Gotcha Day

The 11th was "gotcha day" for Evan - the day he joined his "forever family". It does not feel like a year has elapsed since the "Giving and Receiving" ceremony but when I think of all the events that have transpired, it is definitely more than a year's worth of activity. I have a lot to be thankful for! Best wishes to all, this holiday season, from me and my best Christmas present from 2006 - Evan.

I do!, I do!, I do!

Does this count as Evan's first sentence? I've been hearing it a lot lately. Evan wants to do EVERYTHING on his own and is incessant with his determined tries. It's been a challenge to let him try and learn things while still actually getting anything done.

Generally, Evan is going through a bit of a demanding phase. He throws mini tantrums (noisy but tearless), sets his jaw in a determined way, and tries to test his boundaries. Tonight, he looked me right in the eye and thew his fork on the floor (he knows he should not). This earned him a very short (and effective) bit of time out.

Despite the above things, Evan is a terrific and easy-going kid.

Duh!

Evan has finally started to differentiate his prepositions... This has been a refreshing change since there was a long period where everything was "down". Now, when he wants up, he says so. Today, he was extending his arms upwards and grunting, so I told him to "use his words". In the exact tone of an annoyed impatient teenager stating the obvious, he said "up". So, while I've been bossed around by Evan for some time, now I'm getting it with attitude.

Thanksgiving

I'm backdating this post since, well, I've been remiss in keeping up. For Thanksgiving, we flew to Tampa to visit Opa (my father) and Oma (his wife). Oma and Opa are German for Grandpa and Grandma. Evan also got to see his aunt Katy, who was also there.

The flight over went as well as could be hoped. At nearly 2, Evan's days of being a lap-child are pretty much over. The red-eye flight was full and neither of us was able to get comfortable enough to sleep very well.

Evan adapted to his new surroundings very well, especially since the babyproofing that had been done pretty much ended with dusting off the high chair and setting up the pack-n-play. Despite the large number of delicate porcelain figurines in easy reach, Evan didn't break a thing. Evan has been a bit clingy lately (normal at this age), which made getting comfortable with the family a gradual process.

Evan was an absolute and utter wreck at Thanksgiving dinner, shrieking and wailing when I put him in his high chair. Eventually, he settled down with some quiet time in has crib in the back bedroom, but not before emitting the most mournful series of "Da Da's" yet. In return, Da Da got lukewarm but delicous turkey.

The ten days in Florida passed quickly. We took lots of walks around the neighborhood with the dog, and Evan happily pushed the stroller or walked rather than riding.
Evan helped decorate the Christmas tree with Oma and Opa.
Evan and also got to open some presents, while wearing his Santa suit bought in Hanoi. These presents will be rewrapped and reopened for Christmas in California Here is a picture with Oma, whom Evan met for the first time on this trip. Before posting this picture I showed it to Evan and he immediately pointed and said "Oma!" The trip home was much easier...I had a night flight and an entirely empty row. Evan slept soundly for 3 1/2 hours out of the 5 hour flight.

Rapper Evan - Before and After?

When I first saw this picture, it was pretty clear that Evan might have a future in rap music. Mouse over the picture to compare Evan's look with that of 50-cent... Anybody know where I can get bling that is safety tested for two-year-olds???

Halloween

Yes, Evan did it all for his first Halloween. We carved a pumpkin and learned that Evan did not much like touching pumpkin guts, though he was happy to scoop with a spoon.

I also took Evan Trick or Treating, which he loved. We probably hit about 20 houses and Evan had the routine down...knocking on doors, looking innocent and cute, and taking a minimum of 3 pieces of candy that I suggested "he" might like. Here's skunk-Evan before heading out, with a friend, Janine:

More Denver Pictures

I realized I had not posted in quite some time so here are some posts to catch up on a few things. First, here are a few more pictures from the Denver trip in Early September...

First, I visited a friend whose family I have known for years. They more or less adopted me and included me back when I was in college and was unable to travel to visit family during holidays. One brother's wife presented Evan with a beautiful quilt she had made. Evan was quite taken with it. He immediately unfolded it, spread it out on the floor and sat down:

On the last day of the trip, I took Evan to the mountains to visit the site where my mother's ashes were placed. It was a beautiful day and the aspen trees were nearly finished losing their leaves for the winter. Here's Evan in the kid backpack, with the site in the background.