Home Sweet Home!

Yes, it has been a while, but we are all doing very well here at home! Thank you everyone who has called and emailed to check on us. I got sick a couple days after getting back to the U.S. and had to take every chance I could to sleep, but starting to feel a lot better now. Gerry/Nazar - haven't been working on the name switch yet, and I am getting kind of attached to "Nazar" :) - is the best little guy ever. Yes, he is two, and yes he does the full, drag em out tantrum thing quite a bit lately, but wouldn't you if you were ripped from every familiar place, sight, smell, taste, and sound that you had ever known? And then taken on a 15 hour train ride. And then moved to yet a new apartment/bed. And then had to take two long plane rides (and hey, why am I strapped down in this seat!?). And yet another car ride with yet another stranger (taxi from O'Hare), AND another car ride (Mama's car to home) while again being strapped down tightly (first carseat experience did not go so well). Yet another strange house/bed. Oh, and by the way, you couldn't say a darn thing about it!
So yeah, when I keep thinking back to even just a few of the things he has gone through in the last 2 weeks, I am utterly amazed at how well he is adjusting. And how lovey-dovey he can be! Especially at nap and bedtime (after he gets the crying out about having to get in bed of course). He is signing "more" "drink" "eat" "all finished" and "where." And meowing like the cats - pretty cute. Plus I am pretty sure he is saying "Mama" now in the last two days - that is my favorite!
I'm pureeing most of his main foods - so that is something we will work on over the next few weeks/months - new food textures. But he loves bananas, peanut butter and jelly, oatmeal, craisins (isn't that funny that he will eat these!), and "the concoction" - pureed and mixed mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, and Dinty Moore stew! Oh yeah, pancakes and ice cream were a pretty big hit, too.
Now our day is finally getting some sense of right-side-up to it. Up around 7 or 8 am (give or take an hour), breakfast, play, snack, play, lunch, nap from 12:30 to 3:00 (give or take an hour), snack, play, dinner, bath at 7 pm, story time and asleep by 8:00 or 8:30. Oh yes, mix in lots of nose-wiping, diaper-changing, mini-meltdowns, and plenty of giggles (don't forget cat-chasing) and that is what it is all about. Hmm, this seems so simple, so why am I so tired! Ha ha!
Today our Early Intervention Coordinator came to the house, and hopefully we will be able to set up the EI evaluation by the end of June, and that way Gerry/Nazar will be able to benefit from the EI therapies for several months before he turns three. Our coordinator is hopeful that a Russian-speaking translator will be available for the evaluation. That will be an interesting day at our house: interpreter, developmental specialist, physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, and family service coordinator - hopefully we'll be able to stagger the time slots - talk about overwhelming!
Next week, we get to go an Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) specialist for a checkup. Gerry/Nazar went to our family doc the day after we got home due to a sinus infection (or so we think) and he said that his ears are pretty plugged up - couldn't even see his ear drums. We need to get this checked out right away - if he has fluid in his ears (common with dwarfism), this could affect his hearing, and therefore his speech.
I am pretty bummed that we are not able to get into the achondroplasia specialist up in Madison, WI until October - double :( Keep your fingers crossed that there is a cancellation appt. that opens up before then for us.
Well, I don't want to overdo my computer time - no more staying up until 12 or 1 am for me! So here are some photos until I get another spare minute to post. Take care everyone, and hope to post again soon! (Ok, I just went through our photos and there are too many from the past few days! So I am going to break them up into three different posts - some tonight, and then First Days Home tomorrow.)

Our last day of “sightseeing” in Nazar’s country – kind of sad.

Fish anyone?

This is how to travel on an airplane! Too bad he only slept a little bit!

Gotta love headphones on the plane – thank you Lufthansa!

“Water fountains that I can drink from – America is so great!”

Yes, we kissed the ground in Chicago!

We love the U.S. and will forever be grateful for this Great Nation!

Never been so happy to see the American Flag. I know this photo may seem bland, but it this sight was enough to bring tears to our eyes, and just had to post it.

“I am an American!”