Thanksgiving 2009

I can't seem to move very fast due to all the calories consumed, so I may as well get some photos posted for you. Another fun turkey day at the lake with the McMahons, Browns and Humphrey family. Adam and Delaney played all day and went on a nature hike with Timmy. Sheri made a great turkey too. Lots of football was watched. As far as I know, nobody fell asleep, but I didnt see what Dad was doing downstairs. Alexander loves sweet potatoes, apparently. He seemed to enjoy his first thanksgiving feast. Feasting is one of his favorite hobbies anyway, so this proved to be a good holiday for him.

After all the pie was eaten, Grandpa got out the old Christmas Tree and the kids sorted the branches just like I used to do when I was a little. Grandpa ended up putting the tree together by himself (I also remember this happening as a kid - I could never figure out why the tree made him so grumpy). Anyway, the kids put the ornaments on, and Alexander pulled them off. We got a nice little preview of what it will be like at our house with the tree up. Adam has asked about 50 times when we will get our Christmas stuff up, so we'll be doing that tomorrow. Just in time for me to get the halloween decorations put away (Ugh).

And no, I will not be at Walmart at midnite.

Happy Thanksgiving!

If we were actually Korean...

A tol table would look like this! Here are a few examples of the way they do things in Korea on baby's first birthday (no, that's not Alexander in the photo). Lots of fruit and rice cakes galore! Thought you'd like to see these.

A Korean Treat

Yesterday we celebrated Alexanders birthday with our family - grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. There were some aunts, uncles and cousins missing from out of town (you know who you are!) and we missed them!!

In Korea, the first birthday is a very special celebration. The child wears a traditional Korean hanbok - a beautiful silk garment that is worn on very special occasions such as weddings, etc. Alexander's foster mother presented us with this hanbok when we met her in Korea. She was very proud to give it to him, and made sure that we opened the box containing the hanbok in front of her. We will have his photo professionally taken in it and send her some photos of him.

The family participates in a ceremony called a Tol. The parents will lay out a few items in front of the child - each item indicates something about their future. The child is placed in front of the items and everyone watches to see what he chooses first. Traditional items would include a bow and arrow (child will be a warrior), needle and thread (symbolizing long life), paper and pencil (scholarly), etc. We placed a book (scholar), ball (athletic), microphone (musical), paintbrush (artistic), stethoscope (medical doctor) and money (wealth). As you can see by the photo below - Alex chose the paintbrush first. After this, he chose the money and then the book. So, I guess we get to look forward to him being an wealthy, artistic, scholar!

At the Korean Tol, there would normally be a big table full of food - mainly different kinds of fruit and many different kinds of rice cakes. We ordered a Korean rice cake from a local market and then supplemented with some rice puffs, chocolate, and of course, a Sesame Street cake! The rice cake was actually really tasty. The top of the cake says "Happy First Birthday" in Korean.

Now comes the first birthday, American style.... lots of gifts and lots of cake with gooey frosting. Alex enjoyed the cake and really dug in. Adam and Delaney enjoyed "helping" Alex unwrap his gifts and entertaining everyone. We had a couple very tired boys last night!

Chocolate Cupcakes for Everyone!

Tonight we had dinner with friends and Alexander had his first cupcake. He didnt really know what to do with it - but after he got the hang of it he loved it! A good time was had by all, and the birthday boy got to stay up late.

Happy Birthday Alexander!

Can't believe my littlest baby is one year old already! We celebrated this morning by going to the pediatrician for a checkup and vaccinations. Poor guy. He had four shots, including H1N1, which makes Mom very happy. All 27 pounds (94th percentile) and 31 inches (99th percentile) of him checked out great and he's happy and healthy. Things got a little dicey in the car on the way home when he ripped the bandaid off his finger and tried to eat it, but I acted fast! He will eat anything, including sand, grass, chalk, crayons, and now bandaids. I wonder whats next?

For those of you who haven't see Alex in awhile, here's a little about what he's been up to:

• He's walking EVERYWHERE and getting into EVERYTHING. He can go up stairs now, so we've added yet another baby gate - this time at the bottom of the steps.
• He is sleeping wonderfully - 12 hours at night, and 2.5 hour nap during the day. He doesn't wake up at night very often, but when he does, he usually puts himself back to sleep while we listen drowsily from the next room with our fingers crossed.
• He loves to be tickled, books, Elmo, and going through the utensil drawer and carrying the utensils all over the house.
• He love to eat and doesn't really seem to be partial to any particular food - he loves it all! He does seem to really like bananas and other fruit as well as spaghetti noodles. He hasn't really had any sweets yet - that will change tonight when he gets to eat a birthday cupcake!
• He smiles ALL THE TIME. He is so happy, which makes us happy. He loves his big brother and wants to be one of the big kids.
• He says "ba ba" for bottle, and we think he's saying "da da" for Dad, but he babbles and talks to much its hard to know what he's trying to say. One of these days he'll just suprise us and rattle off a complete sentence.
• He loves Buddy and he tries to grab Charlie's tail all the time. He is starting to learn to keep away from Buster, but its always a challenge to be sure he doesnt poke him. I thought I heard him try to say "Buddy" today, but who knows.

Happy Birthday Alex! Photos to come!