A few more

The proud Godparents & parents

Sally & Me

Joshua's 1st Birthday & Baptism

Enough cake for everyone!
Hot mama ready for the big day
Me & Mama in my christening outfit
Being baptised with holy water from Kazakhstan
Me & Aunt Rox

More updates

Me and my babysitter, Dara
Our 1st Halloween!
ROAR!!!
Me and Papa about to go for a walk
My two front teeth

Updates

Now that winter is almost here we should probably share some shots of summer:

Hangin'out under the Norway Maple

Getting to know cousin Mike
Some quiet time with Papa

Independence Day

Mama prepares J-man for a big day
Papa & Joshua check out the Moon Bounce An alpaca wandering through the party checks out Joshua & Papa

Summer days

Waking up happy!
A nice summer day with Babushka, Dedushka & Me
What's up with this camera always in my face?
Here I am in my cool new carrier from Aunt Sandy, Uncle Dick and Cousins Kim, Guy, Conor & Greta.

A reminder of how far we have come

Our first night in Almaty, Kazakhstan just 3 days before we met Roman...

and 80 days later. Joshua at home in the family room with his mama.

My family

Megan, Mariah & Aunt Sally show Joshua what to look forward to when walking.

Mariah recruiting Joshua to Archbishop Spalding High School.

Aunt Sally (тетя) filling Joshua's belly.

Joshua & Friends

Joshua & his new buddy Owen of Westminster, MD by way of Kazakhstan

Joshua & Owen enjoy cuddling with Owen's Mom, Jodi

Linda & Joshua hangin' out after a rainy cookout

The Boyz: Mark, Braden, Evan, Joshua & Dave

We love Joshua

More Russian lessons

Babushka teaching "Trot, Trot to Boston"

Joshua learns counting with Oma

Life with Joshua

Enjoying some 'me' time outside

Experiencing turf grass

Experiencing cousin Matt's nose

Teething with Aunt Eileen

We're not in Kansas anymore!

Joshua listens to wishes in Russian from his dedushka (дед)

Amy, Joshua & Babushka (бабушка) contemplating anything.

Hi, my name is Joshua Roman David Lundberg

It is difficult to imagine life without Joshua now. Our trip to Uralsk and Almaty sometimes feels like life on another planet. The preparation and anticipation of traveling to Kazakhstan are still a warm memory. When we talk about how our lives have changed and how lucky we are with Joshua our thoughts are quickly transported to our daily routine during our visits with Joshua at the babyhouse.
Every day at work I think of Joshua and can’t wait to get home to see him but yet we are both still so surprised to see him reach for us from his crib when he wakes in the morning or from a nap in the afternoon.

Today is Sunday, June 24, 2007 and we have been home 45 days now. It has been many weeks since our daily installment of events and I am taking advantage of the opportunity to make a long overdue post to the blog.

Joshua's personality is blossoming and he is adjusting better than Papa to this new life. I say better than Papa because when I see Amy playing with, feeding and changing Joshua’s diaper my heart and soul swell with pride that my wife and son take such delight and enjoyment with the most simplistic events. I, on the other hand, while working very hard to be the best poopy diaper changer in Owings Mills, still struggle to make this event a quick and easy affair.

Even with all of my clumsiness around the changing table, this year on Father’s Day, Amy and Joshua made me feel like a father. It wasn’t just the gifts or cards they gave me but that I was actually being recognized as a father today. I did the normal things I do on a Sunday (tinkering about the house and installing safety gates) but on this day instead of only thinking of my father and how his lesson's shaped me and how his father's influence and direction shaped him growing up I think of how life is now with my son and how he looks to me, his father, for love, guidance and direction. As simple a day as it was, with my parents visiting and spending time with their new grandson, it will always be the most memorable of Father’s Days for me because it was my first (yet another of many firsts).

Home one week! Hallelujah!

We have been remiss in posting to the blog since we’ve been home, and hope you will accept our apologies! After a very long, long, long and tearful couple of flights, a tearful trip around the DC and Baltimore beltways, and catching up on some much-needed sleep, we have finally settled into a routine, and are finding energy to write and post! Coming home was the most difficult part of the journey but of course we are home and safe and happy now so those flights are becoming a distant memory.

Our week has been great! We are so incredibly happy to be home, and enjoying our son in our house, with our best cat O.J. and with all of our friends and family nearby to hug and enjoy. Our life here is very different now, but even more rich and fulfilling. Joshua has come to love and trust us, and we are going to work very hard every day to keep it all flowing to him, and each other (and OJ).

We’ve had a number of highlights in the last week, starting with Joshua’s first visit to our fantastic pediatrician, Ashley Block. Ashley and her husband Adam adopted their daughter Aliya from Kaz, She knows first-hand life in a BH, and promptly told us to feed Joshua more and have him sleep less, once he caught up on the time change. He’s now getting two naps a day instead of three, but he’s adjusted well. He loves rice cereal, buckwheat (from Kaz) and mixed grain cereal. Loves applesauce, pears, peas, and carrots. Ashley feels he’s doing great developmentally, and we just need to fatten him up! Plus he had to go get some blood tests, so while he was unhappy and cried, he took it well, and recovered quickly from that little trauma. We go back for a more in-depth visit on Monday, for vaccinations.

Other highlights of the week include a much-appreciated 3 day visit from Aunt Eileen, who helped us adjust the first few days we were home. Hallelujah for Eileen! Mother’s Day was fantastic, as Dave took great care of me, as I recovered from my cold, and showered me with lots of great gifts from Joshua. Babushka Judy and Dyedushka (sp) Dave came for a lovely visit on Mother’s Day too. Aunt Sally and cousin Meg came for a fun morning visit, and Aunt Eileen returned with Oma Marion for more on Monday! Also, cousin Lauren came this week too! We also had nice neighborhood jaunts in our fancy new stroller, getting to see the Cutairs, Yatovitzes, Borsettis, Roberts’ and Jenny Thompson (Derrick – Joshua’s been asking for you!). We also had a nice visit with Dara, who cared for OJ and our home while we were away. She's a wonderful girl, and we are so lucky to know her!

Joshua continues to enjoy meeting family and friends, and shows off his skills and charm whenever he has the chance. He’s very agile, and is starting to pull up whenever he can. He loves the exer-saucers from Linda Altemus and the Sakells! Thank you!!

I had a song in my head for most of our journey and experience to and from Kazakhstan. It’s just called “Hallelujah” – believe it’s been remade a number of times, but this rendition is more modern and very beautiful. I also wore my “Hallelujah” shirt on special days while in Kaz and also on the long flight home. The melody was all I could focus on when our little boy was so tired and cranky. With the song in my head, and knowing that the little boy I was holding and comforting was ours, that we were heading home finally, and that life was just so amazing, I found the strength in myself and in my wonderful husband to know that we would make it home – and be able to live a new life, now enriched with a new life and addition to our family. HALLELUJAH!

But I don't wanna' sleep

Top: Arrival at IAD (Dulles); Middle: Pulling in the driveway (thanks Jenny T & Ava!); Bottom: Joshua showing off his cool Kazakh passport to Aunt Sally and Mama

"I wanted to enjoy every minute of this flight to the good old US of A so I wasn't going to sleep a second" says Joshua after 24 hours of travelling and only sleeping for a cumulative 2 hours. Everyone was beat and grateful to be home. More tomorrow - thanks again for your patience.