Long Overdue Update

I know this post is really overdue. I admit, the longer I go without posting, the more overwhelming it seems because I feel like I can't leave anything out. So I am hereby allowing myself to leave stuff out!

First, we finally got around to doing Danny's readoption. Although the State of California doesn't require that we readopt Daniel, we did it anyway. (Each state is different; some recognize foreign adoptions, others don't.) One, our agency required it and weren't going to leave me alone until we did it. Two, we were able to legally add Daniel's middle name as part of the process. In case you don't know, we made his middle name Galindo, which is his birthmother's last name, so he'll always have a tangible connection to her. And three, we get a California birth certificate. It still shows that D was born in Guatemala, of course. But you need a birth certificate for so many things, like school, getting a passport, etc. And after our experiences with Guatemala's beaurocracy, we never want to have to try to get anything from their Civil Registry again! We went to court on Dec. 22, and a clerk took a bunch of photos during the hearing. Frankly, this ceremony didn't feel very significant to Eric and me, since Danny was already legally our son. I mean, when the judge gave us long lecture and asked us if we agreed to take on all the responsibilities of parenthood, I had to bite my tongue from replying, "What the f@*&$# do you think we've been doing for almost a year?!" Ow. But Jeanie was happy, because she got to sit in the judge's chair after he left. We also got D a social security number, so now he can, as Eric puts it, "get a J-O-B!"

We had a wonderful holiday season with Daniel. We took him to 2 menorah-lighting events. The first night of Hanukkah, we went to a fairly big outdoor event complete with a fantastic band and fireworks. I thought the fireworks might scare Danny, but he like them. That's my boy! Daniel liked lighting the candles every night. And he got the hang of present-opening really quickly! He can now tear wrapping paper off a box at the speed of light. Once, he saw some packages on the table for his cousins, and he pitched a little fit because I wouldn't let him open them. Note to self: Hide all presents the kid can't open...

We spent Christmas Day at Dad and Carol's house, where Danny got one of his favorite gifts: a slew of Hot Wheels cars. Boy, does he love cars! He makes great car sounds while playing with them. But his biggest joy comes in lining them up in rows. He makes the most interesting patterns! Another favorite present is his first tricycle, from Abbe and Willie. He can't work the pedals yet, but he still manages to tear around the neighborhood. His steering is getting really good, and he's always looking back to make sure I'm not helping him.

Which brings me to the next item on our agenda: Ways in which Daniel is growing up and becoming more independent! First and foremost, he wants to do EVERYTHING himself! And as much as is safely possible, we try to let him. I gave him a little stepstool, and he carries it from room to room to help him reach the sink to wash his hands, climb onto sofas and chairs, etc. He tries to get dressed and undressed by himself, with very limited success. But he has gotten really good at pulling his pants down (thankfully not in public). He likes to help me at the grocery store. Today, I held the plastic bags open while he put apples, oranges and bananas in them. He helps put boxes and cans in the cart (really, he just tosses them behind him, but hey...) and puts stuff on the conveyor belt at checkout. He also has two "chores" - He helps empty the dishwasher (whether the dishes are clean or not...We're working on that...), and I taught him to Swiffer so he can clean the floors. Does it count as child labor if he likes it?

So yes, he's very independent in many ways. On the other hand, he's also in a very clingy "Mommy Mommy Mommy" phase, where he doesn't want to let anyone else do anything. If Eric dares to try to take him out of his carseat, change his diaper, brush his teeth, or pretty much anything else, Daniel screams "Nooooo! MAMA!" If I'm not at home, all is well; Eric or a grandparent can do everything with no problems. But if he has a choice, it must be me. I keep telling myself that one day I will look back on this wistfully, when Daniel is a preteen and thinks I'm the dorkiest person on earth, and he would die before letting anyone see him hug me.

Moving on to some of Daniel's "big boy" advancements...Well, the cute blow-up baby bathtub is now gone, and Danny takes a bath in the regular tub. He loves having so much room to play! It's hard to believe he wasn't even crawling when he came home; now he runs all over the place, climbs everything, jumps, stomps...And beware: if you bend down to tie your shoe, Daniel will hurl his entire body onto your back, with no consideration of whether or not you feel up to being a horsy. He's also getting more and more verbal. Some of his words only Mom and Dad can understand. (Took several tries before we figured that "Ah-ah" means "chicken nuggets shaped like dinosaurs." Tangent: Daniel makes his dinosaur chicken nuggets fight, complete with sound effects, before he dips them in ketchup and eats them.) Sometimes, D has really involved conversations, complete with changes in inflection and gestures, which clearly mean something to him, but we have no freakin' clue what he's saying. Sounds good, though! Larry and Karen came for a 1-day visit last weekend, and were amazed at how much Daniel has changed since they were here in July!

Overall, this is a really fun time in Danny's life. He is easier to take places, without as much advance planning required as before. For instance, if we're out and decide on the spur of the moment to eat at a restaurant, we can do it. Yesterday, we went to a local petting zoo, and decided to get some BBQ. (Ummm, I just realized how that sounded. Don't worry - The BBQ restaurant is a couple miles away, totally unaffiliated with the petting zoo! And yes, we washed our hands...) Anyway, I put some of my turkey and fries on a little plate, and Daniel had that for lunch. Today, Eric took Danny to watch football with "the guys" for several hours, and he did great. It didn't hurt that "Uncle Eric" (my Eric's good friend) let Danny watch The Wiggles on YouTube on his laptop. (Thank God for YouTube!) And all in all, Daniel's personality has just developed so beautifully. He cracks me up with his games; his laugh is totally infectious. And he melts my heart with his hugs and kisses.