Outtakes - Take One

I have more photos than I know what to do with these days.  I think I've taken somewhere around 1500 photos in the last two months since Maddyx has been home with us.  Crazy, right?  I'm sure I could delete some of them, but for some reason I just CAN'T bring myself to do it!  I mean let's get real, am I ever going to need 20 shots of the same exact thing?  For crying out loud, delete the 15 bad ones and just keep the 5 good.  Makes perfect sense, but still can't do it.

That said, in trying to figure out what on earth I can do with all of these photos, since I'm clearly not going to delete them, I thought it would be fun to do a post including all of the outtakes. Maybe I'll start doing a weekly or monthly outtake post? hmmmmmmmm.....

So these photos were more about how funny I thought our 29 pound son looked in the moby wrap carrier, and how ridiculous we must look to outsiders carrying him in it.  He looks 4 in this thing!  I think his body span is half of mine.  I might as well throw my dog in this thing and walk around the neighborhood.  But on a serious note, he really does love the darn thing.  Unfortunately, I can only handle short increments of time carrying him in it before my back says I AM DONE!

I know you can't tell he likes the moby from this first shot, but I swear he does. :)

My husband was the one taking the pictures that day and for some reason he felt compelled to take this shot.  And to top it off, he was so proud of this picture.  I know my dog has an adorable booty, but really?  And yes people, we know his tail barely covers it!!  We rescued him...and his tail was already cropped when got him!

So here's what we ended up with after all of those photos!

Travel Warning for Korea

Just an FYI to any of my fellow bloggers that might be traveling to Korea during the month of November.

Travel Alert

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Korea, Republic of
October 27, 2010


The Department of State alerts U.S. citizens traveling to or residing in South Korea to safety and security issues related to expected public demonstrations around venues for the G20 Summit scheduled to be held in Seoul, November 11-12, 2010. The expected demonstrations will disrupt travel and have the possibility of becoming violent. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul recommends that if you are not directly involved with the G20 Summit, you should avoid host sites, including the Coex Center in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, in south Seoul. You should avoid areas near the Summit sites or areas where there are large gatherings or increased police presence. This Travel Alert expires on November 13, 2010.
 The Group of 20 (G20) is composed of the world’s 19 leading economies plus the European Union, and over 32 heads of state and 10,000 participants will gather in Seoul for the Summit. Seoul will be on heightened security alert during the Summit, and visitors should expect delays when traveling into or around the city. The Coex Center in south Seoul will be closed to the public on November 12, and automobile and pedestrian traffic for two kilometers around the complex will be restricted from November 8-12. Expect delays on all forms of transportation throughout Seoul the week of November 8-12, including roads, subways, buses, and at airports.


Protests at previous G20 Summits have resulted in outbreaks of violence. Korean authorities are preparing for potential protests from both international and local groups. Large numbers of police and security personnel will be deployed to assist with security during the Summit. A protest area has been designated at Olympic Park, but demonstrations could also occur in areas throughout Seoul. Security will be especially tight at the Coex Center, which will have a two-kilometer radius of security checks. Security will also be higher than normal at airports, hotels and other Summit venues. Be alert and aware of your surroundings and pay attention to what the local news media has to say about local conditions.

U.S. citizens traveling abroad are encouraged to register with the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate so they can obtain updated information on travel and security. Travelers to Korea should regularly monitor U.S. Embassy Seoul’s website and the website of the Bureau of Consular Affairs of the U.S. Department of State where the current Worldwide Caution, Travel Warnings, Travel Alerts, and Country Specific Information for Korea can be found. The U.S. Embassy also encourages you to review "A Safe Trip Abroad," which includes valuable security information for those living and traveling abroad. In addition to information on the Internet, you may obtain up-to-date information on security conditions by calling 1-888-407-4747 toll-free in the United States and Canada, or outside the United States and Canada, on a regular toll line at 1-202-501-4444. These numbers are available from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time, Monday through Friday (except U.S. federal holidays).

The U.S. Embassy in Seoul is located at 32 Sejong-no, Jongno-gu. The email for the Consular Section at Embassy Seoul is seoulinfo@state.gov. Embassy Seoul’s emergency telephone number is 02-397-4114 (domestic) or 82-2-397-4114 (international). Embassy Seoul will be closed on November 11, 2010, for the Veterans Day holiday, but otherwise will be open for routine American citizen services during the G20 Summit.

Happy 15 Months Maddyx!

Our little 'BIG' Man (as we like to call him) turned 15 months today.  He's been home almost two months now and he is doing so, so well.  Besides his minor (okay, major) addiction to food, he's adjusting amazingly.  For now I'm going to assume that his non-stop ability to eat anything and everything in sight is due to a growth spurt.  I have no clue if it really is, but if he's hungry I'm going to feed him.  I figure if I keep it healthy it can't be that bad.  Right?  He just eats SOOOO much.  More than me.  He never stops.  We've never seen anything like it.  After he's done eating a full meal he'll actually crawl around on the floors, checking around and under his seat, to see what extras might have fallen on the floor.  And then he eats them.  I'm over trying to stop him.  Between him and the dog, they clean my floors.  Awesome, I'll take all the help I can get.  I know, it all sounds very cute.  It was for the first week, but now, not so much.  Especially when I can't help but assume that all of this eating is contributing to the fifteen poopy, blow-out diapers a day that I change.  Alright, so maybe there's not fifteen, but it sure feels like it.  And they're bad.  So bad.  So, with Maddyx's constant need to eat I've had to develop a new schedule in order to keep him happy and to maintain my sanity.  Otherwise I end up with a very whiny baby following me around all. day. long.  Our schedule pretty much consists of eating a meal, playing, eating a snack, napping, wake up, eat a meal, play, eat a snack, take a nap.  Do that rotation one more time and there you have it, our day in a nutshell! 


OK, I can't ONLY talk about Maddyx's eating habits, although it IS consuming our lives.  I don't want to give the poor guy a complex.  I also have to talk about his hugs.  OMG he gives THE BEST HUGS EVER.  He actually reaches around your neck and holds on to the back of your neck/hair and nuzzles right in.  And then he makes this super cute noise.  They just make me melt.  I love his hugs so much.  I love him so much.  He's perfect and we are so lucky.

I couldn't resist catching the 'food monster' in action.  It started with the "Mama, look at me.  I'm hungry.  Can't you tell?" look, and then the meltdown.  And then he got his cheerios and he went into some sort of weird food world.

Here's that look I was telling you about ("Mama, look at me.  I'm hungry.  Can't you tell?")

 Unfortunately for him, and me, I didn't respond to "the look" - so then came the melt-down..

OK, so I gave in.  How about a bunch of cheerios?  Will that make you happy for a moment so I can finish cleaning up the kitchen?

 Ooops, dropped one.  Can't lose it. 

 Now he's moving into the somewhat weird, comatose state. 

 Alright, back in an upright position.  However, still slightly dazed.

 Mama, you want one?  No honey, thank you so much for sharing though.  Very sweet.

 Yaay, one more for me!!!!!

Now the rest of these pictures are from today.  This was after we had a nice dinner with Papa and Grandma.  If you consider nice Maddyx eating a ton of food, letting out a couple of really loud toots and grunting and becoming red-faced as he pood in the highchair at the restaurant. Then yes, it was nice.  At least it was good for some laughs.  That's for sure.  Anyway, I wanted to be sure to capture photos of him on his actual 15 month birthday and it was late in the evening, so this is as good as it was going to get! 

 He's done this pose before.  I think this might be his 'I'm a supermodel pose'?   Hmmmm...

Is it too soon?

So next week marks 2 months home (yaaay!) and I'm wondering.......Is it too soon for the hubby and I to have a date night?!?!  I've spoken to two different social workers that both say it's absolutely NOT too soon, and we should definitely have our night out.  This is great!  Right?  Hmmm.....but then I start thinking about what I've read in THE BOOK. You know, the adoption/attachment book that we all have. And I totally second guess myself, and my social workers, and think that (according to the book) maybe it is too soon, and therefore will cause regression and confusion for Maddyx. This is the last thing I want. Ugggh! Here's the stats.... he's totally social, does not have breakdowns when we leave the room, and is also clearly attached to us as his parents (he shows all of 'the signs').


So here's my question to all of you Mamas.  If he's completely comfortable and doesn't have any sort of freak out moment, is it OK to leave him (at our house) with the grandparents for a few hours????  How long did you all wait???  Please, leave your comments.  I welcome your insight!!

Seriously, this is the only date night I've had.  And it did not include my husband....or leaving my house....or wine.  lol.  Can you guess who it was with?  Here's a hint.....

Yep, Mama and Maddyx having salmon!

6 Weeks as a Family & Some Fun Fall Pics

So today marks 6 weeks that our family has been complete. We are having lots and lots of great days, and some not so great days in between. To be expected. Not easy, but I think I'm starting to get used to it. Maddyx has recently become a food MONSTER. And I don't mean monster in a cute, cookie monster sort of way. I mean A MONSTER. Like OMG, really?  Who are you, and what have you done with my son?!? Yes, that's what's going on here. Whenever he eats he turns in to this ravenous animal that has been hunting it's prey for weeks, and the prey just so happens to be some cheerios or a piece of string cheese.  Keep in mind he just had breakfast.  And a snack. And a bottle. I'm definitely not starving my child.  Actually quite the opposite.  I tell ya, his yelling, crying, and whining are just not making the eating experience very fun. Oh, and when the food runs out.....YOU. BETTER. WATCH. OUT.  That's when it gets really ugly. Sheesh!  I know this sounds cute, but it's really not.    He's also been plain old moody lately.  Could be because we just switched him to one nap a day (hallelujah for one LONG nap!!!), or because he's teething, or he's just going through the expected grieving of an adopted baby.  Regardless of what it may be, I'm getting used to it, getting used to be being A MOM, and it seems to be getting easier each and every week.

OK, enough of that.  Let's move on to the CUTE stuff!  My boys getting into the spirit of Halloween and Fall!!  And maybe one of me snuck in there too. 

AND, how could I forget our first child, Cooper!  He is just so darn handsome!  I could eat him up.  Forgive me.  I know, I know.   Sorry, he didn't transition from a child to a pet when Maddyx arrived.  He's still my first born.  I tried to get some cute ones of the two of them together, but it's really hard to get a dog and a 14 month old to cooperate. At the same time.  In the same picture.  Which is kind of important.