We are a married couple who adopted our little Russky, Nikita {aka Nicky, Nicky noodle, little man, Nikoli, the Nickster, crazy dude, goofball, puppy love, etc...you get the picture!} from St Petersburg, Russia four years ago. Join us as we stumble through the joys and perils of parenthood, while our son teaches us a few things along the road...



11.09.2008

Nicky's "Welcome to America" Baby Shower

This past Saturday our friends threw us a party in Nicky's honor. It sounds funny to me to call it a baby shower, but that's really what it was. They decorated the house with red, white & blue - not only to signify the colors of the US, but also that of Russia. Our friend Shelly found a bunch of mini US & Russian flags and our friend Anne went to a Russian store in Arlington and bought a ton of Russian candies - mostly chocolate. For those of you that know me well, you know that I'm not the biggest chocolate fan (tragic, I know), so all the kids at the shower got to take a bunch home & there was enough to bring to the office on Monday - I was an all-around hero! :)

Everyone brought yummy food and drinks and as the guys watched College Football, the girls all gossipped in the kitchen, while leisurely grazing. Nicky seemed to enjoy himself immensely to our delight! He ran around with the other boys (Ryan and Cole, who are both close to his age) and played alongside the girls (Hannah and Katie). He shared his toys - and boy did they all play with his toys! At one point, as I turned the corner in our den, Kris told me to just "look away" - I think he was afraid I would keel over with an anxiety at the mere sight of the mound of toys on the floor! We may have been worrying about Nicky's eating habits before, there was no need the night of the party. He was a grazing fool! There wasn't anything on the plethora of platters that he wouldn't try...he may not have ended up liking it all, but he sure tried it all & then some! I was afraid his little belly was going to explode with all that he was stuffing in his mouth. I ended up having to cut him off around 6:30pm & only allowed the intake of milk, much to Nicky's dismay. He was not happy with me at all; but then he saw Cole walk by with a sippy cup of milk & that's all we needed to get him to drink it!

Nicky has really grown much more confident. We were afraid he would be glued to our sides the whole night, and not play & enjoy himself. Our fears were unfounded - he was all about playing & then coming back to "check in" with us all throughout the evening. It was very sweet actually! He would run up at random times and give me big hugs or want to be held for a second, while showering me with kisses (he did the same with Kris).


Everyone left around 8:00pm-ish and Kris took Nicky up to bed - surprisingly without a fight. While he cleaned up Nicky's room & put him down, I flew around the house like a mad-woman, cleaning every surface in sight. I figured if I didn't do it then, I wouldn't get the chance later, as Kris had to work at the fire station on Sunday & I would have to be the entertainment for the day! And, I sure wasn't going to miss out on a nap on Sunday - man I love me some naps! They say to "sleep when the baby sleeps", so who am I to disobey?!


(Nicky riding his new "rocket". Notice he's holding momma's cell phone...already sending text messages! Man they grow up fast!)

We decided to fore go the opening of presents while everyone was around. He doesn't really understand what it all means anyway, plus I didn't want him to get the idea that he will always get presents every time he meets new people. He's already gotten so much this year. We had such a good time visiting with everyone, and most of all, Nicky enjoyed himself. Thank you so much to everyone who has helped him feel welcome and loved in his new life! We are so truly blessed!!!

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