandparents: What can I say, I just love them and I am soooo glad they were there to meet their 1st grandson and to help me with him. They brought Vanie so much stuff that we had to return some of it with it due to lack of luggage space. I arrived in Moscow with one big and one small suitcase and ended up leaving with 4 big suitcases and my carry-on and most of the stuff was toys and cloths for Vanie. My family absolutely fell in love with Vanie and just wanted to take him with them to Sofia. There was one additional bed in my room and they were fighting every every who would sleep in our room (vs their hotel) or who would hold him. The constant thing I heard (from my dad the most): “ok, I think he had enough of nap now, let’s wake him up and play!” :-) I saw my parents turn into kids and they just seemed genuinely happy.
We didn’t really get to see anything outside of the hotel room or the embassy and a few stores (our of necessity) b/c Vanie was not feeling well at all but it was still the best trip ever as I got to see my parents and they got to meet their 1st grandson.
See the following post for pix with the grandparents.
The flight to LAX:
We ended up spending good 2 hours at the airport with my parents as we just couldn’t part. My dad was let inside with us to help us check in the luggage. Remember how we couldn’t figure out how heavy Vanie is b/c the Vlad doctor’s scale was broken? Well, problem solved. There was a luggage scale at the airport and we used it to weigh Vanie. He was about 8.6 kg (19.1 lbs) at that time. All went well except that the coughing continued and Vanie didn’t want anything but formula. It was a long flight, 14 ½ hours with boarding and taking off, and I am very proud that Vanie behaved very well pretty much the entire time. He slept for about 6 hours and fell only once from the chair when he kept turning around.
• Aeroflot: Did you know that this airline serves free alcohol only with the food and all other alcoholic drinks have to be bought? Even with that the flight was full of drunks.
• The plane: We had two out of three seats on the very last raw of the plane, right next to the restrooms and kitchen. Sadly enough, we were on a older Boeing and there was only one restroom with a changing table and it was at the very front of economy class so we had to walk through the entire plane every time we needed to do a diaper change.
• The helpers: There was one family, American husband and Russian wife with their 7 yr old daughter who were nice enough to help me during the flight.
• The accident: I was running out of toys for Vanie and ended up giving him a mustard pack (like the McD ketchup packs) to play with. Of course, he lost interest after 2 mins and just dropped it on the aisle floor and I didn’t pick it up just because. Guess what happened next! Yes, the flight attendant walked over it with the drinks cart, punctured it and sprayed the old lady on the other side of the aisle (who was already unhappy every time Vanie would cough or cry out). It was hilarious: she was so mad, mumbled something in Russian and started cleaning up her pants. It was pretty bad. Her entire leg, purse and table were covered in mustered spots. I felt bad and yet couldn’t stop snickering. C’mon, it was really funny!!!
• Landing in the US: We were sent to the immigration desk (as expected) and had to wait there for at least 30 minutes. For some reason, there was some kind of Pilipino immigration invasion and they were all lined up at the immigration desk, waiting to be processed. We were let in front of them b/c of Vanie but the officer was not familiar with the paperwork so it took some time to get everything processed. After we were done, we asked for someone to help us with the luggage and off were to go out and meet Jason who was waiting for his 2 most favorite creatures to finally come home. You know how the rest of the story goes….
Random pix from last weekend (01/24/10)
The only pic of the 3 of us since we got home.
Even the new monkey made it into this picture.
He likes to touch the ground/surface after he falls, he does it every time... and then he sticks his fingers in his mouth (yuck)!!!
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Our new word
(old pic but i like the face he is making)
It’s official – Vanie’s new word (one of very few) is Zorro. Well, it sounds more like “Zoho” or even “Ooho” but he definitely means “Zorro”. Ok, the letters “z” and “r” are not exactly easy but the little guy is really trying, He even woke up with that word this morning. I have to admit that Zorro it pretty much his only buddy right now and the rainy days are not helping. We’ve been to Ikea like 10 times in the last week.
Here are a few other updates about Vanie:
• Doesn’t stop walking and carrying things around the house. Tried to “help” me fold the laundry the other day - it took me a while to find a few socks after that. :-)
• Can bend down to pick up a toy and get up without having to sit or fall down with the toy in his hand.
• Loves to talk to him in baby talk. He tries really hard to say things to us but doesn’t know how to do it yet. It’s tough being a 1 year old one…
• Can no drink out of a sippy cup and a straw cup – took a few days but now he likes it.
• Loves to eat bananas and Cheerios and small pcs of bread as long as he is allowed to put them in his mouth on his own.
• No more dog food or water incidents (yet). I think he’s lost interest for now – YAY.
• Started deliberately pressing certain buttons on his musical toys to get the music to pay so he can dance. I will have to make a video of him “dancing”.
Other:
• Still dislikes eating out of a spoon and throws a tantrum until he gets the bottle even if the food is quite a solid puree. I will give him a chance to feed himself with a spoon one of these days to see if that would work but have to figure out how to minimize the disaster he will create. I know he will get there like with everything else.
•The daily naps are getting shorter and shorter. He now only has two half hour naps making his total sleep around 12 hours – that just isn’t enough especially after all the daily running he does every day.
• No potty training yet (I know everyone at work is getting a kick out of this one). Yes – I have officially decided that he is not ready yet and needs some time to get used to all other new things he is learning. I know, I know, I am getting soft. What can I say, the little guy is getting to me and has made me just a little bit softer of a mom than I expected to be.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
Still sick (me)
Vanie seems to be doing ok but I am still coughing so I had to go to the doctor again this morning. They gave me a prescription cough syrup. Let’s hope it helps b/c no one here can sleep from my coughing.
Yesterday was a day of mishaps. Vanie got into all kinds of trouble.
Fist of all, only had one nap that was less than an hour.
THEN he kept opening all kinds of and kitchen cabinets (getting these locked today) and tried to pull stuff out but didn’t really mange to get anything out or brake anything.
THEN he kept playing with the stove’s door, opened it and fell (have to figure out how to secure that one).
AND THEN…I caught him playing with Zorro’s water AGAIN (after catching him numerous times trying to play with Zoro’s food). Vanie was all wet and the water was completely spilled but I really hope he didn’t drink any of it. After all, he was there for just a second.
I think Zorro is now worried about his food b/c he ate all of it once he saw Vanie near it for the 50th time. I am running out of ways to say the words “no”, “not allowed, “can’t” and can’t touch or do that”.
On the good side, we made some progress with the food: had blended chicken soup out of the bottle for lunch and liked it, had about ½ banana – little bites between all the walking trips in the house, and had pieces of pizza beagles. I had to keep Zorro and Vanie apart on the pizza beagles, had one of them on each side and was giving them bites. This used to be one of Zorro’s treats in the past so we will have to see if he can handle sharing with Vanie.
Zorro update: he is sick of eating Vanie’s dropped Cheerios and doesn’t like to pick them up any more. My walking vacuum is broken. :-(
Time to start dropping some meat!!!
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Random Pix
Vanie and Zorro socializing - Vanie doesn't even play with that car any more - natural walking is preferred
This is how Jason was preparing Zorro for Vanie's arrival :-)
Our curls – without those we are pretty much bald
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