Look who's 2!

Today, February 28th, Lucas turned 2 years old!!! In some ways it seems like he just came home and how can he already be 2? And in other ways it feels like he's been here forever. We realized last week, though I forgot to mention it in the post about his dedication, that we received his referral on February 20, 2009. We didn't have a name or a photo, but just that there was a little boy waiting for us to go meet him at the end of March. Little did we know that almost to the day a year later that little boy would be dedicated, and his birth joyously celebrated a few days later.

It's truly astounding the changes a child goes through in such a relatively small amount of time. Lucas is speaking in sentences now a majority of the time and remembers and repeats all these phrases: "Elmo, it's so good to see you!" (on seeing Elmo first thing in the morning), "I said no, no" (upon opening the freezer and starting to pull out all the contents and usually my cue that he's doing something he shouldn't), "Lucas turned on the machine and Papa turned it off" (in telling everyone he meets about the evil wet/dry vacuum that has kept him from wanting to go into the basement for the past month). He also is extremely curious and wants to get on top/under, turn everything on/off (see the above picture playing in the bathroom sink) and explore all those different buttons on the you-name-it. Spring can't get here fast enough.

Lucas has a huge appetite lately, usually far outeating his brother at most meals and is sleepy soundly every night. Yup, another growth spurt is ongoing. Not that he's been lacking in that area...currently close to 30 lbs. He is also SO much more expressive emotionally...on the whole spectrum! He's always been a happy little guy, but lately he seems to laugh hysterically at the silliest little thing and we find him sometimes cracking himself up in his crib or the other night at the dinner table. On the other end though, until a couple weeks ago, I would have said that Lucas doesn't get upset or demanding. Ha! There's a new high-pitched sound in our house these days and we're actively trying to turn it down :).

And as mentioned previously, the fears are still cropping up. We went into a small store this past week and the mere sight of the proprietor sent Lucas into tears. I can't imagine what brought it on...he was in my arms the entire time and I've never come close to handing Lucas over to a stranger. He is apprehensive now about strangers and uncomfortable situations...evidenced by this new humming sound he makes and saying 'hi' repeatedly and nervously. We also had a hard separation at school on Friday...a place he usually is jumping out of his carseat to get to. He's keeping me on a short leash these days and although we're encouraging his independence we're also recognizing that something is going on right now and giving him all the snuggles and comfort that he needs.

Back to the birthday. We had a small family celebration today; just the immediate family, grandma's Yaya and Kalima, and Lucas' ever present buddies these days...Elmo and Ernie. We brought out the Elmo party supplies that we used for Alexander's 2nd birthday (runs in the family) and had fun blowing up balloons, hanging streamers, singing and wearing silly hats. Lucas wasn't quite sure what to make of the fuss, especially when the lighted candle came in front of him ('but Mama, I thought I had to stay away from fire?!?'). But the ice cream was a big hit with Lucas while Alexander was quite thrilled we also had cake. Lucas bday gift from us was a beautiful adjustable chair that he can easily get in and out of now and that he can also use as he gets older. A couple board books and a silly monster bowling game from Kalima and he was a happy camper.

Although this was a joyous day, at present in our minds was the news we received early yesterday morning that Paul's grandmother, Nanny, was hospitalized in NC and not expected to make it through the weekend. Paul spoke to her on the phone, telling her that we loved her and thought of her often. We then decided Paul should try to see her and scrambled to get him on a flight that afternoon. However this was not to be. After waiting in the airport for 4 hours through multiple reschedules Paul returned home and ultimately decided a trip wasn't practical for many reasons. Through the day we often thought of Nanny and wished she could have met this newest light in our family. So far today no news is good news from NC and holding on to hope for a different outcome.

Happy Birthday Lucas Dmitry...you are so very loved and cherished and looking forward to this coming year of endless experiences with you.

Dedicated with love

This past Sunday, February 21st, Lucas was dedicated in our church. We were joined by 2 of his grandma's, Kalima and Yaya, for a beautiful ceremony.

First we were asked by what name this child would be known...Lucas Dmitry...Lucas meaning "bringer of light"and Dmitry being one of his given Russian names. Then Paul and I were asked to affirm our commitment as parents with a kiss to Lucas, followed by this Irish blessing that we chose which I read in Russian and Paul read in English (thanks Anna for helping me with the translation!!):

May the road rise to meet you, May the wind be always at your back. May the warm rays of sun fall upon your home and may the hand of a friend always be near. May green be the grass you walk on, May blue be the skies above you, May pure be the joys that surround you, May true be the hearts that love you.

Пусть дорога вытенется перед тобой встречая тебя. Пусть ветер всегда дует тебе в спину. Пусть теплые лучи солнца греют твой дом и пусть рука друга будет всегда рядом. Пусть будет зеленой трава, по которой ты ходишь, Пусть небо будет синим над твоей головой, Пусть истинной будет радость вокруг тебя, Пусть искренними будут сердца которые тебя любят.

The grandmas were up next. They were also asked to affirm their committments to Lucas, sealed with a kiss. Kali then read this beauty of a poem, which she wrote:

Lucas

Eight months ago you waited in my arms
as we stood in a crowded airplane,
tired passengers on cell phones
all around us,
serious faces arriving
from Moscow by way of Amsterdam.

You looked at the man behind us
and blew him a raspberry.
I ducked, mortified adult,
and laughed, tickled grandma.
A hundred faces grinned back at us
sharing a moment of fun.
A grandparent couple two seats away
nodded a bond and smiled.

That day has brought us to this day
to name you, our bright-eyed boy,
a thousand grins and tears
and astonished moments later.

I wish for you a life you can fill
with innocent mischief, arms
to hold you when you
need them, the reflection
of your own bright grin
in the faces of everyone you meet,
and the knowledge that you are loved
with enthusiasm that mirrors your own.
May you always know
that you are treasured
in this, your family,
your community and your world.

Then came Alexander's part...he had written a few sweet words in response to my question a few weeks ago of how he could help his brother as grows up and what his brother meant to him. Alexander got quite shy and retreated behind me. Luckily, we had planned for Yaya to assist and she wonderfully read Alexander's words. Alexander did must up the courage though to come out from behind for the "kiss".

The actual dedication part was next, where a white rose (symbol of unfolding life) was dipped in water (symbol of purity) and then touched to Lucas' forehead. We concluded with this blessing and ringing of a bell that I purchased in Russia to be given to Lucas on his naming day:

Give us the spirit of a child
Give us the child who lives within:
The child who Trusts
The child who Imagines,
The child who Sings.
The child who receives without reservation,
The child who gives without judgment.
Give us a child's eyes, that we may receive the beauty and freshness of this day like a sunrise;
Give us a child's ears, that we may hear the music of mythical times;
Give us a child's heart, that we may be filled with wonder and delight;
Give us the child's faith, that we may be cured of our cynicism;
Give us the spirit of a child, who is not afraid to need; who is not afraid to love.

I held Lucas in the Ergo carrier throughout...I wasn't sure how he'd react being in front of our congregation in light of the fact that he has developed some anxiety about new situations recently. But he did great...especially as he munched on grapes throughout! We came home, laid him down for a well-deserved nap, and then had a wonderful party with family and friends afterwards. It was a lovely day.

Now onto his 2nd birthday this Sunday!

Snuggles and reading books

If I had been Maria (in the Sound of Music) these would have been a few of my favorite things...

Every day it becomes more and more evident to me, and to those around us, how different Alexander and Lucas are. Isn't that usually the way with siblings? We've been doing a lot of reflecting on this lately as Lucas is now the age Alexander was when he came home over 3.5 years ago. Lucas usually can't stop for long enough during the day to sit through a book (he does at night though) while Alexander could (and still does) read for hours. Lucas is already quite comfortable with strangers (as long as we are nearby) while Alexander took years it seems to say hello to friends. Lucas usually doesn't budge when we try to get him to stay away/put down/get down from X/Y/Z while Alexander would have been nearly in tears from a raised voice.

But one area they are same, for now anyway, is that my boys love to snuggle. Alexander to this day still likes to hold of our hands to his mouth while he sucks his thumb, climb in our laps for books and have us "snuggle" with him for a few minutes before he goes to bed at night. Lucas recently has become more comfortable and interested in sitting in my lap just to sit and relax for a minute. When he's hurt he'll typically find me and get into the cradle position sucking his pointer and middle fingers or rest his head on my shoulder. And tonight, as I changed him into his pajamas he said he was cold, came into my lap and took my arm to wrap it around him. I said "aw snuggles" and then a few minutes later after he was done brushing his teeth with Papa, ran back to me saying "snuggle, snuggle". Bliss.

And even more bliss...Alexander read me a book today! It was a short, simple book, but a book nonetheless. He has read sentences and passages here and there before but not a whole story without any help. I'm amazed at how far he has come...only 5 months ago he could recognize maybe a handful of words. I give huge kudos to Alexander for his attention and persistence but also to his fabulous Kindergarten teacher at Ayers. I see him in a new independent light now but hope he still wants me to read to him for a long time to come :). Oh and yes, there have been more deep questions...how long has the earth been here, why do numbers keep going (how DO you explain infinity to a 5 year old?!?) and how did the earth get made? Which led me somehow into trying to explain the infinity of space...

And not so bliss...Lucas has developed a couple pretty intense fears. One oddly enough is to bathroom stalls. For some reason the last couple times I have had to take him in with me he just starts screaming and crying and trying to get me to get him out. I am not sure of the trigger as he has not been affected by loud noises (1st time I turned on our vacuum he tried to ride it) or small spaces (goes into dark closets here and everywhere all the time). Needless to say I will be waiting to use the facilities wherever possible. Another though is very understandable...last week he was in the basement with Paul and decided to see what the red switch on the wet/dry vac did. The vac was still plugged in. Yup...loud, loud, loud noise. Paul said he literally jumped back 2 feet and then fell onto some other noise-producing item. He cried so hard he was shaking. When I later took him into the basement to change laundry he was fine until he saw the wet/dry vac......Poor kiddo.

Laura