SURPRISE!!!

Oh, life is a crazy journey.  And it looks like it's just about to get a bit crazier for the Gottschalk family!  Please allow me to set the scene...

It was a sunny Wednesday afternoon on the 8th of September and I picked up my phone to notice that I had missed a call from a strange area code.  Fortunately, the caller left a message.  Here's how that message went;

Caller:  Hey, Ken.  It's Mary Ellen from Small World.  We just got a call from St. Petersburg and we need to talk to you right away.  Please give me a call.


Ken:  (Various thoughts running through his mind....jumping to conclusions...mild panic setting it)

Needless to say, I picked up the phone and called Mary Ellen back right away.  As the phone rang, I ran through the possible scenarios:  Max's paperwork got screwed up, we forgot to do something while were in Russia, or worse, someone wants Max back.  My stomach sank.   Mary Ellen answered:

Mary Ellen:  Hey Ken.  Got some news for you.  Max has a biological sister and we need to know if you want to adopt her...in 24 hours.


Ken:  (GULP)  Huh?  (scrambles to gather his thoughts and string a logical sentence together)

Long story short?  It didn't take long for Shelly and I to decide that we were about to be parents again.  What a wonderful opportunity for both Max and this little girl to grow up together, and for us too!  We know that she will be a perfect fit and can't wait to meet her and ultimately bring her home to meet her family and friends.

With that said, we have no idea when that will happen.  Hopefully sooner than later.  The bad news of this whole thing (if there is such a thing) is that we had to start back at square one with our paperwork.  As fate would have it, our homestudy expired just four short weeks prior to that call on that sunny Wednesday.  The silver lining in this cloud is that we (think we) know what to expect in the weeks and months ahead.  But then again, we weren't expecting this!

Stay tuned.  Plenty more to come.

You've come a long way, buddy!

For those of you familiar with Country music, you may have recently heard the song by Darius Rucker entitled, “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.” For those of you not familiar with the lyrics, he basically chronicles the challenges of raising a child and the fact that the phases that his daughter goes through seem challenging, but sums it up in the chorus:

It won’t be like this for long

One day we'll look back laughin’

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

‘Cause it won't be like this for long

The first time I heard it on the radio, if really made me reflect on the year that we have had Max in our lives and how far he (and us, as parents) has come in just this short amount of time.

While August 14th was technically the date we took custody of Max, August 21st was the date we actually started our lives together in the US. Looking back to that day (which, incidentally seems like light years ago), we faced a lot of challenges that we have long overcome. I’ll never forget sitting at the kitchen table watching the monitor glow bright red as Max cried at nap time. Sometimes, it lasted 30 minutes. Now? He points to his bed and asks to go to sleep. No crying at all! Just a phase.

Meal times were a challenge, too, a year ago. Given the diet Max was used to, we found it difficult to find foods that he was interested in trying. To say the least, he was a picky eater. Now? He will try just about anything, and loves foods that most almost-three-year olds would turn their noses up to. Spicy foods? Loves them! Beans? Might be his favorite. At the time, it was frustrating to get him to eat a balanced diet. Now, we can look back and laugh.

Language development has probably been the biggest change over this past year. Last August, we struggled to find a recognizable word. Most, we figured, were something that he heard in Russia. One of our favorites, and his too, was what sounded like “Oh, Donna.” To this day, we have no idea what he was trying to convey, but it must have been important as it came up on a regular basis. Just like his bedtime or eating habits, we look back and laugh because now his vocabulary contains an infinite number of words. Sometimes some we’d rather him not say...

Max continues to amaze us with his cognitive development as well. He has a keen sense of direction. He knows his way to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and Heaven forbid if we turn the wrong way en route. We can’t even drive by a road that leads to any parks without him pointing it out to us. Much of that is due to his elephant-like memory. The kid doesn’t forget a thing, even months after the fact. He can tell you about every “boo-boo,” how it happened, where, and often what he was wearing. He remembers people and their names, and associates things with them, like “Bob has a red jet ski” or that the “ice cream man comes to Betsy’s house.” Without a doubt, he is smart little boy.

So what does Max do for fun? Well, whatever it is, it will have a button, or garage involved. He is captivated by both. He loves trucks, tractors, and cars. He can’t get enough of the park, or animals. He’s happy if he throwing something, whether he is supposed to or not. And, lately, light switches seem to be more fun that the room full of toys in which he is playing.

All in all, our first year as a family has been a smooth one. We really have enjoyed Max at this age. Naturally, we have our moments, but Darius Rucker nailed it, “baby hold on, cause it won’t be like this for long.”

Sad, but true.

Giddy Up, Cowboy!!

For the past 15 years, we have spent our Memorial Day weekends up in northern Michigan riding horses at Wolf Lake Ranch. This year Max got to experience the ranch in what we hope is first of many years to come!

Our weather was unseasonably warm, which meant slower rides for the big kids, but that didn't stop Max from taking Little Bit for a stroll around the ranch.

Once donned with a helmet, he mounted his trusty steed and set out on the trail in search of uncharted territory...um, well, sort of. Actually, I put him on the pony and led him on rope around the ranch, but to him, it was a wild ride!

Needless to say, Max was anything but afraid of the "nay," as he would put it, and can't wait until he and Little Bit can ride the dusty trails again next year.

Time Flies!

Today, marks an anniversary of sorts. It was one year ago, today, that we met Max for the first time in St. Petersburg. In some respects, it seems like yesterday that we were ushered into a small room in the orphanage and waited to see him for ourselves.

With emotions running high, we heard the cry of a child approaching behind the closed door of our room. Before we knew it, there he was.

He was skinny, and looked tired, possibly from the tantrum on the way to the room, or the cold he was fighting off. It didn't take him long to settle down, and take interest in the room full of toys.

Before we knew it, an hour had passed and he was off again, back to join his group.

Today, he is worlds away from his group, both physically and developmentally. He has grown in stature, personality, language, and learned what "home" and "family" mean. We couldn't be luckier to have him in our lives.

People always ask how Max is settling in, or adjusting to his new surroundings. The simple answer is, "great," but let me share a recent story with you.

This past week, Sharon, Max's nanny, was out taking Max for a walk. She stopped to talk to one of our neighbors who described Max as "an All-American boy." Sharon laughed, and proudly informed him of Max's background. Our neighbor was quite surprised.

Needless to say, it's like he's always been here...

Catching up...

I had great intentions of keeping this blog up to date, but somehow, time has slipped away...So here's a brief history of Max in the 6 months he's been home:

Spent time at the lake. Loved to swim. Now officially a member of the Red Neck Yacht Club (RNYC).

Turned TWO!!

Celebrated Halloween with not one costume,

but two costumes! Thanks for making my costume, Grandma Waterman!!

Became a fan of BGSU (but not a big fan of Freddie)

Went to the circus





Celebrated Christmas

And many, many more things. Too many to list.

All in all, Max has really adjusted very well. From time to time, I look back at the pictures and stories from the orphanage just 6 months ago and think how far we have come in a short amount of time. It feels like we have always been together and we hardly remember what life was like without him.