Happy Holidays and Happy 2008!

Hi everyone! Sorry for the long time between posts but it's just been crazy as always. The holidays were just absolutely wonderful and busy for our little guy. Here is a very quick overview of what we did: On Friday the 21st we were off to Lburg and our 3&ahalf-hour drive took 6 which Rinat was not too happy about but we got there safe and sound and were really happy to finally get out of the car. On Saturday, we had lunch with friends and then Peter took off for an afternoon of martini drinking (his first I think) at the annual Martini Party (yes, that is a capital M and P because it is a capital, invite-only affair). Our friends Mer and Lynden came in town and we had a big dinner out while the grandparents babysat. It was so nice to have a few hours to ourselves. Then on Sunday, our little sweetie was baptised and, of course, threw a fit when he wasn't allowed to play in the baptismal font. But I just kept whispering "Pattycake, Pattycake, Baker's Man" in his ear and it calmed the wild beast so he didn't scare the congregation. But then as Dr. Harbison walked down the aisle to introduce him to everyone, he let out his loudest Kazakh war cry to show his dismay at being removed from Mom and Dad. But he looked so darn cute in his little white outfit that you couldn't help but smile anyway. Then Monday was Christmas Eve and about a million people came over to say hi and have a drink. Rinat just loved having all of the other kids around and was exceptionally well behaved. He even sat still for a photo op entailing about 10 kids ranging in age from 4 months to 7 years sitting under the tree and smiling for the camera. He just watched everyone else and played with his Elmo toy. And Tuesday was Christmas Day and he got gobs of toys and loved them all. But most of all I think he loved the attention of all of his grandparents, aunts, and uncle. And what did I get for Christmas? I got the best gift of all- the sound of laughter from my son and seeing my sweet husband beaming with pride. Then Wednesday was our sweet little baby's first birthday. I can't believe that he is already a year old! We went to Roanoke to visit his other grandparents and had tons of fun. He went to town on his cake and just really had fun playing with everyone. The next day, Thursday, we were back to Lynchburg then Friday home to DC. It took us a couple of days to get back in the swing of things and then it was New Years Eve and as the clock struck midnight, I thought to myself "Really, how could 2008 be any better than the year we just had?" Oh yeah, we could be on our way to a daughter :-) Yes, Tatiana, you will be hearing from us soon! (For anyone who doesn't know her, Tatiana is our paperwork guru at the adoption agency. She makes sure we have everyone we need to get our child. She's awesome!) And then I got up on Jan 1 and drove, hungover, to pick up Ted and Liz at the Baltimore airport. They stayed a week while she did her residency interviews at two of the hospitals here in DC. And we of course did lots of tourist things and showed them the city. We want them to fall in love with the city so that they will chose to be here for a few years while she completes her program. No pressure Liz&Ted but it sure would be fun! So now we sit here, Rinat, Peter, and me, as a family. The great influx of visitors is finally done and we are now on our own. After months and months of craziness, we are finally down to us and we couldn't be happier to be a normal family. Oh, but not for long. No, no. Life would be boring if that was it, right? We have Rinat's birthday party coming up, then his surgery (for the cyst) and then I think we'll begin on the next one. Yes, I know, we should just let life float by for a while but what fun would that be? Happy 2008 everyone! I hope everyone has their life wishes fulfilled as we have this year. Much love to all. -m