Adopted Mommy

It was crazy trying to get ready for the holidays , but we had a wonderful Christmas this year! Both of our children were very spoiled, as usual! On Friday, December 21st, Dina's best friend and her family came over to pizza and had a gift exchange for all the kids. The following Sunday (the 23rd) was spent with Dina's maternal side of the family. We hosted the get together at our house in the afternoon (so nap time would not be interrupted) and had a blast opening presents together! Christmas Eve, however, was spent quietly at home. This gave Dina more time for her finish her fabulous Rocky Road bars and Rice Krispy treats. After the kids went to bed, Dina's uncle came over. We woke up little David since this was the first time he had met our son. On Christmas morning, Santa came and we opened presents (see picture above). After getting ready and David having his morning nap, we headed to Discovery Bay to Jeff's parents house to celebrate there. Jeff's...

Well, it has been awhile since a posting has been done about our family. Sunday was David's Welcome Home party. We had a full house since it was so cold outside we couldn't use the backyard. David was spoiled with many cute clothes and toys. Many brought presents even for Katarina so she wouldn't feel left out (which is appreciated, but not necessary). There was a lot of food to go around and we have leftovers galore! It was a wonderful day that introduced our son to the everyone! After everyone left, it was time to clean up. Thankfully there was a lot done by the extended family before they started leaving, so it really wasn't too bad. Dina did 3 loads of laundry after the party just from the new clothes the kids received! LOL! Getting toys out of the new packaging with the twist ties are a PAIN!!! On another note, this morning Dina took the kids downstairs to feed them breakfast. After David ate, Dina changed him out of his pajamas into a new outfit. He ...

With all the craziness during the weekends this time of year, we both agreed that it would be okay to just have Dina take the kids this time to the mall for pictures with Santa during the week. Usually we will wait until the weekend so Jeff can be a part of that. It was much easier than the weekend crowds. We were able to walk right up to Santa and take our time with pictures. It was difficult getting both kids to smile at the same time, but they still turned out cute! David's first time seeing Santa went well-we've seen kids SCREAM! We're pretty lucky both kids don't mind that since we like these photo opportunities! :)

Well...Dina's intentions were good, but she didn't make it out to the Early Bird sales this year. But, oh well! The ads out there really didn't have anything that caught her attention. And, now having 2 kids, she couldn't just expect Jeff to take care of both of them on his own until she got home. We're still learning how to balance all that out! :) Thanksgiving, on the other hand, was wonderful! Dinner was cooked by Dina's dad and step mother. We decided to take this opportunity to have our family photo taken for the holiday cards we'll be mailing out soon! This certainly was a wonderful day spent together! On a different note, Jeff's brother, Joey, called us from New Jersey yesterday. He is almost done with boot camp for the Coast Guard. For the Thanksgiving holiday, he was on liberty and was able to to contact family. It was wonderful to hear his voice, which sounds much more mature and articulate. He's looking forward to graduation o...

Well, it's official! We have a son! He came home for good yesterday, just in time for Turkey Day! :) We have known about him for awhile, but there have been many issues that prolonged his homecoming. There have been numerous visits the last month. Our first meeting was October 26 th ! When the adoption is finalized, his name will be changed to David Allen William Graves (in honor of both of our fathers). David was born in Stockton on April 20 th and is 7 months old now! He weighs 19 pounds as of his 6 month check up. He is definitely a big boy! He is an easy going baby and has made wonderful strides since we have met him. The only worry is watching Katarina at the same time. She is not jealous at all, but she just requires attention. She loves to help with feedings and changing. We're not sure if she understands the permanence just yet (she does call him "brother"), but so far it's been easier than we thought it would be. We'll see..... Mor...

Dina's former co-worker had recently asked if she could do a photo shoot of Katarina. She wanted to try out a new lens her husband bought her. So, of course, Mommy said yes since she LOVES pictures so much. There were too many cute ones to even post. The pictures just turned out adorable. Just letting Katarina play in the front yard for a bit allowed for great photos! It was so much fun (and nice to catch up with a friend for "adult" conversation).

Katarina looked ADORABLE in her Chinese costume her Nino bought her in the city awhile back. Whenever he goes, he finds outfits in her size. Mommy gets after Nino since Katarina is NOT Chinese....she's Filipino!! :) Her Uncle David and Aunt Lacey were sweet enough to invite us all over for trick-or-treating in their new neighborhood in Lodi. This was our first time at their new home! Once it got dark, we walked around and Katarina said, "Trick or Treat" and thanked everyone who gave her candy. One house gave her a full size candy bar (for Mommy) because she is just so darn cute! Other kids were only given the fun size bars! Katarina would NOT let go over her pumpkin bucket filled with candy. It was really heavy for her towards the end, but she didn't want Mommy or Daddy to carry it for her! Once we got back to David and Lacey's house, she wanted to go through her candy right then and there! She was a little peeved Mommy only let her have one piece, bu...

What a fun filled day we had! Orignally we had planned with a few friends from high school to meet up with all the kids at the Pumpkin Maze in Lathrop. As it would turn out, some people became ill, including Jeff! There is a major flu bug going around! (Katarina and Dina are thankful they already were given their flu shot this season) With all that being said, our group was very small. It was still important for Daddy to get some rest, so Mommy decided to take Katarina along with another "band geek" friend and daughters. It was such a blast for the kids! We did EVERYTHING we possibly could in the 6 hours we were there! Katarina behaved wonderfully, even though she REFUSED to take a nap in the stroller during the walk through the corn maze. There were many new additions this year, including a "scarecrow ride" which you were able to take a tour through the corn field of different scarecrows school children and scout troops collaborated on. We're going a...

It's that time of year again! Both Mommy and Katarina got flu shots today! Now Daddy just needs to go in when he has a chance. :) Poor baby, she knew what was going to happen. When she saw the needle at the doctor's office, she stated, "Owie!" It was clear what was going to happen to her! Katarina was not happy when it was over, but she got over it! When we got home, she wanted lunch so I had to take this picture!

Katarina knows what a neat freak Mommy is. She loves to please and helps in any way possible. When she cleans up her toys at the end of each day, she actually places them in the correct storage bin, bag, etc. She really is a big helper and will be great with a little one, whenever that happens. The other day Katarina actually asked for a rag as she watched Mommy clean house. So, of course she was allowed to help! Every little item at her level was dusted for us! It kept her busy for a long time. Mommy just had to take this cute picture of the princess wiping down the chair! :) The neighbors decided to have a street wide garage sale this past Saturday. We should have taken a before and after picture, but almost every since item that was put out in our yard was SOLD! It was great to make some extra cash and get rid of a bunch of items we didn't need anymore. Out of all the families on our street that particpated, we were the most successful as far as getting rid of what we wanted to...

Our little princess has turned two years old! *sigh* What a wonderful celebration (Dora themed) we had yesterday at the house for her. It was very small, but fun. I know there are family and friends who might be upset they weren't invited. But this year we wanted to keep things simple (since last year's party was so HUGE and we already had 3 baby showers after Katarina came home)! Katarina was again spoiled rotten and loves all of her gifts! During present opening time, she had difficulty keeping her attention on ripping wrapping paper or pulling tissue paper out of bags. She wanted to play with her toys she already opened! With winter coming, she also received TONS of cute clothes for the cooler weather. On a different note, Katarina has been showing signs of the "terrible two's." Overall she is a very good kid, but if we're home alone with her, she gets bored. So, we try to keep her occupied as much as possible with playgroups, storytime at the l...

An easy way we decided to celebrate Jeff's birthday was to have it at a pizza parlor. Round Table just opened up across the freeway from the house, so this was a perfect opportunity to use their party room! Once again, Jeff was spoiled with many "manly" gifts and money! :) But, of course, Katarina stole the show and was the center of attention! Next year is the big 3-0!!! We're planning something BIG for that next year since both Mommy & Daddy will be "over the hill!" LOL!

Dina and Katarina were invited to spend some time with a couple of Dina's former co-workers for lunch before the school year started off again for the rest of them. (BTW-Dina is SO glad that stress isn't in her life!) Of course, the princess was an angel and as we walked into Tammy's Baby Shop in Manteca, there was something perfect for her. So, what do the "aunties" do? They buy her an early birthday present! It is a cute magnetic puzzle that was personalized with her name. You can buy the length you need for the base and then get letters and other shapes to fill in for the puzzle pieces! The joke was that now Katarina will know how to spell her name (as long as it is) before she starts kindergarten! Well, with a former teacher as her mother, that just might happen.....

Yesterday we took Katarina to see Thomas the Tank Engine at the Roaring Camp Railroad. The drive to Felton was fairly easy and we scheduled everything perfectly. There was so much to do! If we would have known all the things they would have there, we would have made a complete day out of it. Well, we didn't get to stay all day anyways since we had a birthday party to go to in the afternoon. Katarina napped all the way home and enjoyed seeing Thomas!

What a way to end swim lessons! This last session we signed up for was much better! Katarina passed all the requirements! Hooray! Next summer she will be able to be signed up for the next level! She really loves the water. We're not sure if she'll want to compete when she's older because there are many things she enjoys. But, it is nice to know she doesn't mind being in the "big" pool, espeically since this is her first year in one.

It has been such a joy to be able to experience the many milestones babies/toddlers have during their early years. Katarina has been on target (if not advanced) on many of them. Dina has always been a stickler from day on about brushing Katarina's baby teeth. All of sudden, though, Katarina does NOT want Mommy brushing her teeth for her. She knows she's a "big" girl and insists on using the toothbrush on her own. I know that the "What to Expect the Toddler Years" book says this is about the age where toddlers start to learn how to use the toothbrush on their own, but it's just one more thing Mommy & Daddy won't have to do for her! It's making Dina a little sad how quickly time flies and how much the princess has grown up since they've brought her home!

As part of the adoption requirements through the county, beds and dressers must be available for children according to their age. We knew this as we picked out Katarina's furniture and bedding. When we decided to get the second nursery ready last year before Katarina came home, it was once again filled with decision making! That was the fun part! Keep in mind this was pre - Katarina ! So, the licensing agent comes to our home to do an inspection and sees that now we have room for 2 babies (maybe we'd get twins we thought). That all gets approved and noted. Dina felt this urge to paint the 2 nd nursery like Katarina's room was done. During her spring break of 2006, she took time to paint what would be the "boy" nursery. The odd part was that the second day back at work after Dina's spring break was over, the call came in about Katarina ! It's a good thing that the paint job was done, because there was NO way that would ever get completed! For months now...

We had the best time at the Seascape resort! Katarina had a blast at the pool and beach. It was nice not having to worry about where to be at certain times. We just did whatever we wanted and had a relaxing time. :) Jeff was able to go golfing and Dina did a 6 mile Wharf to Wharf run during the trip. It trailed from the Santa Cruz beach board walk to Capitola! Her time was 1:36 (so she didn't exactly RUN the entire time). We are now home safe and sound and back to reality! This is one place we look forward to returning to!

Well, our first session of swim lessons is now over. It was unusually cool this time of year to be in the pool. A lot of the kids, including Katarina, had their moments and did NOT like the cold water. But, overall Katarina did very well. She is a great kicker and can actually move both her hands and kick at the same time for a little while. The only thing she needs to work on is blowing bubbles in the water instead of drinking it! Next week starts our last sessions for the summer. Should be lots of fun, again!

We were invited to join our friends to the Stockton Port's baseball game on Sunday, July 8th. For the grass area called "Home Run Field" tickets were only $1 each, so we decided it would be a cheap way to see if Katarina could handle a sports event. Plus, being on the grass area allowed the kids to run around close by to us. It was so hot, but it cooled down later in the game. Katarina did well, but we didn't get to watch much of the game since we were making sure she was okay. :) Maybe when she gets older...

Mommy signed Katarina up for swim lessons at Lincoln Pool in Manteca! It was a huge success and we had a blast! Katarnia tried to blow blubbles in the water, but she ended up drinking the water! She had a great time and we're looking forward to more time in the pool.

Katarina helped celebrate her cousin Brianna's 2nd birthday! The weather was just gorgeous for a BBQ picnic at Micke Grove Park! Trying to play with the racket! Eating birthday cake while sitting on Daddy's belly! Comfy! All the Rabara cousin babies! Katarina (21 months), Macy (4 months) and Brianna (2 years)!

It was very hot this year! The new ballpark (Field of Dreams) across the freeway from our home was having a huge event all day. We wanted to go, but we're glad we didn't! It was just too hot to take Katarina out. But, we did enjoy our quiet day at home and Katarina (as you can see from the pictures above) was able to cool off in her little pool for a little bit. Since the fireworks were so close, we were able to see them from our street (it was difficult finding the right spot between all the two story houses). This was the first year Katarina stayed up that late and watched the fireworks show with us. She watched Daddy set off the ones he and her Nino bought too. Daddy had a little too much fun with that!

Since Katarina has come into our home, we have been to many places with her. Usually people just tell us how cute she is. There have been a couple of times, especially when one of us is by ourselves with her, where strangers have asked what nationality the other parent is. Last year after one of the three baby showers we had, Dina took Katarina shopping at BabiesRUs to use the gift cards given to us. An elderly couple was behind her and and the gentleman made the statement, "Dad must have dark hair" after studying Katarina carefully at 9 months old. Dina responded with, "Actually, she's adopted! You're the first one to ever mention that." Another situation occurred again at the same store at a different time. Jeff was with Katarina down a separate isle from Dina and a woman came up to him and asked if I was the mother (she apparently knew we were together). He quickly told her, "Shh...this child is with my first wife." However witty that was, Dina ...