Saying Good-bye to Dog Days of Summer

The summer has flown by faster than most in recent years and Daniel has played a large role in making that happen.

The sunset arrives earlier every day and the 100 degree summer days with 100 percent humidity has finally begun to give way to slightly cooler temperatures - albeit in the high 80's and mid-90's.

Since arriving home with Daniel, we have spent a lot of time trying to establish a routine. It's been difficult because we are required to be home for 90 days. Claudia has been home for 60 days but returned to work last week. I'm picking up the last 30 days. So, we're still a month away from what will be our "new normal."

We've also made a couple of weekend trips to Memphis to introduce Daniel to family and friends. By now, he has met the majority of our immediate families and close friends with a few exceptions.

It was particularly special to introduce him to one of my family's friends for three generations, Mrs. Blaine. She was one of my grandmother's closest friends and they would talk daily. She was also our neighbor for several years in Memphis, which was when I developed a close relationship with her that continues today. She's 93 years young and a joy to be around. When she met Daniel, she quickly assumed the title of grandmother, and that's exactly how we wanted it to be.

It was also special to see my brother Derek playing the piano and watching Daniel sway back and forth while listening to the slow melody. Daniel loves music and dancing. Our theory is it's something he inherited in his Latin blood.

Developmentally, Daniel is progressing very quickly. No, he still isn't walking independently yet . But he does walk very well when we hold his hand or if we coax him to walk back-and-forth between us. He says a variety of  words including; tata (for daddy), mama, tete (bottle), aqua, Amen, gracias, wow-wow (doggies), up (mimicking a trick we do with our Cocker Spaniel), bye-bye  and a few others. He is standing up on his own without holding on to anything and taking steps toward us. He eats very well and loves fresh fruit (Mango, Watermelon, Strawberries and Banana) and Mommy-made soups.

It's amazing how quickly a child picks up the skill of manipulation. For example, Claudia scolds him to stop spitting Mango out of his mouth and throwing it to the floor. His reaction is to blow her a kiss. Her heart melts a little bit and then they start laughing and smiling toward each other.

He blows a lot of kisses.

He also has an active imagination. He was playing house with my sisters during one of our Memphis visits. They would spoon feed him and he'd open his mouth, pretend to take a mouthful of some unseen food and then say, "Yum."

Also, I'll make the sound of a mosquito buzzing around his head; then with my fingers pretend to catch it like Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid. With the invisible mosquito pinched between index finger and thumb, I'll act like I'm going to feed it to Daniel. Like a good sport, he leans forward and opens his mouth. Once the mosquito is inside, he'll say, "Yum."

He is adjusting so well that we can not help but thank God for all he has given us. Many people say because of his age, he will not realize certain things or remember all of these changes so early in his childhood.

That is true in a specific sense, but he will still be influenced by his past generally speaking. And at some point, whether in five years or 20, Daniel will likely ask us questions that unfortunately we won't have sufficient answers.

Even today, we don't take for granted how well he is adjusting. We are aware there are children who don't react as well and the transition takes longer and has more struggles than what we've experienced.

For now, we'll enjoy the last days of summer together as a forever family.

First Post Adoption Home Visit: Check!

Despite successfully navigating through the adoption process in Bogota in June, we are required to have several post adoption home visits until 2013.

Our first home visit was last week with our social worker, Kim, from Nashville-based Miriam's Promise. Even though we need to go through this, it's a lot easier because we're using the same social worker who did our home study.

Kim arrived on time at 9 a.m. We sat down in the living room with Daniel. He was very active, laughing and showing off for our guest. Of course he had no idea who was Kim. She opened her folder and began asking a variety of questions related to our routine and how well we were adjusting.

Claudia did the majority of the talking. In fact, she talked a lot more than I had expected. It was awesome to hear her describe our experience with the glow of new motherhood shining from her smile. While Claudia was talking, Daniel was crawling on the floor and playing with his various toys. He laughed in the background and would occasionally turn to Kim with a huge smile.

"Is he always this happy," she asked. "Oh, yes," we both replied.

By 11 a.m. Kim had asked all of her questions. I had put Daniel in his crib for his morning nap and he was sound asleep. Before Kim could leave, Claudia and I insisted on showing pictures of our trip that was on my Ipad and gave her a quick tour of Daniel's bedroom.

After we said our good-bye's and closed the front door, Claudia and I let out a collective sigh. We had passed. Well, it's not really a "pass or fail" situation but you can't help but think you are being evaluated.

On another note, Daniel had his first pediatrician visit. The doctor, who has several internationally adopted children as patients, said Daniel was current on shots and completely healthy. We're also beginning the process to finalize our adoption in Tennessee so he will have a Tennessee birth certificate.

Slowly but surely, we are almost finished.

Week Three: Half Infant and Half Toddler

While we slowly return to our new normal, it seems each day Daniel either learns a new word, sound, gesture or movement.

It is hard to believe we have been home three weeks. Time has a funny way of going fast. Claudia has enjoyed staying home with Daniel. I've returned to work and am finally starting to get caught up with our various projects and potential new business.

Daniel is getting into his routine. We've transitioned him into his bedroom during the nights, albeit reluctantly on my part. He slept the entire night yesterday and we are hoping this will become a trend.

His abuela delivered his crib bumper she made for him today. It looks great in the room and matches the existing color scheme.

Now on to more fun things! Daniel is on the verge of walking. It stumbled his first couple of steps quasi-unassisted yesterday. Claudia and I sat a few feet a part and let him lurch himself into our waiting arms. Without us there to catch him, he surely would have face planted into the carpet. Whether we want him to or not, Daniel is growing.

I like to describe him as half infant and half toddler. He enjoys being cuddled and treated like an infant, but at times he exerts his independence and is extremely curious about everything. It's a wonderful age.

The other day Claudia and Daniel were down stairs. Claudia went into the kitchen, which joins our living room, for a minute. Daniel took his moment of solitude combined with freedom to explore one of our potted plants. By the time Claudia saw him there was dirt all over the floor. The first indication something else was awry was when she noticed a little bit of dirt on Daniel's lip. When she opened his mouth it was full of, you guessed it, dirt!

She quickly opened his mouth and finger swiped as much dirt out as possible. Daniel was a little startled. They sat there looking at each other for a moment and then started laughing.

Our dogs are learning to adjust having an infant in the house. Daniel enjoys the dogs and now everything that moves is a "wow-wow." Cows. Horses. People walking in the distance. They are all doggies to Daniel.

Occasionally Missy (our nine-year-old cocker spaniel) or Pebbles (our adopted Pomeranian) will growl at Daniel to tell him he is getting into their space. Daniel, sitting up on the floor in only his onesie, looks at them for a minute and growls back at them. We die laughing.

Daniel still hasn't gotten used to the sweltering heat yet, but the good news is none of the natives have either. As with much of the country, Nashville has been consistently in the mid-90s with high humidity making outside really feel like 100+ degrees. Step outside for a few minutes and it feels like you're taking a shower in your sweat.

Car trips aren't nearly as fun as the destinations for Daniel. It is an understatement to say he hates being in his car seat by himself. With someone sitting in the backseat with him it is a lot better experience. Otherwise, he is wailing from start to stop.

It makes trips to Gymboree during the week bittersweet for Claudia. He really enjoys interacting with the other children, but going and coming is very traumatic for him in the car seat. Still, Claudia has watched him play peek-a-boo with the teacher and crawl-sprint toward the surprise toy box at the end of class. I can't wait to see him during one of the classes.

And so, each day we enjoy watching our son do what little one-year-old children do. He's exploring, learning and talking a lot. Everything is new to him. Whether it's a summer breeze and flowers or a trip to the grocery store and Gymboree. Basically, it's awesome.