My new Camera

December 27, 2008. Nothing new today, but I had a ball using my new camera. Had to share the photo's, I am in love with the model :)

Happy Holidays!

December 26, 2008. We had a fantastic Christmas this year with Nicco being home. Everyone did quite well in the gift department, and Nicco was no exception. He got a train, a bouncing pony, a zoo, a kitchen and loads of other great gifts. We had a fun time at Grandma's visiting with all the family we rarely get to see. Some got to see Nicco for the first time! I didn't need any presents this year, I had gotten the best already with Nicco coming home. I did get a new camera though, and boy, was I surprised! I got a Nikon D60 and I am loving it! It has been taking the most amazing pictures and Christopher even hooked me up with all the good lenses and goodies. Hopefully I'll be able to share some great Nicco photo's on this page. Hoping everyone had a wonderful holiday as well!

HO, HO, NO!!

December 20, 2008. Well, much as I expected Nicco did not care for Santa. I thought I was going to get a really great pic. I made Tony go (he's such a good sport)and Nicco was doing great when I slid him on Santa's lap. Then he noticed I was now behind the camera waving to him. It was the greatest look as he looked up to see Santa, (who's holding me if mommy's over there?). I've never seen eyes get so big! Thankfully the photographer snapped the picture just in time before he totally freaked out. Poor little guy. She actually cut half of Tony out of the pic, but it was the best we could do. I cannot wait until Christmas and to be with the family. We are having Christmas eve at our house this year. A small gathering of family but should be fun! I just can't believe he is home. HOME, HOME, HOME..Merry Christmas to me.

Holiday Fun!

December 8, 2008. We had such a wonderful Thanksgiving this year. So much to be thankful for. Nicco had a blast on the rocking horse, even sharing with cousin Timothy. My mom came in and spent the weekend with Nicco. He has grown so much since she last saw him. Unfortunately Nicco got a bad sinus infection while she was here. He was so miserable and up all night. On top of the sinus infection he is still battling the last few teeth. It seems like it is taking forever, but most are all through at least a bit. I think he will only have 2 left. I made the bad mistake of rocking him again until he was asleep while sick and now that he is feeling better he is giving me a hard time about sleeping. I think we straightened it out last night, as he is back to rocking only till drowsy and into the crib he goes. He even put himself back to sleep all night on wakings, thank god. When I stick to the plan he is back to sleep before I can even make it up the stairs. He has become such a daddy's boy and loves to share with Chris. They have so much fun together and I love to hear Nicco laugh while horse playing with him. He is really starting to talk now. His new favorite is "wow". Every time he see's something new it's "wow". LOL He say's "hello" in English and Spanish and a few other words. Still hasn't said "no" yet, which I'm surprised. LOL Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

More new Teeth..

November 23, 2008. Well, we had another evening of waking up again last night. Today I notice 2 new teeth getting ready to pop. We almost have them all. I think after this next round we will have just 2 in the very back, top and bottom, to come in. He has done really well considering they all came up at the same time. Nicco is starting to talk a lot more now. Some things are easy to understand, some not so easy, and some very clear. He has been trying to tell me something the last 2 days and I cannot figure out what it is. It is driving me crazy, LOL. He says it to me over and over and waits for me to respond. He is starting to sound things out. He makes the T sound for Tony, the S sound for Joelle', because we call her sissy and is responding and saying beso in Spanish. His Spanish is going well, as is mine, and he will respond in both languages on several things now. He has had a growth spurt and I am excited to see where he is on the charts on Tuesday, our next Dr. appointment. Shots again, not looking forward to that! I can tell he is taller and has gained a little weight finally. We have been giving him a fruit smoothie everyday and I think this is helping. I have cut down his formula and he does eat more now. I can't believe how much he changes from day to day. I am loving every minute of this..

3rd Haircut..

November 15, 2008. Nicco got his 3rd haircut yesterday. He did so much better than the last. This time we had my stylist Christy cut his hair. He had met her before and I think he was more comfortable with her. She did such a great job!! He is starting to look more like a little boy and not a baby :( We have eliminated the matting in the back of his hair by cutting off his cute little baby curls. Nicco got a ring sucker to work on during the process and was a champ. He has been in such a better mood since his teeth have come in, thank god! We are having serious issues with the crib and getting stuck in the bars. I am at a loss of what to do. They sell a high coverage mesh bumper but it will not fit our crib style. Regular crib bumpers are a total No-NO, found this out the hard way, as we have had all the kids try to climb out. Listen to the warning folks, they will go over! Spanish is going great, he loves, loves, the class, and is the star of the show. Such the ham. He now fully participates with everyone else and loves to sit with all the mommies, making all the other children really ticked off. LOL He is so affectionate and I am loving every minute of it. Have a good weekend all!

The Day After..

November 1, 2008. We had so much fun on our first Halloween. It didn't take long for Nicco to get with the program. He was so cute in his Monkey suit and big brother Tony was a chick magnet. Nicco loved to walk up and say "hello" to everyone and put his candy in his pumpkin. Today we went to the park for a family photo shoot. It would have been perfect if we just had Joelle'. We got a couple cute pics, but Nicco was not feeling well with his teeth again. He has 4 that have finally popped and 4 more that are close. Nothing is working for the pain and he is miserable. Hopefully it won't take long for the others to come in. Hope everyone had a wonderful Halloween, don't eat all the candy at one time!

Boo at the Zoo..

October 30, 2008. We had a great time with our little Monkey at Boo at the Zoo. Grandma came, and I actually got into a picture! Poor Nic had so many layers on he was stiff as a board, but a really good sport. His teeth are still giving him a little problem, you can see his mood in the picture above. Today was much better and I am hoping for his sake they will come through soon. Looking forward to our first trick or treat, Happy Halloween everyone!

All My Teeth..

October 27, 2008. I am so tired I can hardly see straight. I was certain Nic had another ear infection. He has been up like clockwork the last 3 nights and I have been sleeping with him in the rocking chair. He has been whining and crying like crazy, so unusual for him. Today I took him to the pediatrician and found out he is not only cutting the 4 teeth we knew just came in but all the rest! He has 12 teeth right now and the rest are right there waiting to pop. Poor guy, he is miserable. The good news is we are all done in one shot. YEAH! Hopefully, they won't take long. He cut his teeth so early, getting the first at 4 months. By pickup at 9 months he already had 8. He also got the first round for flu shot today. Another next month as well as his usual 15 month shots. He just looks at the doctor every time we are there and says bye-bye to her, he can't wait to leave. Social security was a nightmare and we think we finally have things straight. We'll see...

Day at the Park..

Oct 17, 2008. Today we had a great day at the park. Nicco loves to do the slide and to explore all the nature. He is becoming quite the daredevil on the swing and loves to go higher and higher. The weather is so beautiful now, just a little cool. I heard from Joelle' today. She is enjoying her time with her boyfriend, Nick, and really looking forward to visiting with him in his country. I cannot believe she is all grown up now. Hope you are feeling better from your wisdom teeth tonight Joelle'. I also got a email from Maritza, Nic's foster mom. I know how much she is missing him and I sent her some new pics. She loves how his hair is growing. LOL

I'm Not Spoiled!

October 14, 2008. It seems Nicco has taken over the family television. We finally got smart and gave him his own remote so he would leave ours alone. Funny, because we don't really let the kids watch much TV. I remember his foster mom saying "He LOVES TV", yeah, no kidding. Nicco loves oreos and he loves to wear his chocolate go- tee. Check out the pics. We had parents as teacher out today and Nicco did really well. He met all his normal milestones and ranked with the 24 month old children. Not bad for 14 months. The only thing we need to work on is his language skills, but, they believe that is because he only heard Spanish his first 9 months. He is starting to show his independence now with an occasional tantrum when told "NO". But nothing like the other kids did. Thank god. But, I know it is still early. He is such a joy to be around and loves everybody.

Fun Weekend

Oct 7, 2008. Nicco went to the butterfly house this weekend and really loved it! He spent quite awhile exploring all the plants and butterflies. We had a great time celebrating big brother Tony's birthday last week at the pizza place. We rode all the rides and really enjoyed the space ship. Tony has lent his Thomas the train to Nicco and he seems to love it so far. He also seems very interested in all the star wars items in our house. Glad to know we can pass all these toys on once again :) His favorite toys are still pots and pans and fake food. There is a kitchen in our future says Santa. We have parents as teachers coming this week to evaluate Nicco. I am excited to get involved in this program. We also start our Spanish mommy & me class this month. I can hardly wait!

The Next Tommy Lee..

September 25, 2008. Nicco has been doing really well and is off the antibiotics yet again. The doctor says 1 more ear infection this year and it is tubes. Here I go again. Since he has come home he has drummed on anything he can get a different sound out of. I swear this must be something in his blood, he just loves it. I must admit his rhythm is impressive. He loves to dance and is finally getting to a point where he is adding new moves. The next Tommy Lee or the next Salsa king, not sure which one. He gets so excited to watch dancing with the stars with me, LOL. We went to the Guatfest here in St.Louis and had a great time. Nicco was the youngest we saw so I am sure he will get more out of this next year when he is older to run and play with the kids. We had been worried about his size as he had dropped into the 20th percentile since being home and has had so many challenges with eating, picky. We were surprised to see him tower over some of the 2 year olds, as he is so small next to most his age in the states. Mommy calls him shortcake, I could just eat him up. He continues to have such a pleasant nature and rarely cries even when sick. I think we have new teeth coming in..

End of the Month Fix..

August 31, 2008. Where did the month go? I cannot believe how fast time is flying. Nicco is walking all over the place now and some times picks up the pace to a run. I have been having a ball keeping up with him, or at least trying to. I am out cold by 8 every night!Some pics from the month as we have fun with him. I love the shirt.."these aren't the parents I ordered" I feel for you guy, it's rough being king. Best wishes to all..