YES, I'm slow....

Gabby started kindergarten on September 5. She turned 5 on October 2. See my dolled-up photo of her dancing with her musical Sleeping Beauty card from Grandma & Grandpa!!








On October 13, we went to Rochester, New York for my cousin's son's wedding! Gee, 3 weddings in 3 years! Must be something in the air in Rochester!!

The kids looked cute in their fancy outfits from Grandma, super-discount clothing shopper! :o) We love Grandma's finds! The lamp in the background is from my mom's house. She always told Aunt Lillian she could have it when she was done with it! We all decided when mom died, she was done with it! :o) The loveseat was my mom's mom's. Aunt Lillian says we get BOTH those items when SHE'S done with them! I hope it's not too soon!!






Gabby and the bride, Alisha. It was a "tropical" theme. The bride & bridesmaids carried seashells as a bouquet...very cute!




















And, here's Duncan trying to horn in on Gabby's photo...typical! :o) He's so cute!

I forgot...I have to brag a little...here's the little dress I knit for Gabby. That black "fun Fur" is a pain in the BUTT to work with, but overall, I think it's a very cute dress!

Cute Kids.....
Oh, come on, you gotta oooh & aaah over my adorable kiddos! This picture was taken at The Somerset Collection (used to be Somerset Mall) on Daddy's birthday...July 19, 2007. Gabby snagged Duncan just as I pressed the button!

Just for the record...Duncan was 3 years, 5 months and Gabby was 4 years 9.5 months in the picture.











Warren's "new" downtown area has a cool feature--a fountain area where you can run around & cool off. In the winter, it's a skating rink. Gabby & Duncan enjoy running and getting wet. We have discovered, after a number of falls, it's best to wear water shoes/sandals when you go into the fountains! I also love it when the kids lay down & make "water angels" on the flat surfaces! I guess they are looking forward to snow/winter...even in 95 degree heat!


















We've put my mom's house up for sale...$151,000. I'm REALLY hoping it sells quickly and for the asking price...but, we have not had a single showing yet and it went on the market August 24th...OK, 5 days! But, the woman we have selling for us got Donna's uncle's condo sold in 6 days! Tomorrow we are selling mom's car to the neighbor's grandkids. It's sad to see so many things going when I know how much mom loved them, worked for them, enjoyed them.

Gabby begins Kindergarten on Sept 5th!! YIKES! We bought the stuff from her school supply list today. Duncan also had to get "matching" items...paper to "write" on, a folder for his papers, tissues, etc. This weekend we're going to Arts, Beats & Eats in Pontiac (http://www.artbeatseats.com). That should be fun...the kids LOVE the bouncers and there's always good food to try, maybe even find a Christmas gift or 2. Sunday we are going to a BBQ at the Oliver's house. The kids can't wait!!! They adore Ashley! So, it'll be a fun weekend.

Tuesday, Steve has knee surgery. We are PRAYING for a good outcome & speedy recovery. Steve's mom is going to play babysitter for the kids.

Gabby's up to 11.3 kg and 97 cm...24.91 pounds and 38" for those non-metric people. So, height is going well...weight is still WAY under. So, we're trying periactin again as an appetite stimulant. I hope it goes better than our 6 week trial at the begining of the year...she LOST weight (1.5 pounds) on an appetite stimulant...go figure!

Me, I'm just trying to hold together. I stress about every stinkin thing and have lots of aches and pains from lack of sleep & stress. Duncan's eating a bit better now that we're not at Grandma Jill's every day. He actually got up last night & asked for help using the toilet. :o) OK, it was at 3 a.m....but that's better than peeing in the bed! He's growing up!

It's been a serious BUMMER of a couple weeks here. On Wednesday, July 25 I went to visit my mom in the hospital...and she didn't know who I was! When she finally recognized me, she had me back in high school...or maybe college! YIKES! That was FREAKY! She was talking about seeing my dad & that he was redecorating his office...dad passed away 8 years ago. Then she thought I went to the zoo with my cousin Jim--only she called him Jimmy. We have not referred to Jim as Jimmy since he was about 12! And Jim passed away almost 14 years ago. EEK!

Thursday morning started with a call that my mom's cat was dying! Kidney failure...He was nearly 19 years old. I picked him out as a 1 month old kitten, left him with my parents when I got married...He was an OLD cat! Of all the days to die, he had to choose the day my mother died too! Geez!

Yeah, my mom died on July 26. Got a call from the doctor at 1 p.m. that she wasn't doing well. Steve & I went to see her. By 3:45, we couldn't understand her because she was in so much pain. We had them go to pain management--no heroics. Went home, fed the kids & put them to bed. I went back at 9, stayed till 10:10. Before I got home, Steve called the emergency only cell phone I was carrying to say the hospital called...mom had died.

My brother & his family arrived late Friday afternoon. We made visitation and memorial service arrangements on Saturday. Family came from Rochester, NY on Sunday. Visitation was Monday afternoon/evening. Memorial service was Tuesday morning. Lawyer's office Wednesday morning--I begged off going to sort stuff at my mom's house on Wednesday afternoon. I'm still reeling--my mom & my cat on the same day! Nice!

I thought this "doctored" picture of the kids generally describes how I feel!!



















Steve went back to work today. The kids & I hung out. Tomorrow we put mom's ashes in the ground next to my dad. Wednesday we have a person coming to appraise the stuff in my mom's house. Anyone want a 4 year old, 3 bedroom ranch in pristine condition in the city of Roseville, Michigan????!! Anyone??? I'm already sick of dealing with all of this!

zoo!!!

Went to the zoo with Grandma & Grandpa today...got some really cute pictures! I love the ones of Duncan & Gabby on the train. I STILL wish I had had a video camera on the first trip to the zoo when we took the train...Gabby was SOOOO excited, she SQUEALED with joy! It was something to behold! Only Grandma & I have that memory...oh well!









I also love the compare & contrast of Gabby in April 2005 and now in July 2007--both shots at the monkey statue. Amazing how much she really HAS changed!



And, for good measure, a close-up of a giraffe from the new feeding platform! They come RIGHT up...of course, we had no food, so they walked away rather miffed!














Today, my mom was to get her feeding tube...have not yet heard if it's in or not. I'm planning to go visit on Wednesday without the kids. I don't know how she will be & I would rather they NOT see her in a really BAD mood. I think they will have more fun with the girl next door babysitting.

Most of the summer is gone...we have not done much because, as of this morning my mother is BACK in the hosptial! She was released on July 4th. So, 12 days home and she wasn't doing well at all.

Yesterday she told me & my aunt to leave and don't come back. By early evening, she called to ask Steve to come over & check her toilet because something was wrong with it...he couldn't find anything wrong. She also said she had not fed the cat...would he please?

When I got over there this morning, she had not been able to feed the cat again...was still in the same clothes as yesterday and had really messed up her house. So much for living on her own.... Not sure at all what will happen...

These pictures are of some of our summer fun...a day in the park, in our little backyard pool. We don't have the time or energy to do much--well, us parents don't have the energy...the kids sure do!


















Sorry it's a bummer of a blog today...but not much has been going well! Oh, last night we also discovered that the kitchen window--a nice Pella we had installed a number of years ago-- is all rotted out across the bottom...the wood just fell out....I'm glad the glass is hanging in there! We have a call in to the company who installed it...PRAYING it's covered under warranty!

Day one of growth hormone therapy....

Well, the flowers at the Smith house weren't too good this year, but Aunt Lillian had some very nice Forget-me-Nots...so we took nice pictures there:















Almost all the Baciulis/Smith cousins together...FINALLY....

L-R: Brian, Gabby, (Bob Baciulis holding Jessica's dog, Bella...16 weeks), Jack, Duncan & Frank. Only missing Ava...the 1 1/2 year old who's bigger than Gabby! Gabby had a GRAND time with Bella--Gabby's 24 pounds, Bella's 29; Bella DRAGGED Gabby all around the park! It was funny...the grass stains DID come out.









We had dessert with Justin & Jessica. Gabby, the picture princess, got her 3 favorite people in the picture with her!










Tonight we go for Developmental Kindergarten orientation. Last week, Steve & Gabby went to Kindergarten round-up...Steve listened to whiny moms ask annoying questions and Gabby got to color & take a ride on a school bus. She decided she did NOT like the bus...too NOISY and BUMPY! Then again, 24 pounds gets bounced around pretty easily even in the smoothest of rides!

Both kids did VERY well with Great-grandma's visitation & funeral. Gabby wanted to kiss great-grandma; we kept telling her no... We've been answering lots of "why?" questions... but they are slowing down now. Our "excitement" lately has been my mother being in the hospital. We arrived home from Rochester on Mother's Day (May 13) & on the 14th, mom went into the hospital with SEVERE abdominal pain. After a week, they finally did surgery. Discovered her appendix didn't "look normal"--so they removed it--and also her intestines were "tangled" or "twisted"... Uh, yeah, right! Anyway, they put them back "correctly"! Mom's STILL in the hospital. I'm getting SICK of taking care of her cat & wasting gas to drive to her "hospital of choice"...WAY the heck over in Grosse Pointe! With gas at $3.50+ per gallon, that's a TON of money being wasted. Mom is also being a pain in the butt--won't do her breathing exercises, refusing to eat, etc..."It hurts"...NO DUH! Suck it up & deal with it. (Yes, I'm mad & annoyed with her.)

Summer heat has hit...near 90 degrees today. I hear thunder rumbling. The kids will be mad that they can't swim in their new little pool with thunder going. The new pool is a 6 foot circle of plastic, about 18" deep. Good for cooling off--tho the kids can actually "swim" a few strokes!

Ah, time to go & stir the spaghetti sauce. We finally found some YUMMY gluten free noodles! YIPEE! Also, made a "rustic" gf bread with Kalamata olives & rosemary the other day...OH, YUMMY! Here's the link, if you're interested: http://glutenfreebay.blogspot.com/2007/03/kalamata-olive-rosemary-bread-search.html

Enjoy....

Ah, signs of summer...the 4 1/2 year old, a 2 wheeler and training wheels! Gabby LOVES her 2 wheeler! Hannah, the girl who lives at the end of the street, gave it to her last summer. We had to find training wheels...and we also thought it would be good for Gabby to know how to ride a tricycle first!

She has taught herself to ride standing-up! A little goofy looking, but Gabby thinks it's pretty cool!



Brother & sister talk about the finer points of bikes and balls. Duncan has sat on the 2 wheeler a couple times...but he doesn't want to try to ride it yet. He still likes to watch the wheels go around on any of his vehicles.











Here's the gymnast in her upside-down position. She DOES let go of her hands most of the time. She didn't this time because her pants were slippery on the bar.

We call this "doing flippies". She climbs the chain of the swing using ONLY her hands, lets go with one hand, reaches over to the chains on the bar & pulls herself over to the bar. I keep telling her NOT to climb the chains of the swings at school. I think her teachers would "do flippies" to see her at the TOP of the swing set!



And the final "flippy" pose...on the rings! I think this is her favorite...she gets herself swinging on these & flips back & forth. It was worthy of a heart-attack last summer, this year it's old-hat!


We leave tomorrow morning for Rochester, NY. My grandma died yesterday (May 8). She was 100 years old. Gabby's trying to figure out what "dead" really means, so she's been asking lots of questions. I've told her Great-grandma is up in heaven with Jesus and Grandpa Vic. Gabby thinks that's pretty neat.

Started growth hormone injections yesterday too. The injection went REALLY well yesterday. Today was a different story. We got her special chair out & got everything ready & Gabby started to freak-out...crying & wiggling. Finally, I just grabbed her leg, got the right amount of skin & put the needle in. She was NOT happy...but she was just getting more & more agitated. I told her afterwards, "I don't care if you are crying or quiet. I HAVE to give you your treatment EVERY NIGHT. I would much rather do it and have you help me count. But I will also just give it to you, like tonight. OK?" Gabby said, "Yes, Mama, I try be good." She's really doing a good job...considering it takes FIVE adults to hold her down for a blood draw or to put in an IV! (yes, 5 full-sized adults on a 23 pounder...she has AMAZING strength!!)


Have a WONDER-FILLED day

Ah, spring in Michigan...if it ever comes, it's really pretty! These pictures are from last year at Steve's parents' house. This weekend we are going out to their house again...hope the flowers are as pretty as last year!









I love this picture of Duncan with the forsythia in the background. What a cute little guy!











We are STILL waiting for approval on growth hormone therapy for Gabby!!! And we are STILL waiting to hear from Warren Consolidated Schools as to which Kindergarten Gabby will be in this fall. We are really praying for the Developmental K, so she gets 2 years of Kindergarten and more time to grow/mature. In so many ways, Gabby is still like a 2 year old. But, she also is like a four year old too....that makes it hard to know where to place her in social situations.

Duncan now identifies EVERY Hummer we see on the road! There are actually quite a lot, more than I realized! He's not fooled too often...this morning a Chevy Avalanch pick-up got him! He thought it was a Hummer pick-up; I had to clarify! Both kids had a good time practicing, "Chevy Avalanch" over & over!

The kids have both been thrilled to see all the crocus' popping up in the lawn. :o) Lots of purple & white flowers in the grass make our yard stand-out on the block. The daffodils had a tough start...2 days of 70+ degree weather and then 2 weeks below freezing again! They have bounced back pretty well tho...starting to perk up. The tree in our front yard is looking sad again this year. Last year it was the last to put out leaves and the first to lose them. Looks like it will be the same this year. :o(

I heard Russia is shutting down adoptions again....I'm so glad ours was done 2 1/2 years ago! We have one more homestudy to go thru in August. After that, we don't have to contact the adoption agency or Russia unless we want to. The agency was great...I have no problem recommending them to others and the Russian people and visiting there was great too. So, if it's God's will, we plan to take the kids back to their homeland in the future.

Duncan stunned me the other day. He was counting his cars & trucks...and I suddenly realized he was counting in very clear Spanish!!! All the way up to 10! I think I better brush-up on my Russian numbers and letters....I can still count to 5...I forget 6...I've got 7 & 8...and lost 9 and 10! YIKES! My little hispanic Ruskie! I love that little guy!

Hope spring decides to come & stay one of these days! Enjoy....when it gets to your neck of the woods.... :o)

Which dessert are you?

I found this on a new blog recently and thought it was fun:
If all of the desserts listed below were sitting in front of you, which would you choose? (Sorry, you can only pick one!)
Pick your dessert, then look to see what psychiatrists think about you.
Here are your choices:
1. Angel Food Cake
2. Brownies
3. Lemon Meringue Pie
4. Vanilla cake with Chocolate Icing
5. Strawberry Short Cake
6. Chocolate and more Chocolate
7. Ice Cream
8. Carrot Cake
No, you can’t change your mind once you scroll down, so think carefully what your choice will be…
OK - Now that you’ve made your choice this is what research says about you…
1. ANGEL FOOD CAKE — Sweet, loving, cuddly. You love all warm and fuzzy items. A little nutty at times. Sometimes you need an ice cream cone at the end of the day. Others perceive you as being childlike and immature at times.
2. BROWNIES — You are adventurous, love new ideas, are a champion of underdogs and a slayer of dragons. When tempers flare up you whip out your saber. You are always the oddball with a unique sense of humor and direction. You tend to be very loyal.
3. LEMON MERINGUE –Smooth, sexy, & articulate with your hands, you are an excellent after-dinner speaker and a good teacher. But don’t try to walk and chew gum at the same time. A bit of a diva at times, but you have many friends.
4. VANILLA CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE ICING — Fun-loving, sassy, humorous, not very grounded in life; very indecisive and lack motivation. Everyone enjoys being around you, but you are a practical joker. Others should be cautious in making you mad. However, you are a friend for life.
5. STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE — Romantic, warm, loving. You care about other people, can be counted on in a pinch and expect the same in return. Intuitively keen. Can be very emotional.
6. CHOCOLATE AND MORE CHOCOLATE — Sexy; always ready to give and help others. Very creative, adventurous, ambitious, and passionate. You can appear to have a cold exterior but are warm on the inside. Afraid to take chances sometimes. Will not settle for anything average in life. Loves to laugh and be happy
7. ICE CREAM — You like sports, whether it be baseball, football, basketball, or soccer. If you could, you would like to participate, but you enjoy watching sports. You don’t like to give up the remote control. You tend to be self-centered and high maintenance.
8. CARROT CAKE — You are a very fun loving person, who likes to laugh. You are fun to be with. People like to hang out with you. You are a very warm hearted person and a little quirky at times. You have many loyal friends.

I picked brownies...of course, if Creme Brulee were on the list, that would be my #1!

Hey, it's spring in Michigan....Monday it was 72 F (21 c), awoke this morning to 3" of heavy, wet snow! Oh well...it melted by early evening--dashing the kids hopes of making snowmen because Mama was TOO TIRED to go out & get soggy!

New news....let's see, Duncan is talking up a STORM! He ADORES Monster Trucks. We discovered we have the Speed Channel....and they show Monster Truck races! I have to tape them (on TIVO) so Duncan can watch races ONLY...too much talking in between races! He is also getting pretty good at regular size Lego. We got a NEAT Lego table today from a woman who, coincidentally, has adopted 3 kids...it's a GREAT table with 3 "pods" for kids to sit at & build their Legos. Steve came into this marriage with a HUGE BOX of Legos...now his kids get to abuse it some more! Duncan was starting to put some of the small bricks together for a wall. I'm happy to see his fine motor skills are progressing well. He knows all his upper case letters, MOST of his lower case, counts up to about 15, knows his colors & shapes too. He's pretty well on-track for a smart little 3 year old boy. :o)

Gabby's been meeting with new doctors & signed up for Kindergarten in the fall....YIKES! We are PRAYING she gets into Developmental Kindergarten so she gets an extra year of growth & maturity. She's started seeing a psychologist for some sensory issues. He's a very nice man. Gabby's getting along well with him. She also met with a pediatric endocrinologist on Tuesday. He gave the go-ahead for GHT...growth hormone therapy. Without it, she would grow to about 4'8" to 4'10". With it, she should see about 5' to 5'1". Doesn't sound like much for years of nightly shots, but Steve & I think it's for the best. We both have friends who are 4'10" to 5' tall and the shorter ones have some seriously hard times with some everyday things...driving, cooking, etc. Just for the record, Gabby is 4 years, 5.5 months, 24 pounds & 36.3" tall (for those of you doing metric...11.1 kg and 92.3 cm) We will try the GHT for a year & evaluate. That's assuming Blue Cross gives the OK.

Steve & I just putter along....I do tons of on-line research for Gabby stuff...GHT, celiac, apraxia, etc! Steve goes to work, works hard, comes home & works harder! He's a GREAT dad...loves to help with baths, reading stories, "dad" play...monsters, fort building in the basement, learning to dance to the Star Wars theme song! Steve introduced the kids to some Star Wars clips; namely the Pod Races....Duncan was ENTHRALLED! "Again Daddy, again!"

Gabby lives & breathes Disney Princesses; specifically Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella. When Cinderella's fairy godmother apprears, Gabby needs to put on her Cinderella dress & dance around the room. When Cindy dances with the Prince, Gabby dances with someone...preferably Daddy, but Mommy will do...and Duncan is OK but not too good!

One of these days, spring will actually hit. The daffodills are up, no flowers yet. The tulips & grecian windflowers are poking thru. I'm pretty amazed they are coming up OK...we put down about 8" of mulch last fall!!!

Looking forward to Easter...getting some cute stuff for the kids' baskets: the coolest: each gets an alarm clock. Duncan gets a wind-up Curious George & Gabby gets (gasp!) Cinderella. Both have those big bells on top...should be interesting to see their reactions!

Please pray for a LOW co-pay for Gabby's GHT!!! Have a great, WONDER-FILLED spring day!

Hey! Gluten free corn-dogs! Available at your local Meijers....for a MIND BOGGLING $7.99 for 5!!!!!!! YIKES!!!! The kids liked them, so I'm gonna find out how to make them....at home.










It's the 3 year old birthday boy...wearing the classic, birthday box hat....
















Duncan blows out his candles.... on the Cold Stone Creamery Ice Cream Cake....YUM... with spit too!











Anna, Duncan & Gabby at Stir Crazy in Great Lakes Crossing mall, Arburn Hills, MI. Anna was adopted from the Gusev babyhouse, Duncan from the Kaliningrad city babyhouse and Gabby from the Sovetsk babyhouse...representing all 3 babyhouses in Kaliningrad, Russia! Duncan loves Anna!!!!














Gabby modeling her new outfit. The skirt is a 12 month, the shirt is a 3T...the kid is 4 years 4.5 months..... She's a cutie pie tho! Hey, how many other moms of 4 year olds can pick them up with 1 hand or carry them around the mall in a sling?!!! I'll take my petite girl any day!

A friend of ours from church, Kensington Community Church in Troy, MI, is actually going to be on American Idol! Her name is Abbey Rondo--Gabby idolizes her hair! (it's long!) If you get the chance to see/hear her, I hope you are also blown away by her talent and her love for Jesus. I also hope TV does her voice/talent justice!!!

We have spent the day (and most of yesterday) INSIDE! It's FREEZING outside...well, less than freezing...the actual temp made it up to 12 F with wind-chills hovering around -25 F...the reason for most schools in the area to close! The kids are going BONKERS after being inside all this time. Steve is working "Day 3"...the (hopefully!!) last 12-14 hour day this month...closing books for clients...so I won't see him till about 9 or 10 tonight. The kids & I will just go crazy together!

Had Duncan's 3rd birthday party on Saturday...just relatives--Steve's parents, my mom & Aunt Sally. He LOVES his quiet gifts...blocks, a wooden parking garage, cars from the movie "Cars", magnets and a basketball hoop. The clothes were OK...but the toys were the best! He was so excited, he didn't even want his cake...but he dutifully tried to blow out the 3 candles (lots of SPIT on the ice cream cake!!!) Duncan's "real" birthday isn't till the 14th--but Grandma & Grandpa will be cruising around South America at that time....Living the "good life"!! He's a big 3 year old tho!

Gabby starts a new preschool class on Tuesday--new time, new teacher. We were having trouble with the little boys & some teasing/painful incidents. The teacher never thought anything bad was happening and never understood Gabby trying to tell about it. So, we leave the first preschool teacher & HOPE and PRAY for a better situation with the new teacher and new class!

Stay WARM!

New years day....watching the Rose Parade!















We have been working on getting Duncan to NOT suck his thumb....this is how I found him at nap one day! You'll notice the truck, "sleeping" with him!!

The funny thing is this is how he used to lay on the floor when we first adopted Duncan. We think it was how he laid in his crib...trying to see what was going on in the room! He couldn't sit up but this propped his head up enough to see over his tummy!




Christmas day...our little fairy princess! Gabby just loves dressing up now! Her favorite movies are Cinderella and Snow White. She pretends to be Snow White & I'm supposed to be the prince who kisses her awake! I ask why Duncan can't be the prince....."He the WITCH, Mama!" Of course, how silly of me!












Duncan's FAVORITE toy from Christmas! He plays marbles EVERY DAY! This is so neat...makes very nice tones as the marble bounces down the leaves. We found it in Shipshewana, Indiana this past summer.

Duncan also likes his "Cars" bed and "Mater" rug! Gabby does too...takes every chance she can to lay down in Duncan's bed or play on his rug!