mid-vacation post

We're on Edisto Island beach on the coast of South Carolina right now. (We'll, right now, Mercer is napping / Todd's playing golf / I'm here at the condo.) We have worn the little guy out & we're not even half-way through our vacation! I don't know what it is about the sun, but it has zapped Mercer every day & he takes monumentally long naps.

Here, he's sporting his car pj's while laying on his car sheets. They almost look the same. We brought a twin-sized blow-up mattress for him to sleep on & brought his bed rail so he wouldn't roll off the 4" to the ground. The first few times he was to go to sleep on the mattress, he used it like a bouncy house while holding onto the rail -- but he eventually goes to sleep on it. (yes, he just drank... and is drooling milk)

Here are a few shots from yesterday's visit to the beach. The place we're staying is not on the beach, but they have a tram that takes you there... there's a cabana with bathrooms and (most importantly) a wash-off station. It's amazing how much sand a little swim diaper can hold!! After getting back to our condo, we ended up stripping Mercer & hosing him off before coming back inside -- but there was still a ton of sand that appeared mysteriously during his shower afterwards.

He enjoyed playing in the sand with his shovel, bucket, bulldozer, and dump truck. He made tracks. He buried his feet. He was very creative with the various toys around.

It seemed that his play area was a little too close to the water, however!
coming...
and in a flash...
it was gone!

We introduced him to "frisbee" although he didn't need much introduction to throwing / slinging things! (the frisbee would go behind his back much of the time) Today, we all flew kites (sort of).

We watched pelicans along the water, lots of butterflies along the dunes, and even a heron that would fly & perch... fly & perch... fly & perch. We haven't seen any alligators, although there are supposedly plenty of them (the island is surrounded mainly by a marsh... which moves to an inlet on either side... that encompass the shore line along the Atlantic). I am hoping that we can move a little inland later in the week and explore some of the nature areas on the island. We'll see.

Here, he's running from waves -- which we did for quite awhile. Eventually, he became more comfortable with the water and ventured close to the edge. (Today, he wanted to actually go further in - so his comfort level is growing still yet).
I will try to post again in the next week or so -- but I know that when I get back home, I have a heavy week lined up for work. Let me put this out of my mind, though, and get back to the beach for now!!

every weekend, we try to do something fun...

It's been just over 2 weeks since the last post. I've been VERY busy at work lately. i had a big grant proposal that was due this week as well as was coordinating / leading a week-long green building training for Dominican Republic & Colombian architects, architecture students, and professors. It was a very unique experience as we had our material translated in print and verbally. This group, too, was - by far - the "warmest" group of students that we've ever taught. It was a lot of fun touring them around the city, too, and visiting local green buildings.

2 weekends ago, we checked out a "safari" that i scored some 50% off tickets to. A co-worker told me about it & it sounded intriguing, but..... it was a little bizarre. You have the option to drive your own car through the safari or rent zebra-striped mini-vans that have been modified (glass out of the windows & bars across the openings). We opted for the van. You buy bags of food & drive through a several-hundred acre preserve. The animals come up to the car & want you to give them the food. Some of them can get their snouts all the way into the car... some of them -- especially the cows and the giraffes -- have really long tongues that they stick out at you too trying to grab the food from you. (That part freaked me out, actually.) Mercer stayed smack in the middle of the van -- very smart.... it was the furthest point away he could get from the animals at a very safe distance! Here in this pic -- he's checking out one of the animals & looks a little concerned. We can't tell if he enjoyed himself or if he was a little freaked out too!?!

Last weekend it was rainy, so we went to the Georgia Aquarium. I snapped a shot of him in front of some of Todd's favorite fish - Lion Fish. My favorite fish - the Weedy Sea Dragon - Mercer was actually interested in. Luckily, we got to spend a couple of minutes watching the odd-looking fish. We have a membership at the aquarium this year (thanks Grandma Gloria!) so we go occasionally; this time, however, we discovered an area that we haven't been to before -- the upstairs section of the kid's area. Here we found a tunnel that Mercer climbed through over and over again as well as a slide that he & I went down to get back to the main level. Another thing that he discovered (although we've seen it before) is how in one of the areas, there is a wave machine that periodically moves across the glass above your head. He was more fascinated by this than before. Love that excitement of discovery! There's a common theme... mouth WIDE open!

This past weekend, we cashed in some passes we had for the Atlanta Botanical gardens... they built a new bridge that weaves through some woods as well as built new fountains and garden areas. A subtle water feature next to a "living wall" became one of Mercer's favorite things to play with there.... I bet many people may pass by without noticing the water feature. Mercer learned that he could break the flow of water that otherwise disappears in grooves cut into the wall and that he could also "paint" his hand-prints on the slate surface with his wet palms & fingers.

One of the things that Todd & I love about going to the botanical gardens is that they try to incorporate art into the garden. Here in this new fountain, they had some blown glass flowers "floating" on the surface. Also, they have multi-colored blown glass pumpkins & gourds which are really stunning in the clusters (of dozens & dozens of hand-made pieces) that they had arranged throughout the new garden areas.

Mercer had a good time playing with the pumpkins that were on display too. Yay - fall is officially here!

Mercer is doing some new things... he "announces" EVERYTHING. If I give him a cup of water with ice, he has to go tell Todd about it. If Todd puts together his Lego train set, Mercer has to have me come look at it and says "daddy did it." A minute later: "daddy did it." At first I thought he was telling on us... if I spilled something "Mommy made a mess" -- but now I've learned he just wants to tell us things -- wants to announce things. Wants our acknowledgement.

Guess we have to be a little careful about what we say & do -- because little guy will certainly openly talk about our every move!

Last week, Mercer counted to 12 by himself & shocked us both. He's also filling in some of the letters when singing ABC song. He's really getting more into wanting to hear kids songs and singing along / clapping / bopping around. (Much to our chagrin - we're not always "allowed" to listen to what we want to on the radio. We new it was coming at some point, though.)

Mercer has gotten into kicking & saying "Hi-ya" like he's in karate. Wonder if a kid at his daycare does this? He also has a hard time expressing his frustration... kind of like a puppy -- when he gets excited -- he bites. (This is something that we're working on having him stop doing!) He's also honing his skills for stalling going to bed... he wants water... he wants to wash his hands... he wants to "fix" my hair. he wants to read just one more book... he wants to go to the potty... he wants to go say good-night to the kitty. This we knew would come too -- we just didn't count on it coming so soon!

I started this post on Saturday, but finished it on Sunday night. I thought that I would make a quick mention about the sermon today at our church. Today was World Communion Day... so they sang some songs in Spanish and in Swahili. They also said a blessing for the bread and the wine in Spanish, French, German. It was interesting. Later, they went into talking about not wanting for "stuff" -- how people are caught up in wanting more and more materialistic things... and how this doesn't bring happiness. They also played a U2 song - "I still haven't found what I'm looking for." Never thought so much about the words to that song. It was an interesting sermon and communion -- I'm really glad we went today!

Todd & I don't feel like we're as materialistic as we used to be... we're seeking more quality-of-life and more experiential things. I've been thinking a lot lately about "what's next" for my career / our family... and as a part of that I am constantly thinking about simplifying life when I do make my next career transition and (hopefully in the near future) our next adoption adventure. This drove the point home for me today to re-focus on what's important. I'm wanting to "push the reset" button. Next week we go on a week-long vacation and hope that we ALL push the reset button and steer towards a more simple, fulfilling life!

Mercer's personality is coming through

Mercer did something that was SO funny the other day:

We were grabbing a slice of pizza up on the square & someone we knew stopped by our table to talk. The woman, Joan, asked Mercer a question, but he had just shoved a piece of pizza in his mouth, so that when he replied he let out an un-interpretable mumble. She asked him the question again and he replied with the same mumble. I told him not to talk with his mouth full -- intending for him to finish chewing and THEN reply with his answer. Instead, he grabbed the chewed up pizza out of his mouth & stuck it in my hand, then answered the question!!

Todd, Joan, and I BUSTED out in laughter. I don't even remember what the question or the answer was because I was in shock! He resolved the problem in a much different way than we had intended, but... he DID resolve it!

Mercer's also starting to think and reason for things he wants -- even things that are not tangibly in front of him. We were watching some neighbor kids one day after work / after school. I wanted him to behave well / not be cranky, so I brought a cheese stick so he could eat it on the way home & carry him through 'til he ate dinner later that evening. He's eating the cheese stick -- and after awhile he says "this is not a treat, mommy" "this is not a treat, ok?" I suppose he was afraid he wouldn't get a goodie at some point later if he gobbled up the cheese stick?!

Hmmm..... smart!

This past weekend, we went for a bike ride on a converted "Rails-to-Trails" path called the Silver Comet. We had a nice ride & even stopped at one of the pull-off areas to hike a little bit. We knew there was a nature preserve and walking trails that backed up to the Silver Comet, but. little did we know that there were some old ruins on a creek at the end of the trail. The ruins were supported by a steel sub-structre which added even more interest to the site from our perspective.

We were so pleasantly surprised -- as ruins and water are 2 of the things Todd & I like to see along our hikes, in fact we sometimes plan trips to specific places because of them!! For us, this was a hidden treasure & we will definitely be back!

Todd took some photos of Mercer in front of the ruins while Mercer was climbing up an elevated manhole structure not too far from the stone ruins. At first, he needed our help climbing up the 2' tall structure, but after a few times, he was able to do it himself. He was also a little apprehensive of jumping off the structure, but quickly got over his fear and did it over and over again all by himself. He's definitely becoming more independent.

Speaking of independence, we've enrolled him again into semi-private swim lessons. They're more expensive & further away from where we live, but we really didn't think he was getting life-safety skills at the place he's been going for the past year. He's no longer afraid of the water, but we want him to roll over & float on his back - most importantly - when he does get in the water. Hopefully these new lessons will provide these fundamentals & others. He had one lesson last week & the instructor said he needed to move up to the next level. This new level is the first class where the kids are in the water on their own with the instructor.... none of the parents go in the water with the kids.

He was the youngest kid in the class and was clingy & apprehensive, but we passed him to the instructor. She carried him into the water & set him on the step where the other few kids were waiting. Mercer actually sat in one place on the step for the most part. He went to her when she came to get him for his one-on-one instruction. He got his head & ears wet. He floated on his back with her. He kicked. He (sort-of) blew bubbles. And - he jumped into the pool upon her instruction where she caught him. He kept looking over to us to make sure we were there -- or to see if we were watching & applauding him on his achievements. All night long he kept saying "I did it." He was definitely proud. I was a little sad -- this is a new step for him, but we were both proud of him too.

Finally, Mercer has begun a couple of new things that ALL kids do / we knew to expect at some point. He does the constant "Mommy, mommy, mommy...." "Daddy, daddy, daddy...." until you look at him. Just acknowledging him doesn't work to cease this constant name-calling. He's also began the continuous "Why?" He hasn't done this too often, but several times he's asked when I wake him up in the morning: "Where's Daddy?" I reply, "he's at work." "Why?" "Because he has to pay for the house and the groceries." "Why?" So that we have a place to live and food to eat." Why? I think at that point, I distracted him with something so it ended!! I know that there will be ever more and more "why's" added to the end of the string.

Good times!

2 years ago today, we celebrated Mercer's adoption

It was his official adoption day. We went to court in the morning for the judge's review of our paperwork, social worker's recommendation, and and ruling. We had a big party that evening. Two years has passed quickly in one sense when thinking about his development and growth. But, it feels like "forever" that we've had Mercer -- it feels like he's always been a part of our family.

Today, we hung out as a family -- going out to breakfast, playing here at the house, then going to an annual picnic that our church was having. It was at a historic "meeting camp" site nearby. (It's a place where many denominations of churches gathered starting in the 1800s. There's a large open-air heavy-timber church which is pretty cool.) After eating, Mercer was drawn a few times to the open-air structure where there was singing, but the highlight was definitely the playground. Here's a pic... this is something I started & still think is sort of funny... but I know one day will haunt me -- him opening his mouth & showing me what's inside. He ate a blue cookie & wanted to show me.

Now - things may seem a little confusing if looking at hair style. In the pics above (from this weekend) Mercer's hair is shorter. He got a haircut a couple of days ago. The pics below are from last week. There's one pic that has an adorable long curl going right down his forehead. oh... I hated to see those long curls go!!

Last weekend, we went for a hike at a spot that Todd & I like (there is water and building ruins along the way). Mercer actually did a great job on the hike. Todd & I had to carry him a little bit, but he moved along the trail for the most part. Well, until he'd get distracted by a tiny worm.... or river viewing platforms that he would have to dance around and explore every inch of. The thing that kept him moving the most, however, was logs buried in the ground. He would see one and run to it. Then, he would jump off of it. He'd see another & take off again. We took a number of breaks along the way -- once for a picnic lunch, once to explore the rocks in the water, and once to get another stamp in Mercer's letterboxing book (someone had buried a box in the park & left description enough for us to find it).

Mercer has had some "eating" firsts this week. He ate his first hotdog (well, really it was a veggie dog) at a Braves / Mets baseball game earlier this week. He ate his first piece of fried chicken at the church picnic earlier tonight. He had his first "kids meal" at a fast-food restaurant... ate 2 chicken bites from chick-fil-a, a few fries, and an apple juice (this one, I'm not proud of, but we were on the run & were both getting cranky because we hadn't eaten lunch). And, he had his first piece of bacon at breakfast today. It was turkey bacon and to him this flat piece of meat looked odd. Once he tasted it, he gobbled it up quickly, though.

Mercer has picked up a new habit - not a good one - where he's grabbing and scratching when he dosen't get his way. Todd & I are trying to work on nipping this in the bud and hopefully this is a short-lived phase that he's going through. He's been getting frustrated really easily too. And he also squeals "stoooooppppp" when we're trying to help him do things. Very independent... and doesn't want our help! (He kind of sounds like a whiny teenager when he does this.) It's a little bit funny -- for now.

Another picture from our hike... This is the face he makes when he wants a treat. I can't imagine what he wanted while we were out there, but had to post. We're SO onto him, although he thinks he's being cute & sweet.

One final thing, Mercer is starting to show that he's scared of things. He'll put his hand over his mouth & gasp or he'll cover his eyes. One thing that is interesting, though, is that he's not afraid of the dark. He likes to run into his closet in his room & shut the door. In the bathroom, he'll cut off the light and say dark. You ask him to turn the light on and he doesn't want to.

He's always keeping things lively here!

big news...

We think that Mercer is on his way to being potty-trained!

I've been out of town for work a lot lately... in West Virginia last week and in Alabama this week. While I was gone most recently, Todd was giving Mercer a bath & he pooped in the tub. Todd drained the tub / put Mercer on the toilet / and told him that this is where he is supposed to poop. And... Mercer did! Todd said he made a big deal about it, let him flush & wash it down, and gave him a fruit juice popsicle afterward to encourage him to poop in the toilet more often.

The next day, Mercer had to stay home sick (croup-y cough & wheezing). Todd stayed home with him and Mercer said he had to go to the potty. Todd put him on the toilet... and he pooped in there again! Woo hoo!

A couple of weekends ago, we took a trip to middle Georgia where we hopped on a train. We thought that Mercer would like the experience. He wasn't terribly excited about riding the train - rather - related activities like handing the attendant his ticket and getting a train sticker in return... or seeing the other trains that we would pass along the way. The train took us to a small historic town called Americus (with the BEAUTIFUL historic Windsor Hotel in the center of town). Just outside of town is Habitat for Humanity's corporate office and their Global Village - with examples of houses, huts, and shacks from around the world. The next stop was in Plains, GA where former President Jimmy Carter now lives. There, we stopped for peanut butter ice cream and a "smiling peanut" stamp to put in Mercer's letterboxing book. This pic is of our train and Carter's presidential campaign HQ -- a pretty small building! You can't go to Carter's home, as it's supposedly a heavily guarded compound. We passed through some industrial areas, farms, a Georgia DNR park, and over a large body of water where these really weird bugs with wings and long tails attached themselves to the train (here Mercer is trying to blow it off the window). Our final stop in Archery, GA where Jimmy Carter grew up. His family's house and farm are now run as a National Park Service site. Behind Mercer is a windmill that powers a water pump. I was really amazed -- looking at his roots -- that he made it as far as he did. Pretty impressive! After this stop, we took the slow (and thus long) train ride back to the city where we started. EVERYONE else's kids on the train fell asleep... but not Mercer! He remained wide awake - that is 'til we got off the train & loaded back up into the car. Within 2 minutes, he was fast asleep for the 2 hour ride back home!

A couple of other things to note - Mercer is counting now very well to 5. He's also becoming interested in letters. While scribbling one day he kept saying "T" "letter T." (but it was just scribbles). He picked up a puzzle piece in the shape of a "d" and identified the correct letter, amazingly. (He also said "d" when we picked up other letters too, so we're not quite sure what he's getting / what he's not... but it's still interesting.)

Finally - we were having some people over to the house for a pizza party. Before the party, Mercer saw the juice boxes that we had out for the children of the guests. We let him have one. During the party, he "snuck" a drink box and went to hide under the chair to drink it without us seeing (or so he thought). He "snuck" another one, but we were able to grab it before he got it open. He did not need 3 juice boxes in one night!! It cracked us up!

Mercer is 2 1/2 years old today!

I don't have time to post a blog with pics tonight (that will come later in the week), but there are some interesting things that we're noticing about him and his personality.

- First of all, he is a pistol. He is a very active kid -- constantly on the go.
- He is a very loving kid. He likes to hug us and the cat. He now likes to give me big slobbery kisses and sometimes he likes to cuddle.
- He is a daredevil (climbing to the top of an inflatable slide that's 20' tall over and over again.
- At the same time, he is a little apprehensive of doing things... after successfully sliding 5 or 6 times on his own... he then "needed" to have his daddy go down the 20' slide with him.
- He is extremely independent. "I do it" he says all the time.
- He likes to have us around (he wants us to play with him & be in the same room as he is most of the time)
- He doesn't listen to us (he thinks it's a game when we tell him to stop running from us in public places.
- He listens to every word we say -- he is extremely perceptive and repeats things -- even really big words.
- He loves to be the center of attention
- He gets shy sometimes

It's been an amazing 2 1/2 years. Exhausting, but at the same time... wonderful!

This past weekend, I had another mini-reunion with some girls I grew up with & went to church with. All three of us girls (and sometimes husbands) get together maybe once a year? Amy is someone who I didn't think was going to have children, but she has a cute baby girl now! (the one in the middle with the chubby little cheeks). Our friend Allison's girl with bright red hair is adorable too. Mercer liked looking at and talking about the babies, but they're too young for much interaction at this point.

The next day Todd, Mercer, and I went to the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville, GA. Bank of America has free museum admission days for some museums in our area (www.bankofamerica.com/museums). Mercer is honestly too young at this point for the science museum - but at least we didn't have to pay anything to find this out. He wanted to run around the exhibits, but didn't even look at many them. Several of the exhibits that he did like, however, were interactive. One was panning for minerals in water and an excavation play area where kids get to find things by brushing away small rocks. He also liked the kids discovery zone as well. Overall, it was a pretty cool place. I'm sure we'll be back. They have dinosaur exhibits, a zero-energy house, a big minerals exhibit, and a planetarium. Also, outside, they have a HUGE dump truck on site as well as other utility vehicles.

A final photo of little guy for the week: Mercer decided to put on his fireman boots and life vest one night before going to bed & march around. He's pretty proud that he can put these boots on by himself. Thankfully, he was content with taking both the boots and the life vest off before laying down for the night.