Not just kinda walking...really walking!!!

This weekend was great! We went to two ballet recitals and the Adoption Assistance picnic. The recitals were wonderful. My nieces were stunning and I am amazed at their growth as dancers each year. I get a little more sappy every year as Ema grows older and closer to those tween years. Cortney and I started dating soon after Ema was born over 9 years ago. He came to see my sister and Ema in the hospital one day while I was in school and we were all sold on him from then! It turns out that he just wanted to hold the baby without sharing her with everyone. We have been privileged to hone our parenting skills on these precious children and I am so thankful to have been in their lives!
The Adoption Assistance picnic was great! We got to meet so many adoptive families and share stories about the journey of adoption and parenthood. We met a great couple interested in adopting from Ethiopia and I could kick myself for not exchanging email addresses with them. We were able to give Gladney two thumbs up for Ethiopian adoptions! It felt good to recommend them to people and know for certain that even if the process gets bumpy, Gladney knows confidently how to navigate the bumps. I don't know where all our adoption journey will take us, but we will always be grateful to Gladney for getting us through at least our first adoption unscathed! I joked that we will never again be in a place where so many people know the meaning and pains of a foreign adoption dossier. It was a great time and we enjoyed it so much! I love to take every opportunity to celebrate Ian and his entrance into our family. We are one, one family, growing, learning and loving each day.

We ended up staying the night in Lexington so Ian could go swimming. This was our first night staying away with Ian since we moved into our new house. It was strange to break his routine and he definitely wasn't a fan. He appears to be a creature of habit just like me! It took some convincing for him to go to sleep at nearly 11 even though he had played outside all day and gone swimming! He wanted to go to sleep but missed the familiarity of home. I think I did too a little. We have moved a ton, traveled a little, but nothing replaces the coziness of your own bed!

We are slowly phasing out the bottle. We stopped giving formula last week, now it is milk only. We are down to 1-2 bottles per day, so this week will will transition to the cup. I am so sad to see the bottle go. Anyone who knows me, knows that I took my bottle until the ripe old age of SIX. Six years old and I would come home from school and suck my bottle of chocolate milk! I would throw it behind the couch if anyone from the neighborhood came in and caught me drinking it!! Very silly, but I was my mother's baby and at this point I can see what she was trying to preserve...babydom. However, for the health of my child's psyche, I will take the bottle at a less embarrassing age.

Finally I have added a video of my 12 month old walking all over, bending for a toy, and continuing to walk, following after his daddy. Last week he went from a shaky, tumbling, 4-5 steps, to walking across the yard! He has come such a long way in the past 6 months! When he came home he wouldn't even bear any weight on his legs (zero/none/nada) and now he is walking all over the place....amazing.

Cortney and Ian at the picnic

Ian watching intently at Chelsea's ballet recital

His brand new sandbox!

Ian getting a diaper change while we waited in the car for the rain to quit!

Me trying to keep Ian on the train with my foot to get a pic!