Pics from Grandma and Grandpa's

It is clear from the pictures that Wyatt has had no fun at Grandma and Grandpa's so far!

SMA Walk

Today's post is a little different than our usual posts. Wyatt is at Grandma and Grandpa's, so we have no pics to share.
I would, however, like to take the opportunity to share with you some information about one of Wyatt's best friends Dani. Dani is a 3 year old girl from Lexington, KY. Her mom and I (Michelle)are very close friends. At the age of 6 months, Dani was diagnosed with a disease called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). SMA is a recessive genetic disease that destroys the nerves controlling voluntary movement (very similar to Lou Gehrig's disease, but in children) and has 4 different types. Dani has Type 1, which is the most severe. There currently is no cure, however SMA was selected by the National Institute of Health as the prototype for an accelerated drug discovery effort, singling out SMA as the disease closest to treatment of more than 600 neurological disorders. Dani is a very smart and social girl that loves school and friends. I am on a committee that is organizing a walk to raise awareness and money to find a cure for SMA. The save the date card is pictured on this post. If you live near Lexington, KY, we'd love to see you there. If not, please feel free to check out www.fsma.org for more information on SMA or to make a donation for research. Thank you!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to all of the Papas!

Here are some recent pics with Wyatt's newest adventures

1. Learning to smile on cue...this one may need some fine tuning.
2. Flip Flops and hats. Wyatt loves shoes. Crocks, flip flops, sandals, Nike's...he loves them all and definitely has preferences as to which ones he wears and when.

Adoption Assistance Picnic

Today we attended a our homestudy agency's (Adoption Assistance) annual picnic. As usual, it was a blast. We rode the a pony, played on the playground, ate ice cream and best of all visited with lots of other families that have children from KZ. One of the pictures on this post is Wyatt hugging a little boy named Luke. Luke now lives in Russel Springs, but he is from the same baby house Wyatt is from...even the same group. What an amazing connection to have. We also saw Brenna from Aktobe, and Kole and Nick from Karagonda. We are so thankful for the opportunity to meet such great families that we share a common amazing experience with.

As a side note, Happy Anniversary to Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Ron!

And The Winner Is...

Me! I am offically the biggest blogger slacker alive! I am not even going to attempt a recap from the last time I've blogged. With that said, I'll post some of the latest pics and promise to blog more regularly.

Happy Family Day

To celebrate our first ever Family Day, we tried to think of Wyatt's favorite things. Here's what we came up with...Gatti Town with carousel rides, pizza, lots of lights and games, and of course, a cookie to top it all off. We'll let you be the judge of whether he enjoyed it.

One Year Ago Today

March 20, 2006 Eastern Time




March 20, 2007 Eastern Time

Quick Pics

I'll be the first to admit that I've been quite the slacker with the blog updates. Here are some pics taken this past week. The boy loves his hats, shoes and glasses. All of which he wants to take off, put on, take off, put on. I guess its the little things in life!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let is Snow

Yippee...snow day #2. This time, real snow. We were able to get out the sled that Kim got Wyatt for Christmas and he had a blast. He liked dumping himself out of it as much as he liked being pulled in it. After his cheeks turned a bright shade of pink and there were nose drippings down to his chin, we decided enough was enough. Apparently he didn't agree...not even hot chocolate could keep him from throwing a major tantrum while standing and pointing at the door. I'll give you one guess what we'll be doing tomorrow!

Wyatt's First Snow

Last Wednesday was a great day for Mom and Wyatt...a snow day! As you can see by the pictures, we got MAYBE 1/4 of an inch of snow, but enough for school to be out for the day. No complaints here. We started with a trip to McDonald's for some hotcakes, sausage and playland fun. I'm pretty sure we are one of the very few people that have been to Ronald's playland at 7 am! From there it was off to the Y and then Kroger, which means cookie time to Wyatt. All that and we were home by 10. Whew. Bundle up and out we go for some snow time. Due to the fact that there was, well, no snow in the grass, we had to settle for the deck. Wyatt loved to push it off of the deck and of course he had to taste it. He would have stayed out all day, but mom was freezing so we had to call it quits for outside time. He is still pointing at the door wanting to go out constantly. There's a chance for some snow this week, so maybe we'll both be in luck again.
Wyatt is changing daily. He's gone from baby to a little boy, which happened so fast. He's talking like crazy...mostly words that only he understands. His vocab consists of mama, papa, cookie, Clay (the babysitters son), ball, bath and his new word, car. I'm sure in his mind there are much more, but mom and dad haven't figured them out yet. We're still stuck in the taking off the left shoe and sock phase as well and the random screaming. We're working on those.
We'll be sure to post when/if we get to use the new sled that Aunt Kim bought...do your snow dances!

KZ Packing List

We've been communicating with lots of families that are in the process of adopting thier children from KZ. One of the most common questions is, "What do I pack?". We, of course, had that concern and found a wonderful packing list on another adoptive family's website (www.thelockwoodhome.com). Here is what we used with some additions that we've included. Thank you to the Lockwood's for providing this very helpful information to us so we can share it as well.

FOR THE BABY
Snugli (or other front pack)
Umbrella Stroller (not easy to find or cheap to buy in Kazakhstan)
Diaper Bag (backpack diaper bag worked great)
Formula dispenser
Rice Cereal
Plastic infant spoons
Plastic Bowl with lid
Bottles (with disposable liners)(the Avent system bottles were readily available in Astana and we ended up switching when we ran out of liners)
Bottle Liners if needed
Pacifiers
Pacifier strap (works great to clip to toys too!)
Medicines (Tylenol, Motrin, gas meds, cold/cough meds, teething meds)
Toys (quite ones, crinkle book, photo book, interactive toys)
Changing pad or disposable changing pads (the brand name is Pee Wee pads)
Roll of plastic bags (found in baby aisle either “Diaper Duck” or the red ones, we used them all the time)
Clothes (warm but comfortable clothes, onsies are very helpful and versatile)
Hats (every child in Kazakhstan wears a hat at all times)
Formula (We bought this there so it would be what he was used to)
Diapers (we bought these there as well because we did't know what size he would wear...the diapers there are Pampers)
Diaper wipes (these are also available there...we found lots of familiar brands)
4-5 Blankets
Bibs
Fingernail clippers
Diaper rash medicine
Baby shampoo (travel size is plenty)
Burp cloths or washcloths

FOR YOU
Dark clothes (they are a must and will help you to not stick out as much...100% cotton clothes will never be the same after the KZ washers...we recommend something synthetic)
Comfortable walking shoes (slip-ons are great because there are no shoes allowed indoors - no sneakers)
Black blazer (works well for court and for a cool jacket in the warmer weather)
Some comfortable clothes for around the apartment/hotel
Clothes that wash and dry easily without a drier (test your clothes before you leave)

FOR THE REST OF THE TRIP
Travel TP (when you need it you will be thankful you have it)
Medicines (Advil, allergy meds, Pepto, Imodium, Tums, first aid cream, bug bite cream, etc.)
Bug repellant
Toiletries (we found these to be about the same price in Astana as here...you may want to save the space and weight)
Compact umbrella
Power converters
Digital camera (we couldn't have lived without it either)
Laptop (if you can it is a must!)
Blank CD-R's to back-up all your pictures
Rope and clothes pins (there are no driers)
Bottle/can opener
Notebook and pens (do as much journaling as possible)
Games (we found that it was nice to sit and play a game like cards or yahtzee to break up the evenings)
Lots of DVD's!
A fitted sheet
We brought some Hershey's to give to the staff there...they loved it.
An extra long telephone cord for internet use
A "Shout" or "Tide" pen

Happy New Year, Happiest Old Year

Make video montages at onetruemedia.com

To say that we were blessed in 2006, would be a gross understatement. Most importantly, we were blessed with our son...a miracle. Our lives are full of great family and friends. Thanks to the folks at Little Miracles International (our international adoption agency) and Adoption Assistance (our home study agency in Kentucky), our journey to bring Wyatt home was smooth and fulfilling.

Thank you to all that followed us on our journey. We couldn't have done it without you. Please take a moment to watch the video created by Michelle. We hope you enjoy it.

Ho, Ho, Ho...Merry Christmas

Wyatt must have been a good boy this year, because Santa brought him toys, toys and more toys. Add Grandmas, Grandpas, aunts and friends to that mix and it was out of control! Santa even made a special trip to the house Christmas Eve. Wyatt was a little skeptical at first, but warmed up to him after a while. He even gave him a cookie! After seeing Santa, we had fun making and decorating cookies (you can see where Wyatt got into the frosting)and making pizzas with friends Dasha and Andy. We maybe opened a few gifts from Grandma and Grandpa Reed...we just couldn't wait 'til morning! Christmas morning, we opened more gifts at the house, then hopped in the car to go to Grandma Lynne's and Grandpa John's. We opened more gifts and played like crazy! Mom and Dad snuck away for a few days to witness the Cats defeat Clemson in the Music City Bowl in Nashville, TN. While they were gone, Grandma Lynne and Grandpa John kept Wyatt busy with a new Jump-O-Lean, a train and ice cream sandwiches. We're not so sure that Wyatt was ready for Mom and Dad to come back. We headed back home today and Wyatt is tucked into bed with visions of new toys in his head.

Wyatt the Cookie Monster

Wyatt won't share his cookie.

Wyatt Checking Out the Christmas Tree

We put up the Christmas tree during Wyatt's nap. This video is his first look at the tree. He loves it.

"It's the Holiday Season"

We've been busy this holiday season at the Schlafer house! We hosted Thanksgiving (see photo to the left) and had a house full for a great day. It was perfect outside, so we got lots of playing time in. Then off to get a Christmas tree. Wyatt LOVES the Christmas tree. He cannot help himself but to just stand and look at in in awe. It will be interesting to see what he does when it is time for it to come down. We're working on Ho, ho, ho, but we haven't quite got that one down yet. He's learned some new games lately...all of which are fun for him, but only some are fun for mom and dad. He loves to play chase, which we all have fun with. His new ability to run is hilarious to watch. He just giggles, laughs and then bites it. It is too funny. What is not so fun to watch him play (okay, it was pretty funny the first time) is his new spitting game. Yep, almost a whole sippy of milk last night at dinner. He surely keeps us on our toes. Regardless which game he's playing, we're loving every minute of this special time of year with our boy.

Look who's walking!

Credits: Starring WMS, Executive Director Mom, Chief Videographer Dad, Wardrobe by Grandma Reed.

More to come!

Weekend With Grandma Peggy

What a great weekend. Grandma Peggy arrived late Thursday night at babysat all day Friday while Mom and Dad were at work. Wyatt showed her just how much more active he is now that he was last time she was here...Watch out, Grandma!! We went out for some BBQ for dinner and called it a night. Saturday we hosted a cookout for families that have or are in the process of adopting from KZ. It was wonderful to meet new families and we all hope to get together more as our children grow. After church and brunch on Sunday we headed to the pumpkin patch. Wyatt loved the pumpkins...we had to drag him out of there kicking and screaming...literally! We were all exhausted after that event, so we ended the night with some left over beef. Today we headed out to rid Wyatt of his baby mullett and out to Ramsey's for lunch. From then on, we've spend some quality time hanging around the house before Grandma has to head out early tomorrow morning.

For those keeping track at home, Wyatt has two wonderful new habits:
1. Pulling off his left (only) sock and shoe.
2. Screaming (high and loud) whenever you don't want him to.

Weekend in WI

Whew...what a weekend. Lets sum it up. Dad had to stay home alone for the Cats big win over Ole Miss.

1. Plane ride to Chicago...much shorter than the trip from KZ...Thank goodness! I am so glad that the big guy was not this mobile 4 months ago!
2. Car ride to WI...just in time for a short nap
3. Tailgate at Aunt Ruth's (don't worry Ruth, no damage done)
4. Football Game and Rededication of Wilmot High School's Football Field...Also known as Frank Bucci Field. What a special event that we are very thankful that we could attend.
5. Bedtime - okay a few hours late, but we have so much to do and so little time!
6. Wake and drive to Milwaukee...again, time for a short nap.
7. KZ Picnic...any event involving families that have adopted or are in the process of adopting children from KZ are always wonderful. Wyatt was able to finally meet Andrea, our LMI coordinator, and get a big smooch from her daughter.
8. Drive back to Twin Lakes...again, just enough time for a quick nippy.
9. Cookout at the Sarbacker's. We got to meet our new cousin Elliot and Wyatt played 'til exahustion with his cousin McKenzie that he just met as well.
10. Bedtime for Mr. Wyatt...maybe Mom and Kristen should have taken his lead to Aunt Kathy couldn't take all of their money in "Ship, Captain, Crew". Thanks a lot Kath! ha ha.
11. Wake up and another hour drive to the airport...you guessed it...naptime!
12. Fly home...this would be when Wyatt mooched raisins off of other passengers.
13. Arrive home...and breathe again.

Yep it was a busy weekend, but what a fun one. We are so grateful that we could make the trip and really appreciate the hospitality of the Clark's and Sarbacker's and generosity of Grandma Lynne and Grandpa John.