Disposable Camera Photos

Finally, I have scanned in the photos from the disposable camera that we left between Trip 1 and Trip 2 (mid-Oct./mid-Nov.). For those of you just tuning it, it's customary to leave a disposable camera for the orphanage workers to take pictures between Trip 1 and Trip 2 because you never really know how long it will take to get the court date. In our case, it was only about 3 weeks, but some have to wait months and months. It felt like months and months though!

So, I asked the orphanage worker, via the interpreter, to take some shots, knowing that they also had to feed, bath, dress and diaper the 10 or so babies that were in Cassi's groupa. I didn't have these put on a disc because I didn't know if they took pictures or if maybe one of the babies decided to make their Annie Leibovitz debut. We got lucky and they got some cute shots! Cassi does look traumatized, though, like she'd never been on these toys before and probably hadn't! LOL! It's amazing how happy she is now. She immediate smiles ear to ear when we get the camera out.

Ice Stormarama, Day 3

Can you say "cabin fever" boys and girls? Okay, we have now been in the house since Sunday. Well, Kai had school Monday and Dan went out on Monday to take and pick up Kai from school and today to get mandatory things like milk and pop. I hope I remember how to drive and interact with other people, face to face--LOLOL! And, there's no school tomorrow either!!! I am going to try to venture out to see some accounts, but I'm already scared.

Here is a video of Cassi standing up and taking a few steps. This time we planted her in better lighting before taking the video. After this video, she took 4-5 steps, so she's getting there! It's funny because she can stand up from the middle of the floor, bounce up and down ("hip hop baby") and wave, etc., but she thinks she can't take a step. Her stance is more like a batter's stance--lol!

Ice Pellet Man and Clothes Shower

Going on day 2 of Ice Storm 2009 (said with an echoing weatherman voice). I have not left the house since Sunday, so I've been doing work from home instead. School was cancelled today and is already cancelled for tomorrow.

So, Kai was all excited this morning to see the blanket of white on the lawn. I tried to tell him it was sleet and ice and not good for making a snowman. He got a snowman making kit for Christmas, minus the snow (has plastic carrot nose, scarf, hat, etc.) and has been dying to use it. Here he is out in the 18 degrees for a few minutes exploring the back yard and Candy Lou Lou racing around like a wild banshee. He tried making a snowball, but it was just ice pellets, so he settled for catching the sleet on his tongue.

And, here's Cassi in her pile of new clothes that her Nina and Grand Dad sent her from Florida. She particularly loved the mini skirt, so look out! Oh, we don't usually have a table in front of the dining chairs--some impromptu baby proofing.

A Skate of Emergency and I've Been "Book Tagged"

Apparently we are under a "skate" of emergency from this ice storm. School has already been cancelled for tomorrow, which we all know, they don't usually do until 7:59 a.m. the day of, so it must be bad to cancel it a full 18 hours in advance!



Also, my buddy Tamara "book tagged" me. I think it's hilarious, kind of like, tell me the last time you got to have a complete thought or got to speak a sentence, uninterrupted by crucial details about a pivotal Sponge Bob episode.

I'm supposed to grab the first book nearest me, not one I'm actually ready. So, let's see, that would be the printer manual or my address book, which probably doesn't even have 56 pages.

The rules:
1. Grab the nearest book.
2. Open to page 56.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the text of the next 2 to 5 sentences, along with these rules.
5. Don't dig for your favorite book, the cool book, or the intellectual book. Pick the CLOSEST!!
6. Tag five (or more) other people to do the same!
Okay, here goes: Page 56 is actually blank, so here's 57.

You can start a scan from your computer or from your HP All-in-One. This section explains how to scan from the control panel of the HP All-in-One only.

For information about how to scan from the computer, and how to adjust, resize, rotate, crop, and sharpen your scans, see the onscreen HP Image Zone Help that came with your software.

SNOOORE!!!! Only during an ice storm would that seem remotely interesting!!! Ironically, I had to scan some receipts for work today and was trying to do it the most efficient way with the lowest resolution and, what do you know, I didn't read this book and managed to figure it out after a few tries. If I had, there might have been a death due to scanning reported on the new coverage of Ice Storm, 2009.

Tag, you're it:
1) Nichole
2) Amy (I know you've been doing some actual reading, so this should be good!)
3) Barbara
4) Tracy
5) Tanya

Happy readin'!

Orange Update

Okay, so I looked it up and it's apparently pretty harmless to turn orange from too much beta carotene. Here's a list of foods, for fellow orange babies, that are rich in beta carotene that you may want to reduce, unless you like that orange "tan:"

Betacarotene is found in many orange foods, including sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, squash, apricots, pumpkin, and mangos. Some green leafy vegetables including collard greens, spinach, and kale are also rich in beta-carotene.

It apparently takes a while for the orangeocity to go away. Some women pay big bucks to be orange in the winter months, so maybe we are on to something here.

And, Amy, yes, thank you, thank you, I will be here all week! lol!

What rhymes with "orange?"

Cassi has grown noticeabley oranger (new word) as in Oompa Loompa orange, since being home. Hmmmm...could it be because the second ingredient on just about every jarred baby food is oh, I don't know, CARROTS!!! It's in lasagna, spaghetti, you name it!

So, we have been cutting back on her baby food and increasing her finger food options by leaps and bounds, with the goal of no more baby food. Baby food is much easier than real food, but they obviously had feeding rabbits in mind when they formulated the stuff. Carrots must be really cheap, so they plump up the contents that way.

Cassi much prefers finger foods anyway and sniff, sniff, it's time for her to move onto bigger and better food options. She loves fish sticks, mandarin oranges (I don't think they will cause orange-itis, but if I'm wrong, please correct me), cereal bars, yogurt, mixed veggies, you name it!

In Russia, pre-carrot based diet...we are searching, searching the labels for carrots...They had the best flavor of Lay's called Mushroom Onion---delicious!!!


Home for about 2 weeks, bring on the carrots.

Ahhhh, what's up doc???

As a side benefit, Cassi can see a hummingbird's wings beat from 20 miles.

These slipper socks were made for walkin'!!!

Cassi is walking!!!!! She now stands up from the middle of the floor and takes 2-3 steps at a time, over and over! :) We are very proud of you, Cassiana! She is 13 1/2 months and has only been home 1 1/2 months.

Close to walking, crazy hair day, dr. check up

Cassi loves playing in her duck bath tub--maybe we'll get her to take a bath in it some day soon--lol!

Kai and Cassi sacked out on the way home from our trip to see relatives this weekend. I know car seats are safe, blah, blah, blah, but how safe is it when their necks are bent in half trying to sleep? We have the neck rolls, but they get so sweaty in them.

Look who's doing the wave! Cassi is very, very close to walking! She takes a step in between the coffee table and the couch (we've sneakily moved it waaaay away from the couch--hee,hee!). And, a few times, she has stood right up in the middle of the floor. Last night, she was doing the way, standing up and down over and over and I got it on video! :)

Cassi trying to stand up! :)

Also, she had a follow up doctor appointment and has gained another pound (22 pounds by the doctor's scale) and a 1/2 inch (by their measurement) and her head has grown from 17 1/8 to 17.5 since her appointment a month ago! She is 13 1/2 months old, for those comparing notes. She continues to amaze us in every way. She is talking more and more every day. She says, "uh-oh," "bye-bye," "more," "cookie," (will "more cookies" be next--lol!), "ma ma," and "diaper."

Cassi whistles, amongst her many Vaudeville acts (fake sneezing, snapping her fingers, pretending to sleep complete with snoring and sucking her thumb). This was taken at a relatives over the weekend:
Cassi whistling

She also tries to snap her fingers. She makes the finger movements and clicks her tongue for the sound! It's hilarious!

Also, Kai had crazy hair day at school last week. What's up with all of the fun things kids get to do at school these days? They've had p.j. day, funny sock day, etc. He really wanted a real mohawk (or "mohog" as he put it) like a kid in his class, but we won't be doing that. Lucky for us, crazy hair day came along, so he got to have one for a few hours.

Kai with his "mowhog"

We had some family photos taken last week, so I will try to upload those when I get a chance to scan them or just take a picture of them.

Feet and Hands

When Kai was 6 months old, I made a print of his hand and foot on paper and framed it. Today, I finally did Cassi's at age 13 months. Guess which one hers is? Her hands and feet are in the turquoise green on the right and they are about the same size as Kai's when he was 6 months! She just moved into size 12 month clothes , but can wear a few of the larger size 9 month. She has tiny hands and feet. Maybe once she's grown, she'll be able to get the cute shoes at the shoe sales since the smaller sizes go last.