Wednesday, December 31, 2008

One Last First for 2008

David had one last first to take care of before the end of 2008, a haircut!  Emily dutifully took pictures to mark the occasion (19 in total), while I watched on with pride as David did not make a peep and only wiggled  little bit. Everyone was amazed at how calm he he was, especially for a two-year old.  The rest of our New Year's Eve was spent hanging out around the house, helping me cook lunch, and riding his new tricycle around the house.  We hope everyone's 2008 was as good as ours and that 2009 will be even better.

Kyle

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

First Christmas

It has been an exciting last few days.  Santa and friends were very good to David.  We started the holiday tour at our house where Santa brought David a red tricycle.  He was not to sure what to do as we piled presents in front of him.  Just as he was getting the hang of the process, the presents were all opened.  Emily then made us some pancakes as David learned about gravity when he turned his tricycle too fast.

Round 2 was at Papa and Mammy's house.  David got to play with his cousins some more, and when we told him it was time to open presents, he came running.  What a quick study!  David spent the rest of the afternoon cooking in the play kitchen and hanging out with family.  That evening we just relaxed and put things in order for round 3.

The final stop was in Tulsa to see Poppy, Granna, and Andrea.  Scott and Andrea recently added a German Shepherd to their family, and David was excited to play with Zisa.  As you would expect, David proved even more adept at the present routine the third time around.  He really enjoyed playing "Santa" by passing presents out to everyone.  David was doing pretty well when he received a Longhorns shirt only to have that topped when he unwrapped a totally, awesome Star Wars playset!  David spent the rest of the weekend helping with the cooking, playing with Zisa, and generally reveling in being the center of attention.  It was a quick four days, but well worth it!

Talk to you guys later,
Kyle and Emily

P.S.- David told us that he appreciated the enormous (We are talking small mountain.) amount of toys that he received, but in the future he would like to have a few less toys and more money to put in his college savings account.  We are so proud that he is already making plans for his future!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

We have been robbed....

Initial police reports did not name any suspects, but after review of the security footage authorities have narrowed their search.  Luckily all missing property can be easily replaced.



David was eating his snack when he came running down the hallway yelling "ba-nan-a-na" as he met me in the bedroom.  When I asked if he had finished his banana he gave me a confused look, so I told him to go finish eating his snack.  I think David translated this to "go get another banana."  When I came back down the hall a second later he was helping himself!!!  It was one of those moments when you do not know what to say (No, how smart/cute).  I guess Emily and I just have to be more on guard with our little banana thief running around the house.

Kyle

Cruisin' to the Holidays

Things have been good around the Farnham house, and we cannot wait for Santa to arrive.  (I think Santa is a little excited to be making a first time visit as well!!!)  Of course, David does not grasp the whole concept yet, but we hope he will after this year.  Emily took David for his first dentist visit last week, and he seemed to enjoy it, but I think any place that gives him stickers is O.K. in his book.


I think "Operation: Puppies are Nice" can be called off officially.  David regularly hugs and kisses the dogs, feeds, and plays fetch with them with a little help from us.  As for the dogs, I think they are starting to tolerate David a little more.  They do not seem to stare at us as much when he runs by or makes some new, strange sound.

It was a rock star weekend for David as he got his chance to show his drum and guitar skills while we played Guitar Hero.  Partridge Family look out!



Christmas is just a few days away, and we are quickly getting ready.  We plan to visit both grandparents by the end of the week, which means David will have his first road trip to Tulsa. David has also started to visit his daycare so that he can get used to Cathy and the other kids. We will be dropping him off at daycare in increasing amounts in preparation for staying the whole day once schools starts back in January.

We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Kyle

Monday, December 15, 2008

Winter Wonderland???

It sure has been cold around here lately, and David has not been impressed with any of it.  I think the wind, in particular, irritates him.  Whenever he gets a good gust in the face, he wrinkles up his nose and squints his eyes as if someone had just spit on him.  He is usually scrambling for the hood on his jacket as soon as we get out of the car.  Below are a few pictures of David's "first snow."  The credibility of this accomplishment is still under review as I say the ground has to be covered in snow and Emily believes that white stuff has to be somewhere in the area.



My parents came to town this weekend to give Emily a hand and let her get some work done. (Translation-We want to see our grandson and we will use any means possible! :) I love you, Poppy and Granna.)  We have been doing a video conference with them once week so that David can talk to and see them.  It is has been the highlight of his weekend lately.  Emily did get them to try a little Guitar Hero during "adult time."  We enjoyed ourselves; they laughed a lot, but I am not sure much music was made.



Other news:
-(first no) David told Emily "no" when she asked him to clean up his toys before we left for lunch Saturday.  That was a first for us but have been told to prepare for much more of this!!!

-(first baby shower) My work Christmas party this weekend turned out to be a surprise baby shower as well.  I thought I did not care about that this sort of thing, but it was nice to know that people care about my family and getting it started on the right foot.  Love you guys; you really are a big part of what makes my job so fun!

-(botany lesson) The dogs often drag leaves through the doggie door.  We just hand them to David, say "trash," and he throws them away.  We now realize this is a problem when he yelled "trash" at the TV, only for us to look up and see a monkey eating a leaf!

-(house rules) While my parents were here, David had to make sure they knew the rules.  My mom was looking at the DVD player when David walked up to her and said, "Daddy no manos."  He did not want Granna to get in trouble for touching the electronics.  He is so thoughtful!

Kyle

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

A Tribute to South Dakota


David recently received propaganda from up north...Pearsons, enjoy!

Monday, December 8, 2008

Potty time and Daddy's school...

Things have been going well.  One week down and one to go until I can hang out at the house with David and Emily again.  I keep telling Emily that if she wants to get a better paying job, I will be a stay-at-home dad.   

Ok, sooo... What have we been doing?  Emily and David got to play with the potty chair as we tried to get a urine sample for the doctor.  We tried all the tricks we knew (running water, hands in warm water), but it still took a really long time before the deed was done.  On Friday, Emily and David came up to my work to eat lunch.  He really enjoyed meeting my coworkers and the random students that happened to be in the hallway.  Everyone thought he was so cute and smart.


We spent this weekend hanging out at the house and running errands around town.  David was introduced to finger painting and had a good time making a mess on the kitchen floor.  He also found a new position for watching his Baby Einstein DVD's.  I thought it was pretty good too until he started grabbing my ears for balance.  Until next time.

Kyle



Thursday, December 4, 2008

Santa REALLY Does Exist!!


Who knew he was at the mall?? This morning David and I had our first picture with Santa. No lines, no hassle; just pure fun! David loved him and kept giving Santa high-fives! Afterwards, we went to The Great American Cookie Company and enjoyed a tasty frosting-covered chocolate chip cookie!

Cheers, Emily


Wednesday, December 3, 2008

BEHOLD--The Sucker!!

Today was the first official doctor visit for David here in the USA. As we waited David remained more pleasant and patient than most of the adults.  Once the paperwork was finished, we immediately went in to see the doctor and nurse, who were amazingly helpful and appealing to both David and me. The doctor decided to get started on his next round of shots and take care of some tests for our adoption paperwork. He really enjoyed saying "Chapin" (pronounced Cha-peen; a nickname for Guatemalans) when the friendly technicians took his chest x-ray. He did NOT, however, enjoy the shot or when the the nurses drew his blood. He cried but, afterwards one of the nurses gave him a sucker, so he quickly forgave all involved.


Kyle returned to work this Monday, and while he loves his classes and teaching, he's stated that he loves coming home to a cute little boy who calls him "Daddy" and who talks about him all day. In fact, I love watching Kyle come home--both of their eyes light up when they see each other, and Daddy time with David inevitably includes horseplay, reading, and eating. 


I'm enjoying my time off because I know very soon it will be over, and my "holiday" will disappear. In January, I'll return to teaching and begin rehearsing for our musical, BYE BYE BIRDIE. Until then, David, Daddy & I are playing games, laughing, experiencing "Terrible Two" moments, and trying to finish up all our loose ends and paperwork before reality takes over. David is definitely teaching me more about myself than I am teaching him, and these memories at home with him will always be special to me.

FYI - Spaghetti and kids, while cute, do not go together, so our pasta meals now include larger, easily grasped noodles.

Emily

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Thanksgiving '08

Well.... it has been an exciting few days around the house. We have had two Thanksgiving meals, countless leftovers, and I go back to work on Monday. My parents and Andrea came down Wednesday evening and stayed through Thursday afternoon. David enjoyed having the company over and spent a lot of time showing off his toys and learning names. He loved his meal (of course!) and kept asking for more. After Thanksgiving lunch we bought a new Christmas tree and put it up in the living room. David seemed fairly impressed with the spectacle of it all, but he definitely enjoyed the box a lot more. The rest of the day was spent following the usual Thanksgiving routine: eat, sleep, and repeat!



Friday was spent recovering from all the food and getting ready to go over to Emily's grandparents for Thanksgiving with her family.  After all of the greetings and meeting more family, we took David down to the pond to play.  He loved the bridge and looking out over the water.  He also had his first real opportunity to play with his cousins, McKenna (5) and Annie (20 mths).  While McKenna was a great help and David mimicked most of what she did, I think he only saw Annie as a rival for the toys.  Eventually we had to separate him from the toys for a while as he was getting a little too stingy.  David also had the chance to play in the leaves (an American classic).  It was a good day.



The rest of the weekend was spent getting ready to go back to work and going to church.  David did extremely well and only got wiggly towards the end of the service.  The last few weeks have gone by really fast, and while I am ready to see my students again, I am not ready to miss all of the little moments with David that we have had.  Talk to you guys later.

Kyle

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

To Michael....

Thanks for letting me know how things are going at school. I will be back at Cooper on Monday. See you soon.

Mr. Farnham

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Am I Being Tested by the Government?

After purchasing several toys for David over the last week, I have just a quick question, especially for those of you who are parents.

Why must toy packaging be like rocket science? How many times must a toy be screwed tightly by microscopic, invisible screws to 3 sheets of cardboard (that are adhered by supernatural glue)?

Sincerely,
A mother who just wants to free the toys from their boxes

Saturday, November 22, 2008

Days of Fun...

I must say that the last few days we have cleared huge hurdles and accomplished small victories into normal stability. 


Bath time is no longer scary or filled with David's tears. We've convinced him that sitting in the tub is a good thing. We simply hold him in a seated position and then place him in the water. Now, when we pour water over his head, we have him cover his eyes, and it seems to be working. (It probably doesn't eliminate water in the eyes, but like many things in life, it's human nature to view things as okay only when we feel we have some form of control.)

The dogs are becoming David's friends. Not only is he no longer panicking when they walk by him, but he constantly asks for them when they're not around. Today, I took them to the groomer's, and he looked out the window or would point throughout the house, asking, "Puppy?" Also, the cutest thing happened tonight, and I must be honest that my heart absolutely melted. In fact, I came very close to shedding a tear! David was on the floor playing with his new toy, a 3-tiered race track, and Gunther, our oldest child, quietly walked over to David and plopped himself down between David's legs. David then leaned down and began petting and kissing on Gunther!!! Oh, my Mama heart melts to think my children are getting along. So precious!


Additionally, David is improving his English with each new word. To date, David now says, good job, socks, shoes, pillow, puppy, ears, nose, eyes, mouth, eat, please, easy, tortilla, more, and several others. He's our little sponge. We went on an outing to Barnes & Noble and purchased several small books to help him learn his numbers, alphabet, etc.

We discovered David not only likes fajitas, but Kyle fixes amazingly fresh homemade tortillas! Very authentic! Kyle is so cute! He has to constantly battle the urge to buy David toys and other items he might enjoy.

Today, we also had our first of three home study interviews. Kimberly, our case worker, was extremely nice and taken by David, and it was great to know that her two children were adopted, so we have/will experience some of the same issues. Her advice was also very sound.



The weather's been uncommonly warm for this time of year, and we've taken advantage of every opportunity. David's enjoyed riding his big car up and down the driveway, and belly laughs occur from all the Farnhams when David tumbles off his car or wrestles with Kyle. He is ALL BOY, by the way.

It's been a great week! Emily

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Slowly, but surely...

Another good day filled with ups and downs in the Farnham household. David went on another road trip, this time to Target to get a few supplies and to the grocery store to get more of his favorite foods, milk and bananas! David also managed to get another truck for his collection. (It just jumped into the basket!)

In the afternoon, Emily and David used some sidewalk chalk to decorate the driveway. David was able to meet the neighbor boy from across the street, and the three of them "tagged' my concrete while I went to a meeting. There have been a lot less tears and "no's" as we continue to figure out how we are going to work as a family. David is increasingly getting more accustomed to the dogs as we frequently see him hugging and giving them kisses. We have also been helping him play fetch and feed them snacks. Things are going well.

David has also started the "Farnham Language Immersion School." This consists of me saying words in English and him either saying them back, pointing to it, or a combination of both. After a few words, he is then rewarded with a mini M&M. Too bad my classes could not be this easy. As I said before, it was a good day.

Q&A - Do you know what the best thing about bedtime is? That is when Emily and I get to eat the candy and cookies we do not let him have yet. We call it "Adult Time."

Special Update - As some of you may know from previous posts, bath time is not the quietest time in our home. David has insisted on standing during bath time and this has worried me as I was concerned about him falling down or hitting his head. Emily and I tried a rubberized bathtub mat, but he was still wobbly as ever. So tonight Emily and I both helped with bath time (a united front) and just sat him down in the tub for his bath. There were a few tears (his, not ours), but soon he realized that he was okay and started playing with his toys again. A small hurdle cleared.

And let me tell you, it was stressful!!! I knew there would be tears and I did not want to scare him, but this was something that needed to be fixed. I felt so tired after we finished drying him off and getting him into his pajamas.

Kyle


Monday, November 17, 2008

Update: Operation Dogs are Nice

Slowly but surely David's succumbing to the fact that both he and the dogs must co-exist together in the house. We've baby-stepped our way to comfort with the dogs: having David stare at them through the window; holding one dog while the other parent holds David; having David throw the ball to the dogs; petting them; having them walk around together...the list continues. Once David grows more confident, we'll have David help feed the dogs and give them treats to establish a proper pecking order with the dogs, so they'll know David provides food like us. Overall, the magic solution to coexisting is simply going to be time.


Another developing element in our saga has been the two-year-old mentality of "mine" and "no." Right now, one of his favorite things is to test us. He loves to claim things as his own, or he'll want our help one minute and then not the next. The honeymoon is definitely over! He's trying to tell us, "No," and Kyle and I are quickly learning to chose our battles, giving him fewer chances to tell us, "No," and more opportunities for us to say, "Yes." The great thing about parenting seems to be that we'll always have another chance to handle things differently next time, so we're quickly learning and adjusting as we go. :)

David finally got to meet Uncle Clint, Aunt Jana, and Uncle Kyle. Too bad he had to take a nap. (Sticking to our schedule hasn't always been convenient, but it's a necessary evil in establishing our norm.)

This morning (Mon.) we went to the park since this is probably the warmest it will be for a while. David loved the slides, the swing, and climbing over anything he could. Definitely ALL BOY!! Kyle and I enjoyed seeing him giggle and flash that charming smile as he played.


Another major triumph was that he actually wanted his shoes off and helped put them up in his closet. Of course, not two minutes later he wanted them back, but at least it's a small victory for now. Talk to you later.

Emily

Friday, November 14, 2008

Home Sweet Home

Well we are home. We arrived back Thursday afternoon and spent the rest of the day trying to introduce David to everything around the house and his other grandparents (Mammy and Paw Paw Ron). David loved his room and all of his new toys. However, he was not too excited about the dogs, so we will have to take those introductions one day at a time. It took him a little bit to go the bed, but he eventually got the sleep that he needed.


Today was our first whole day back home and we have been trying to figure out a routine. The morning passed with the typical activities: breakfast, playing, dancing, wrestling, singing, talking, and watching some TV. We watched the dogs through the windows and doors to give David a safe place to get used to them. Poppy and Granna took us to get some more clothes and to the toy store to find David something to ride on and push around. David loves his new "carro" and rides it all over the house.

When we got home Emily had Eoghan (pronounced "owen") in the house to try and help David get to know the dogs better. He was not as upset with a dog in the house as he was last night, but David did make sure to play on the opposite side of the room as Eoghan. Later, we let the rest of the dogs in and kept them behind the baby gate in the back of the house. They did not seem to know what was going on, but they were just glad to be out of the cold. On the bright side, David seems to be aware of when his diaper needs to be changed so potty training may not be too far in the future. Now It is time for bed for me too. We are glad to be home and will be posting whenever we get the chance and/or whenever something new happens.

Kyle

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Guatemala City and final paperwork

This morning we got up and got ready for our tour of Guatemala City, the capital of the country. We started by going into the mountains to the southwest to take some panoramic pictures of the city in the valley below. Victor, our guide and driver, informed us that Guatemalans drive crazy, but they know what they are doing. Next, we drove through a few typical neighborhoods. It was interesting to see electrified, barbed-wire lining the tops of the walls and gates of the homes. We stopped in the central plaza area to look at the National Cathedral and the National Palace (the "Guatemalan White House"). There were a lot of pigeons in the square, and I do not think that David was that impressed with all of the flying around. After making our way to the opposite side of the city, we got to see a relief map of Guatemala that was the size of a city pool. A guy in 1905 took off on horseback to survey the country and make this large scale three-dimensional map of the country. Being a geography teacher I thought that this was really cool. (Did I mention I have seen three volcanoes on this trip!!!!!!!) Victor also identified the area (Copan) where David probably comes from. Finally, we made it to the central market where we bought some decorations for David's room and then left for the hotel.



We ate lunch at a restaurant called Kacao, which was recommended to us by numerous people for having "traditional" Guatemalan food. We were not quite sure what we were eating, but it was delicious! David enjoyed it, but I think the setting was a little too formal for him. To tell the truth, it was a little weird having the waiter watch our every move to see what we needed next. Oh well... maybe I am not cut out to be wealthy and go to these fancy places. :)

The rest of the afternoon was spent killing time until I had to go back to the Embassy to get David's VISA and passport. Surprisingly, it was another quick trip. I think it actually took longer to drive there and back then to wait in line. The rest of the night has gone according to our new routine. Dinner, play, bath time, wind-down time, bed. I think we may be getting the hang of this.

Tomorrow is going to be a long day. We leave Guatemala City at 7:30am and arrive back in OKC around 2:30pm. We are hoping that David handles this new experience as well as he has all the other ones this week. The good thing is the plane to Houston will be loaded with other adoptive parents returning with their kids. The bad thing is that it could be a two and a half hour flight with a plane full of screaming kids! Either way we are ready to come home. Sometimes this trip has felt like a honeymoon and the relationship is yet to grow. We are ready to get back to the house and really begin the hard work of parenting.

As for Guatemala, it is a beautiful country, and we can never express enough what this process, trip, the country, and its people mean to us. We look forward to coming back when David is older and showing him where our family got its start.

See you soon,
Kyle

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Antigua, Guatemala

Hello again. Today we went traveling through the beautiful countryside to Antigua, one of the oldest and most visited cities in Central America. We toured several old monasteries, convents and churches, some of which had been converted into luxurious hotels. Our private guide and driver instantly fell in love with David (anyone sensing a theme?), and we all participated in constant conversation about their lives in Guatemala and our lives back home. It was nice to hear a "native" provide the "real scoop" of life here...plus it was just another reminder that, in spite of cultural differences, we're all essentially the same--we're human. Jocoba (Jacob), our guide, did have one really important question for us; he wanted to know why we specifically chose Guatemala for our adoption, and we replied with the same reasons most of you know.
1). I've always known I wanted to adopt, and Kyle and I discussed it as an option before we got married.
2). Being teachers, we witness kids with so much potential, but it is not realized because of a lack of opportunities.
3). Guatemala uses primarily foster homes for "waiting" children versus orphanages.
4). We were too young when we began the process. All countries except Korea and Guatemala required adoptive parents to be at least 30 years old.
5). The trip down here was about only 3-4 hours from Houston, and we weren't required to travel several times for longer periods of time. As teachers, we hate to take off from school more than necessary.
6). Finally, we have a home and wanted to be parents, so it made sense to show love to a child that was already here.
Jocoba's response was simply that it sounded like we had definitely thought this through. Jocoba, I agree! Now, back to the trip!

The winding mountain roads, limitless variety of trees, cobblestone streets, colorfully painted houses and shops, surrounding mountains, the street vendors in traditional dress, and breath-taking views fail to describe the wealth and the poverty of the country. Guatemala seems to be rich in terms of human connection, expression/passion, trees and plentiful vegetation, delicious and natural food, and beautiful landscapes. However, poverty, hard work, and pure survival seem to plague the majority of the country.

Every moment with my new family is a blessing, however I couldn't help but think about the life of the children who came from David's background and how they end up working hard their entire lives, experiencing little to no education, just to make a few dollars. I'm extremely grateful for the potential David will have with us and his new life as an American, but I've seen many, young and old, I wanted to bring back in my suitcase. I don't mean to be "Debby Downer," but when you're away from all you know and you really take the time to reflect about your life, you realize how great you have it and just how connected and alike we really are.

Once we returned from our excursion, we played and ate and played some more. David continues to be a riot, and he's lessening the tears during bath time and taking off his shoes for the night. We've discovered that when our little man is allowed to help in a new task, he's distracted from his real or imaginary fears, and just focuses on being a "big boy," which he is. David's also saying a few more English words, like "please" and "easy," but they both sound like "cheesy." One new word that came up tonight was "bobo." We were eating at dinner, then suddenly he displayed a confused face, put his hand under his bottom, and replied "bobo," which apparently means "toot!" (I realize this is probably a "mom" story and is only funny & meaningful to me, but since I have a captive audience, and this is somewhat a diary for the trip, you have the privilege of reading all my thoughts and experiences. Lucky you!)

Tomorrow is one of last big days because we are taking a morning tour of Guatemala City and then we travel back to the Embassy to pick up his finalized paperwork and Visa so we can return home. Here's to more fun, and can't wait for you all to meet David, our little charmer!

FYI--In case you're wondering why I keep typing DAVID instead of MICAH, Kyle and I have decided that while we are still legally changing his name to Micah David when we get back home, he no longer seems to be a MICAH, and my heart now only knows him as DAVID. Hope that makes sense?! :)

Until we meet again,
Mama Em