Happy New Year!!!!!!!!

I wanted to wish everyone a happy and healthy new year....I hope everyone has a great 2008!!

Well - I originally was going to end the blog today, but I may post here and there, just not as regularly as I have been...but people have been so interested, I hate to stop all together...

So - as 2007 comes to an end...thank you again to all our family and friends who supported us and helped us and cheered us on during this crazy year - from putting together our dossier, to waiting, to going to Kazakhstan for a month, to finally bringing Drew home....it's been a heck of a year!! :)

Drew continues to do great and every day does something that amazes us...his walking is outstanding - he's toddling around everywhere - not holding on and just doing great. He's babbling tons and making lots of different sounds now so I know the words are going to come in the next days or weeks - they are almost right there. He's eating everything we give him and loving it all - he's definitely not a picky eater like his mother!

Sleep is stil an issue, though we finally decided to say "screw it" and we are letting him cry a bit before going in to get him - it's working I think...last night he woke up around midnight, cried for a few minutes and fell back to sleep...I know the adoption books say not to do that, but hey, we all need to sleep better!!!

Drew is also being a typical 18-month old with always wanting his way and falling down on the floor, crying if he doesn't get it...so we are working through that as well...

All in all - Drew is doing great, adjusting well and enjoying life - he loves his dog Peyton, bathtime, throwing his toys around his room, holding the tube of bacetracin for me while I change his diapers, being carried down the stairs, playing with all of his toys - especially his blocks, all of his cell phones, his puzzles and all of his musical stuff, he loves being tickled by his mommy and daddy...really - he's a pretty happy kid - we are very lucky he is ours!!!

So - that's where we are at the end of 2007..can't wait to see what 2008 brings!!!

Lab work...

Today we went to Children's Hospital to do all of Drew's lab work. They have to check to make sure he's had all the vaccines Kazakhstan says he's had and check for a few other things too - in all they took 7-8 vials of blood - he was not happy...I felt so awful, and even worse cause I couldn't look as I get sick from the sight of blood.

As with all medical stuff, they had to fill out some forms on him, one of which asked a lot of questions about when he was born. Mind you, I told these people from the begining that he had to get all the blood work because he had only recently come home from Kazakhstan. Still, these people asked me the name of the hospital he was born in and what time he was born!!!! I actually laughed at that one and said, "I don't know, does it really matter? I can make up a time if you want." So stupid!!! Even if I did know the time of his birth, why does it matter to test if he's had certain vaccines??????? I was born at 12:13 p.m. - I don't really think that has ever affected any blood work I've had! Yes, that question really bugged me! :)

But the good news is we got our new insurance cards today with Drew's name included - so he's official! Now we need to get him a Social Security number and a tax number and a bunch of other stuff I told myself I would not think about until Jan. 2.

So, other than the blood stuff Drew had a good day - though he's starting to get rough with the dog so we need to put an end to that...I also caught him trying to eat cheerios like Peyton does, wth his mouth off the couch, which was really funny actually, but not something to encourage!

Visitors!!

Drew had visitors today - Carolyn, Dave and Nicholas Bailey! Carolyn is my oldest friend -we go back to middle school...

So, they came to visit and we had a really good time - they actually have Peyton's brother Eli (who used to be our dog for a few months, and now he's their dog) - so it was a "Manning puppy" reunion!! The dogs had a great time, and the people had a great time too. Nicholas even gave Drew a special gift that he picked out on his own of cookies with a cookie monster on the box because he knows that Drew loves cookies!!!

Pictures are posted on the side of the blog....

Nothing much else new here...Drew is pretty tired though...Nicholas wore him out!!!

Happy Half Birthday Drew!!

Drew is 18 months old today!!!

And he's discovered how much fun it is to feed the dog cheerios right from his hand...as if Peyton needs to eat any more!!

It's been a quiet day here - I went to see Charlie Wilsons War (great movie!!) and Drew took a nap while I was gone - now Patrick is napping and Drew and I are typing on the computer and playing...Drew, right now, is thinking it's fun to walk around with his Elmo thermometer in his mouth taking his temperature - I think he's been doing that for about an hour now!

Well- time to go and play with my budding doctor...I hope everyone who celebrates is having Merry Christmas!!

Drew's Night Out...

Patrick and I took Drew out for dinner tonight - it was our first restaurant experience as a family...

While we were there, a nice older couple came up to us to tell us how cute Drew was and how well behaved he was (all true of course!!) and then the man said, "You can definitely tell who his father is!" Patrick and I just laughed and said, "Thank you." It was so funny. It will be interesting to see how often we hear that comment...we've already heard it a few times, even from people in Kazakhstan!

There's a new picture on the side of the blog of Drew enjoying his french fries and ketchup at Applebees...he dipped them in just like Grama taught him last week...

So - that was our excitement for the day...

Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Special Merry Christmas to Chris, Ben, Grandmother, Grandad, Great Grandmother, Uncle Phil, Aunt Stephie and Uncle Bryan...we hope you all have a wonderful holiday and Santa brings you lots of great toys!!!

Wonderful NJ Weekend!!

We had such a great weekend in NJ with Drew - he met soooo many people and he did sooo great!!! He really warmed up to the family, but he still knew to come to me or Patrick for support, love, food, etc...so I think he's bonding really welll with us...

So - first we went to Grama's house on Saturday and celebrated Hanukkah with Uncle Steve, Aunt Lizzie, David, Aunt Lysee, Uncle Shawn and Aunt Sheri. Drew got soooo many great gifts...he is definitely excited and tonight played with his vaccum and 100 wooden blocks! He had so much fun playing under the table with Uncle Steve and playing the piano with Aunt Lysee and staring at Aunt Sheri's very ugly slippers!! He and David got into it a big over a toy, and I won't say who won, but Go Drew!!! LOL...sorry Steven - couldn't resist!! :)

This morning some very special people came to meet Drew: Judy and Ruth who are Gramas' oldest friends, Randy and Steve and Debbie and Rabbi - all of whom have known me forever and my special friend Suzanne and her duaghter Brie!! Drew again got great toys and books and a specially painted chair...it was so wonderful for everyone to come over to meet Drew...he's so lucky to have you all in his life...as am I!!!

Then this afternoon we went to Bubbie's and met Opa, Uncle Lenny, Angie, Josh, Marc, Gina and Samie...and had soo much fun with them!! Drew, again, got great gifts - many musical ones and a plane like the one he flew home in!! We had a great time and loved Angie's latkes - Drew had 2-3 of them himself!! Well, OK, I ate some too!! :)

And then Drew slept most of the way home...

So - it was a great and tiring weekend....

But we came home feeling very special and loved and with enough toys to last a lifetime...

I posted some pictures on the side of the blog...

Drew and Peyton...

Well, Drew finally decided he likes Peyton...today he pet him and tonight he laid down on him - LOL...so we are definitely making some progress there...

We also had our first post-placement meeting with our social worker from the agency. She's putting together the first report to send to Kazakhstan about Drew...We had to promise to send reports every year for 18 years in order to be able to adopt him.

That's about all I got..still adjusting to motherhood - it's hard!!! :) I have no time to get anything done during the day and that gets frustrating. but, Drew is wonderful and we are learning this whole mother-son thing together...so far, I think we're doing pretty well...I love when he reaches his arms out for me and lays his head against me - that is the most amazing feeling in the world!!!

...and I'm sure every mother out there is laughing at me saying I get nothing doen during the day, right??? :)