COC, Final Week & To Bunny or Not To Bunny

It's here! We (finally) received Oliver's Certificate of Citizenship. Our proof that he is a Citizen of the United States. While he became a citizen when we landed on December 26th, we had no proof of his citizenship. Now we have it! Unfortunately it is under his birth name, so we still have several steps to get everything in order under Oliver Anthony Meyers. But it is a big step forward and one worth celebrating (with a glass of wine as I write this). Here's the official document (so glad to know he's single!):

This is also my final week at home before returning to work. I have mixed feelings about not being home with Oliver all day, but I am hoping that the transition goes well for all of us. I think my having something outside of the house will be good for me (the days sure get long sometimes), but I haven't yet wrapped my head around how everything else is going to work -- getting dinner on the table at a reasonable time, continuing to attach with Oliver, having time to play with and teach him, plus the usual bed time routine. I'm sure all mom's who work outside the home (and some dad's too) are nodding their head in agreement that those are all legitimate concerns but they work themselves out. Let's hope that is the case here too. 

We are continuing our efforts to get Oliver on a good sleep schedule. A friend of mine shared our story with her coworker, who does home visits with families in the Anoka-Hennepin district. Today she stopped by and gave us some terrific and practical tips and tidbits -- more than tidbits, really. Lots of great information. Hopefully having a few more tools in our box will help us help Oliver as he struggles to fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

Finally, as we are embarking on our first holiday with Oliver, we need to decide if we will be a family celebrating Christian holidays with secular components (i.e., the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus) or not. Tony and I both grew up excited about the Easter Bunny, Santa, etc. As a youngster it was the most important part of the holiday! So it's not an easy decision, at least not for me. I want to raise him focused on the Godly reason for the holidays, but I also want to be sure he's having fun, creating awesome memories and exciting holidays. What family traditions do we continue from our growing up years, and what do we start as our own traditions? How do we balance that with what his peers are experiencing? Lots of tough decisions to be sure we start off on the right foot! (And yes, we did celebrate Christmas together. But it wasn't a holiday we could do much to prepare for or properly celebrate given the circumstances.)

To close us out, here's a great snapshot of how Oliver might look as a grumpy old man. He snagged my glasses off the nightstand and then refused to smile for a photo. He's cute even when he's looking grumpy!