Aug: [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]
Sep: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8]

previous day

Journal for September 8, 2004

Jeff says: Part one: We are in Frankfurt! Alex did well. He didn't sleep a wink from the time we got to the airport until we'd been on the plane for a bit. Consequently, we're a little groggy right now. But I have some pictures, and high-speed net access, so here you go! Part two will follow later when we return home... Part two: Just wanted to let you know that we're home and being accosted (nicely) by family. I will post more later, like, say, photos...since I know you're all waiting. Part three: Here I am at the end of our 38-hour day. I'm a bit overwhelmed by the fact that the first part of our journey (parenthood, that is) is now at an end, that we are home, and that this journal is reaching its end with this entry. We didn't get any sleep on Tuesday night as we were up packing. Sasha picked us up at 1am on Wednesday morning, Almaty time. It was pouring rain. We managed to wrestle all our bags down three flights of stairs, but I was pretty wiped by the time we got into the car. The drive to the airport was quick, and getting through security this time was a little easier than last time. (This time, at least I could look at the pictures and identify the item that was causing them some concern: a box of cables, a camera tripod.) Customs declarations were interesting. The guy looked at our papers we filled out on the plane arriving in Almaty weeks ago and attacked, "No stamp!" We said, "The man who checked our passport didn't stamp it." He mumbled something in Russian. Things got a little tense when he began to ask us how much money we had, then ordered me to open up a bag. He said something else, but I said I didn't understand Russian (which was true, at least in the case of what he said). He responded, "No English" (referring to him), looked frustrated for a moment, and then waved us on. Fortunately. I really didn't want to have to open up the bags, some of which were taped. I learned a number of things today. For one, I was reminded that a good way to keep a baby awake at 3am is to surround him with people in an international waiting area in an airport. The distractions include (but are not limited to) duty free stores, random Russian movies from the 1950s on brand, shiny-new Samsung flatscreen monitors, loud businessmen preparing to head to Amsterdam or Frankfurt by chasing their successful meetings down with a few drinks, and five or ten individuals or couples with new babies who are being fed or whining or whatever. For a second thing, the best investment we made on this trip was the $22 stroller. I never used the Snugli, although I always had it on me in case we wanted to use it. I slept through most of the first flight. I don't think Alex did. We had a bulkhead seat so Lufthansa provided us with a bassinet (not a sort of cross between a bassoon and a clarinet) and attached it to the wall. We did have two fun lavatory experiences which were remarkably similar to the bathtime experiences of the past couple days. Apparently, you'd think I was the Marquis de Sade and the lavatory with a diaper bag was my torture chamber and instruments. Fortunately, we did not realize any excremental containment issues. Our time in Frankfurt was a four-hour layover shared with five or six families from our agency. We sat and fed and shared and laughed. I got online and updated this site a bit (with help from Uncle Gavin). Soon, they called for our flight, so we bid our adieus to the Scheblers and the Webers and the others there, and made our way to our gate. We boarded our 747 at about 9:30 Central Europe Time. Again, I fell asleep almost immediately. When I woke up, we were at altitude, there was a bassinet in front of me, and Alex was in it. We had difficulty getting him to sleep for the first half of the flight, so we mostly let him sit there and play with the few toys that we brought. During the second half of the flight, I took duty and let Dina sleep. She got a good three-to-six hours, I suppose. It took me a long time (in two attempts) to get Alex to sleep. He was pretty fussy, so I just walked around with him a bit. I learned that the best place to rock a fussy baby on an airplane is right outside the lavatories. It may not sound wonderfully sanitary (although I'm sure it is), but I think it was the kindest thing to do for other passengers. He finally fell asleep as we were somewhere over the Hudson Bay. We woke him up to feed him, and he then fell asleep just before one of the more important events in his life: the moment we touched the ground in San Francisco, he became an American citizen officially. Getting through customs was interesting. We'd been told at the embassy in Almaty that we would not need to stand in line, that we could just ask an agent to direct us to INS. At SFO, passport control has 36 kiosks. Three are labeled for flight crew, one is for new immigrants, and the remaining 32 are for US citizens or permanent residents. We went to the "new immigrants" line, which was just as well. The US citizens' lines were 10 or 15 people deep each, and we were second in line in ours. We were still second in line in ours when the 32 lines were emptied. An available agent called us over to her kiosk. The process of opening the packet and confirming that we didn't have a contraband baby was quick. We walked to baggage claim, set the carry-ons down, identified and picked up our stuff, handed our declaration form to a relatively indifferent agent, and walked outside to an overwhelming show of affection. There were Dina's parents, my parents, and family friends Stella Pinto and Kristina Pinto. What a wonderful few moments we had there, being welcomed, and introducing everyone to Alex. He was very smiley, for which we were grateful. After a while, we began to make our way to the parking lot. I held Alex and touched his feet to the hallway twice, just as an official gesture of touching the ground in America. Everyone clapped. Then I asked, "Where's the Snugli?" Dina said, "You had it last." "But I put it down when we went to pick up our luggage and showed where it was. Didn't you get it?" A negative answer was tempered with the fact that we were only out $30. Oh well. Then my mother-in-law said, "Didn't you say you had two other carry-ons?" Oops. That would be the diaper bag and a rolley briefcase with two Apple iBooks at about $2500 apiece. Go back and note that second clause a few paragraphs above. Did you miss it? The one that said "...set the carry-ons down..." I missed it too, apparently. Let me make an already long story a sentence longer by saying that US Customs is apparently far more worried about someone getting past them in the forward direction than they are about allowing someone back in backwards because of uncharacteristic behavior. All the luggage was right where I'd left it. Lesson learned. We headed home and spent a lovely evening napping, showering, and being spoiled by family and friends. Two aunts and an uncle also joined us at home, and everyone brought over some food or another. Everyone finally headed home. Alex had just fallen asleep in his crib. At midnight, which was just after I started writing this part three, Alex awoke. We took it as an interesting sign that he was waking up at 12:02am PDT when his original schedule included a midnight feeding anyway. We prepped the bottle and gave it to him. I volunteered to comfort him back to sleep. Wow. It took two hours. He was still and quiet in the dark, but his eyes were wide open and he kept taking his binky out of his mouth, most of the time to drop it. Then, of course, he'd cry because he didn't have his binky. I finally was able to lay him back down in his crib at about 1:50am, and he hasn't stirred since. So, I'm home. I have a lot of unpacking to do. I still have to finish babyproofing (recall where this journal began, please). After staying healthy through the whole trip, I have just realized that I am experiencing Kazakhstan's answer to Montezuma's Revenge. I have to catch up on email from work, do laundry, go shopping, clean up the house, finish my paper (cosmetic changes only), send it on to Pasadena, and take care of a baby boy. The last point pretty much negates all the others. I don't care too much about the rest. I have a baby boy to raise. I was thinking today on the plane that he is a human being. He has a spiritual core. He has a mental core. He has an emotional core. He has a physical core. He's made up of an infinite number of "cores," processes that help him make decisions, all of which need development, for all of which I am responsible for a while. These cores are not who we are. isolate any one of them and you do not have Alexander Holton. But remove any of them, and you do not have him in what's left, either. We are the synergistic sum of our parts. And I am responsible for making sure that he keeps putting that together correctly. Ominous? Yes, but joyful. I love this little man sleeping in the crib down the hall. I'm grateful that I can put my ear to the baby monitor (the one I thought was a frivolity) right now and hear him breathing. I look forward to enjoying every moment of who he is, and every new day of witnessing who he is becoming. This journal was about going to Kazakhstan to get Alexander Jeffrey Holton. It wasn't about me. It was about him, totally. He's home now, so the journal can end, officially. The rest is just beginning. I'll let you know in a few decades how it turns out.

Dina says: September 11, 2004 Okay, okay, I can take a hint! Please accept my apologizes for not updating sooner. I guess I never realized how difficult it would be to bring all my feelings together after we were home. Maybe I’m in denial and don’t want to type because it means our wonderful trip is over. Not that I’m incredibly overjoyed to be home and sharing Alex with everyone, but the past month was a very unique experience for us that we will never forget. When we set up this website, we had no idea what a response we would generate. Because of all of you, the website took off and blossomed into something that is hard to describe. I can’t wait to transform this website into a memory book journal for Alex to read when he’s older. In the past couple days, Alex has experienced the love that everyone has for him, and when he’s older, he’ll get to read all about it, too. So I will bring my journal up to date with a quick recap of how our trip home went. Just as Jeff mentioned, everything went pretty smoothly. Alex did very well, considering a more than 24 hour trip home. All I have to say, for any families traveling to adopt, is make sure you get those bulkhead seats for the bassinette, and do yourself a favor and get a stroller in Almaty. Those two things made our trip MUCH more bearable. I don’t know what we would have done if we had to hold Alex for the first 7 hour flight, the 4 hour layover, and the second 11 hour flight. It gave us a chance to sleep, eat, and rest our arms. It also made it possible to play on the plane with him. He’s such a trooper. When we arrived in San Francisco, the excitement was almost too much to bear. After we got off the plane, as we were walking towards Customs and Immigration, I called my mom from my cell phone. They were all waiting anxiously for us outside of customs. You’ve already read from Jeff’s journal how that all went, so I won’t bother to repeat it here. When we finally got to our family waiting for us, they all cheered and yelled and we all cried at the same time. I have to give credit to my mother-in-law, she actually gave me a hug before going for Alex! I’ve come to realize, accept, and understand in the past few days that I am more than happy to be in Alex’s shadow as people radiate their love on him. But it’s still nice, nevertheless, to get a hug first. :) It was so wonderful to see everyone, and Alex did so well with everyone. He let each person hold him and he even gave a few smiles. He especially loved the balloons that Thea Stella brought for him. He even gave her a kiss! Hmmm, maybe this is a good time to give a quick “glossary of terms” for this website. Many of you are addicted to reading comments and may be wondering what these funny names are. So here goes: *Jeddo Fawaz is my dad. Jeddo means grandfather in Arabic. My dad is Syrian, so this is why he is Jeddo. You will see him in photo #7 from “today’s” photos. (Even though I’m typing this on Friday, it will post for Wednesday) *Yiayia Connie is my mom. Yiayia means grandmother in Greek. My mom is Greek, so this is why she is Yiayia. (Very logical, no?) You can see the back of her head in photo number 5 from the photos from today. *Auntie Julie is my sister. She will also be Alex’s Godmother, along with John and Maria Woods, who have also posted on here as “Nouno and Nouna”, which is Greek for Godfather and Godmother, respectively. For your viewing pleasure, she is seen in photo # 9 from today. *Anyone who has a Thea or Theo before their name is a Greek friend or family member. In Greek, Thea means Aunt, and Theo means Uncle. But to make it more confusing, we use those terms for more than just biological aunts and uncles. It’s for close friends, as well. *Unka Dan is my dad’s sister’s husband. He’s originally from Mobile, Alabama. He’s southern, and that’s why he’s Unka. *Nana Nina is Jeff’s mother. You’ll see her in photo number 8. *Gramps, Grumpy, Grandpa is Jeff’s dad. I’m not sure if we’ve come up with his official name yet. You can see the side of his head in the group photo at the airport. He is second from the left in picture number 6. *Joanna is Jeff’s sister. You didn’t see many posts from her, but she was reading along and is a great auntie and loves Alex very much! Ok, now that you all know more than you ever wanted to know about our families, I’ll continue with my post. The last few days have been lots of fun. Surprisingly, I haven’t had too much jet lag. Alex has, though. He’s finally getting to a more regular schedule. Considering his circumstances, though, he’s doing great for a baby who just traveled halfway across the world. He’s a friendly and happy baby and we all love him so much! It’s been especially fun to share him with family and friends. He likes to be around people and is very tolerant of being passed around. He knows how much everyone loves him, and it’s so great that he still knows I’m Mama, and reaches for me when he’s tired or hungry or just wants to cuddle. It’s going to be interesting what life is like after we settle into our daily routine. I’m sure that it will be challenging at times, but it will be fun and rewarding, too. I’ve decided that I will post updates on Alex on a weekly basis. I will have a journal entry and photographs to document his development, growth, and everything else. You can check for the updates on Sunday evenings, which is when I’m going to set aside the time to do this. I hope we’ll still get comments from everyone; it’s really fun to read all of them. So on this Sunday, you can all come back and read about Alex’s first few days at home. We’ll have photos up, and I don’t think you’ll be disappointed! Thank you all again, and please know how much we love and appreciate each and every one of you. We are all so blessed to have such an amazing network of love from our friends and family… meaning YOU!

Comments for September 8 Comment from The Polyzos Family Jeff, Dina & Alex, Have a wonderful trip home. We can't wait to meet Alex. We are so excited for you. God has surely Blessed us all! Love, Theo Ted, Thea Mary Ann, Karen, Teddy, George, Stephanie & Alexia Comment from The Polyzos Family Jeff, Dina & Alex, Have a wonderful trip home. We can't wait to meet Alex. We are so excited for you. God has surely Blessed us all! Love, Theo Ted, Thea Mary Ann, Karen, Teddy, George, Stephanie & Alexia Comment from The Polyzos Family Jeff, Dina & Alex, Have a wonderful trip home. We can't wait to meet Alex. We are so excited for you. God has surely Blessed us all! Love, Theo Ted, Thea Mary Ann, Karen, Teddy, George, Stephanie & Alexia Comment from Julianna Wow, I can't believe you'll be home in 6 hours from NOW!!! Glad to hear Alex did well in the frist leg. Talk to you soon! -Julianna Comment from Yiayia Connie and Jeddo Jeff and Dina, Thank you so very much for sharing this wonderful journey with us and all the fantastic community of friends and family. Even though we will see you in person now, we will miss looking for your journal and photos each day. We feel like we have a kinship now to all of the peope who have been following your adventure and praying for you guys. This has been a glorious and blessed event for you and our families. Alex, WELCOME TO AMERICA I don't think there has ever been a child that was loved more than you are. You have two of the most sweet and wonderful people as parents, and you will have a wonderful life with them and you will be loved by many, many people. Your Jeddo and I love you so much all ready and we haven't even met you yet. And your Nana and Grandpa love you so much too, and are so excited to meet you today!!. We are all waiting with great excitement to see you and hold you, and hug you close, and cover you with kisses, (we'll try not to scare you) . We are so happy that you are here. Comment from Nana Nina Yes, Alex, remember that two of your grandparents are adult males ~ but don't be scared of them, because they love you so very much ~ and one day you'll be an adult male, too. And while you grow to that point, all your grandparents and aunts and uncles are going to hold you very close in their hearts. Welcome home,little one! Comment from Paul & Nora Chopelas Jeff&Dina, We have been following your amazing journey! Thank you for sharing it with us. We are very happy and excited for you. We're looking forward to seeing you and that handsome little boy of yours at Church. Welcome Home, Alex! Comment from Shirley I just left Yia Yia and Jeddo's home and they are beaming as they are getting ready to meet you at the airport in a few hours. You are in my thoughts and prayers today and I can hardly wait to meet you, Alexander! Welcome to America! God bless you as you travel home to us and see you in Church! Comment from Darcy McGowan Welcome Home Alex!!! Comment from Uncle Dan Holy Cow!! I'm so excited for you guys that my hair (both of them!) is about to pop out. OK, I'm still a victim of substandard southern schools and the 12 noon and 12 midnight thing still confuses me. The opening screen says that you'll arrive at HOME at 12:30 PM. I'm assuming that means the earliest afternoon as in right before 1pm and not 12:30 in the dark of the night. If I'm right (it's 2:51pm here right now), there is a whole passel of grandparents and others who are so excited that they are probably like a cage of agitated monkeys. They are pacing, and looking at the sky knowing that one of the next flying packages of people will disgorge the treasures (all 3)they're waiting for. I can feel what they're feeling and I'm about as far away as one can get an remain incountry. And dear Alex who has grown so much in so many ways in these last very few weeks. I hope that somehow he will perceive that when the enthralled mob falls upon all of you, it will be a love-fest and not an attack of wild Californians!! What an adjustment he has to make. He's spent his short life in the babyhouse patiently awaiting his turn for attention. Now there's a tsunami of attention. It may be alarming at first, but it won't be long before he will accept it as merely his due!! How loved he is going to be and what a blessing that is for him and those of us who love this little dude!! Welcome home, Holtons. We've all had a great adventure with the most beautiful, splendid, and spectacular outcome. Here, this day, begins either a new adventure, or the next exciting chapter of the other one. It doesn't matter which, but let life and happiness begin. When the parenting thing gets confusing, just ask Uncle Dan. I'll cheerfully misguide you or misdirect your attention so whatever won't bother you. Wish we were there to get on the free baby-sitting roster. It must look like the SF white pages right now!! We love you and rejoice in your return. Until we all meet again, Hugs and kisses, Unka D, Aunt Samar, Samantha, and Daniel (and Tabitha too) Comment from Uncle Dan Dadgumit! I should have learned by now to always read the journals AND look at the photos before I start yapping my trap. Well, I 'commented' before I saw the pictures (again) so here I am again (again). Alex looks like he's matured several months since we first saw him. The goup picture of the whole crowd with the babies is something I can't describe. All I can say is that it's one of the most affecting things I've seen, all those people and a whole basketful of babies!! It shouts of happiness, fulfilment, and a good bit of relief that something is going up to the next level. Jeff, since you have Alex on the 'lap fare', be sure that you sit closest to the aisle. You'll be the go-getter, the hand me thater guy. Well, forget it. It's too late for such advise now and no matter what, it's a done deal. We returned from Singapore when Samantha was the same age as Alex. We moved to Tangier when Daniel was 4 months old. We've done our traveling with babies. Sometimes it was a pain, but otherwise, they were a great diversion. Unka D Comment from jeney It's all so beautiful and promising. I'm so elated for your family. Please hurry home and enjoy every second of bringing your little boy home for the first time :) Comment from Sarah Melancon Welcome home! Comment from Katherine Dear Alex, It's 2:30pm on Wednesday, September 8, 2004. You landed in California about 2 hours ago, and you are probably being driven to your new home in Livermore this very minute. Your grandparents and your aunts and uncles will be celebrating with you this evening. You'll be handed around, seeing new faces, and hearing new voices. You'll soon find out you're quite famous! But your homecoming is strictly a family affair. Because the most important people in your life need this time with you, I will not rush over to meet you. EVEN THOUGH My home in Livermore is only 8 minutes away from yours. You have NO idea how hard it is to do this! Only 8 minutes away! I should be highly rewarded for my patience. You owe me at least a couple of slobbery kisses when we meet. You've traveled a long, long way these past 36 hours. But now I know you and your parents are here--home. That comforts me. At our family picnic this Saturday will bring us together. But right now, it's pretty painful knowing you're only EIGHT . . . . . . . minutes . . . . . . . away . . . . . . . . ! Comment from No. 1 - One - Uno Fan Checking to see if Part Two has been posted to let us know that you are home safe and sound. Have a part two (2) and three (3). Part two can just say, Alex has landed and is now at home entertaining his family. Part three will give the details and come whenever there is time to do it properly. That may take a few days owing to the new energy level that is shaking California right now. Be happy!!! Comment from Julianna Alex, I have been thinking of you ALL DAY today. I looked at my watch at about 10:30am and thought you were in the air at that moment and only 2 hours away from landing! I looked at my watch later, about 1pm, and realized that you were on the ground and probably in your grandparents' arms. Now it's 5pm, and I'm so happy to know that you're at home. Like Katherine, even though I'm more than 8 minutes away ( :) ), I want to rush right over and SQUISH you!! :) I can't wait to meet you. I love you so much already! :* -Julianna Comment from Comment from Thea Diane I am thrilled that you are all home and safely tucked away in the loving arms of your family. God has seen you through a very wondrous and wonderful experience and has brought all of you back to us. Thank you God for so many blessings. Thanks too to the Holton's for sharing this awesome experience with us. It has been a wonderful adventure for us to follow your path as you accomplished the most important feat of your lives. We are all anxious to meet and adore Alex with you but we'll be patient until the time is right. Let us know when Alex is fair game for all of the hugs and kisses awaiting him. Looking forward to seeing you and meeting our beautiful little Alex. Comment from Kristi Metz - WPA Waiter Jeff & Dina -- Congrats on a safe trip home! The picture of all the families in Frankfurt(?) is nothing less than inspiring!! Thanks so much for sharing your journey with all of us, it's been more than wonderful. Jeff -- Have you ever thought of writing for sitcoms? Thanks again! Kristi Comment from mairesue Welcome home Jeff, Dina, and Alex. Glad you are safe and sound. Comment from Angie Welcome Home! A new adventure now begins. I am so happy that you came home safely. God Bless you all. Welcome to America, Baby Alex. There are a lot of people waiting to meet you. You're going to love your new home and your beautiful family. Comment from Aunt Janet Holton Welcome home, as so many have said, the next part of your lives together began a few hours ago. It's 11 pm here, 8 pm where you are. Is it bedtime or much reversed with jet lag for parents and just reversed schedules for kids. Have fun, enjoy your child as he explores yet another group of loving folks and many interesting new places. About the gate, do ask Alex what to do with it. I'm sure he'll have some great ideas. Much love, Aunt Janet Comment from Aunt Janet As Unka Dan I checked the pictures after the comment. Where's the pictures of YiaYia Connie and Jeddo plus Nana Nina and Gramps. I feel like I know the first pair though we've not met except via e-mail comments. And I want to see updated pictures of my husband's brother and wife WITH ALEX!!! Will you add to today's comments/photos or start a new day. And surely a few pictures of Alex in his new environment. Common...have mercy on us "jeffholton.com/baby" followers. Aunt J Comment from Lou and Mary We can go one up on Katherine -- we are only 2 minutes away, but will resist the temptation to visit until your biological clocks synchronize with pacific daylight time!! Anyway, welcome, welcome, welcome!!!!! p.s. what's Alex going to be for Halloween? Comment from JEFF, DINA AND ALEX, WELCOME HOME! YOU HAVE BEEN ON OUR MINDS ALL DAY LONG! WE SPOKE TO FAWAZ, (AKA: JEDDA, HOW WONDERFUL THAT SOUNDS!) THIS EVENING. HE SOUNDED SO EXCITED THAT IT MADE ALL OF US GET EVEN MORE EXCITED. WE ARE ALL SO THANKFUL THAT YOU TOOK THE TIME TO SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES AND SEND US ALL THOSE PRECIOUS PICTURES. PLEASE CONTINUE TO SHARE YOUR WONDERFUL DAYS WITH ALEX. AND MOST OF ALL, DO NOT FORGET TO KEEP SENDING PICTURES. WE KISS HIS LITTLE FACE EVERYDAY. WE CAN'T WAIT TO SEE HIM. WE WILL GIVE YOU A LITTLE TIME TO GET YOURSELF BACK TO NORMAL (WHATEVER THAT IS, HA!) AFTER WE GIVE YOU THAT "LITTLE TIME" WATCH OUT AS OUR CARS WILL BE SCREECHING DOWN YOUR STREET SO WE CAN MEET YOUR PRECIOUS "LITTLE STAR" AND HUG AND KISS YOUR ADORABLE LITTLE BOY. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE BEYOND EXCITED FOR YOUR ENTIRE FAMILY. ENJOY THIS WONDERFUL TIME OF YOUR LIVES. LOVE, THEO TED, THEA MARY ANN, KAREN, TEDDY, GEORGE, STEPHANIE & ALEXIA Comment from Julianna I am so happy you're home, but now I'm sad to know that this journal is over. I'm sure I speak for many when I say that I am so addicted to this site. I check it every day, sometimes more than once. What am I going to do now that I don't have this site?? I will go back and re-read some entries and other people's posts. I'll look over the pictures again. And I'll enter in my next entry after I meet Alex to share what a great experience that was. Jeff, I'm glad Alex did pretty well his first night. 2 hours up in the middle of the night after having his days and nights flip-flopped isn't too bad. I'm sure every night will get more "normal". I'm county the days, minutes, seconds until I get to meet you, Alex! -Julianna Comment from Jeff To Julianna and others, in CAPS so you know I mean it... THERE WILL BE SOME SORT OF FOLLOWUP TO THIS WEBSITE, REALLY! This generated far more attention than I expected it to, so there needs to be an occasional update. For example, a few moments ago, Alex sneezed. Then he babbled something, which we think may have been an attempt to say: "Budh zdarova," which is the appropriate Russian response for a sneeze. Hah! :) Comment from Kerri Howland-Kruse Welcome Home! I've enjoyed following your journey and Alex's trip home. I particuarly enjoyed your entry today as I feel similar things each time I look at my beautiful little girl (who started pre-k today!) Get some rest and stay in touch with the WPA'ers. Comment from Genevieve Welcome home! May the three of you be blessed with a long, healthy, and happy life together. Congratulations mom and dad! Genevieve (gen_here from LJ) Comment from Uncle Dan Today's has been the most beautiful and exciting of the journal entries ... so why are my cheeks wet?! It must have something to do with age ... no image to maintain anymore. Just let it all hang out!! DELIGHTED that Jeff plans to keep the website alive. It could run on forever so we'd know about Alex's first homerun, touchdown, girlfriend, etc. May as well make it a tabloid because Alex is a STAR and we are all interested in him for a lifetime. Make daily notes in your Daytimer and put up a weekly or monthy journal. For one so tiny, he has an enormous amount of power. Fawaz and I have done a small amount of teasing about age and I want to point out that Alex has punched him up AN ENTIRE GENERATION!! Is that neat or what? Getting old ain't for sissies, but at least Grandpa has some extra benefits. Anything I can say about our happiness for all of you at this time would be gross understatement. Enjoy! Enjoy! Enjoy! Well, I need to get another Kleenex. Jeff, I have a question for you that is out of place here so I'll be sending you an email later today. Thank God for his goodness and benevolence and his oversight on this great adventure. Unka D Comment from Melanie Totally cried at the happy ending. Thank you. :) Comment from Minnie (Leaving my comment again because I left it on the wrong page on my first attempt. Oops). Biggest, warmest Congrats Jeff and Dina!!! I have been following your journey to parenthood and it overwhelms me with joy and excitement! Baby Alex is simply beautiful! His smile makes my heart melt. You guys are lucky to have him and also, *he* is blessed to have you - two fabulous parents. What a perfect family. Yay! :-) Welcome home Alex, Dina and Jeff Holton!!! Comment from Eve Tibbs Well, this is indeed a happy ending/beginning. I'm also going to miss my daily Holton updates and photos. Some day, God willing, we'll meet in person. Until then, may God keep all of you close in His loving care. -Eve Comment from Uncle Dan Jeff and Dina. You two are the stinkers!! First, Dina copped out on posting her share of the journal on the 8th.. Now, it's the 10th. I keep checking and checking and checking and there's still no Dina's journal and no more picutes. There's a great shot of Alex and his Aunt Julie, but what about indivisual ones with each of the grandparents. What about some crawling on his own personal floor. What about the look on Alex's face when you tell him that you'll be getting him a puppy soon. C'mon. I know that something is over, but I am about to descend into DTs. Havahart! Unka D Comment from Julianna Yeah, what Unka Dan said! ;-) Comment from Lou Shikany After Pat read this to me, along with a few joyous tears, my only thought was that the next corp is the MARINE CORPS, then he will have all of his corps in order. Welcome back we prayed for your safe trip and our prayers were answered. America has another citizen. What great news!!!! Comment from Shannon Magnuson Hi Jeff, Dina, and Alex! I must apologize. I am not the most computer literate person, this is my first entry. I had a blond moment when I got the email from Jeff last month with the information about this site. I'll explain later... I have just read every entry and I am brushing the tears away that have not stopped since I read the first entry. I am sooo happy for you :-) I know this has been a long journey. Seeing the three of you smile together is the most perfect picture of any family. Alex is a beautiful little boy! Jeff, I would like to thank you for making me think at 3:45 AM on a Saturday (it's Sept. 11). I had to reach for the thesaurus a few times to understand you. :-) Alex is going to grow to be a wonderful, amazing, caring, Renaissance type of man because he has a magnificent father to show him the way. Dina, oh my goodness! Your smiles have definitely brightened up the night sky. Besides your wedding day, I have never seen you so happy!! Of all the many roles you have in life, none will be as rewarding as being a mom. Your loving, tender heart and spirit already show in Alex's eyes. :-) I was laughing as I read your comments about being an RA and the things you get used to. Who knew taking care of 50 residents would prepare you to raise one child? Of all the ways you are going to have an influence on Alex, I think your tenderness, generosity, compassion, and business sense will prevail. You've already influenced those around you! Alex, although your parents may seem a bit odd from time to time (as all parents are to their kids), they are the neatest people you will ever meet. From the moment they met, you began to grow in their hearts and dreams. You are a beautiful addition to an already amazing family. Welcome home! Congratulations on your new life as a threesome! And they lived happily ever after.... Comment from Darcy McGowan Welcome home little boy! How lovely your homecoming must have been with all your family around. I've loved reading the adventures of your parents as they were able to meet you for the first time. Their love for you is so evident and a wonderful thing to witness. I pray that you grow with love and faith in God and His Son and that your life is blessed beyond understanding. I'll be watching you grow.... Darcy Comment from Liz Branch WE DEMAND UPDATES! WE DEMAND UPDATES!! Comment from Julianna Hi Alex!! I finally got to meet you last Sunday (Sept. 19). You are so cute! Even cuter than in person! At first you were a little shy, but you warmed up real fast! Alexandra was so happy to meet you, too. You two kept giving each other kisses. I even got a kiss from you! Alexandra seemed like she was telling you how to play with the toys on your activity stander. It was very cute. You even though you knew how to play with your toys, you listened and seemed interested in what she was saying! I can't wait until I can see you again! Maybe next time you can come and play at Alexandra's house!! I hope your toothums have popped through. Teething pain isn't very fun for you OR your mommy and daddy! See you again real soon! Love, Julianna Comment from Everyone I understand that in the computer world, to type in all caps is to shout. Usually it's considered rude, but let us assume that it can also be for emphasis! In the final journal endry which as of now is Sept. 8th, both Dad and Mom said that there would be periodic updates. Mommy even specified that they's be weekly and done on Sundays. Such specificity should constitute some sort of oral contract with the fans out here, so ... WHERE ARE THE FREAKIN UPDATES!! YOU PROMISED! YOU ARE NOT BEING FAIR! WILL ALEX FIND THAT YOU ARE NOT TRUE TO YOUR WORD!!!!!!!! Your integrity is on the line here. Let the salvage operation begin. It's obvious that Jeff is still tinkering with this site because new thumbnails have been added to the opening page. That's a fantastic start, but ... OH COME ON. GET WITH THE PROGRAM !!! Love, Alex's fan base. Comment from Julianna DITTO!! :) (is that you, Uncle Dan?? :)) Comment from Jeff Am being true to my word. Honest. The new site is currently under development and will be completed in October. As I am writing this, it is early on the morning of October 5. The new site is already set up to account for clerical errors by Unka Dan. For example, you cannot make a post with no text, and it will automatically reject any attempts to post the same thing in quick succession. It will also automatically display the date and time for each comment, so you don't exactly have to wonder when these things are being posted! :) Stay tuned... It's getting there. Comment from Tyanna Did I miss the e-mail that said the new site was up??? Here it is DECEMBER and I have no news of a new site whats up?????? I want to see the little guy.

previous day