Aruba, Jamaica, Ooh I Wanna Take Ya...

We're back!  The reason I couldn't post last week is because we were in Aruba!!  I didn't want to announce on the Internet that our house was going to be vacant for a week so that's my reason for being vague on my last post.

Anyway, Kade split the week equally with both sets of grandparents.  I'm pretty sure he might've been spoiled rotten because all he wants is to be held now that we're back.  Grandmas, can you think of any reason that might be?? :-)

It was the hardest thing we've ever done, leaving Kade Man for a week!  I feel like he changed so much, he even sounds older!!  We did manage to relax, enjoy ourselves and soak up some sun although our tans are fading fast in this cold, rainy weather. 

Sorry for all the tropical pictures but you'll have to look through them before you get to the Good Stuff (i.e. Kade!)

Day 1 of sun.  Hopefully everyone else on the beach was wearing sunglasses too, or they might've been blinded by our "whiteness".  Hey-it's been a long winter, okay? :-)

View of the sunset from our patio

Does every Midwesterner take a picture like this?  I know, it screams "Tourist", but I'm fine with that.

Another cheesy tourist picture but nothing says paradise like palm trees, white sand and colorful beach chairs!

A couple of Cool Cats.  I'm not going to lie, we make snorkeling look good :-)

This isn't us, just a random couple on the beach.  Just kidding, it's Tim and Megan one of the couples we went with.  Megan is pregnant with #3, I think they should name her "Aruba" :-)

You know when I mentioned that we got tan?  Tan, for me, just means darker freckles. 

Carrie and Jason, the other couple we went with.

Megan and Tim (and Aruba.  Or they could name her Kristi, that's a good name too :-)

This was taken at an outdoor restaurant directly on the beach.  It was fantastic!

 The people watching was amazing!  Us girls were always on the lookout for celebrities.  I think it's safe to say we saw the MOST FAMOUS celebrity of all time.  He's known around the world.  Any guesses??



SANTA!!!! 
I think it's safe to say, judging by his swimwear, that Santa has a bit of a naughty side during his off season.

 Now, for the good pics.

Hey Puppy, who do you think you're lookin' at?!?

Kade only has one tooth on top.  It's not even a front one.  So, I call him my "Little Hillbilly".  You can sort of see it hanging down on the right.

Playing with his racetrack from K&S, his birthgrandparents.  That middle thing spins, unless Kade puts his hand on it to stop it, which he does all the time.

These Are a Few of Kade's Favorite Things...

~Dancing with Mom, especially to "Livin' On a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and to "Don't Stop Believing" by Journey.  Okay, so maybe those are Mom's favorite songs to dance to but since I'm carrying Kade he doesn't get a choice!

~Singing "The Wheels on the Bus".  Kade's favorite verse? When the wipers go swish, swish, swish.  Mom's favorite verse? When the horn goes beep, beep, beep because then I get to beep his cute little nose.

~Eating (not reading) books. 

~Swinging in the swing Grandpa and Grandma brought over.  This is a new favorite since it just went up last weekend.  Wearing a hat is not a favorite but I'm determined to keep his perfect, flawless skin that way for as long as I can.

~Playing with the little red wagon.  We keep it right next to the diaper changing station which isn't a smart move on our part because it's impossible to get a diaper changed in under 10 minutes.

~Dad.  Dad is a big favorite.  He's tall so he can hold Kade up really high.  He's funny (looking, as I like to say) and he gets Kade laughing like no one else can.  He also can reach the cords on the fan so whenever he's holding Kade, it's a "game" they have to play.

~Finally, the favorite that trumps all favorites...Molly.  It doesn't matter what Kade is doing, if Molly is anywhere near him he immediately stops what he's doing to watch her.  His ultimate goal is to touch her but unfortunately the feeling is not mutual on Molly's part.  She does her best to avoid him and he does his best to be near her.  It's a love/hate relationship.

P.S.  I will be unable to do a new post next week so this week's "double feature" will have to tide you over until the following week!  Sorry!!

Lady A visits

Lady A, her mom (S) and her aunt came to visit this past Saturday.  This time, instead of kidnapping Santa, they kidnapped the Easter Bunny along the way!  Kade got clothes, toys, snacks, cups to hold his snacks and a video.  Erik and I weren't left out either, let's just say a bottle of wine and a date night are in order for us.  Not to mention someone has to eat all the candy that lined Kade's Easter baskets!  It's a tough job but I'm managing to take it down since I know it's hard for Kade to see the candy and not be able to eat it :-)

Since a lot of people who read this blog don't have first hand experience with an open adoption I'd like to answer a couple common questions I get whenever I mention Lady A's visits.

1.)  Is it hard/weird/uncomfortable for you to see Kade with his birthmom/family?

Answer:  This is the honest to God truth!  It is not the least bit hard or weird or whatever for me to see Lady A, or S, or any other birthfamily relatives hold, kiss, or hug Kade.  I know that's hard for some people to comprehend but it's true!  Maybe it's because I'm a first time Mom so this is all I know?  I don't know.  Honestly, I enjoy their visits and look forward to them!  They are great people and fun to be around.  Besides, everybody loves to talk about their children and this is an audience that I can say anything and everything awesome about Kade and they love to hear it! 

You know how whenever people see a baby they always try to figure out who he looks like?  We do that too!  Kade has Lady A's big blue eyes and super long eyelashes, the first feature everyone notices and comments on about him.  He also has her smile.  Thankfully he doesn't share her infant sleep schedule!  We learned she didn't sleep through the night until she was a year old!  Ouch! :-)  Kade's had that down for awhile now. 

I also think this is what's best for Kade and every parent wants what's best for their children.  When I was little my brother told me that I was adopted.  He had a very detailed story that I'm not sure why I believed but I did.  He told me my real name was "Krissy Krants Pull Down Your Pants".  My real mom and dad lived in San Francisco and they had one room that was full of Cabbage Patch Dolls.  (Side note:  I was voted "Most Gullible" in high school)  But, I remember crying and asking my mom if it was true.  Even when she told me it wasn't I still wondered.  Hopefully Kade will never have to wonder.  If he ever has any questions about his birthfamily I hope he can send an email, call or ask them at their next visit.

2.) Isn't it hard for Lady A to see Kade and then have to leave him?

Answer:  Obviously, I don't know the exact answer to this question.  I'm sure it is a little bit hard but she's assured us that she's happy with her decision.  She told us she gets excited when we set a date for the next visit and she loves shopping for him.  I know I have a hard time when they leave so I can guarantee it's harder for them but I hope it's worth it to them to see Kade.  They've told us how much they love this blog and how much it helps to see pictures and read about Kade on a weekly basis.  They've named their tears, "Happy Tears", and they tell us how appreciative they are that Kade is so loved.  Believe me, if they think they are appreciative of us we are a billion times more appreciative of them. 

Kade has a lot of love in his life.  Erik and I are going to have to do our best to make sure he doesn't act spoiled because it's hard not to spoil this little man!!

Every adoption is unique, some adoptions are a lot "messier" than others.  I've said this before and I'll say it again, we were very blessed to be chosen by Lady A.  She, and her mom, has made this adoption easy and fun.  Speaking for myself only, being an adoptive parent comes with some level of guilt.  I felt a little guilty that I was taking Kade away.  There was some worry that I was trusted to raise this child and what if I don't do a good enough job?  I don't have those feelings anymore largely based on the fact that Kade's birthfamily has been so great.

To respect their privacy, I won't post any of the pictures I took of Kade with them but I will show you what he looked like about 20 minutes after they left...

And the next day...

Saturday Night

Erik and I spent Saturday night in the cities helping celebrate his sister's birthday while my parents watched Kade.  It wasn't the first night my mom had spent with him but it was her first night without me there.  Kade's bedtime is 7:30 and that's by Kade's choice, we can hardly get him to stay awake til then most nights anyway!  I called around 9:00 to see how bedtime went, imagine our surprise when we found out he was still awake!!  I guess Kade had plans to party on Saturday night too!  I think he might have his grandparents wrapped around his chubby, little baby fingers.

He was pretty tired on Sunday which worked in our favor since we were pretty tired too.  Neither Erik nor I have seen 3:00 am in a long time unless it was to feed Kade his bottle.  Who am I kidding, I barely see 9:00 pm these days!!



(This was taken from a cell phone so it's not the best quality)  Grandpa is already teaching Kade how to operate fast moving "toys"!  How small do they make helmets???



So tired after his night of partying, he fell asleep sucking on the elephant's trunk.



Question:  What's more fun than playing with the handle of a drawer?



Answer:  Pulling open the drawer!



Don't let this sweet face fool you, he's always up to no good in his walker!