Week in (Quick) Review

Today was the first day back after spring break. It was relatively painless. Mason had his casting appointment today but the weather took a turn for the worst and I only made it to Gleneagle. I will be making the trip tomorrow instead. Hopefully there are no surprise snow storms.

Here are some cute pictures from last week. We stayed pretty busy rollerskating, playing in the snow, making cookies, swimming at the YMCA and watching movies.

I am finding it really hard to get a nice picture of all the kids together. The odds are pretty good that one child (Paige) will have her eyes closed :) She got it from her momma.Making the perfect snowball. Hmmmm......Who should I throw this one at?

Don't bother me....I'm eating.

Have a great week.

Jennifer

Communication and Snow

Sign language. It worked really well with Sam, Alice and Paige. Sam signed the least because he was talking in sentences by 18 months. Alice could sign everything she needed and didn't talk quite as early as her talkative older brother. Plus, he said everything for her so why did she need to speak :) Paige was right in the middle with signing. She knew all the necessary signs and used them until her words worked better.
We started using signs with Mason right away. I was hoping that it would start to eliminate the uh-uh's and point and grunt actions. We have been home less than a month and he already knows 8 signs and uses them without prompting most of the time. His first sign was birdy. We started using it while we were staying at the White Swan. They have a great bird cage that he loved. Every time we would get close, he would start signing birdy, birdy. He also knows more, all done, please, book, eat, milk, and up.
Of course I think he is a genius! Scott does too but he thinks that maybe someone taught him the signs before we came into the picture. That is how good it is working :) I am happy because it has eased the frustration related to the communication gap. Of course, we don't know Chinese and he doesn't speak English yet so I am hoping we have found a common ground for the time being.
If you are interested, we used Sign with Your Baby by Joseph Garcia. I received the box set while pregnant with Sam. It comes with a DVD and booklet with great drawings of all the signs.
A couple days before we traveled, the kids and I watched the video and practiced. They have been great at doing the signs as well.

On to the snow......
Blizzard warning. That is what our trusty meteorologist is saying. It is snowing and pretty blustery outside. Of course, we are staying inside and watching movies. It is the perfect day for cozy clothes, warm blankets and Disney films. Unfortunately, the toddler in the family hasn't gotten the memo about curling up on the sofa and watching a movie in its entirety. Pretty sure that applies to all toddlers. I don't care if it snows all day and night, we have nowhere to be. Now, I am hoping for sunny and 65 degrees on Monday, the day I drive to Greeley.

Aren't you impressed? I am blogging two days in a row and I have Mason on and off my lap. Don't get too excited, I can't promise too much :)

Have a wonderful day!
Jennifer

Spring Break

The kids are on spring break this week. For me, it always seems like Introduction to Summer Break. How are we going to stay busy? What will we do to occupy so much time? At what point will mommy spontaneously combust? Just kidding, I really do enjoy having the kids at home. It is a good break from routines, homework, carpool, snacks....

Today we went rollerskating. So did everyone else in Colorado Springs. We pulled into the parking lot and all I saw were the buses and day care vans pulling in behind me. I squealed my baby blue mom missile into the closest spot and started pulling kids out of car seats. Luckily, we made it into the already incredibly long line before the buses unloaded. Phew! Fun was had by all. Sam finally was dragged off the skating rink while YMCAing his little heart out. Alice and Paige were a little nervous and spent most of their time skating around the benches in the rest area. Probably for the best, it was a tad crowded. Mason happily sat on my hip, watching his older siblings skate, and fall their way around the floor.

We were hoping to make it to the Children's Museum in Pueblo but the weather may not cooperate. It seems that we may get snow tomorrow afternoon. I can't complain because we need the moisture so badly but....I also may go a little nutty if we stay inside all day. If we get good snow, pull out the boots and snowsuits!

Mason is doing well with his second set of casts. I am still amazed at how mobile he can be with full casts on his legs. It is a really good thing that they are replaced weekly because he beats on them. By the time the last ones came off, the knees had collapsed and the edges were cracking and falling off. Back to Greeley on Monday!

Scott and I are doing well, just trying to keep this house in some sort of order. I feel like I live in a daycare facility what with all the toys and plastic stuff that has taken up residence in every crevice of this house. We get it all organized and then another day comes along and all the stuff comes back out. I guess that happens when you have 4 children seven and under :) Truthfully, I wouldn't have it any other way.

I know, I know, you are really just here for the pictures. I would be too! My kids are pretty darn cute :)

My three guys headed out for a run. Sam made it a ways and then ran home. He had to try out his new running shoes. Very fast indeed!
Alice and Paige after I rolled their hair in curlers for the night. After 20 minutes, Alice was complaining that they hurt and of course, Paige followed suit. Oh well, might have been cute.



Double fisted... Only this boy likes his bottles full of milk and water!

Have a nice week and if you are on spring break don't stress, summer break is only 2 months away. Love to you all!

Jennifer

Casted

Tuesday, Mason had his first set of casts put on. He is adjusting really well and having no problem getting around the house. As you can see from below, it hasn't stopped him from getting into all sorts of things. I was worried that he might not be able to sleep well with the casts but they really haven't affected him in many of the ways that I would have imagined. I know that I would be complaining wayyyyyyy more than he has if my legs were casted from thigh to toe. We go back to Greeley (2 hour drive) on Monday for the second set of casts. They will soak off the ones he has on, move his feet and recast him. This will go on for 6-10 more weeks. I am going to get good at driving to Greeley! Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels between here and there every week. Tonight we had dinner with our friends Kent and Victoria, their children and Vic's mom. Kent and Vic are going on a cruise for a week so we wanted to see them before they left. We had a nice dinner and great conversation.

Alice adores Mason and is really a great helper. I have been calling her the little mama. Here she is in her costume glasses. She loves them and wears them everywhere.Don't you love these two smiles together? My two boys....Piagie, our sweet baby girl. She is still maintaining her baby status. Not so sure about baby but she definitely is super sweet and all girl! Uh-oh....time for the baby proofing. These casts aren't keeping this little man down. He is crawling and scooting all over the house. I even caught him trying to get himself up the stairs today. He actually made it up 3 steps.

Well, I have almost successfully made it through my first week alone with all the kids. We did pretty good with our schedule and routine and I even managed to drive carpool one day (Scott drove my other day). Now I just have to figure out when to work in running. I did sign up for the Pike's Peak Ascent (August) so I need to start moving my booty at elevation. Ughh....I get tired just moving this booty up the stairs. Maybe that's a sign :)

Much love,

Jennifer

Post or Sleep

Before traveling to China, I used to stalk the blogs of those parents who were traveling before me. I loved hearing about their preparations and adventures, travel plans and adoption happenings. I would also get very irritated when those new parents and diligent posters started missing days, even weeks of posts. Now I understand. Once you arrive home, life becomes so much busier than we imagine it will be. Last night, I sat and stared at my computer and debated, sleep or post, sleep or post. Sleep wins out every time! Anyway, I decided to start this post and try and finish it by the end of day. That is a good goal. What do you think? Another good goal for today.....vacuuming :)


Well, finally I am back at my computer and it is 6:11 pm. Almost time for baths. Today was a pretty good day. Scott went back to work after a month off and I had my first day with FOUR kids. We played outside most of the day since the weather rocked! I love Colorado....

Mason really enjoyed being outside and only fussed when I sat him on the crunchy grass. He picked his feet up and refused to put them down. Paige seems to be taking to Mason and had a fun time playing with him.

Here are some cute pictures from this week. As I mentioned, we have been having beautiful weather. We took the kids to the zoo on Sunday. Not sure what Mason thought of all those huge animals.

Blessings,

Jennifer

Paige Turns 4!!!!

Our sweet baby Paige turned four on Friday. I can't believe it and I still tear up when I think about it! It seemed like only yesterday that Scott and I were walking, and walking and walking...thinking she might never enter this world. You see, she liked my belly way too much. 10 days after my due date, Paige Abigail Wescott entered the world at 8 pounds, 8 ounces.

This year, she wanted an Ariel party (The Little Mermaid). Scott, Mason and I were traveling home on her birthday, the 6th, so we decided to push it to Sunday and have a small family party at home.

Paige and her "Big" Barbie hangin' out and chatting under the foyer table. Paige loves her dolls and spends lots of time talking to them. It is very sweet. If the house is quiet, I can bet she is playing with her babies in her room.

Happy Birthday, Our Angel Baby! Love, Momma, Daddy, Sam, Alice and Mason

Jennifer

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home from our long journey to China, home with our son. Man that feels good to say. We arrived home on Friday evening to our family complete with signs and balloons. It was awesome to see them. I couldn't hug my kids tight enough. They looked like they had grown a mile.
Thanks to Mom and Dad Werschky and Mom and Dad Wescott for taking care of the kids for 16 days and Jeff and Stacie and Kent and Victoria for weekend slumber parties. Thanks to everyone who helped out while we were gone, it definitely made our trip enjoyable.
We are slowly starting to adjust to the time difference. We (Scott, Mason and I) didn't sleep well last night but are feeling better today and hoping for a better night tonight. Mason already adores the kids. He is already giving them kisses. They crawl around on the floor with him and he cracks up. It is so good to see him so happy. He isn't completely sure about the dog up close but is very interested from afar. If Jesse is outside, Mason wants to be at the window watching her. The kids are being huge helpers! They want to hold his bottle, feed him, help dress him, be in the bathtub with him, pick him up, etc......very cute....I am sure the novelty will wear off in a few days :) Paige is squeakin' all over the house in her squeaky sandals and won't take them off and Alice is LOVING her Chinese dress.

These are a couple of pics that we took from our hotel in Guangzhou.

Now I am off to bed....
Jennifer

Our Last Day in Guangzhou

Today is our last day here. We are really excited to see the kids and introduce them to Mason. It is a bit emotional (there I go again) thinking about Mason leaving his homeland and the only place he has ever known but we do know that he is coming home to a house full of love. Here's to a peaceful transition for him. He has had so many already! We arrive home on Friday afternoon in Colorado Springs. I can't wait to sleep in my bed! The White Swan beds give "firm" a new meaning. Please keep us in your prayers while we are traveling. We have found that Mason enjoys his meals and naps on time, which doesn't always work well on an airplane.

Sorry, no pictures today, my camera battery is dead.



See you all very soon!

Off to finish some last minute shopping. I love this kind of shopping here. I go in and pick out all the stuff I want. Scott goes in and barters (spelling) down the price and pays. Good thing this is my last day here or we might have to buy another suitcase!

Jennifer, Scott and Mason

Red Couch Pictures and French Fries

Today we did some shopping and stayed close to the hotel. Sam, Alice and Paige~wait until you see your new Chinese jammies! After naps, we headed downstairs for the red couch pictures. It is a tradition for adoptive babies and families to have their picture taken on the red couches at the White Swan hotel. Mason did okay but he was really more interested in the bird cages nearby.

Mason has been eating really well. Tonight at dinner he ate almost all of my french fries. He loved them!

Have a great day.

Jennifer

Sorry that I didn't post yesterday. All the kids in our travel group were in a funk and the mamas and babas were wiped by the end of the day. Yesterday in the morning, Scott had to finish some paperwork for the US Consulate, so I took Mason to the playroom for about an hour. He enjoys walking, holding my fingers, constantly. The playroom at the White Swan is really nice and perfect for little people. Mason also enjoys the fish ponds all around the lobby. These coy fish are so big, they could probably swallow him up!

Today we went on a tour of a Buddhist temple and then shopping. Mason did pretty well but was getting tired and very mad by the end. He finally fell asleep just as were boarding the bus to come back to the hotel. We had a quick lunch (Subway) and then headed to the Medical Exam. None of us enjoyed that part of our day, especially Mason. He doesn't like to take his clothes off so it was very traumatic for him. If we put his coat on him in the morning, we can plan to leave it on him until bedtime. Getting pj's on has not been a pleasant experience yet :) Scott refers to it as poltergeist. The boys have headed out to drop off our laundry and borrow a stroller from a local shop. All the shops around the hotel invite you to borrow a stroller while you are here. I have been carrying Mason in the sling and that has worked well but today we tried one out and he sat in it for a while without fussing. Saves my back a bit and that way I can take MORE pictures :)

I think we will order pizza tonight and have a picnic with our travel companions. Dinner in=happy mommy. Eating out is fun but not for every meal, although I am going to miss the all you can eat breakfast buffet.

I hope you all had a great weekend. We are finishing out our Monday here. Love to you all!

Jennifer, Scott and Mason