Gotcha day!

One year ago today, Theo joined Andy and I forever! Andy said it best, "It feels like yesterday and a million years ago all at the same time."

It's hard to believe that exactly one year ago Mrs. Yang, Theo's foster mom, was placing him in my arms during the Giving and Receiving Ceremony at Eastern. Remembering that moment is still surreal, still bittersweet. We were receiving the best gift anyone could ever give us, while at the same time taking our sweet little boy from the only home he had ever known. Andy and I look forward to the day we can take Theo back to Korea, to meet with Mrs. Yang and the folks at Eastern once again, and show them what a wonderful little person he is turning into.

Here are some of our first moments together as a family:

Here are some pics from our first Gotcha Day celebration:

Happy Gotcha Day Theo!

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Back on track

After being a rotten blogger for the past two months, I have full intentions of mending my ways to keep Sir Theo's fans fully updated on his latest moments of cuteness... or, since he is almost two, moments of NOT so cute!

We have had a busy few months in the Barrett house. I have finished my last technology class for my master's, YEE-HAW. The last few weeks of the program were extremely busy, but now it's over and I have that much more time to spend with The Boy! Andy is also back in class down at U of I becoming more brillant as the weeks go by. Which brings me to Theo...

At last post we had just returned from our awesome Disney trip. Theo still likes to bust out his Mickey ears and wear them around the house. I can't imagine who encourages such behavior???? He also has a new bike and basketball hoop that we have actually been able to use with some of our warmer weather days. Current sporting education also includes football- he's quite the studly quarterback when we have a chance to play but I think his prospects of becoming a wide receiver are yet to be determined.

The biggest news of late is the fact that Theo got to be the world's cutest ring bearer in a wedding this month. The wedding required a weekend trip to Omaha, which now means Theo has logged more miles on an airplane in one year than Andy has his entire life! =) Regardless, we had a great time in Omaha for our friends' Zach and Robyn's wedding. While the nontraditional approach to the wedding spared Theo from walking down an actual aisle, he still stole the show with some wicked dance moves at the wedding reception. This will be well reflected in Robyn and Zach's wedding pictures... I'm not sure if the photographer was aware that it was their big day as he was so busy taking millions of pictures of Theo!

We're closing in on Theo's Gotcha Day which is April 6th. It's hard to believe that he's been home for one year! It's as amazing today as it was in those first few weeks home to see him do whatever he's doing. I continually try to be objective, but this kid's got some serious genius in his brain! His latest hobbies, other than football with Daddy, include counting to 10 (working on it), singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(more like Tinkle, Tinkle), taking pictures with Mama's camera when she's not looking, and having light saber battles with anyone who's up to the challenge. Now, before you go thinking he's a perfect child, let's take a look at some of his other recent hobbies... "NO." Yep, saying no, ignoring no, wanting no, giving no, NO!!!! We've had an increase in whining as well, and why oh why must he grunt when he wants something?!?!? Even more special is the fact that Theo has now taken something special away from Andy and I... the oratory stylings of sailors and truck drivers. Yes, my darling son dropped his first f-bomb in the car after hearing Andy say it. We looked at each other in shock and dismay, not so much because Theo said it, but because we had not anticipated the loss of our freedom of speech so early in our career as parents. Aahh, the sacrifices we make...

Here's our latest pics! http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157616011242637/detail/

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Delays and Dole Whips

Well, I guess it's happened for real! I'm off my blogging schedule... ARGH. Okay, I'll try to get back into the once-a-month groove soon. In my defense, January was not all that exciting in the Barrett house!

Yes, the new year started out rather calmly. We had a few playdates, Theo experienced his first Super Bowl, Andy and I both headed back to class, and we dealt with frigid temperatures and way too much snow! How's that for a summary in brief?

More exciting than the whole month of January, was Theo's first trip to Disney World!!!!!!! I broke my own "not until they're old enough to remember it" rule and had the best time with my boy at The World! Even more exciting than that, was the fact that Andy, Theo, and I were joined with Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie Laura, and Granny Sue. Yes, that's right... all seven of us vacationed together for 5 days! AND stayed in the same room! AND everyone loves each other still!!! Wahoo. The group stayed in a 2-bedroom villa at the Old Key West Resort at WDW. Needless to say, we were all very spoiled with the accommodations, as the villa was bigger than my and Andy's first house. Beyond our posh quarters, was great weather, low crowds, and an absolute wonderful time! Theo's favorites included Dumbo, the Seas with Nemo and Friends, and Playhouse Disney Live. He also braved Pirates of the Carribean, the Kilinmanjaro Safari, and meeting the Mouse in person. He was SO good on the trip, very few tears and no tantrums. Grandma Jane and Grandpa Jeff also enjoyed their first trip to WDW immensely. My personal favorite of the trip was the fact that we got Jane to ride roller coasters! I have never laughed so hard on a ride as when we took Jane on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad... it was well worth the cost of the whole trip for that one ride!

Upon our arrival home Theo decided it was time to get sick - croup and a sinus infection. The best part of that was the fact that he broke out in head-to-toe hives as a result of the sinus infection! It must be just so much fun to scare the pants off of mom and dad. In spite of the magic of Disney World, we are also starting to experience temper tantrums. OH JOY. As a matter of fact, he currently is throwing one as I type (I'm such a great mom aren't I?) because his Slinky won't do what he wants it to. There is definite foot-stomping, and we may see some flailing soon. Can you stay stubborn and strong-willed?

As always here are our latest pics:
January -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157613783453703/detail/
WDW -
http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157613780088315/detail/

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Happy New Year!

The last weeks of 2008 were full of chaos and fun! Besides all of the holiday happenings, Theo got to spend some QT with lots of important people. Granny Sue came for a weeklong visit from Tennessee. We had good friends come home from all over the country. Most importantly, Theo had his first encounter with Santa Claus! We were all prepared for screams and tears, but he handled it like a champ and even told Santa that he wanted a car for Christmas. Be sure to check out the newest pics on Flickr!

Christmas itself was a fun-filled whirlwind. We had a great time at both the Struven family and Bastian family Christmases. I have of course "trained" Theo to do the 12 Days of Christmas dance, but when the video camera came out, he wanted no part of it. Fortunately, we did manage to get a glimpse of "five gold rings..."

Presents included a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse playset, a "smash crash" car set, a Thomas the Tank Engine train set, and the appropriately overdone amount of Hot Wheels and Pixar car stuff. Beyond the toys, his Auntie Laura made a BEAUTIFUL Mickey Mouse cross-stitch for his room, and the Gilmores and Falvos bought him his very first share of Disney stock. With all of those fantastic gifts, how could he possibly pick a favorite?

Theo spent his first NYE home with Grandma and Grandpa so Andy and I could go out. It might be the last time I convince Andy to attend a NYE party as one of our friends broke his ankle as he toasted the new year! OUCH. Fortunately, Theo had a much more pleasant experience with Grandma and Grandpa, mostly watching videos and making a disaster of all of the toys he keeps at their house.

We also had another first... Theo's first illness! I know, it's crazy that he's been home since April and hasn't really been sick. Well this time, after three doctor's visits, he was diagnosed with an upper-respiratory infection and prescribed two antibotics. What a trooper, other than needing extra cuddle time and a few thousand boxes of Kleenex, he really didn't complain. 1st one down, ten million to go!

December's Flickr pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157611698600623/detail/

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CARS!!!!!

Yes, that is Theo's newest obsession... cars. Disney cars, cars in magazines, cars on TV, cars in parking lots, riding in cars, you name it, he loves it! It's really the first thing he's really into, so it's definitely fun. He's also obsessed with his My First Words book - so much so that Andy and I have taken to hiding it in the couch when WE JUST CAN'T LOOK AT IT ANYMORE!!!

November was a busy month, more so for the parents than the child. Andy is busy with his doctoral work, while I finished up one of my last master's classes. We survived our first round of parent/teacher conferences and enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with Andy's family. The house is decorated and ready for the holidays, and I'm pleased to report that Theo has taken a liking to all the Santas around the house. I'm not sure how he will fare when we hit the mall to actually see Santa, (I predict tears and lots of no, no, no) but so far he's all about the big, jolly guy.

In other Theo news, he now enjoys climbing up onto the family room table, (see video below) pulling the cats' tails, watching the Disney vacation planning video, using silverware, and eating everything in sight. Honestly, this is not the typical kid who only eats mac n' cheese, he will try anything and generally likes it. His bigger concerns are making sure he's eating the exact same things as any and all adults around him, and this includes condiments. Now, this may sound like a strange statement, but for those of you who know Andy well enough and are aware of his love affair with ketchup and barbeque sauce, it makes perfect sense.

We are looking forward to a wonderful holiday season and a fun-filled Christmas with the little man. As long as the cats and dog don't knock over the tree, we should be all set!

As usual, here's a link to our latest pics:

http://flickr.com/photos/68847421@N00/sets/72157610432774634/detail/

And here's a quick video of Theo:

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