nikolay is a big brother

nikolay enjoying being a big brother!

Getting ready for Christmas

Nikolay's first pony ride

I took Nikolay to my cousin's horse farm this past weekend and he had his first pony ride. He loves animals and really loved the pony.

A few new pictures

I wanted to share a couple of recents pictures of Nikolay. One of them is in babies r us--one of our favorite stores. He just loves it! He talks so much when he is there b/c he is so excited to see all the lights and brightly colored things.

He also has adjusted to the bath and I am now able to bathe him in the bathroom--much easier than the kitchen floor. He doens't even cry anymore when I rinse out the shampoo--he knows to tip his head back now--pretty smart.

He just started to feed himself cheerios and he loves it. That can occupy him for 45 minutes--more end up on floor and high chair then in his mouth but he does seem to enjoy so much! He also fed himself sweet potatoes and melon.

It is amazing how fast he is learning things--I woke up the other morning and he was standing in his crib. It only took him 2o minutes to learn, "how big, so big" .

I just signed him up for a music class for the fall. I cannot wait b/c he will really love--he just loves music!

Baby is doing great and I am solo

The baby is doing great!! He is still sleeping so well--goes to bed by 7pm and sleeps until 6am--doesn't even make a sound at night. He is also still taking his two naps, and only cries for about 5 seconds when I put him down, then falls asleep. He is making this so easy!!

My mother left this am, so I am now officially on my own. I am trying to line up company every day and also have myself on a schedule so I can get everything done when he is asleep. It was pretty overwhelming at first b/c there was so much to do when I first got home--the doctor, social worker visit, social security, registration with consulate, not to mention unpacking, paper work and of course, taking care of baby. Most everything is done, so is a little more relaxing now. I still can't believe though how much baby food and formula and diapers he is going through. At the beginning of the week I stocked up on baby food but today I am down to my last jar of meat.

I wanted to attach a few more pics. We took him to the beach right by my house and he LOVED it. He crawled right into the water and loved the surf splashing on it. He has also adjusted much better to the stroller (thanks to some stroller toys my niece attached to the stroller )and the car seat, which is making it so much easier. The bath he is fine with as long as it is in the kitchen. For some reason, he doens't like to be in the bathtub. I will give it a few more weeks and then try again. Hope you like the pics!

We Are Home!!

We are finally home and Nikolay is doing great. It was rough for the first few days b/c the baby wasn't sleeping well but now he is back on schedule sleeping 10 hours a night and takes a 2 hour nap in the am and two hour nap in the pm. We are thrilled to finally be home and he is adjusting wonderfully!

In Moscow and loving it!!!!!!!!

Just a quick update b/c Nikolay is sleeping. He is doing great and had a fantastic day!!! We just LOVED Moscow--my favorite city so far, even beats Rome, I think!! The Kremlin with all the churches is just breathtaking as is Red Square. Nikolay is getting cuter every day and really enjoyed walking around today. We leave day after tomorrow. Can't wait to see everybody on Friday!