Is it spring yet?

David kicked off this week with a Valentine's party at Fiona's house. He had heart shaped pizza and cake and played with some of his friends from our block. I know he had a great time, and I know Alma must have enjoyed breaking up the monotony of another winter day stuck inside.

Look out, Peyton Manning! A very dark picture of Jackson, Olivia, Jacob, David, Fiona and the back of Ashley's head.

Friday morning we had a play date with Megan, Nick and Julia. Sorry, no pictures, but we really enjoyed having them over. I also discovered that when properly motivated, Snoopy can jump the baby gate at the top of our very steep stairs to the second floor. That dog is nuts.

Friday night into Saturday, we got about 5-6 inches of snow. We attempted to take David out Saturday morning for some sledding. Proving once again that he is my son, he wanted nothing to do with the cold and snow. We spent more time trudging to and from the park 3 blocks down the street than we did on the sledding hill. He did seem a bit more interested in helping us shovel. I'm sure that this interest will vanish by the time he's actually old enough to do it.

Saturday afternoon I actually left the house sans David and went to see "He's Just Not That Into You" and then to dinner with a few of my friends. The movie was a very cute little chick flick. While I was out, David and Kevin got to hang out with Evie and Nate. They had pizza, and Kevin said it was fun to watch the kids really play with each other instead of just along side each other.

Today we went to our friends' daughter's third birthday party. There was an indoor carousel and lots of play equipment to climb on, not to mention tons of food, which David ate and ate and ate... We had a great time. Happy birthday, Veda!

The only other news is that I've been sucked into the dark world of Facebook this week. I knew it would happen eventually, but I decided to bite the bullet when I heard that some families have been able to use Facebook to find contacts in their children's finding towns that they feel will be helpful in tracking down foster families and birth families. We'll see if I have any luck.

The godfather

As usual, this weekend went by too fast. I had to work Friday, so David spent the morning with Kevin. They went to the Lincoln Park zoo and had a great time. The tiger was apparently very active and growled loud enough to scare David. Alma watched David in the afternoon and brought Sabrina with her, so it was a banner day for him.
Godfather Steve was in town from Kansas City, so we spent some time Saturday with him, his friend Allan and, perhaps most importantly in David's mind, Allan's very old and very sweet dog, Linus. David is now asking for the game Rock Band and a 12 year old beagle.
David with Steve, singing while Kevin "plays guitar" and with Allan.

Saturday night we had a family Valentine's date at Oberweis where we all ate way too much ice cream. David ate his sundae until the sprinkles were gone and wanted nothing to do with it after that.
Today we hung out at home until the afternoon and then went to Grandma and Grandpa Maas's house. As always, Grandma had a new matchbox car for David, which brings to 342 the number of cars he must now take in the tub with him every night.
Not much else new here. Kevin and I have been talking about what a boy David is becoming. He loves all things that go, and absolutely everything he holds turns into some kind of weapon. His favorite game is "run run run." There are many variations--some with him running in circles around the house, some with him running and other people chasing him and (his favorite) some with people carrying him while they run. He can count to two, and his vocabulary continues to grow. We're almost positive tonight on the way home he was trying to say "Beyonce." Speaking of...

Blackberries are easy to use

David would like to issue a public apology to Mr. Adam, whom he called (and woke up) at 6:30ish this morning using Kevin's blackberry. He regrets any inconvenience this might have caused.

The latest

Since last I posted, here's what we've been up to...

• David had his 2 year check up. He weighed in at 27 pounds (25th percentile) and is 32 1/4 inches long (5th-10th percentile). We were not surprised to learn that he is healthy and developing normally.
• I attempted to cut his hair a week ago thinking it might be less traumatic if I did it at home, but he flailed and screamed like it was going out of style. We'll be leaving all future hair cuts to trained professionals, though I don't think I did a half bad job.
• David enjoyed play dates with the brothers Swanson (Gus and Eli) and with his cousins, Lauren and Grace. He also went to see his cousin Melanie compete in a gymnastics meet at Navy Pier with Kevin while I worked on Saturday.
• While David enjoyed his time with Lauren and Grace, I stayed home vomiting. I'd like to thank all the parents who rush their children into the office after two episodes of vomiting for sharing that with me. I am now fully recovered but considering wearing a biohazard suit to work from now on.
• We had a break in the frigid weather for a few days, even making it into the 60s on Tuesday which threatened the record high set in 1876. This means in just 133 years, we should expect similar pleasant weather in February. Fiona declared that it is summer, and David reaffirmed his love of the outdoors. (He has been chanting "outside outside outside" all week.) There are going to be some very disappointed children this weekend when it's back to the freezing cold and snow.
• Kevin travelled to Ohio this week on business. It was apparently incredibly windy and took several passes before his flight could land in Columbus. Several passengers threw up, including the man next to Kevin. Fun. We are happy to report that he is now home safely.
• While perusing the blog of David's orphanage mate, Mason-Kate, I found a site for families considering special needs adoption. It's http://www.nohandsbutours.blogspot.com/. I decided to submit our story, so we'll see if we show up there in the next couple of days.

David refusing to sit with Kevin on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier

David with Lauren and Grace

David insisting on wearing Kevin's Bulls hat

David's birthday

First, a quick update from today. This morning I had the great pleasure of going to 26th and California (lovely lovely neighborhood) for jury duty. Not just any jury duty, though. Grand jury duty. On the first Monday of every month, 16 lucky people (plus 10 alternates) are chosen by the Cook County circuit court to serve as grand jurors every Monday through Friday for an entire month. Yikes. I'm not sure who has an entire month of weekdays free to do this, but fortunately I wasn't chosen or shot to death in the parking garage.
This afternoon David had his surgery follow up. He had his catheter removed (hurray!). He may or may not have a fistula that will need to be repaired in a few months. That would be a bummer, but at least it should be a shorter surgery with a less painful recovery. There was obviously a hole in a location where there should not be one until the catheter came out, and then it because much more difficult to see. So we're letting him heal for 6 more weeks and going back for a recheck.
Now, the birthday stuff. We kicked things off right with a trip to O'Hare Friday afternoon to pick up Grandmama and Granddaddy. As a bonus, we were stopped by a freight train on our way there, which brought David a great deal of joy. That night he ate his body weight in gnocchi at the Pasta Shoppe and then enjoyed a sundae courtesy of Uncle Adams and the Oberweis Sundae of the Month Club. It was disturbing to see how much food can fit into such a little person.
Saturday we checked out the children's museum at Navy Pier and tried a new Chinese restaurant in Oak Park. David had a seat with a view of the kitchen and the el tracks, so he spent most the meal yelling either "hot!" or "choo choo!" The food was great, and you can't beat trains and fire for entertainment, so we will definitely be going back.
Yesterday was the big day. We decided to keep things as low key as possible and just have a day that David would really enjoy. He opened a couple of his presents in the morning--a real kid-proof (or so they claim) camera and a vacuum. Both were big hits. After taking a number of pictures of his own feet, David agreed to get dressed, and we hit one of his favorite spots in the city--Shedd Aquarium. We saw all the highlights, including the Wild Reef exhibit with the see through floor (not sure how much the rays swimming underneath the floor really add in David's mind) and the local exhibit that includes a tent and canoe to play in. After a nap, he helped prepare the icing for his birthday cupcakes, and it even thawed enough for him to get in a little time outside with Kevin and the pups. In the evening, David played host to all four grandparents, great-grandma Lil, Uncle Dave and Katie. He thoroughly enjoyed yelling at the Superbowl and put on a brief halftime show featuring the music of Beyonce. I think he had a really good birthday.

David enjoying the interactive snowball fight exhibit at the children's museum.


Playing with his new camera. Performing quality control on the icing.

Super David Sunday

Today we celebrated David's second birthday with a trip to Shedd Aquarium and the biggest football game of the year, perfect for a boy who loves football. We've actually been celebrating all weekend with his LaBorde grandparents in town. I'll post all the details and pictures once we get through jury duty and David's surgery follow up tomorrow, but for now, here's his birthday slideshow with some of our favorite pictures since Gotcha Day.