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Posted on March 15, 2011 by saboykin64

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Wow! What a busy Season!

Posted on January 2, 2009 by saboykin64
Hi everyone!
 
Yes, it has been a while since the last update!  It has truly been a busy time of the year…with all the Holidays and our family celebrations as well!
 
I will start with November 6th.  This is the anniversary of the date that we met Nicholas in the orphanage in Kazahkstan.  Because that is such a meaningful day to us, we decided we should celebrate in some way.  Thanks to things like work and stuff, we simply had a family dinner with some of Nicholas’ favorites…spaghetti and chocolate cake!  He loved it!
 
Soon to follow is Nicholas’ Gotcha Day.  For those of you who do not know, Gotcha Day is Nicholas’ official adoption day.  That day for us is November 22nd.  The day fell on a Saturday, but unfortunately, it was Brent’s weekend to work nightshift and there was no way to change this.  Our celebration was a small breakfast gathering.  It was the 3 of us, with Brent’s parents and Nick’s sitter, GranLynn.  Despite having a slight eye infection, he had a great time having everyone together for breakfast.  Mommy and Daddy also gave him a Little People firetruck, since it was such a special day.
 
Thanksgiving was only a few days later!  We had nice family meal at ReeRee and Papa’s (Brent’s parents).  Nicholas got to spend some time with his Uncle Kimbry.  He doesn’t see him often, but truly seems to enjoy him when he does.  Kimbry is a fireman, and has promised Nicholas a ride on the big firetruck!
 
December has been absolutely insane!  My Dad has been back in the hospital for more surgery.  So, we have been going to Winston-Salem as much as we can to visit…plus, family events in that direction also.  Dad is out of the hospital now, but he is still in rehab.  He won’t be home for a few more weeks.  Also, before Thanksgiving, I had a breast biopsy.  Thank the good Lord it was benign, but I will put in a plug here to remind all you ladies out there to do your breast exams and get your mammograms!  Brent and I have also had this virus that is going around here.  It is a horrible cough, and it lasts forever!!!  I thought Nick was getting it, but I think his asthma medicine is truly helping keep it at bay!!!
 
It seemed like we had some Christmas gathering somewhere every weekend.  I don’t know what Nicholas will do now that he is not getting presents every weekend!  Of course, he does have a birthday coming up really soon!  He has so much stuff, that we had to box up some stuff and put in the attic.  I think I will start rotating some of his toys so that he doesn’t get bored with them.
 
Nicholas wanted nothing to do with Santa Claus.  His preschool had Santa come to a pancake breakfast at our church.  I thought this would be good, because it wouldn’t be crowded like the mall.  I sat him on Santa’s lap, and he jumped out like lightning and cried like crazy.  He would sit on my lap and touch him…so maybe next year I will have a good Santa photo!
 
Christmas Day was great!  It was pretty much an all day event at our house.  He played with his Santa toys till almost lunch.  Then he opened his presents from Mom and Dad.  We also got him a swingset, which came a few days early.  He loves it.  He loves to slide!  I thought he would be scared of the slide…but not him!
 
Nicholas continues to amaze me with his growth!  I now have to special order Size 7 Pampers for my "little guy"!  That is no joke!  He started leaking through the Size 6’s at night, and the 7’s are working great!  Unfortunately, he is not quite ready for potty training yet, and if he outgrows the 7’s…I’m not sure what to do…maybe Depends!!!
 
He has been working with an Early Intervention Therapist one hour per week.  She keeps telling us though that she thinks he is just about where he should be, so I don’t think she will be coming much longer.  Nicholas will be disappointed though, because he loves Monica!  His vocabulary is increasing like crazy, and he repeats things that he hears all the time (yes, we need to watch what we say!)! 
 
I hope you will look at his photos.  I have put in 2 new photo albums tonight…Fall 2008 and Gotcha Day 2008.  I will add some December photos tomorrow.  I promise!  But now it is time to call it a night!
 
Sonya
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Our First Halloween

Posted on November 1, 2008 by saboykin64
Nicholas had his first experience Trick or Treating last night!  He had fun at first…but quickly got tired.
 
When I first put his costume on, he thought it was kind of cool.  It was hot for him, so I took him outside to take some photos.  After the photo session, I put him in the stoller and off we went. 
 
The houses that were "overly-decorated" really fascinated him.  He totally had to check it all out.  He was so shy at every door, that is until near the end when we stopped at an elderly couple’s house.  They had two giant-sized persian cats in the living room, and Nicholas thought he was going in to play with the cats.  When I didn’t let him, he had a total meltdown on the front porch of this house.  At this point, I knew we were pretty much finished.  I had a couple more homes that we had to go to and then we called it quits.  Unfortunately, he was already out of his costume before Daddy got home to see him. 
 
We hope that everyone had an awesome Halloween!
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Fall is Here

Posted on October 18, 2008 by saboykin64
Hello!
 
It is naptime on a Saturday…so I am doing a little catchin’ up on some blogs and emails!
 
Since I last updated, we have been to Bryson City in the NC mtns for a very brief weekend.  One of my coworkers got married up there.  It was such a beautiful weekend, and the leaves were just beginning to change…so it was nice to see.  The trip was rough for Nick!  That is his farthest car trip to date…almost 6 hours.  Brent and I were not blessed with one of those children that sleep in the carseat!  Don’t get me wrong…he is a blessing…just not in that way!  So, if we are going that far away by car…it needs to be longer than a 2 day weekend!  MaMaRee went with us and babysat while we went to the wedding.
 
As you can see from the photos, my Dad is in the hospital.  The first time I took Nick there to visit Dad, Nick climbed up into his bed, gave him a kiss and then laid his head on Dad’s chest.  It was so touching to see.  It was surprising to all of us, because Nicholas does not see my Dad that frequently.  My family lives about 2 1/2 hours from us.
 
Since I last posted, Nicholas has been diagnosed with asthma.  The primary trigger for his asthma is a cold or upper respiratory infection, so from now till at least Spring, we will be taking medicine daily with a nebulizer.  He also has a fast-acting medicine for flare-ups.  Unfortunately, since early September, we have had alot of colds…like every other week!  I hope something gives soon!  We were unable to take him to the State Fair this morning because he has another cold.
 
Soon, Nicholas will be evaluated by Early Intervention to see if he qualifies for help with his speech.  A pediatric therapist recently evaluated his physical development and she thought that was great and that he is "one smart cookie"!  She did say that she did not think his speech was up to the same level as the rest of his development, and she suggested the Early Intervention evaluation.  These evaluations are quite a process, so it will be interesting to see what they say.  Brent and I have been slightly concerned about his speech also, so we were not surprised at her suggestion.
 
Hopefully, Nicholas will be without a cold soon.  We would still like to get him to the State Fair.  I would also like to try and make it to Hill Ridge Farms one day for hay rides and the pumkin patch!  We have way too much to do this Fall!
 
Later!
 
Sonya
 
 
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Growing Bigger all the Time!

Posted on September 22, 2008 by saboykin64
Wow!  Time sure flies by!  I cannot believe how long it has been since I did an update!
 
Nicholas is doing great!  He is getting bigger all the time!  He is so smart and learns new things constantly!  He totally amazes me some days.
 
He turned 20 months old yesterday.  He now weighs about 32 1/2 lbs and he is about 34 inches tall. 
 
He is no longer in the crib.  He has a race car toddler bed, and he loves it.  He likes to put himself in the bed and then have me tuck him in.  He thinks the wheels are very cool!
 
Nicholas is also going to preschool at our church.  It was a rocky start, but he seems to really like it now.  He goes on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-12.  They do all kinds of things.  They are learning sign language.  They do art and music…and best of all…the playground.  Miss Jamie, his teacher, picked up quickly on "little guy’s" love of the playground!
 
He is such a ham.  If you ask him what the kitty-cat, the dog, the cow, the duck…you name it…says, he will respond with "Meow"!  He knows what all of those animals say, but he loves for me to give him a silly "No" and he cracks up!  His laughter is amazing and can brighten up the worst of days!
 
We are looking forward to all of our upcoming holidays!  Nicholas will be a brown tiger for Halloween.  I cannot wait to take him Trick or Treating for the first time.  However, I am sure I will enjoy more than him this year.
 
I hope all of you are doing well.
 
Sonya
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Turning 18 Months Old!

Posted on July 21, 2008 by saboykin64
Hi Everyone!
 
We had a nice weekend.  On Saturday, we took Nicholas to Pullen Park for the first time.  Pullen is a very nice city park near downtown Raleigh.  They have an awesome play area for the younger crowd.  They also have a Merry-Go Round and a train which circles the park.  Needless to say, Little Guy had a good time.  He loves the swings.  I think we have already decided it is time to splurge on a swingset for home.  We will try to do that maybe for Christmas.  He wasn’t so sure about the Merry-Go Round at first, but eventually decided it was not so bad.  He even started giggling a bit about mid-way through the ride.  By the time we got to the train, he was getting to be a very tired young man.  He snuggled with Mom a bit, but he was also playing a bit of peek-a boo with the man behind us.
 
Today was his 18 month day!  I cannot believe that is so!  It, however, was a very quiet day.  Nicholas and I did venture out to the pool for a bit.  It was much too hot for anything else!  A very nice Grandmother at the pool told me that she is giving me the award for the cutest "little one" at the pool.  She said she loves to watch Nicholas play in the water.  She said that even though he cannot swim yet, she knows that one day he will be the captain of the ZCC Dolphins Swim Team!  She just might be right, and I will be the "Proud Mama" cheering for him by the side of the pool!
 
Hope everyone has a great week!
 
Sonya
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Having an awesome summer!

Posted on July 13, 2008 by saboykin64
Hey everybody!  I know we haven’t updated for a while, but it has been a bit busy around here.
 
Even if we had absolutely nothing else in the world to do…we would still be busy with Nicholas.  As my uncle Jerry says, "He is one busy boy!"  During waking hours he is non-stop!  I wouldn’t have it any other way, but it sure keeps things interesting.
 
We were on vacation the week of July 4th.  We rented a beach house with some friends at Avon, which is a small town on Hatteras Island in the Outer Banks of NC.  We had a fantastic time.  Nicholas loves the ocean.  As soon as you put his feet on the beach, he heads that direction, and you’d better be hot on his heels and fast!  Our friends, Mary and Jason, have a 5-year old, Mason.  Nicholas wants to be just like his buddy Mason and go further in the ocean.  If the water knocks him over, he does not care.  He gets right back up and does it again.  One morning we took him to the sound.  The sound is very shallow and he could walk in it.  Of course, he tripped and went under.  I fully expected a total meltdown, but he wiped his eyes and kept going.  He has no fear of the water.  I think the excitement of the ocean has ruined the pool for him.  When I took him to the pool at the beach, he seemed almost uninterested.  I hope that won’t be the case now that we are home.
 
The night of July 4th, Jason and Mason were feeding seagulls off the balcony of our beach house.  Mary and I were cleaning up from dinner, when I heard the most awesome  squeals and giggles.  Nicholas thought the seagulls were the greatest.  He would watch them swoop down and just laugh and squeal.  I tried to sneak some pictures of him.  Most came out blurry due to his movement, and all the others have his eyes closed.  I need to buy a new camera that will allow me to turn off the red-eye feature.  You all may have noticed that he either closes or squinches his eyes in most of his photos.  I put the better ones in the photo section.  If you have suggestions for a good camera…I am listening!
 
Nick is getting bigger everyday.  He is now wearing 2T, and people ask me all the time if he is 2 yrs old.  I was watching him sleep in his crib the other day, thinking we may need to switch him to a toddler bed soon.  He is heavy to lift into the crib.  He is so tall when he stands in the crib, that the rails only come to his waist.  I keep thinking he will start trying to climb out soon.  He adores climbing.  There is not a set of stairs that he will not try to conquer.  At the beachhouse, he went up all 3 flights…with Mom behind him, of course!   His playhouse has a climbing wall, and he can climb it!
 
His vocabulary is still weak, but he surprises me often with words he might say.  He is very vocal, babbles all the time, so I know when the vocabulary comes…it will be non-stop too!  Just like Nicholas.
 
We are still having difficulty in the nursery at church.  When I take him, they usually come get me soon after the service has started.  Our church has many kids, but unfortunately they are not his age.  He is the only child in there with a strange adult, and I cannot take him to the service.  As I said above, he is very vocal!  I plan to enroll him in our preschool 2 days per week this Fall.  I am hoping this will help him with the church thing, but it will also give him more time with other children.  He is not around other children very often, but when he is, he loves it.
 
I know that the other part of the nursery thing is he still has quite alot of separation anxiety…especially with Mommy.  He is fine with our normal routine and me going to work, but if he has me available…I am not "allowed" out of his sight!  It can produce a meltdown…even if Dad is in the room!  If anyone has any suggestions to help him with this, I am open to your ideas. 
 
We have had a time with teething too!  All of his first baby molars and canines are trying to erupt all at the same time!  All of them are breaking through except for the lower left ones.  Poor guy!  It makes him a bit crabby from time to time, but I have found that a bit of Motrin will usually take the edge off!  After these get in…then we do it all over again with the second molars.  This too we shall survive!
 
I guess that is about it for now.  I need to get some other stuff done during the rest of nap time!
 
Sonya
 
 
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My Father’s Day-June 15, 2008

Posted on June 18, 2008 by saboykin64
Hello all!!
 
It’s been awhile since I posted an update, but it could not come at a more appropriate time-my first Father’s Day!
I’ve had a few days now to reflect on the occassion, and to savor the fun of the day!
 
Really," savoring the fun" is what being a father, and a parent on the whole, is all about.  I look back to years gone by  and think about  what my dad must have thought as he watched me grow up.  Now, at least just a little, I know.  I can appreciate the fun he must have had as he watched me as a toddler, because I am now sharing some of the fun with him as we watch Nicholas grow (and, boy is he ever doing that!). I look forward to the fun with my son that will come with each new day.
 
My first Father’s Day was a mixed bag of work and fun.  The "work" part took most of my day as I worked at my job on Father’s Day.  The fun began when I got home that evening.  Namely,in  a little boy named Nicholas.  We had my parents come over for some cake and exchange of Father’s Day gifts, but the best part was sharing Nicholas with us all. Nicholas really enjoyed having us all together!  He played, laughed, and really seemed to soak up the fun (and some cake, of course)!
 
A year ago, there was no grandson in the family, and no son to make me really a father.  And, even more than that, Nicholas was without his father.  Now, my father has a grandson, I have a son in Nicholas, and Nicholas has a father.  Does anything more need to be said?
 
My first Father’s Day as a father may have tought me one of the better lessons I can learn as a father- "Savor the Fun" as a parent every day, not just on special days. 
 
At least for me, every day with Nicholas is a special day!!
 
 
Until next time…
 
Brent
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New Update

Posted on May 29, 2008 by saboykin64
Hi everyone!
 
I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  Our’s was rather quiet.  We stayed around home and did some yard work.  Of course, if you read our last post…you probably already knew that one.
 
Since Nicholas seems to have such a love of water, we bought a membership to a pool near our house.  Tuesday was a very warm day, so I took him for the first time.  Since it is very early in the season, the water was a bit cool, but once he got used to it…he loved it.  Our pool requires a 10 min break every hour, and when we got out for our break…he was not too happy about it.  However, he used that time to be sociable with everyone!
 
Nicholas had another check up today at the pediatrician’s office!  It went great…except for the 3 shots.  At least it was only 3 this time.  That is considerably less than other visits.  Dr Hewett was amazed at how big he is getting.  He is now 32.5 inches tall and weighs 27 lbs and 9.5 oz.  He is in the 75th percentile in height and weight for his age!  Brent is now truly convinced that he might have a football player.  He might be right, but there is one thing I am certain about!  I have the sweetest most loving little guy ever!  He is full of life and love, and Brent and I are the luckiest parents in the entire world!
 
Sonya
 
 
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At the garden center

Posted on May 25, 2008 by saboykin64
Yesterday, Nicholas went to a garden center for the first time.  His exploring curiosity was up!  At the center, there was a water fountain, which it didn’t take him long to find.  He proceeded to get very wet as you will see in this video that Dad shot with his cell phone.
 
 
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