My New Favorite Videos

Guess who is learning the ABC's?

Mission Accomplished

Mark and I decided to try to get our fingerprints done prior to our scheduled appointment time. We went to Indy not knowing if they would do them for us. But they did! And we didn't have to wait more than 15 minutes. Needless to say, we were excited! This was a good day for both of us to get away from work and get this taken care of. After the fingerprinting was done, we went to the Secretary of State's office to get about half of our documents state sealed. We're really close to having our dossier completed which feels great! It was a gorgeous, spring-like day and it was fun to take a break from our regular routine. We enjoyed lunch at Buca di Beppo's and then headed back to Lafayette to take care of a few errands before picking up Simon from day care. We both agree ... we feel less anxious this time around. We know more about what to expect but I think it's mostly because Simon keeps us so busy. He is a sweetheart. Every now and then we ask him if he'd like a baby brother or sister. This week, he has said baby sister pretty consistently. He tells us that he wants to take her to the park and hold her hand. So sweet! It felt really good to take a few more steps closer to Lil Ailor 2 today ... whoever she or he may be.

Adoption Update

On Saturday, we received our appointment from USCIS to be fingerprinted for our adoption. It took us three weeks to receive the paperwork. Currently, it is scheduled for March 8. We need to go to the Secretary of State's office on Friday to take care of some paperwork for our dossier so we're going to see if they will take our fingerprints early. Cross your fingers for us! (Pun intended!) We seem to be on a similar timeline to Simon's adoption and we continue to hope that we will officially be on the waiting list by late March or early April. It would be a wonderful way to celebrate our 4th anniversary and our first family day with Simon. Stay tuned!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I think Valentine's Day is so much fun! I knew that Simon would love it, too. Mark humored me and made heart-shaped pancakes for me and Simon on Sunday morning.

My Mom and Dad sent Simon a Valentine's care package. It included a pack of Thomas the Train "underwears" as Simon calls them. There's been a lot of talk at our house lately about using the potty. But all he wants to do is wear the underwears on his head! Oh my. Mark and I both fear that he's going to be difficult to potty train.

There was a pack of M&M's in the care package. It was hard to move his focus from the chocolate to the rest of the package. He is so much like his mother. : )

A dear friend of my parents sent Simon a Valentine that included some stickers. I gave him the card to open while I opened the rest of the mail. When I turned around, he already had half of the stickers on his forehead.

Please excuse the crusty face ... I was trying to get a photo to send to Ginny to show her what Simon did with the stickers. Ginny is in her 90's and is still a very spirited and spunky woman!

Mark and I gave Simon a little pack of 5 Hershey kisses. He took the lid of the container and put it over his heart and made it go "bum, bum" to imitate his heart beating. I don't know where he learns these things ...

It didn't take him long to get the kisses unwrapped and eaten. He loved them!

Simon had a fun Valentine's party at day care today. He came home with a heart balloon and a goodie bag with these glasses. He loves to wear sunglasses, or 'dudes' as he calls them.

My sweet Valentine! I am so lucky to have two Valentines in my life this year! Mark and I had a lunch date today and it was so nice to be able to talk uninterrupted. Though I think we both agree, we love our conversations with Simon too! (Doesn't he look BIG in this photo?!!?)

As we've been talking with Simon about Valentine's Day, he's gotten it confused with Happy Birthday. He spent most of the weekend carrying around his wooden play birthday cake and singing Happy Birthday to Simon. Makes me laugh! But tonight, he finally said it correctly.

Happy Valentine's Day!

What Mark's Been Up To

Mark took on a pretty major challenge on January 1. He tried out for -- and was selected! -- to participate in an online weight loss reality show through International Sports Clubs. Over 1,000 people from the Greater Lafayette area applied and 22 were selected. He has been working out 6 days per week for 1-2 hours per day. So far, he has lost over 30 lbs and has been in second place in the contest. It's kind of like "The Biggest Loser" show in that they calculate your percentage of weight loss. Mark has changed his eating habits and has inspired not only me but many others around him. Simon cheers him on and says "good job, Daddy!" We miss him in the evenings but we're so very proud of him.

Last night, he was interviewed by our local news station. Here is a link to it and I will put the text here:

When to work through workout pain
The difference between soreness and injuries
Updated: Wednesday, 09 Feb 2011, 12:09 PM ESTPublished : Tuesday, 08 Feb 2011, 9:52 PM EST
Niccole Caan
LAFAYETE, Ind. (WLFI) - Sore or injured? It can be hard to tell the difference when you first start exercising.
In Lose Some, Win Some, NewsChannel 18 looks at how to tell the difference.
Regular gym visits are a new component to International Sports Club's New Year Resolution Reality Contestant Mark Ailor's fitness plan. He said the workouts have him moving in ways he's not used to, and that is causing him some pain.
"Definitely sore, especially those first weeks,” he said.
That pain and discomfort can discourage some from continuing a fitness plan, but International Sports Clubs' Lori Fortwendel said there is a way to tell if the aches are muscle fatigue or an injury.
"If you feel pain in a joint itself, that should really be a red flag that an it's an injury,” said Fortwendel.
For an injury what you need is RICE.
"Rest, ice, compression, elevation and an ibuprofen doesn't hurt either,” Fortwendel explained what the letters stand for.
Call a doctor if the pain doesn't go away in three days. But if the ache is in the middle of a muscle, that can be a sign of soreness. It can last up to two days. Fortwendel said it may feel uncomfortable, but the pain will subside as your muscles get use to working out. Ailor said his right leg often hurts when exercising. Lunges are especially difficult for him to do, so he's found a way to keep going without increasing his pain.
"I've learned to modify slightly some of the exercises,” said Ailor.
So far Ailor has lost 30 pounds and hopes to drop another 30. Some say no pain, no gain, but he believes you don't have be in agony to reach fitness goals.
For more fitness tips and tricks or to see how the contestants are doing, visit: www.newyearresolutionreality.com/

I will update the blog on Mark's progress when the program is completed in March. I hope that you'll cheer him on!!