Wednesday, December 16, 2009
A Message of Peace, Hope and Love
Okay. I couldn’t resist the title of this post. Those of you who have followed us in the blog know that our previous posts have been, um, how shall we say, truthful about our experiences adopting our second child from China and the transition home.
For those of you who don’t remember, or are new to following our adventures, a quick summary:
Pre-Trip: Yay, a son! Incredible excitement! Can’t wait to go back to China!
Arrival in China: Yay, a son! Wow, it’s hot. Wow, I’m tired.
1st Week in China: Yay, a son! Really, really miss Jenna (our daughter, who stayed at home). Wow, it’s hot. Wow, I’m tired.
2nd Week in China: Yay, a son! Really, really miss Jenna. Okay, it’s hot. Seriously. Have I mentioned that I’m tired?
Arrival Home: Yay, home! Yay, Jenna! Yay, a family! Jeez, it is hot! Wow, I’m tired.
1st month home: Aarrgh! Two kids! When will the crying and fighting stop? (And that’s just Mom and Dad). Stop hitting! Stop pulling her hair! Be nice! It’s sooo hot! I’m #%*&^# exhausted.
2nd month home: See 1st month home.
And so on.
I am happy to report that we seemed to have stumbled into some semblance of a normal life. There are good moments. There are bad moments. There are incredibly great, Norman Rockwell, “aren’t we the luckiest parents in the world” moments. There are terribly exhausting, doubt-inducing, “I’m pretty sure I’m the worst parent in the world” moments. In short, a normal life of parenting. And it is pretty good.
Will’s adjustment and development has been amazing. He is an incredibly happy child, full of spirit and adventure. Which makes him the odd man out in our family. We’re not quite sure how to deal with happiness and bravery.
He is engaged in speech therapy (primarily as a result of his palate repair) and has developed about 15-20 words that he uses appropriately and consistently, and that we, at least, can recognize. True, “vacuum” and “jacket” sound remarkably similar, but what are you going to do? One of his clearest words (other than “eat”, which deserves a post of its own) is “football”. Yay, Dad! And yes, he uses it to refer to sports ranging from soccer to basketball, but it is clearly “football”. So, he’s got “eat” and “football” down. Who said I couldn’t raise a son?
Jenna’s transition has been a little more difficult, but is going well. She had a tough few months, with the addition of a 19-month old brother into HER family on top of the challenge of starting kindergarten. But she has made it through. The ratio of “I don’t want a brother” to “I really love my little brother” has evened out quite a bit, and she is doing really well in school. She loves to read, and write, and to make up her own stories, which usually involve a princess named May. (And no, not “Mei”. I asked.)
Perhaps the greatest joy over the past couple of months has been seeing them play more and more together. Or perhaps I should say, NOT seeing them play together. They have developed this wonderful propensity to play together, quietly, upstairs in the gameroom. We’ve done our parental duty to check and ensure that Will has not been bound and gagged during these periods, and can safely say that Jenna has allowed him to remain free, as long has he obeys her instructions. She is, after all, the big sister.
So, a summary. Yay, a son! Yay, a family! Wow, it is starting to get cold. Wow, I’m really tired. This is pretty good.
I’ll leave you with this. As we were putting up Christmas decorations a few weeks ago, I walked past the dining room and saw Jenna playing with some decorations she made while in pre-school. The two with which she was playing were an angel (made out of paper plates) and a Baby Jesus in his “crib” (made out of popsicle sticks, burlap, etc.). She was holding the significantly larger angel directly over the head of Baby Jesus, saying (in a very, very stern voice), “Wake UP, Baby Jesus! Get UP! Get Up!”
Now, we are not known for our deep understanding of, or strict adherence to, biblical stories. But I am fairly certain that this is not how things went down on the day of the good Lord’s birth. I could be wrong, though.
For now, we’ll stick with the message of peace, hope and love.
Our best to all of you during this holiday season.
Greg
Okay. I couldn’t resist the title of this post. Those of you who have followed us in the blog know that our previous posts have been, um, how shall we say, truthful about our experiences adopting our second child from China and the transition home.
For those of you who don’t remember, or are new to following our adventures, a quick summary:
Pre-Trip: Yay, a son! Incredible excitement! Can’t wait to go back to China!
Arrival in China: Yay, a son! Wow, it’s hot. Wow, I’m tired.
1st Week in China: Yay, a son! Really, really miss Jenna (our daughter, who stayed at home). Wow, it’s hot. Wow, I’m tired.
2nd Week in China: Yay, a son! Really, really miss Jenna. Okay, it’s hot. Seriously. Have I mentioned that I’m tired?
Arrival Home: Yay, home! Yay, Jenna! Yay, a family! Jeez, it is hot! Wow, I’m tired.
1st month home: Aarrgh! Two kids! When will the crying and fighting stop? (And that’s just Mom and Dad). Stop hitting! Stop pulling her hair! Be nice! It’s sooo hot! I’m #%*&^# exhausted.
2nd month home: See 1st month home.
And so on.
I am happy to report that we seemed to have stumbled into some semblance of a normal life. There are good moments. There are bad moments. There are incredibly great, Norman Rockwell, “aren’t we the luckiest parents in the world” moments. There are terribly exhausting, doubt-inducing, “I’m pretty sure I’m the worst parent in the world” moments. In short, a normal life of parenting. And it is pretty good.
Will’s adjustment and development has been amazing. He is an incredibly happy child, full of spirit and adventure. Which makes him the odd man out in our family. We’re not quite sure how to deal with happiness and bravery.
He is engaged in speech therapy (primarily as a result of his palate repair) and has developed about 15-20 words that he uses appropriately and consistently, and that we, at least, can recognize. True, “vacuum” and “jacket” sound remarkably similar, but what are you going to do? One of his clearest words (other than “eat”, which deserves a post of its own) is “football”. Yay, Dad! And yes, he uses it to refer to sports ranging from soccer to basketball, but it is clearly “football”. So, he’s got “eat” and “football” down. Who said I couldn’t raise a son?
Jenna’s transition has been a little more difficult, but is going well. She had a tough few months, with the addition of a 19-month old brother into HER family on top of the challenge of starting kindergarten. But she has made it through. The ratio of “I don’t want a brother” to “I really love my little brother” has evened out quite a bit, and she is doing really well in school. She loves to read, and write, and to make up her own stories, which usually involve a princess named May. (And no, not “Mei”. I asked.)
Perhaps the greatest joy over the past couple of months has been seeing them play more and more together. Or perhaps I should say, NOT seeing them play together. They have developed this wonderful propensity to play together, quietly, upstairs in the gameroom. We’ve done our parental duty to check and ensure that Will has not been bound and gagged during these periods, and can safely say that Jenna has allowed him to remain free, as long has he obeys her instructions. She is, after all, the big sister.
So, a summary. Yay, a son! Yay, a family! Wow, it is starting to get cold. Wow, I’m really tired. This is pretty good.
I’ll leave you with this. As we were putting up Christmas decorations a few weeks ago, I walked past the dining room and saw Jenna playing with some decorations she made while in pre-school. The two with which she was playing were an angel (made out of paper plates) and a Baby Jesus in his “crib” (made out of popsicle sticks, burlap, etc.). She was holding the significantly larger angel directly over the head of Baby Jesus, saying (in a very, very stern voice), “Wake UP, Baby Jesus! Get UP! Get Up!”
Now, we are not known for our deep understanding of, or strict adherence to, biblical stories. But I am fairly certain that this is not how things went down on the day of the good Lord’s birth. I could be wrong, though.
For now, we’ll stick with the message of peace, hope and love.
Our best to all of you during this holiday season.
Greg
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The 2 Month Mark
We've hit the 2 month mark since arriving home, and I can't believe it! It has been the most difficult thing we (meaning me, Greg and Jenna.......and perhaps Will) have ever been through. But I can say, tentatively, that things are getting better. The biggest change is Will - he is understanding so much more these days, and I think it has helped in the decrease of his frustration level, which in turn, has lead to less hitting and pinching. This makes Jenna very happy, so she is playing with him a lot more. She doesn't hate him 24/7 anymore! Yea for us!!
Will follows Jenna around like a puppy, and does most of what she says, which of course makes her feel as though she rules the house. They have taken some long strides towards building a relationship. Jenna is a mother hen, and sometimes we have to remind her that Will already has a mom and dad to dole out the discipline etc. She laughs more often, and enjoys knowing she can make HIM laugh.
Updates on Will's medical status. He does NOT have Hep. B He does not need braces for his very bowed legs - the ortho feels he will grow out of it. His vitamin D level is low, so he is on supplements. He will probably need ear tubes in the very near future. Appt. with the plastic surgeon for his palate is not until Nov.
His receptive language is doing very well. We are using signs with him, and he uses them all the time, and tries to say a few words. The speech therapist is working with him, although he tends to practice more with me than during his session. Just this week he started wanting to feed himself all the time with a spoon, so that is always a messy experience. He eats EVERY food imaginable.
Overall, he is a happy kid. Every new place we go is a full -out adventure for him. He doesn't like being reigned in, but then, what toddler does??
Will follows Jenna around like a puppy, and does most of what she says, which of course makes her feel as though she rules the house. They have taken some long strides towards building a relationship. Jenna is a mother hen, and sometimes we have to remind her that Will already has a mom and dad to dole out the discipline etc. She laughs more often, and enjoys knowing she can make HIM laugh.
Updates on Will's medical status. He does NOT have Hep. B He does not need braces for his very bowed legs - the ortho feels he will grow out of it. His vitamin D level is low, so he is on supplements. He will probably need ear tubes in the very near future. Appt. with the plastic surgeon for his palate is not until Nov.
His receptive language is doing very well. We are using signs with him, and he uses them all the time, and tries to say a few words. The speech therapist is working with him, although he tends to practice more with me than during his session. Just this week he started wanting to feed himself all the time with a spoon, so that is always a messy experience. He eats EVERY food imaginable.
Overall, he is a happy kid. Every new place we go is a full -out adventure for him. He doesn't like being reigned in, but then, what toddler does??
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Home 1 month
I can't believe we have been home 1 month. It sounds so short, yet has felt so long! Have things gotten better? In some ways yes, and in others, no. Jenna started Kindergarten, and it was a rough start, but she likes it now. She comes home exhausted and needs to sleep - but of course doesn't want to - and will fall asleep in the car if we run errands. What a strange sight it is, the 5 1/2 year old slumped over in her car seat, while the 20 month old babbles away.
Jenna still has a hard time being with Will for a long period of time. Short togetherness seems to work best, but of course is not always possible. She turns on a dime, and will love him one minute and hate him the next. He is still hitting and pinching. He is sleeping better, thank goodness. His temper tantrums have started in earnest, much to our dismay. Mostly around food - as in, give me more right now! He would eat all day non stop if he could. He likes all food, which is nice, but he still begs and carries on in the kitchen every day. I just read that kids appetites fall significantly by age 2 1/2, so there is hope!
We have had small doses of happy times here and there - only 10 or 15 minutes, maybe when Jen and Will are chasing each other in the house - but still mostly pull your hair out, hook me up to an alcohol IV every day. Have I mentioned the gray hair that is growing???
It has been one hell of a month.
Jenna still has a hard time being with Will for a long period of time. Short togetherness seems to work best, but of course is not always possible. She turns on a dime, and will love him one minute and hate him the next. He is still hitting and pinching. He is sleeping better, thank goodness. His temper tantrums have started in earnest, much to our dismay. Mostly around food - as in, give me more right now! He would eat all day non stop if he could. He likes all food, which is nice, but he still begs and carries on in the kitchen every day. I just read that kids appetites fall significantly by age 2 1/2, so there is hope!
We have had small doses of happy times here and there - only 10 or 15 minutes, maybe when Jen and Will are chasing each other in the house - but still mostly pull your hair out, hook me up to an alcohol IV every day. Have I mentioned the gray hair that is growing???
It has been one hell of a month.
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
When is Kindergarten??
I find myself looking forward to the day Jen starts school. She'll be more independent, gain confidence, yadda yadda....but really its just to see she and Will separated for a time. They just go at each other. Which is amazing considering they have only known each other for 11 days.
Will has his first dr. appt. on Friday, and Jenna gets to meet her teacher. A big day for both.
Will has his first dr. appt. on Friday, and Jenna gets to meet her teacher. A big day for both.
Monday, August 17, 2009
We've been home a week...
We've been home 1 week, which means today is the day Greg goes back to work. And today is the day my anxiety level is thru the roof. It has been sooooo hard this week. Soooo miserable, it feels like we've been living in a nightmare, and yet we chose this?
How many tears can we all cry in one day? Jenna has turned petulant, and doesn't want to share, even though she is playing with baby toys. Will still wants to hit and pinch her all the time, and I just want to pull out the gray hair that is now growing on my head.
The upside of yesterday, we all laughed 2 times. Does that balance out the tears?
How many tears can we all cry in one day? Jenna has turned petulant, and doesn't want to share, even though she is playing with baby toys. Will still wants to hit and pinch her all the time, and I just want to pull out the gray hair that is now growing on my head.
The upside of yesterday, we all laughed 2 times. Does that balance out the tears?
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