We have a court date!

On December 10th, 2009 Manu will officially become our son!

Manu's Halloween Haunts

Manu began the Halloween holiday season by "helping" to clean and carve his first pumpkin. Actually he was insistent on putting the seeds and goop BACK into the pumpkin. After it was finished he was in awe of the glowing eyes, nose and not-so-scary mouth. Being the first pumpkin I have carved in years, I was kind of proud of the results, though it was far from the most interesting that we would see while trick-or-treating.

We didn't know what to expect from Manu as his first Halloween approached. He has never shown any signs of being frightened by much of anything, except a scary life-sized ghoul on display at a local store. With that in mind we had originally planned on visiting just a few houses on our street, and returning home early to give out candy to the other neighborhood children. That was until we learned that 8yo cousin Haley would be joining us for Halloween; And, like most 8yo kids, wanted to trick-or-treat the whole neighborhood, as well as the next town over! So we set out to loot and pillage our little village. At first he didn't know what was going on, but quickly he figured it all out. He couldn't say "trick-or-treat", so he said "more, more, more" as nice people put candy into his bucket. At one point, as some people would crunch down to get on his level and comment on his cuteness, he would again recite "more, more,more" while reaching into their candy bowl and helping himself to more! He was so cute. Unfortunately for Manu, most of his candy left with Haley, not that he really understood what all those shiny wrappers were all about. What he did know was he was getting lots of attention, and loving it! We probably walked about about 2 miles and he never gave up. He was so cute, we were sad when it was all over, but we had to get him home before the dawn...

You didn't tell me you were going to kill it!

Goop

Not-so-scary Halloween pumpkin

Haley, as Sandy from Grease, and Count Manu!

Mommy and Manu pillage the neighborhood's candy reserves.

Fall fun

We are entering an exciting time for our family. Last week we had an interview with Manu's court-appointed attorney, to ensure that this adoption is truly in his best interest; mostly a legal formality. That went very well, and now we are awaiting a court date for finalization. All signs indicate that it should happen sometime mid November. Finally, almost two years to the date of our first home study, we'll be officially done with the process, and Manu will legally be our son! Funny thing, he will be issued a Kentucky birth certificate indicating that he was born to us on 4/13/2008.

Manu has fully recovered from surgery with no problems at all. Well, not entirely. After the procedure he became very clingy and it was several weeks before he would let Leslie out of his sight without tears. This made morning drop-offs at day care very touchy. He also has regressed with sleeping independence. Right after the surgery he started having night terrors, usually around 2am, and was inconsolable. So we got in a habit of bringing him to bed with us after he awoke. Well, the night terrors seem to have subsided, but he hasn't gotten any better about sleeping alone. I'll admit that we are weak, and give in sometimes when we shouldn't, but this is a challenge that we have to conquer; daddy needs a good night's sleep!

We've been spending our early fall going pumpkin picking, and to various fall festivals. Manu had a great time picking out his own pumpkin, as well as apples and pears. He was in awe at the Festival of the Horse in Georgetown, and is enjoying the farmer's markets. Manu is also learning to cook. Well, at least he is learning to stir :-)

He also turned 18 months old on the 13th! We can't believe he's been with us 9 months already. He's getting so big!

Mommy and Manu, sporting new 'dos

hairdo

Surgery update

Just a quick note to let everyone know that Manu's surgery went well with no complications. He was in surgery for about 3 hours, and released shortly afterward. He was very hungry after the procedure, and at a small box of cheerios, 2 small boxes of raisins, and a few handfuls of goldfish, all that on the way home! We had a rough night last night, as he was inconsolable and awoke 3-4 times throughout the night screaming. We called the hospital help line, and the doctor on call upped his dose of Tylenol and Advil. This morning he is a completely new baby, happy and energetic, with no signs of surgical pain. Of course, now mommy and daddy are fussy from lack of sleep! We have a follow-up appointment in 6 weeks, but all signs are that everything is going to be fine. Thanks to everyone who called or wrote to us during this time. It was very stressful for us to have our little boy endure such an ordeal. We're all glad it's over!

Festivals of youth

Festivals dot the landscape this time of year, and Manu is making the most of the season. Labor Day weekend began with a trip to Louisville for World Fest, a celebration of world culture and food, followed by a trip to Cincinnati on Sunday for River Fest and an exciting fireworks display over the Ohio River. This weekend started with a trip to Evan's orchard for some apple picking, and then a jaunt to Covington for their annual Oktoberfest. Daddy enjoyed some German beer, while Manu lunched on some roasted corn and danced to the live music. Manu always seems to attract a lot of attention wherever he goes, and this was no exception. Several times I was told what a cute little boy we have, especially as he was running around the the grounds, happy to be in the middle of all of the excitement. Leslie and I have always enjoyed small-town festivals like this, but they take on a whole new dimension with Manu. Things that we have taken for granted seem new and exciting again. Even the sight of a dried out, fallen leaf is a treat when presented to me by my son. Leslie and I are really looking forward to coming months, celebrating Manu's first holiday season with us. It should be a blast!

On a more somber note, Wednesday we are headed back to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for Manu's surgery. He is having his umbilical hernia repaired. Basically right now he has a really big "outie." Although this should be nothing more than a routine procedure, Leslie and I are all but beside ourselves. This is my little boy, and I don't like the feeling of helplessness I have as he undergoes this operation, under general anesthesia. If all goes well he should be back home that evening, a little grumpy, but no worse for the wear. His surgery is scheduled for early Wednesday morning, so we're heading to Cinci tomorrow night and staying downtown. The worst part is, he cannot have any food for eight hours prior to the procedure. That doesn't bode well for us, as Manu really likes his early morning milk, and won't understand why mommy and daddy are being so mean and withholding his breakfast!

Nature Boy

Just a quick picture update from a recent trip to the UK Arboretum. Manu had a great time checking out the flowers and trees, and pointing at the fish in the pond.

And one more from our previous trip to Talon.