This morning's church experience was fabulous. My child was quiet, played for a few minutes, and then drifted off to sleep. Sleeping in church was definitely a first today -- and in our three months home, I believe today's sermon is the first I've been able to pay attention to 100% - and it was a really cool thing. But about halfway through the sermon, we realized that the sleep was induced by the fact that it was 10:45, but - due to daylight savings time ending - Iliya's body thought it was 11:45. And on most days, he is napping no later than noon. So he got a small power nap -- which made the afternoon nap a tiny bit difficult to come by, but we made it.

In fact, I just put him down. He is usually out by 7:30 p.m., but given the end of daylight savings time, this evening, he didn't go to sleep until 9:15 (by his body's clock). So it'll be a few days of adjusting, but I think we'll be fine. We've crossed 16 time zones with this child.

Yeah, I think we'll be fine.

In other news, I really think that Iliya has "gotten" that we are a family. Maybe not in those terms, exactly, but his favorite thing to tell everyone (and by everyone, I do mean that -- from us to people at church to random strangers at the grocery store) is his family structure. It goes like this - signed and spoken simultaneously: "Mama, Dada, Iliya. Mama, Dada, Iliya. Mama, Dada, Iliya." And thus it continues. I know the teachers at the daycare are getting sick of hearing it - but it makes me so happy that he seems to be really putting it together.

And the other thing that the daycare teachers are probably getting sick of is hearing (at various times during the day), "Mama. Dada. Work." I doubt Iliya really gets the concept of "work" -- but I think he understands it means that we are not present. And when he's at school, I guess he feels the need to remind himself - and everyone else - that his parents are not there.

Speaking of daycare, it seems that my child is becoming increasingly comfortable in that setting. For the first several weeks, he would go where he was asked to go and do what he was asked to do. But recently, he has begun really asserting himself. Letting the teachers know what he wants (and doesn't want) -- and get this, playing with his food when he is finished! Of course, there are limits that are adhered to (i.e., no putting your food on your head) so I don't worry that he is learning bad habits or anything. But it is awfully good to know that he is comfortable and thriving in that environment.

And on the topic of thriving. My child is growing. My sister was in town this weekend, and at one point, we both noted that Iliya no longer has the full baby belly that he had when he came home. I think some of his full baby belly was the result of stuffing himself like crazy - so now that he has (for the most part) stopped that, his belly doesn't seem as big. But the other thing is that he is getting taller.

A week or two ago, I mentioned that I wondered if Iliya was about to hit a growth spurt.

Well, last Saturday, Nathan & I measured Iliya on his little growth chart, and there had been no change from the previous couple weeks. But yesterday, after all the talk of how much taller he seemed, we measured him, and he had grown almost a half-inch! I thought - surely we were mistaken! - so I measured him about 3 more times, and unless I am that bad at measuring (or Iliya is that good at fooling me), then he is definitely getting taller. His cheeks are not as baby-chubby, and his feet are about to outgrow his first pair of tennis shoes.

*Sigh* - where are the bricks?

And let me tell you about sleeping. Remember the problems we were having, with Iliya waking up in the middle of the night, seemingly terrified & then unable to go back to sleep?

I think (hope, pray) I may've found the solution to this problem -- quite by accident!

Last Sunday night, Iliya woke up at midnight (Nathan got up with him & was able to get him back to sleep fairly quickly) and at 5:00 a.m. I got up with him at 5:00, but did not use the bathroom before I went into his bedroom. I rocked him for a few minutes and then laid him down, thinking he was asleep. As I was making my way out the door, closing it behind me, he started crying again. So I went back to his bed, and patted his back. I stayed there for a few minutes, until I thought my bladder would explode...and at that moment, I made the choice to run to the bathroom. I walked out of his room, leaving the door open behind me. He started crying, and I told Nathan, "he is just going to have to cry for a minute; I have got to go to the bathroom." But by the time I was finished, Iliya had stopped crying and gone back to sleep.

The best we can figure is that if Iliya wakes up, in the middle of the night, enough to realize that his bedroom door is closed, then it must scare him. I can remember - as a little girl - being scared if my door was shut tight. In fact, before my parents went to bed, they would always come around and open all of our doors for the remainder of the night. So this is what we've started doing with Iliya. It's not to say that he'll never be scared - but maybe it helps if he doesn't wake up & feel so alone & secluded.
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So there is the latest from our neck of the woods. I hope that you all have a fantastic week ahead of you. And now I leave you with a video of Iliya. This was actually taken almost 2 months ago - and I am sad to say that he no longer laughs this way. He started it in Russia and did it the first month or so that we were home. This particular night, Nathan was in the living room, studying. Iliya & I were playing with this rolling giraffe he has, and he had already been laughing for several minutes when I decided to get out the video camera. As usual, ignore my talking (and in this instance, my hick laughter) - and enjoy! If this doesn't get your Monday started off on a happy foot, then I don't know what will.