more rambling....

Igor home 18 months on this day!

I'm late in posting it, but last week marked Igor's 18 month home anniversary. How far he's come, it's amazing. Certainly not the shy little guy we met in Ukraine that was just starting to walk, couldn't talk (in any language) and didn't know how to eat solid food. Well all that has changed. Igor is still a little shy around new people but just a normal amount of nervousness which is good. Forget walking - the constant din you hear in the background is me screaming "STOP RUNNING IN THE HOUSE!!" and while he's not quite where he should be in his large motor skills he's catching up faster than I would like some days. While I still wouldn't call Igor a champion eater - that award goes to Sonny Boy - he's catching on and meals are not longer excrutiating ordeals for all of us. He now eats most anything and actually asks for seconds on occasion. He's always the last one at the table but it's not forever. Progress for sure. Emotionally Igor has done wonderfully, he's a sweet little guy full of hugs and kisses for me and has become my boy, Daddy will do in a pinch but he's all about Momma which is fine by me most of the time (sometimes it would be nice if Dad could tuck him in at night). Honestly I don't see any behaviors that are outside normal for a three year old. I won't say we've won the adoption lottery yet because of course things can always pop up but I'd say we are just waiting on the powerball at this point.

A little excitement

We had a dead/dying maple tree beside the rent house and Hubby has been concerned about it as well as the landlord. Last week hubby discussed it with the landlord and he was going to come over this weekend and take it down while we went north to get the rest of our junk. This pm a grubby dude knocked on the door and I wasn't too thrilled to open it and finally he answered we are here to cut the tree down, well OK, I'll move the van out of your way. So the guy shimmys up the tree and goes to work. Made me nervous as a cat watching them as parts of the tree were really dead and as he dropped them they would shatter they were so rotten and he was up in the dead stuff. After watching for a while it occured to me to get the camera and got this shot as he was dropping the last of the top. Now there is quite a mess out there and I'm hoping the landlord comes and takes care of it this weekend since the scary part is done. Kids missed the show as they were at school. Sonny Boy was less than impressed with the day's accomplishment.

Looks like I'll likely start work at the horse farm next week. I went out last weekend and watched the stable's schooling show. If your not familiar with horse stuff it was basically a show for the people who a) are beginning riders, b) have young untrained horses, c) or board their horses there and just want to play around. The weather was brisk but a pretty sunny day and it is a really nice place, much bigger than the place I worked at in Arkansas. They have some nice looking schooling horses so it should be fun. Bummer is my cranky knee started acting up again the last day or so. Today it was cranky enough to make me make an appointment with the doc and go buy a knee brace as I'm scared I'll step wrong and do more damage. Riding will defintely flare it up.