Li'l Brudder

We are currently open to name suggestions.  It would be nice to have something that balances out Che on the political spectrum, but still gets to the desire and ability to change the world.   Then again, perhaps we should keep both names on the same side of the political spectrum to prevent future animosity between siblings.  Any thoughts?  Just leave them in the comments.   For now, we’ll just refer to him as Li’l Brudder.

Naturally-dyed Easter Eggs

I wish I had been able to get the blue a little darker, but over all, I am pleased with how they turned out. Next year I think I’ll expand and make purple and green eggs from grape juice concentrate and spinach as well.   Thank you Vanda for inspiring me to NOT use the commercial dyes so readily available in the US!

Hunting for Eggs

An Egg Tree

Today after church, Che had his first Easter egg hunt.   In addition to the dyed eggs, I had filled just a few of the plastic eggs with a little candy.  When he saw the first group of three eggs that I had strategically placed just outside the front door, he got very excited and put them all in his basket.  He then went of in search of more.  When he found the first plastic egg, I was somewhat surprised that he immediately opened it and started eating the candy. Apparently, 5 jelly beans is much more exciting to him than the thrill of the hunt.  Next year when he has a little competition, he may be more driven to gather first and eat latter.

The video below shows just how much Che loves candy, which he doesn’t get that often.  I’m glad that I only put 5 jelly beans in each egg. Otherwise we may have never finished the hunt!

We are very excited to know that Deda is back home and recovering from his recent surgery.    To help speed his recovery, we thought we would post some photos of his favorite grandson to cheer him up.

Trying out Potty Chairs at IKEA

Che is almost at the point that he wants to use the toilet…almost.  While shopping at IKEA yesterday, he decided to try out each color of potty chair.  We bought some and will try them out soon.

This morning at Che’s school, we saw a very cool van painted with science stuff.  We just had to take a picture of it.  

The Science Van

I haven’t gotten around to posting any of the pictures from Che’s and my recent trips to Utah and Ireland, partially because I left my camera somewhere in Utah.  I will post more travel pictures, but for now I wanted to post the two below.  We stopped at a playground in Howth, Ireland and Che loved this toy.  I need to find a way to make one for him, but he’ll probably have to live with a sit ‘n spin, which he’s getting for his birthday.

Around...

...and Around

I will try to post more soon.  Until then, we hope that you get better soon Hristo!

Che and Santa

In a year of rapid and volatile change on a global and national level, it should be no surprise that 2008 was a year of change for our family.  We dug out the roots we had been nurturing in the Boston area, and transplanted our family in Connersville, Indiana, which is pretty close to the middle of nowhere.  We changed jobs and schools, left behind friends that had become family, and embarked on a new adventure.

Now that we are somewhat settled, I can look back and see the miracles that were sprinkled in amongst changes. They were the kind of miracles that allowed hope to thrive and gave us the strength to move forward, and together these small and simple miracles have changed the course of our lives.

As I look forward to the path we are now on, I can’t see very far.  I know the road ahead has many twists and unexpected turns.  But I know that Teo, Che, Feech and I have chosen family over fortune, hope over despair, and love over angst.  While the price of our choices has been high, we are grateful for the peace they have brought our hearts and the hope they give to our future.

This holiday season, we send you our wishes for peace and hope in the year to come, and we are finally providing the update on the family that so many have asked for.

Spring

Miracle: One of Teo’s fingers was saved from amputation and is now almost fully functional.
Blessing: Teo is able to keep working in a job that requires his hands.

Miracle: After a month of frustration and frequently-missed work, I was guided to a new day care. Ms. Leighia loved and nourished Che like a son.
Blessing: Che loved school and Ms. Leighia and thought of Little Lamb as a second home, sparing me the guilt and fear of leaving him each day as I went to work.

Summer

Miracle: Feech chose to come and live with us for the summer.  By the end of the summer, she thought Wayland was the middle of nowhere (not realizing where the family would be in just a few months).
Blessing: I finally had the opportunity to have Feech live with me and be my daughter.  Though we didn’t see much of each other due to work schedules, we learned a lot about each other and Feech and Che were able to bond as siblings should.

Fall

Miracle: We were able to strengthen Che’s relationship with his Baka and Deda through a family trip to Croatia.
Blessing: The devastating financial crisis hit the U.S. while we were away, sparing us the debilitating fear that rampaged through workplaces everywhere and gave us time to plan our future.

Miracle: Though his company was slated for closure, Teo was able to keep his job through a relocation, and I was able to transition to freelancing with jobs waiting in the wings.
Blessing: I was able to reduce my work hours and take a more active role in raising my son, even if it is in the middle of nowhere.  This miracle may become the source of many blessings not yet realized.

Miracle: The wonderful sisters of the Weston 1st Ward Relief Society wrought miracle after miracle as they helped me move and stage my house.  They still act as angels in my life and watch after the house while we pray for the miracle that the home will sell.
Blessing: Teo was able to focus on relocating his entire department at work, and I was given the spiritual, physical, and emotional strength to manage moving the family, the stuff, and my career.

Winter

Miracle: I am at peace with Feech’s decision to be married next summer, despite years of informing her that she could not get married until she had graduated from college and was at least 25.
Blessing: Feech is planning a wedding for which I get to play FPUOTB (female parental unit of the bride), and I still get to be involved in her life.

So, Baka i Deda…these are for you.

For the rest of the world who may happen to stumble upon this blog post, sorry for the unabashed and extended video footage of the family decorating the tree on Christmas Eve.  But admit it, if you couldn’t be with your only grandchild for Christmas, wouldn’t you want the excessive amount of video too?

This first video is of Che on Chirstmas morning, dancing to the music played by a tree when shaken.  The tree used to vibrate so that the bells jingled…15 years ago.  I can’t believe the thing still works, but I’m glad that Che enjoys it.  Of course, I had to hide it after a day or two because I couldn’t take it any more.  The other voice you hear during the video is Feech on the phone.  She managed to be a part of our Christmas celebration despite the distance!

The next few videos are of Che and I decorating the tree Christmas Eve.  Baka sent a box of ornaments for our tree, including a box of handmade cookie ornaments.  Needless to say, once Che got a taste, he was hooked.  And yes, that is his Christmas present in the box behind the couch.  Christmas is so much easier when the child has no clue what is going on.  Next year will be quite different, I’m sure.

The string in this video is from the cookie ornament Che just consumed.  Glad I managed to catch it.   Don’t bother watching the whole thing, but go to 2:50 and watch for a few seconds.  Say it with me, “not a cookie.”   Or go to 3:04 and hear Che say “cookie.”  In case you are wondering, the tree lights are white LEDs.  They just look blue on video.

Some things we like are:

• the total and complete lack of traffic
• the short commutes to work and school (5 min tops)
• more time together as a family (as a result of the first two bullets)
• Jungle Jim’s…the all time coolest grocery store ever (okay, so it’s in Ohio, just a hop, skip, and a jump away)
• the Indianapolis Children’s Museum
• the cows, horses, and other animals grazing on the side of the road (Che loves looking at the animals)

Photos to come.  WordPress doesn’t like me at the moment.

Here is a video of Che on the carousel at the Children’s Museum.  He wanted to ride the same giraffe 3 times in a row.  He probably would have gone for a fourth if we would have let him.  Turn the volume down before you watch it.  That carousel was loud!

Mama
Tata (Croatian for Dad)
Deda (Croatian for Grandfather which he often confuses with Dada)
Che
Baka (Croatian for Grandmother, usually said while pointing at a photo of his Baka)
Glow
Nana = banana
Bock = book
Ba-lloon
Bubble
Ball
Bock = block
Molk = milk
Tuck = truck
Cookie
Crackah = cracker, apparently he’s a true Bostonian
Yes (very rare, he’s more likely to just nod his head)
No (all the time)
Mo’ = more
Squirrel (new today after feeding the really fat squirrel at Emil’s house)
Sock
Shoe
Ka-ket = Jacket or coat
Nose
Doggy
Duck
Wolf/Woof (We aren’t sure whether he knows the difference between a wolf and a dog, or if he is just making the dog sound, but the W book has a wolf in it and when he sees it he says “Wolf”.)
Bath
Wii (He’s already obsessed.  He likes to play tennis.  He can sometimes serve the ball and really likes to dance to the happy music at the beginning and end of the game.)

I know that he says more words than that, but I can never seem to remember them when I want to.  Every so often he throws out a perfectly pronounced word, like “squirrel” today, and then we don’t hear it again.  He said “diaper” once when I was changing his diaper in Croatia.  However, he doesn’t like diapers that much, and likes having them changed even less, so he hasn’t said it again.  I think he just likes to remind me that he really does know what’s going on by throwing out the odd word here and there.  I’m sure he’ll be saying complete sentences in no time at all.  Until then, I’ll try to pretend he is still my baby.

The move went well enough, and I will forever be grateful to all those Relief Society sisters back in the Boston area who helped me pack and clean and provided so much emotional and temporal support as I prepared to leave my home and the region in which I had spent all of my adult life.  You know who you are, and I want you to know that your support was the miracle I needed in my life to make this move.

As planned, I see both my husband and my son more now that we are in Indiana, mostly because our commute is now 5 minutes instead of 40.  Che has adapted well to his new day care and enjoys his new ward at church.  His teachers at day care are smart…they already adore him!  And really, who wouldn’t adore him.

One of my favorite moments from the move was during the unpacking.  Despite the chaos of boxes and packing paper everywhere, and the disorientation of new places and faces, Che still found the energy to enjoy one of the simple pleasures of life.  He played in the packing paper!

This video reminds me of my sophomore year of college and the prank war I had with a guy in my student ward.  It escalated to my dorm room being stuffed to the ceiling with wadded-up Daily Universe newspapers while I was in class all day.  Fortunately, it was a Friday.  That weekend, my dorm room became the prime attraction as everyone wanted to play in all that paper.  Someone even lost her engagement ring while in there…yes, we did find it.  When I finally cleaned it out, I filled 16 32-gallon garbage bags with the newspaper.  Ah…those were the days, but they don’t even come close to the joy of playing in a pile of packing paper with my little Che!

Drinking milk from a cup while holding two balloons takes skill!

In addition to the two ballons his father bought for him, Miss Leighia, Che’s teacher, gave him a bear and a balloon on his last day of school.  It turned out to be a very good thing that he had three balloons for his long journey.  He had worn the ribbons enough on the first two that the wind stole them.  Ironically, the Patriots ballon was snatched on the upper west side of Manhattan.  I had to laugh as I saw the balloon float past all those apartment windows.  At least it wasn’t a Red Sox balloon.  And fortunately, I don’t think anyone saw the source of the rival team’s balloon.  His second balloon was stolen by the wind in a small town of Pennsylvania.  So he arrived at his new home with just one balloon, which is probably a good thing.  He didn’t quite know what to do with three anyway, since he only has two hands.

The whole family is adjusting to the new life and the new home.  It is going to take time, mostly because we were all so attached to our friends and life back in Boston.  Today, Che and I looked at photos of his old school and our Boston home.  He smiled as he looked at the photos and even clapped when he first saw a picture of Miss Leighia.  His new school has a tough act to follow, but I’m sure with time he will grow to love them too.

Week-old Balloons

Hristo…this post is for you.

Che has a new obsession.  Balloons.  Or, as Che says “ba looons”Last Saturday we went to Trader Joe’s and he got a free balloon.  Then we went to BJ’s and they gave him another, even though he already had one.  All he could say for the next two days was “baalooooon!.”  We had to tie them to his high chair so he would eat.  He even wanted to take them to bed with him.  He wanted to take them everywhere…even after they had lost most of their helium and just dragged along the floor.  It was a struggle to get him to leave them in the car when he went into school each day.

Today, we took him to Stop ‘n Shop and bought him two balloons, one for each hand.

Last night, he had his first bubble bath.  The bubbles were almost as good as balloons.

A Bubble Beard

That red patch under his eye…we’ll lets just say he had a little incident while getting out of the sandbox at daycare yesterday.  He’s fine, but his feet must be growing again because he has become a complete clutz lately.