Toothless

Kobi has been losing his teeth these days and the tooth fairy has been making her rounds frequently to our home. There is nothing like finding money in the morning right under your pillow and Kobi has formulated a master business plan after her first two visits. Recently we brought a puppy into our lives (a very bad puppy I might add) and Kobi told me one night that he planned on putting the (very bad) puppies teeth under his pillow when they fell out and would profit $2 per tooth. I had to laugh and hide the pliers because I just don't trust him :)



2011

Now to get back into Blogging gear here are some of what 2011 looked like for my little man Kobi. I regret to say that I have lost a lot of great pictures in my moves the past year. However, here are just a few of my favorites that did make it for the ride.

2011 was a time of major transitioning for this little guy. He is an amazing adaptable young man and even though I will admit there were obstacles and ups and downs his smiles always lit through the darkest moments. 2011 was a roller coaster year for Kobi and I. We've cried together, we've shared each others excitements and joy. He is still the little boy with that funny sense of humor, has the biggest heart, hugest smile and zest for life.

Now if I could just find all my pictures!

A New Path

It has been some time since I lasted posted and life has a strange way of taking twist. When you become a parent you want to be able to give the world to your child. You want them to have experiences that make them grow, to make them a person that one day can walk through life without holding your hand. Not every experience is beautiful but because of that experience you grow. Children learn by example and although not every example may have been the normal route, the safe road they still observe the parent or parents that are trusted in their heart and that builds the character of the adults they become. There is no text book for life. My child is a piece of me, even if he was born an ocean away. I may not have been able to give him the gift of life but in reality that's the easy part. I want my son to see healthy with his own eyes. To grow up knowing his worth and to be able to walk away when he feels like his worth is not being met. I can give him the gift of knowing how to do this because he has lived it first hand through me.

Marriage is not easy. It can have a way of bringing out the most beautiful in people but if that beauty dies do you stay or do you go? Its impact on the child will put a permanent stamp, impression that he will carry with him his entire life. In my case the beauty died and the impact of staying would have given my son a stamp I did not want him to follow. So I left.

I realize that leaving was one of the hardest decisions I could make but also the most empowering example I could demonstrate to my son. At the end of the day I just wanted more. More for me, more for Kobi's future. I left everything behind except my son.

Life has a strange way of taking twist.

When your life has regrouped and taken a new direction that person you were not looking for someday finds you. In my situation it was extremely quick. I realized what people would think but at the end of the day it just didn't matter. I believe a little person should view healthy relationships because at that moment when they are not holding your hand anymore they will have gained your independence so to speak and an idea of what self worth truly means. If they do not observe what healthy is then how can they ever find it for themselves. If I have taught my son only one thing I hope it is to follow his heart.

Life is not always a planned path.

I have become a mother two different ways. The child that was born from someone else and the child that was born from me. I wondered if it would feel any differently the first time I held my babies and it did. The moment I held Kobi it was as if he was an old soul that I was already acquainted with. The happiest moment of my life. A huge sigh of relief that I had found my baby. The moment I held my daughter it was of shock. Along with a side of terror followed by amazement that something so small could have engulfed my heart so big. She was a little soul I didn't know but again, just like Kobi, a huge sigh of relief from the moment I heard that first cry. Having many children is something that I always secretly wanted. Of course going through life with just a son was something I was prepared for but I have always wanted to give a sibling to him, be it this way or adoption. It doesn't matter how your children come to you. Whether they are planned with piles of paperwork and look nothing like you or completely unplanned and have your smile and the same baby face you had when you were their age.

A typical pregnancy is 40 weeks. When I held my daughter for the first time at 33 1/2 weeks needless to say is why I can write "shock" as to one of my first emotions. Shocked to know I was holding a child that was so tiny but able to completely function on her own. I was very fortunate to have given birth to a healthy baby girl.

In my eyes Kobi has gained something happy during this time of what may feel like his life has taken the worst possible turn. He has gained a sibling that he adores and always asked me for during my marriage to his father. Although this was not the way he expected to get one I am happy I could. An end of a marriage was never something I wanted Kobi to have to experience I also never wanted him to experience a life without siblings. He is now a product of a blended family and has not just a sister but an older brother so to speak.

There has been many changes in my household. A completely new and different household with lots of dirty fingers and chaos. Have I made the right decision to leave what I had known for the past fifteen years? Absolutely...

And the first sport is...

Ice Hockey!

Or at least that's what Kobi's attempting :)
Can you tell he was really excited about his skates?

(Sorry the pictures aren't the best quality)

Tonight was his first practice and all in all this little islander did really well. There is three other boys in his class (all with skills) so maybe some of their coordination will rub off on Kobi? Hehe! Time to lower that health insurance deductible! LOL! Its times like tonight that I wish his birth mama could see him now...

Happy New Year!

I know the rest of the world usually starts a healthy diet on January 1st but not this household. (At least for Kobi anyway!) To bring in the new year we made buttery, fating, sugar cookies. Kobi is so thin! He's totally healthy at his weight and I think he is tall which makes his little butt look nonexistent anyway but I just wish he would eat more fattening foods. That sounds strange but he naturally chooses to eat fish and vegetables over mac & cheese and cake which I know is probably a really good way to start out in life but geeessshhh already! Cant mama still have one little fat roll to look at! LOL! I shouldn't complain about this issue because I am sure next month Kobi will only want to eat all the bad "forbidden food to mama" but really this kid does eat like crazy, just healthy. For example I am forced to buy salmon, mango's and persimmons on a regular basis (all fresh or he won't touch it) we go through a 15lb bag of rice in weeks and I just didn't think at age 3 I would really have to worry about that. At least he's got good taste. Lord help me when he turns 15! He'll eat me out of the house! I have tried to make little sandwiches (you know lunch meat, cheese, wonder bread, etc...) he looks at me like where is the real food and doesn't touch it. The only bread he will eat has to be croissants and if his lunch isn't something hot and cooked in the oven he refuses it. Uggh! Its a good thing daddy does all the cooking. Poor kid would starve to death if it were just mama :) So my goal for the year 2010...

increase my grocery budget by 50% and suck up the fact that trying to get out of the house in a timely manner because breakfast takes 20 minutes to make just isn't happening :)

Christmas 2009

I gotta say for 2009 I was way late in the Christmas card department. Was it just me? Anyway if you did get a card it would have had one of these pictures in it. I swear I could take pictures of Kobi all day! If I could only keep up with him! So out of about 80 pics these were my favorite :) I hope you all had a wonderful holiday! Kobi needs no more toys until the year 2020 now and I will have to buy some kind of massive organization system for the basement but hey the way his face lit up tearing open those presents was totally worth the price of all the new plastic bins I will have to purchase! Hehe!

I am thankful for...

Snow blowers a strong back and oil heat! I normally never post a non-Kobi picture but 21 inches of snow is on our deck! Now its time to make some snow angels!