Lots of giggles

At the Giggleberry Fair! On Thursday Alek, Maks and I went with Cynthia, Keeley and Ryan to the fair. Alek and Keeley had a blast, that place is CRAZY!! Talk about overstimulating! The mountain room was insane, Alek took off, he saw climbing and tunnels and was in heaven, I just manned the exit to wait for him to come back down eventually. Maks took it all in with this grin on his face. The kids loved the carousel and riding the horses. The discovery room was definitely alot better, more quiet, easier to watch the kids and Maks and Ryan could get down and explore. It was definitely a fun day for the kiddos, although Cynthia and I left exhuasted and with headaches. They really should either dispense alcohol or Motrin for the parents there! The kids all passed out on the car ride home!

Happy Anniversary!

Today marks 9 years for us! I remember it was the only day it snowed that year, not much but just enough to make it very pretty.
Can't believe all we have been through and it is amazing to see where we are now. We would have never thought that we would travel half way around the world four times to complete our family!!
We are definitely very lucky and very blessed, not only to have each other but both of our beautiful little boys!!

Merry Christmas and Happy one month home!

Can't believe Christmas is over already and we have been home for one month (it feels much longer). The boys had a blast for Christmas and we are so lucky to have Maks home for the holidays. It was definitely extra special this year!!
Alek was excited about Santa and presents. He loved to sing Santa Claus is coming to town, although he was always the "good" one and he pointed to Maks when he sang "bad".
Alek and I enjoyed visiting everyone at Grammom's (Nana's) open house. Maks and Kevin stayed home since Maks had just been discharged. Alek loved playing with Joseph.
Christmas eve we had a nice dinner at JoJo's and then a fun visit to Bonnie and Rick's, Alek loved exploring all the toys there and had the place a mess in a matter of minutes. Maks just took it all in, smiling.
Thankfully the only thing that needed constructing was the train table, so that was easy for Kevin. Now I stayed up until 1:30a constructing this great train set up (which was stupid on my part, since it was destroyed by the boys in a matter of minutes!).
Christmas morning was wonderful. Grammom, Poppy, and MeMe came up to see the boys open their presents. Alek did great and put all his presents in a pile as he opened them. He pretty much opened all of Maks' too. Maks was happy with the paper and tape and climbing on the bigger boxes. He did love his new rocking chair from MeMe. We set up the activity tables for the boys from Grammom and Poppy, Alek loves it!
I couldn't believe all the toys in our living room!! Alek's favorite of the morning was the $1 harmonica from his stocking, you can see his musical talents here:

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Pop and Noni then came over with big rubbermaid containers full of more goodies, even though they went overboard, at least they brought storage units with them! We all had a nice breakfast, compliments of chef Kevin, who also did all the dishes and baked mac and cheese for dinner! Quite a man!!
Maks fell asleep in his highchair, he ate himself asleep!! But at least he got a nap in. Granny, PopPop and JoJo came over with more presents and goodies (Kevin really loved the race car set!), which thrilled Alek who then decided to take a spill and he bit his lip, boy that bled alot, but thankfully nothing requiring an emergency visit.
Alek took note that maks now has a dinosaur bank just like him from PopPop and Granny, although he has been trying to figure out how to get Maks' money out for himself!
After we all got ready it was off to Jimmy and LaLa's for dinner. Dinner was wonderful, Alek had a blast playing with Jake, Maks loved the extra attention from Krissy, Kate, and Tayler. We all enjoyed seeing the Eagles kick some Cowboy and TO butt!! Of course then it was more presents and Alek loved it all, he has been carrying around his Grinch doll from Rols. The bath toys from LaLa and Jimmy were also a hit and the boys had a blast tonight with them. Maks was snugging with his Pooh doll from Krissy. It was a hectic, chaotic but wonderful day.
Today was spent trying to figure out where to put everything. We also had a quick visit from MeMe and Aunt Donna and Maks enjoyed taking over MeMe's walker, now we know what to get him for his birthday!

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I think all the activity of the past two days finally got to Maks, unless it was a Christmas miracle, but he took a 2 hour nap today and went to bed at 7:30 tonight! Though I am sure he will be up alot again, he seems to be back to his waking up every hour. We are exploring whether or not to try some melatonin with him, something has to give!

Christmas was our one month home anniversary, so it was an extra special day for us. We can't wait to see what the New Year holds (hopefully some sleep) and how much our little men will grow and change!

Lots of firsts for Maks

We are settling back in post hospitalization, although sleep for Maks is still a bit of struggle again. Naps are hard or non existent, he goes down easily at night, but then decides to party around 3am and doesn't go back to sleep. So caffiene is my dearest friend these days!! Alek has had nightmares the past two nights and has wound up in our room. Apparently there is a monster in his room, so it looks like we need to do a monster patrol before bed.

The past month Maks has had a lot of firsts. First restaurant, first shopping trip, first time meeting relatives including both his great grandmothers (breakfast with MeMe and then visit with Nana), he knows how to charm with that smile!
He has has taken his first steps, which is hysterical to watch. Each day he takes a little longer of a walk. He totally looks like a Weeble Wobble with his belly!!
While this is technically not his first Christmas it is to us. So he went on two Christmas tree trips, one for the boys and the one for our living room. He loves the lights. He loves watching the trains too.
Last night was another first, visit with Santa. Alek did great, walked right up to him, he was excited. Maks was fascinated with his beard, that is until I sat him on his lap, then the bottom lip came out and the tears started, although not for too long, the women ringing the bells to get his picture seemed to turn his attention.
So Alek got to ask Santa for Buzzy, Dora, "Lego" (aka Diego) and a bicycle (which was a new thing for us to hear, and not sure where that came from!).
Alek is a trip lately too, he never stops talking, it cracks me up, in the car it is non stop, he just rattles on about anything and everything and he has also become the informer, letting me know Maks' every move!

So we are excited that Christmas is less than a week away and we can't wait to see the boys together Christmas morning, my goal though is to get Alek to stop saying "Oh my God" everytime he sees a present. We are trying to work on that and teach him another phrase to say when he is excited.
So five more sleeps til Santa arrives!!!

We are home!

Maks was released earlier today, he managed to keep his oxygen sats above 90 overnight and during nap this morning. He is doing well, so happy and cheerful and aside from the occasional cough you would never know. They said the pneumonia trigerred the asthma, and this could continue to be the case for him for ahwile with any kind of cold or infection, but they don't know. Hopefully it is something he grows out of. So we are home with our nebulizers, antibiotic, steroid taper. They put kno restrictions on him, just said they only people he shouldn't be around would be newborns or those with compromised immunity (this is because of the RSV).
Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers, it has definitely been a rough 3 nights at the hospital. Maks would scream and become hysterical with nightime stuff and any doc or nurse that would come in at night. I know he was hospitalized twice in Russia, so God knows what happened to him then? He slept ok last night, so hopefully tonight in our own beds we get a good nights sleep!
Can't wait to see Alek, last night on the phone he asked if he could come sleep with me-that broke my heart!!

Maks is in the hospital

Just a quick post, I figured I would update here since there are so many emails I can't respond to. Maks went downhill fast Tuesday afternoon with his cold symptoms, fever and cough. He has having high temps I couldn't control and coughing fits where his fingers tips were turning blue. We went immediately to the doctors who did a chest x-ray, diagnosed pneumonia, called the hospital and sent us over. Maks truly looked horrid Tuesday night. He was admitted given IV fluids, Abx, breathing treatments and steroids. He tested postive for RSV although they said probably most kids with bad colds his age and older would have RSV, so that wasn't their main concern. His bilateral pneumonia and reactive airway disease was.
He responded great overnight and looked like a different kid the next day. He was eating and drinking and playing. He unfortunately though can't keep his O2 sats up when he his sleeping, they drop to 84%. So hence his remains in the hospital (two nights so far and it is not looking good for discharge today). He has been out of sorts sleeping just like he did when he came home, so lots of terrible screaming and fighting sleep. I have slept about 5 hours in a 48 hour period.
They are weaning his breathing tx to every 4 hours and hopefully he responds, nap time will be a big indicator, if he can keep his sats above 90 they will let him come home so I can care for him here.
Very frustrating, scarey experience.
Alek is doing well, he has been having fun with LaLa Jakey, and the gang and today with JoJo and Granny.
That is it for now, thanks for all the emails. Hopefully we will get some good news today!

Enjoying some sleep!

We are definitely making progess on the sleep stuff, nights have been a lot better, pretty much sleeping thru the night (although not consistently), but I think it would be better if he didn't have this cough/cold thing. But best of all, is the boys are now sharing their room!!! We got Alek out of our bed and back into his!! It has been nice to have our bed back to ourselves again-but Kaiser keeps trying to weasle his way into the open space.

Maks is still struggling with the naps, but he now really allows us to lie down with him and snuggle, so that is an improvement and he will also fall back to sleep in the pack and play right next to our bed.

Otherwise things are going well. We got our xmas trees this weekend. One tree for the basement for the boys, which we then put up the trains, Alek loves it, although several derailments have occured with him as the conductor! Maks is just fascinated by it all.
Pictures went well, although it is like herding cats, but we managed one good one of them together and one great one of Maks. Next up, Santa pics, probably sometime this week!!
So here are some pics of boys, the trees and the trains and alittle video too!



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Officially American

I think it is safe to say that Maks is now officially American!

Yesterday Alek was under the weather with a cold and a little needy. When asked what he wanted for lunch he said french fries and chicky nuggets, so since he looked rather pathetic it was off to McDonald's we went. Mommy was duped because the only thing Alek wanted was the toy. So Maks got his first taste of Mickey D's. He liked it, but he loves anything that has to do with food!

So, today we are off to get our Xmas pictures at the Picture People, this should be interesting!!

Home one week

Well it has been one week already, although it almost feels alot longer. We are slowly getting into a routine. Bedtime and sleeping thru the night are better, naps are not. Maks is still fighting them, generally we can managed an hour nap. He falls asleep great in the car, but unfortunately doesn't transfer well if I try to move him. Otherwise though he is a happy little guy. He loves exploring his new surroundings as long as mommy is in sight. Alek cracks him up all the time with his silliness. They have a game called steal the binkie--it is fun to watch their interaction.

Kevin and I are adjusting as well. Being sleep deprived is rough, especially when Maks is just screaming and there is nothing you can seem to do to settle him. It can make for one frustrating night! Kevin got over his cold, gave it to Maks and now I seem to be getting it! Hopefully it is all out of our systems by Christmas!


On a Christmas note, we got all the inside decorations up, the trains will be next. Outside is coming along, although no lights yet, but at least my pumpkins are gone and we are slowly catching up with the neighbors! Also coming along on the shopping as well. Iam really looking forward to Christmas, Alek is definitely into this year and can't wait to got see Santa. He wants "Dora, Lego (aka Diego), Thomas, Buzz and Woody".
It should be interesting seeing both his reaction and Maks' to Santa!