YES WE WILL!!

What a refreshing change and historical moment. We are so proud to have our children born and raised during this man's presidency. As he said repeatedly, "Yes we will" and we have faith that he will.

1 MORE MAKES 2!!! YES, IT'S TRUE!

Well, you all told me that this would happen and of course, I didn't believe you thinking, "After all that we've been through trying to get pregnant, I won't be the one it happens to." Well, guess again? Here we are going on 11 weeks PREGNANT!!! Chris and I read the plain as day word "pregnant" on the trusty little pregnancy test on Sept. 21 with mouths gaping open. It took awhile for us to realize that "yes," it was true! I made my first appt. that was scheduled with a nurse a week later and it was confirmed! As of now, my due date is May 21. My first doctor appt. will be Nov. 5th. We've been waiting patiently (actually for me, rather impatiently) for this appt. because it will be the first time we'll be able to see our baby for the first time with an ultrasound. I have to tell you it's a bit nervewracking the 1st trimester of pregnancy because you of course, worry about everything and hear every horror story (why do people feel the need to share this information?!) Thank goodness for family and friends that know just what to say to ease my nerves. We are very thankful and excited at the same time and know Blake will be so happy to have a new baby brother or sister!
Now, onto Mr. Blake! He keeps us going, I must say. That kid has more energy than any kid I know! Form the minute he wakes up in the morning, until his head hits the crib, he is wound up. I'm not saying he's hyperactive, just very active! It's hard to believe he will be 2 on February 2. He is now, almost 21 months old and like they say, the words keep-a-coming! He now says, "Mama, dada, hi, bye-bye, mas, pez (fish), more, Gus, Remi, Lucky (all dog names), nana and sometimes mama (for Grandma), papa for (Grandpa), hee-haw (when he wants to hear the farm song about the donkey), my dada and my mama (which means he wants you to do whatever it is he wants you to do - for example if he's jumping and he wants Daddy to do it, he'll say, "My dada," zapato (a new one) gracias, thank you, "ees" for "si" (not sure why this is still a backwards word, but it is), no mas, no more, ya (ready in Spanish), and this list goes on and on. He's also able to say all the sounds for the following animals and people when he's asked in Spanish or English: dog, cat, sheep, rooster, cat, cow, horse, dad (snore sound), donkey, chick, frog and bunny (both say "hop, hop") and lion. His favorite things to do are: jump, climb up and down on anything he can climb onto, run away from Daddy (he thinks he's always trying to catch him :), eat fish crackers, get into anything he can get his hands into, read books, play outside and in the rotting garden (this is nice), run in the leaves at Grandma's house and go on walks! Blake is one happy little boy and still quite a flirt. Let me give you a visual of his flirtatiousness. We were at Cucina, Cucina for dinner last night with some friends of ours which is always quite an adventure with an almost 2 year old anyway. It was homecoming weekend for several local high-schools so we were able to see many beautifully clad teenagers enjoying dinner before their big dance. Blake decided he would target one particular table next to us with 5 lovely ladies and spent his evening saying, "hi" to them and just standing by their table staring at them and looking cute. The girls thought this was hilarious, so they played along with their new little boyfriend. We just sit there and laugh. He is definitely Mr. social :) Then, once he had flirted enough and touched enough sequin dresses for the evening, he decided he would ride his Cucina, Cucina like a horse under the chair(see pictures). We all just sat waiting for the big moment it would pop and after a few giddy ups, it did. He couldn't figure out what had happened and he kept looking around for it which was equally hilarious. Once the novelty of looking for the popped balloon wore off, he decided he'd join the waiters and waitresses in clapping to the Italian rendition of "Happy Birthday" which ironically was sung to the group of Blake's lovely ladies! There is never a dull moment, I swear! Anyway, I'll leave you with some new pictures of our growing baby who is not so much a baby anymore! We hope everyone is well and in good health and looking forward to the upcoming holidays - I know I am already! Take a look at the difference in our sweet boy from last October in Guatemala!

PLEASE TAKE A LOOK!

Dear Family and Friends,

Being a teacher, I have the wonderful opportunity to be at home all summer with Blake! Once he goes to bed at night, I have another opportunity to catch up on my friends' adoption blogs! After reading Terry's blog tonight, (I knew her for a short time at Casa Bella before they went home soon after we arrived), I wanted to post a link to her new on-line business that she and her husband have created in order to raise money for their second adoption! As you know, adoption fees are horrendous and so I take pride in posting this link in hopes that you will pass it on to your friends to help a friend help a child come home to a new family. Thank you for taking the time to look! http://gifts-of-hope.com/ P.S. These new pictures are of Blake last July and August shortly after we met him a year ago at 5 months. How the time flies. Just look at him now (this was today at the Woodland Park Zoo)!

SUMMER SUN!

We apologize for not updating our blog for so long, but we've been very busy running after a very energetic 17 month old!! Blake is doing so well and continues to grow and amaze us every day. He is now 22 pounds and I don't remember the exact height he is off hand, but he's getting tall. Our doctor said he is likely to be tall as an adult and believes one of his birth parents was on the taller side. I'm sure he'll outgrow his short mommy! Blake is enjoying the summer sun everyday and we now have a couple of different pools outside to keep him busy. His favorite thing is to spray the water from the hose all over the backyard like a fireman and then chase Lucky, our black lab with it. Lucky isn't too sure about this, but Blake thinks it is hilarious. He is definitely a dog lover and wakes up every morning wanting to go outside to chase them or throw them rocks! Yesterday, my sister, her kids and Blake and I all went to beautiful Snoqualmie Falls and hiked around. I kind of felt like I was doing Pacaya (volcano in Guatemala) again carrying Blake, but of course this was easier! I too am enjoying the summer off from work to spend more time with Blake. Every day we try to something new together like find a new park or other fun place to go. I am also staying busy changing classrooms from the first level of our school to the second which makes sense as I'm moving from Kindergarten to second grade! I am looking forward to this change and having some of my former students :) It has been a lot of work moving and then unpacking, but I'm sure will be worth the change this Fall. We have also been spending time on Pine Lake (where Grandma and Grandpa Williams live) and Blake has enjoyed floating around in his pink and yellow car (I know the colors aren't very boylike, but nevertheless, he loves it)! On our 6th anniversary, August 17th, Chris, Blake and I will be leaving for our annual trip to Canada to fish and enjoy some fresh ocean air. We are looking forward to boating, fishing and looking at bears and seals with Blake!! Hopefully the bears will stay their distance. Last time, one was practically in the backyard of our cabin!! Let's see...what else is new. Blake is still talking up a storm and certain times makes more sense than others. We know that language skills will likely be delayed a bit since I am speaking to him only in Spanish as he is processing two languages. Right now, however, he seems to be doing great! He is talking in both languages and understanding everything I say to him in Spanish. The other day I asked him in Spanish to go get his diaper bag and get out a diaper (just to see if he could) and he did exactly these two things! In English he says: bus, dada, bye-bye, hi, no, poop, Gus (granparent's dog), Remi (our dog), mama (for Grandma), duck, night-night and a few others. In Spanish he says, mas (more), mama (with the accent), casa, bebe (baby), pez (fish), and pato (duck). It is a joy to watch him learn every day - we love him so much - it's hard to even put it into words!! I go back to work on August 28 so we will spend a good 10 days in Canada together as a family. Until then, we will continue playing with dogs, going to the park and spending time with family. It has been so nice to hear of other families experiences upon returning home from Guatemala and to read their blogs. We feel so fortunate to have met so many wonderful people during our adoption experience and have enjoyed staying in contact with them watching each other's children grow up so happy. We hope you enjoy these new pictures of our growing baby! The last picture is a video so click play to see one crazy child!

BLAKE IS 15 MONTHS OLD AND WE ARE AS HAPPY AS CAN BE!

Words cannot express how happy Chris and I are having our sweet little boy home with us. He brightens our day and literally, is always smiling. We have been SO blessed to even have Blake here with us. He is our little angel and we love him SO much! So much has happened since returning home on February 6, so here is a little recap.

We were met at the airport by our immediate family as well as a few good teacher friends of mine. It was like a huge weight had been taken off our shoulders and it felt amazing to be home where we feel so comfortable all the time around our friends and family.

Theday after returning home, we celebrated Blake's 1st birthday, February 7th (pictures on our last entry) and then we left to go to Hawaii for Spring Break on April 14th! It has been a whirlwind with going back to work on March 24th (which is interesting in Kindergarten :), seeing all of our friends and family to introduce to Blake and the list go on and on. We are having a wonderful time and enjoying each minute we have. It is so true how fast the time goes. Every day Blake changes in some way. I have finally decided to go 100% Spanish with Blake and I have been speaking to him in only Spanish ever since February 15th or so. It took me that long to finally make the committment to him and myself to do this wholeheartedly. He is doing an amazing job with it and is understanding phrases such as, "Donde esta tu boca, tu pelota, tus zapatos, etc." He points to his mouth, goes and gets his ball and looks at his shoes! Yahoo! I have to remember though, from being a dual language teacher, that the language will come later - the understanding comes first. So far, so good!

Here are some things that Blake likes to do or has done since we've been home:

1. Say "hi" to everyone that walks by including our two labs every morning!

2. Waves to people when I say, "Dile adios or saludale/hola!"

3. Has had 3 haircuts since returning home (his hair grows like a weed).

4. Plays with his neices Hadley and Savannah and his nephew Cody - he loves them so much.

5. Has ridden in a limousine.

6. Watches baby bunnies in Grandma and Grandpa's yard.

7. Wiggles his fingers around when he's excited or nervous and when I say, "Dedos!"

8. Likes to touch female's legs (I'm a little worried about this one). At the gate in Hawaii, I got a little nervous.

9. If he's not saying "hi" to someone, he says "hot" - these are his two favorite words at the moment.

10. Play outside on our deck and carry the dog dishes around.

11. Chase and play with Remi and Lucky our two labs every day.

12. Play hide and seek and peek-a-boo with whomever will play it with him!

13. Point out school buses on our way to grandma's every morning.

14. Take walks in the jogger stroller.

15. Throw rocks in the drains on the streets to hear the water sound.

16. Throw all of his toys into the bathtub and then once he's in, throw all of them out!

17. Blow kisses to people.

18. Blow daddy's duck call.

19. Eat watermelon (still his favorite).

20. Make funny faces in his carseat as we drive around.

And the list goes on and on! Blake brings us so much joy every day. Although I'm working full time (to pay off our adoption debt), I feel good knowing that Blake is in warm hands with his grandma. She loves him so much and I have to keep remembering that the year is almost over, June 18, so we will be able to enjoy the whole summer with our precious little guy!!

Here are some random Blake pictures including some from our last Hawaii trip! We love you all!

BLAKE IS WALKING!!

We are home sweet home and there is nothing better. There is so much happening that I don't even know where to start. Forgive me if this post is all over the place because it's 10:30PM right now and I'm tired, but so eager to let you know about life back in Washington!! First of all, many people ask us how Blake has adjusted to being in a new country. The answer is, beautifully. He sleeps and eats well and is doing everything he needs to be doing at age 1 (we think)! He is happy, full of life and into everything as usual. And, the most exciting news is HE IS WALKING!!!!!! About 5 days after his first birthday on February 7th (the day after we got home), Chris and I were sitting on the couch watching TV and all of a sudden Blake just took off with this arms straight out in the air like a mummy. We knew he was close, but it was so funny how he just decided to go one day!! It has been quite humorous watching him walk. He now thinks he is way cool and opens every drawer, tries to take everything off of shelves within his reach and pull the dogs tails (so far so good with the two dogs). The babbling is now turning into more defined babbling so the random "ba, ba, ba" is now "dada" or "do" for dog. He tends to leave off the last consonant. Let's see. We celebrated his first birthday party the night after getting home (actually on his birthday) and we had dinner and cake with close family. Chris and I opened gifts not only for Blake, but ones missed from Christmas. My sister, Melaine printed out our whole entire blog in color and put it into plastic sheet covers and then into a large 3 ring binder (see the picture). It is one of the best gifts we've received as it will be so special to share with Blake when the time is appropriate. Oh, we took Blake to the snow on Snoqualmie Pass on Friday and that was a hoot. Chris' sister Heather and two of her three kids came to visit for a week to see Blake so we took the clan up to the pass to sled. As you can see by the pictures, Blake wasn't too sure about being in the cold sledding, but you have to admit he looked so darn cute dressed in camo two sizes too big for him!!!!!!!!!! Today, Chris, our friends from Malibu and I went down to Pike Place Market in Seattle. We had a blast and had to get pictures of Blake with the famous fish throwers (men in orange). Jody and Nik, our friends, loved Blake and we will spend one more day with them tomorrow before we bid them farewell. Last night, Chris' parents hosted Blake's welcome home party and it was so fun to share Blake with friends and family whom we hadn't seen in ages. We had Mexican (close to Guatemalan) food that was delicious and my sister-in-laws worked hard to decorate the house to look Guatemalan. We even put the Mayan guipiles around the chair backs! It was beautiful and we had fireworks on the dock after dark. Blake did great being passed around the crowd, but of course crashed immediately after returning home. Anyway, enough blabbing, let's post the new pictures!!! We love you all and are SO GLAD to be back in the beautiful Northwest!