Thursday, July 23, 2009

More Party Shots



Party Time!

Last Sunday (7/19/09) Zach had his very first party. We celebrated his baptism and also his birthday--it was an early birthday party, as his birthday isn't actually until 8/03. He had lots of family and friends come to celebrate with him. During the baptism, Cheerios kept him content. He even seemed to enjoy having the water poured over his head! He got to wear his traditional Chinese silk outfit for the baptism. From church we headed to a picnic area at Saylorville Lake. He played hard on the playground, tried to blow out birthday candles, and learned how to unwrap gifts. It was a busy day! A few nights later he caught up on his sleep--Mommy woke him up after 12 hours.

Besides partying, Zachary continues to love exploring. Maybe we should have named him Curious George. Daddy was surprised when he saw Zach chomping on a worm at the playground last Saturday!!! At the beach yesterday he had fun collecting rocks & sticks and playing in the sand with his friends. He also continues to love music. His dancing just keeps gettin better everyday!

We head to Iowa City on Monday July 27 for a consultation with the Cleft Team. Please keep Zachary in your prayers as deals with upcoming appointments, surgeries, etc.

Monday, July 13, 2009

Iowa Sweet Corn

Aunt Jodi and cousin Rebecca thought it was time that Zachary try some sweet corn. They brought some over last week. Zach enjoyed husking the corn. He was kinda sad when that job was all over. Maybe we can get him a job in Grimes;)   I don't think he realized it was food when he was working on the husking project. Next time he will probably try to eat it while he husks!

He LOVED eating the corn! Daddy tried to get him to eat it off the cob--it may work better next year;)

Zachary is starting to become a bit choosier with his food these days. He has now decided he does not like green beans, cantaloupe, chili beans, and tomatoes. He still has a very good appetite but is not gorging himself as he used to. He will even leave food on his plate some days, which in China he never did.

On another note, we continue to be thankful for God's timing with our trip to China. Complications from the Swine Flu continue to delay travel for some adopting families. Various adoption agencies are still recommending that families postpone their travel to China, due to the risk of being quarantined while there. We have so many things to be thankful for!




Enjoying Summer

Zachary spent the 4th of July meeting more cousins (Samantha & Raquel), Aunt Allyson, Uncle Marty, and great grandma. He loved all the attention! He even got to go swimming in a "real" pool for the first time. He loved having Daddy dunk his head under the water. Who knows, maybe we have an Olympian swimmer on our hands:) He didn't stay up for the fireworks; he didn't even budge when Grandpa and Uncle Marty set off the fireworks on the farm.


Wednesday, July 1, 2009

A little sponge....


Zachary continues to be a little sponge, soaking up all the things he hears and sees around him.  This week he started signing "help"--it is so funny to watch him do it--he puts his entire body into signing it! Last week when it was so hot, he started saying "hot day"  every time we got in and out of the car. He loves having the wind blow in his hair, especially if we are driving with the windows down in the car. He lifts up his hands and feels the breeze. So precious!

Mom and dad continue to be blessed with tons of hugs and kisses from Zach. We figure he must have been given lots of love in the orphanage and foster home. They taught him how to pass on that love. We are very thankful for that. Zachary gave some kisses to cousin Carter this week. He is fascinated by his soft baby skin! Zach didn't like it when Carter gave him a big wet slobbery kiss back though--not real found of the slobber apparently!

We went to the carousel in Des Moines over the weekend. Zachary was pretty scared. Not sure if it was the loud music or the animals. He had a tight grip on Daddy when we stood and watched other kids ride it. We didn't ride this time; maybe another time.

Today Zachary painted for the first time. He made a painting (using glitter glue and Qtip) of fireworks during his music class. He also got to play the cymbals in class, which he loved!

Have a safe and relaxing 4th of July!