Today’s a special day for our family… as of today, AJ has lived in the states for as long as he lived in Korea. Half his life in each place.

Also, today I had a very unsuccessful trip to the Durham County Clerk of Courts (Special Proceedings) Office.  I thought I had all the right documentation and notarizations to file our Petition for Adoption. But once I got there, I found out that I needed an appointment (who knew?!) and also received a list of stuff I don’t have. Greeeat. I dont know why I thought finalizing would be any easier than the rest of the process! My appointment is for Friday next week and hopefully I’ll have all the right stuff together by then. Remember, the goal is to get AJ’s social security number BEFORE we have to file our taxes. Wish me luck! (gotta love the US government!)

AJ’s language has developed a lot this weekend. He has started trying to say almost everything I say. Most of them are completely wrong and the average person would have no idea what he’s trying to communicate. But we’re getting a kick out of it.
A few highlights from the weekend are:
Aaap! uhh- (apple)
Aight! - (light)
Teet- (teeth)
Maaaaaa - (more)
Beeeee! - (Zee)
Shiz - (shoes)
Sahts - (socks)
Up! - (up!)
Whoa - (hello)(complete with holding whatever is in his hand to his ear).
Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma - (Mama, pick me up now!!! What is taking you so long?!)

Our very favorite is this one: We say- “What does a lion say?” and he says -”Oaaarrr!” (in a very deep throat growl sort of way). However, we receive the same response for “What does a bird say?” and “What does mommy say?” Apparently its the phrase itself that cues the Roar, not the Lion.

I hate to jinx it… but it seems we’re on the other side of AJ’s poor sleeping habits. I mean, its not time to jump up and down and start sleeping without pants again, but we’re at the point where he’s sleeping through the night more often than not. Like 4 out of 7 days. And its been happening long enough that I am starting to sleep through the night too. The downside is that those nights when he does wake up several times have turned out to be extra painful because my body most certainly recalls what it was like to sleep and does not appreciate being awake at 4am.
We’re still trying to figure out what goes right on those days when he does sleep through the night. Is it the humidifier? The warmest pajamas? The staying up later? The dancing around the room? Who knows. But I am thankful.

Breakfast

• Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal w/ pears
• Red Grapes
• Water

Lunch

• Chicken flavored whole grain pasta w/ broccoli
• Cinnamon Apples
• Soy Milk

Dinner

• Wheat flat bread with red pepper hummus and baby spinach
• Blueberries
• Strawberry applesauce
• Soy Milk

Breakfast

• Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal w/ pears
• Blueberries
• Water

Lunch

• Sunbutter and kiwi on whole wheat bread
• Red Grapes
• Strawberry Applesauce
• Soy Milk

Dinner

• Chicken flavored whole grain pasta w/ broccoli
• Cinnamon apples
• Soy Milk