My first..Aleksandr

Continuing my tribute to the special little men who made me a mom....

Aleksandr, Alek, Bud, Pal, Big Guy, Little man, My Smush, CutiePatootie (although apparently only TT can call him this now), and LoveBug.

Alek, our first, the little drooly faced, bald headed, bright eyed wonder who made my dreams of motherhood come true.
It was a rollercoaster ride for us filled with crashing lows and an amazing high the moment he was placed in my arms. What a fascinating little creature. Only 5 months old, he came by car, 2 hours away to meet us in Kirov. He was brought into a room filled with anxiously awaiting parents all holding their breaths as children and caretakers came through the door. We heard the name Gubin, Gubin--oh, that was us, that was our little boy! Here we were half a world away from home and meeting our child for the first time. It is so hard to put that feeling into words. It was very surreal. I remember the feelings of caution and wanting to evaluate him as a nurse went right out the window. One look into those bright blue eyes, we were hooked. I remember him staring back at us with this quizical look and a hint of a smile and then the cries and tears came. I guess he realized he was scared, tired and hungry. His cries started an outbreak in the room. Alek received his bottle and promptly fell asleep in my arms. My first time feeding my child and getting him to sleep. It was the greatest feeling in the world.

What a brave little man he was. I can only imagine the confusion of his life those couple weeks. Long car rides for him to Kirov, people talking to him in a funny language. Being handed over in the dead of night on a train from Kirov to Moscow. How scarey it must have been for him. Those first hours of just the 3 of us in our train compartment were amazing. It was like a dream for us, but his poor little body was so stressed from all the changes and then the long travel home. Alek amazed us at how quickly he just melted into our family. Alek was such a resilient little soul, who was poked and proded and scanned all to figure out a reason for his small head circumference, all the while seeming to tell us, just chill out people, I am fine. Watch me roll over, watch me crawl, watch me walk. I am good, no worries mom!

He amazed us each day. I loved him falling asleep on my chest with his butt up in the air and his little hand wrapped around my finger. I loved watching his eyes flicker in excitement over anything new. Soon it was like he had always been a part of our lives. We quickly forgot what life was like before him.

Alek has taught me so much. He was and still is always on the move. He is curious and insightful. He tests his boundaries and limits and his body and my nerves. He loves any physical activity. He loves sports. Baseball and hockey are his favorites. He picks things up quickly, he wants to be the first and the fastest. Just try slowing him down. He gets revved up and overstimulated easy which drives us insane, but he has quickly learned how to settle down and redeem himself. He loves music, especially dance parties with mommy and Maks and rocking out with daddy in the car.

Alek loves to learn, he is fascinated by anything new. He is always asking questions. He is a sponge. Alek loves to read. It blows my mind that he is reading to me now. He loves to write, but struggles with wanting it to be perfect. He does not like to make mistakes.
He loves exploring the creek, the woods, digging in the dirt for critters to take care of and save. He loves the beach. He can spend hours looking for perfect rocks and shells. Alek loves to swim, ride his scooter, swing higher and faster then Maks and then jump off the swing making my heart skip a beat.
He has such a great heart, he is a good friend, his teachers say he always helps others and includes everyone in his play.

He is an amazing big brother. I am convinced he the reason Maks' transition was easier then we thought it would be. Though he plays the typical big bro with teasing and fighting, you can tell how much he loves his little brother and he would do anything for him.

Alek melts my heart with his phrases, "Mommy, you're my sweetie, Mom you are beautiful, You are my gal, You are the best mommy in the world, I love my family, mom-You are the cutiePatootie".
I am so proud to be his mom. Such an amazing soul who keeps our lives filled with happiness and laughter. It is a priviledge to watch him grow. Alek was the answer to our prayers for a child, our little dream come true.