In which harsh reality at last intrudes.
Well, you knew the fairy tale couldn't last forever. Sooner or later those magical days of eating M&Ms under the watchful and inexpensive eye of Lyuba had to come to an end.
But, gosh, we got all Americanized in just a couple of weeks!
It begins, of course, with mass capitalism in the form of three, count 'em, THREE baby showers! Don't get us wrong: Owen digs the loot. And his parents were candidly bowled over by the amazing generosity of their family and friends. (The parents were also, truth be told, somewhat worried about how they were going to finance the extra wing in their home to house all of the toys and clothes...)
Still, those parties were filled with some harsh reminders that Owen no longer lives in gentle Kokshetau. He's now a full fledged American with all of the good and bad that this brings. And, of course, he had to be introduced to American girls.
At Baby Shower #1, hosted by great friend Lisa Schroeder (who, incidentally, introduced Owen's mom and dad), Owen met Lisa's coquettish little girl, Holly. He was immediately charmed-- eat your heart out, Lucy Connelly!-- and, of course, used for his toys. Everything Owen touched was firmly removed from his hands by Miss Holly and set quite out of his reach.
He remained charmed despite his toy destitution. "Bring on the heartbreakers," he says!
Owen's next harsh reminder that he has become a member of a mass consumerist society came in the form of "baby's first briefcase," given to him by Aunt Barbara Merchant (pictured below, left). Yes, it's past time for Owen to start earning his keep and we're ready to send him off to work. Sadly, we can't get this done just yet.
It seems that, despite the fact that law makes Owen an American citizen the moment he sets foot on our soil, the Social Security Administration requires additional proof. Mom found this out as she began the run around to get all of the post adoption paperwork done.
Until we receive his certificate of citizenship, Owen will not be able to apply for a social security number and, as a result, won't be able to work. This was quite frustrating for us as we had several job interviews all lined up...
The good news is that we can use the extra time to educate Owen on what a dog-eat-dog world the business environment can be. You'll see a picture at left of Murray and Betty helping us teach Owen this important lesson. On this particular day Owen wasn't at the top of his form and his competitors made off with his toys.
You snooze you lose, kid!
Still, we have great confidence that Owen has all the makings of a successful businessman. You'll recall, I'm sure, that he is the Puppet Master. This fact was cleverly celebrated at Baby Shower #2 which featured the delightful centerpieces pictured at left. Yes, that is a creepy plastic baby with puppet strings attached to pictures of Robin and me.
A brilliant touch, if you ask us!
Baby Shower #2 was celebrated with my work colleagues and hosted by my partner in crime . . . er, business, Aunt Melissa Hooker. Aunt Valerie Youngs organized the event including making the centerpieces and coming up with the theme: Once Upon a Time.
In this baby shower, everyone was asked to bring a copy of their favorite childhood book. It was a terrific idea and Owen now has a bookcase full of some wonderful stories. The hardest part for Mom and Dad was opening all of the gifts without reading the books right there on the spot!
This shower was also cleverly hosted at the local watering hole thereby insuring an unprecedented attendance level from male colleagues. Owen says "cheers!" to that. We managed to keep him out of the beer, but he did give the spinach artichoke dip and pizza a few longing glances.
And, speaking of food, this brings us to our next American reality: Supersize me!
You may recall that Owen was not the biggest eater in the world. In Kokshetau and during our first week in the States, shoving a few spoons of cereal and an ounce or two of formula down the baby pie hole took absolute concentration and, likely as not, a funnel.
This is no longer a problem.
As a new parent, I can tell you there are few sounds as motivating as the piercing scream from a previously quiet baby who has suddenly realized HE IS STARVING. It's your basic Jekyll to Hyde transformation but, thankfully, it can easily be remedied with six ounces of the goods.
In fact, Owen's formula intake has increased half again what he was eating and he's eating not only cereal and pears, but sweet potatoes, bananas and yogurt as well. The picture at left shows you what he looks like when we get the groceries delivered on time.
Some of you may remember, too, that Owen's lack of eating was an issue of some concern and prompted e-mails to doctors from Kokshetau and phone calls to the nurses here in Kansas City. All of these folks assured us his intake was normal and our new pediatrician reiterated again that all was well when we met him last week for Owen's first appointment.
This appointment, however, introduced Owen to his next harsh American reality. Specifically, he discovered that western medicine hurts like a banshee!
Our unhappy little guy had some catching up to do and, because he's an international baby, there were several tests that needed running. As a result, baby Owen was stabbed with four needles offering vaccinations, injected with a serum testing for TB, and sucked dry of a vial and a half of blood. One more bandage and the poor kid would've looked like a mummy.
The shrieks were blood curdling and the look of betrayal on his face broke our hearts. Fortunately, a nap erased most of his memories of the assault and, from what we can tell, we have been forgiven.
And that brings us to the final American reality, your family will always be there for you.
Baby Shower #3 was hosted by Aunt Loretta and full of gifts from grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, all of whom were genuinely delighted to meet the newest addition to the clan. You can see at left cousin Kim, Uncle Terrill, Aunt Janet, Uncle Mike and Grandma Henshaw.
Attendance marked Owen's first major car-ride. Given that it took good buddy Roy Benson and an associate's degree in engineering to install the carseat, we're excited to report that the hour rides to and from Paola, Kansas went without a hitch (other than the one securing the seat). In fact, we discovered that babies can sleep quite well in the hanging man position.
And it was a good thing that he got his rest. There were a lot of people who'd waited a long time to get their hands on this little guy. Owen charmed 'em and happily cuddled all of his relatives. There was one minor food melt-down, but after Dad had some chips and a piece of cake, he was fine.
All in, though, we think Owen considers it a pretty good trade. Sure he's had to endure Doctor Porcupine, blind dates and the ever impending threat of a job. In return, though, he's found himself surrounded by friends and relatives who have been all too eager to welcome him into the fold. And, for now, he's sleeping the deep sleep of the truly contented.
. . . of course that'll all fly out the window when the 4 a.m. dinner shriek sounds . . .
