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!