Socializing

Lunch on Friday with my three girlfriends was great, but too short for me! I could have talked to them for hours more. Christian did really well, only got fussy the last 10 minutes or so, I was so proud of him.  He didn't go down for a nap and was a crazy man all afternoon, but it was worth it to visit with my friends.

Then Saturday, one of my lunch friends invited us to her house for a playdate with her son who is also 2 yrs old. Christian played nice, didn't fight over any toys and got to play with some fun new stuff.  I think both boys had a great time! It was interesting for me to see them side by side and observe Christian's size, motor skills and language. He seemed a little behind in the large motor skills but I expected that.  His language seems pretty far behind to me but due to the fact that he's only been hearing and trying to speak English for little over one month, he has picked up fast and I am sure he will keep moving forward at a fast pace. He was SO quiet there, he hardly spoke a word, which isn't him at home at all! Of course, the minute we got into the car, he chattered all the way home :)

Then Sunday afternoon we went to see a Sesame Street live performance which we got free tickets for.  He half watched the show, half played around the seats.  We ended up leaving about 20 minutes before the performance was over because by that time he was getting fussy and disrupting the others.  Plus the show was at 1:00 p.m. which is right at nap time, so that was apparantly an issue too.  So of course when we get home, he then doesn't want to go down for a nap and threw an exhausted tantrum. He finally slept for about an hour but at least it got him over the fussy hump :)

Not sure what sparked it, but he initiated multiple hugs the rest of the day and evening.  It was so special and melted my heart.  I am always hugging him, kissing on him and telling him I love him, but as is typical, he has just tolerated them in short duration. But today he started the hugs, they were long and alot throughout the day. I don't know why but I hope it continues! Maybe he is starting to move deeper into bonding, and if I dare say it, into the attachment phase.  Sending prayers :)
~Amy

Jeckle and Hyde

Yes, I think he has the Jeckle and Hyde gene.  HOLY COW!
The last two days he's been a crazy kid.  He freaked out royally when breakfast was over and he didn't think it should be over. I mean he eats more than I think he should be eating as it is and he acts like he's starving. I know that's an orphanage anxiety thing, but the freak out was crazy.  So I left him sitting on the kitchen floor, yelling his head off, and after a few sneak peeks from him, seeing that I wasn't watching him, he decided it wasn't getting him anywhere and stopped yelling. Stopped yelling like someone turned off a light switch, just like that, no lingering whining, just a good old fashioned temper tantrum.  Hey at least he didn't throw the milk across the room this time or push the plate onto the floor and break it. Thankfully (hope I'm not jinxing myself) those two incidents have only occurred once.

Bath time is substantially better from when we were first home, only a few lingering whines here and there, which I think are mostly due to the bathroom being too cold.  Last night I was thrilled, amazed, in shock, in disbelief, ecstatic.....you get the idea.  He usually does great, playing in the tub, until it's time to pour water on his head to wash his hair. Well last night, while playing with the plastic bowls, he poured some water over his head....all by himself....with no prompting from me.  I froze in place waiting to see his reaction when the water ran down his face, because that is the point when he usually shouts out. I snapped out of it quickly and made a BIG deal out of what he did, praising him, "oh what a good boy", etc. He wiped the water off his face, smiled up at me and did it again!!!!  DAMN!  Another missed miracle I could have had on video.  To say I was happy is an understatement.  Then he did it again tonight!!!  Please God, let the bathtime be fun from now on :)

Adam (my 24 yr old nephew, Christian's cousin) took a break from his college studies and came over for a visit.  Christian wasn't in the best mood, so playing with him was challenging, but Adam hung in there. We did get Christian to say Adam's name, although it sounded like "Apam". He did repeat it and when Adam left, Christian went from room to room calling out "Apam, Apam."  It was SO adorable.

Yesterday Christian was happy and playing one minute and throwing down for a tantrum the next. Of course I had no idea what the issue was (and still don't) but he flipped like a switch. This went on ALL MORNING and my nerves were about shot. So I decided nap time was going to come early :)  That was the magic solution, he slept for 3 hours!  Then he was happier that afternoon.  Aren't naps wonderful, wish I could have more....sigh, being an adult has it's drawbacks sometimes doesn't it.

Tomorrow we are having lunch with three of my girlfriends. I hope he's in a good mood because I need to see my girlfriends!!!
~Amy

Teaser

My little angel is a charming teaser!  He has been making me laugh so much that last several days. He is very ticklish and we have a few games we now play.  He will be at one end of the sofa, me at other with my eyes closed. He will creep down the sofa, trying to be quiet but of course he's not, and when he gets close, he'll jump on me and I proceed to tickle him. He shrieks with laughter, scrambles down to do it all over again.

He will also be sitting at his end of the sofa, I look over out of the corner of my eye and he mimicks me, looking out the corner of his eyes. He'll then grin with his little dimple and that is my sign that the lunge at me is next.  This makes him laugh so hard, that wonderful baby laugh that tickles your heart!

Then tonight we were visiting my sister and nephew after his surgery. There was a cup of soda on the table that he decided to pick up. My nephew reached out his hand and asked Christian to give it to him.  Christian held the cup out to him but when Kolby just touched it, he quickly pulled it back laughing. He did this several times.  I don't know where he got that because I have never done that but it was so cute to see him teasing like that.

Every day, more and more of his personality reveals itself to me (good and bad) and I feel more blessed with every moment. He is giving kisses and hugs back to me now and that is the most perfect feeling in the world.
I love you my little sweetie bug :)
~Amy

Spoke Too Soon

So I think I jinxed the bath time success by posting too soon. Yes, the last three nights bath time have been bad again.  Uuummm....not sure what's going on???  My childhood friend, Susan, came to visit for the weekend and we had a great time! She brought "bath crayons" that you can write on the tub wall with and then it just wipes right off. Christian played with them for a minute or so last night and again tonight, but other than that, he wanted out of that tub and he wanted out NOW! So hopefully we'll get back to the happy bath time soon.

Church was entertaining today.  The tissue like pages of the missal did not fair too well today (oops) and we left a trail of Cheerios behind on the floor. At one point (of course when it's quiet, not when a song is being sung) I feel a tap on my hand, look down and Christian whips up his shirt, and loudly states, "bellybutton" while pointing to said body part. Nice!  Well we have been practicing the names of our parts (nose, eye, ear, etc) and he was letting me know he knew that one too.  Cute but embarrassing.
Then later, when it was time to kneel, I see a movement beside me and he has knelt down too.  Yes, big "aw" here. My heart melted, he was so adorable.  He only stayed there for about 15 seconds, but it was still a heart moment for Momma.

He is saying alot more words lately which I am thrilled about. His newest thing is to turn the light switches on and off.  I was letting him help me at first and now he just wants me to pick him up and run around the house flipping switches. So I got him to stop that and just when the light NEEDS to be on or off, I pick him up and let him do the honors.

One of the cats got nailed with a cat toy this morning. Of course it had to be Zoey, the "only my cat" ( interpreted to mean that she only likes me and bats and bites anyone else).  Christian and Zoey have been getting along great this past month, and when Zoey starts batting at him (which HE thinks is a game) I recognize the slanted back ears to mean a bite is coming soon and I shoo her off.  Well she was innocently minding her own business, napping on the sofa, when Christian picks up a cat toy, lauches at her and nails her in the side pretty hard.  I made sure he didn't go over there and Zoey just ran off.  Poor kitty! On a positive note, it was a good throw on Christian's part, maybe baseball is in his future :)

~Amy

Bath Success - YAY!!!

We had success at bathtime tonight!!!!!!!!!!!!
Christian helped fill up the bathtub with the plastic bowls. Then I set him in the tub and he started playing with them immediately. Again I pretended to miss the bowl and poured water on him and he didn't mind at all.  Then I poured a little water at a time over his head and again he didn't mind, just kept pouring water with this bowl!  I got him all washed, his hair washed with no issues, and he only wimpered once when water got in his face when I was rinsing his hair.

Then when I got done, he wanted to stay in and play!!!!!!!!  He stayed in until he was shivering because the water turned cold.  I was SO happy and kept telling him what a good boy he was and how proud I was of him and he just bashfully grinned at me showing his adorable dimple.

I just hope this bath success continues :)
~Amy

First Haircut

Christian had his first haircut today and did pretty good.....at least I thought so.  He balked a little when he was set in the chair but the salon lady was SO nice and patient with him.  He did not like the apron on him at all but I got his arms out from underneath it to hold his little cup of Cheerios. He sat still pretty good and when he would turn his head a little, the salon lady would just move with him.  Then she got out the electric shaver and went to show it to him so he wouldn't be afraid of it. Of course he was afraid of it, so I told her to just move behind him, not show it to him and start.  She did and it worked fine.  So he cried a little bit a couple of times but overall he did very good.  I got a few pieces of his hair to keep. I wish I could have gotten a photo but I was busy trying to keep him preoccupied.  Maybe next time I can get a photo.
~Amy

First BIG Owie!

Well cross it off the list...the first big owie!  We were are my parents this past weekend visiting the family. Christian sits on a two step stool so he's high enough to eat at the table.  He would push it across the floor to the table and a couple of times it folded up a little. My Dad and I kept saying we need to not let him do that because it's going to fold up on his fingers. He wanted to be a big boy and do it himself. Well you guessed, we messed up.  He tripped, the stool folded up with his fingers in it and he fell on his stomach on top of the stool on the floor.  I grabbed him immediately and realized his fingers were still stuck in the stool.  I yelled for my Dad who rushed into the kitchen, got the stool and we got his fingers out. The one on his left hand was just slightly pinched but his right hand thumb got smashed pretty bad.  It's purple, the thumbnail is purple and the skin split on the thumb pad. Of course there was alot of screaming and crying and I felt SOOOOO bad!

After we got him calmed down and surveyed the injury, it was just smashed really, really bad, not broken, thank God!  So we bandaged it up, gave him some liquid Tylenol and he fell asleep.  He did pretty good with it the rest of the day, walking around with it sticking out, I'm surprised he didn't hit it on anything.  I found out he's pretty coordinated with his left hand because he switched and was eating and picking things up with his left hand instead.  Today he is mostly back to using his right hand, only switching if he can't pick something up due to the band-aid.  Of course I only had the adult size band-aid so it's a big wad on his little chubby thumb :)  Now he won't go near the evil step stool, which is fine by me!

~Amy

"Yuk" and Teddy Bear

So when I change Christian's stinky diaper, I say "yuk, yuk" and hold my nose. He laughs and says "yuk, yuk" too.  The other day at naptime, when he was supposed to be sleeping, I hear him saying "yuk, yuk" and all I could think as that he has done God knows what with his stinky diaper. But at the same time, I didn't want to open the door and have him see me, because then we would want to get out of the crib. So I peep through the door keyhole to see what he's up to.

He has his socks off, holding them up to his teddy bear's nose, saying, "yuk, yuk!"  I have to quickly walk away from the door because I was about to bust out loud laughing.  A minute later, after I get myself under control, I peek again and he was then trying to put the socks on the bear's feet. It was so adorable I wish I could have gotten a video of it without him seeing me. But I wrote it in his journal of milestones, cute sayings and cute behaviors of his that I have started.

It's these types of precious moments that remind me how blessed I am to have found my beautiful son.
~Amy

Milk, Bath and Doctors

For clarification, the milk throw wasn't because he doesn't like it, he threw it because he was just plain mad.  He is going through a phase that if he doesn't like something, he expresses his anger and frustration by throwing things and I need to break that habit/mind set.  He's done it twice but after being put in the pack-n-play for a time out, he hasn't done it since, so I would say he understands that now.....YAY!

Bath time is slowly getting better, the emotions are not as strong so I think we are making progress....YAY!

Yesterday and today we had doctor's appointments which were stressful for him (and for momma!) Monday we met with our general pediatrician to follow-up on his rash and check what immunizations he's had.  He had to have blood drawn as well as three shots.  This entailed two nurses holding him down, the doctor drawing the blood, while I stood at his head trying to comfort him. I told them that I did not want to be holding him because I wanted him to see me as the source of comfort and if you take part in holding them down, sometimes they get confused and I didn't want to jeopardize the bonding we have accomplished so far. I felt so sorry for the little guy, I don't like needles either.  But as soon as they were done and left the room he calmed done quickly.  He passed his hearing test too!  We got different ointment for his rash to see if this one works better.  Now to wait for the bloodwork results.

Today we followed up with my International Adoption doctor who reviewed Christians info and videos that I sent her while in Russia.  We had to wait in the exam room for 50 minutes and it was tough keeping him entertained and not getting into things he shouldn't be touching :)  He did wonderful with her, he was only nervous for about 10 minutes and then he wandered around the room, by her, and was fine.  She talked to me first for about 45 minutes which was great. She asked me about his eating, sleeping, behavior, talking, interaction, and so many other things.  As we talked she was also watching how he was moving about, interacting with me, chattering, etc.  She looked him over and he only whimpered a little and then just sat still, I was so happy he wasn't stressed out.

I had some concerns I expressed to my general pediatrician and wasn't really comfortable with his answers, but he's the doctor right, so I accepted what he said to do.  As the IA doctor asked me questions, I told her what the other doctor said and she professionally disagreed.  Based on the situations I had concerns about, she told me that children that have been in an institution/orphanage, need to be treated differently with certain situations.  She is a specialist in adopted children so I trust her judgement and her answers made more sense to me.  Based on her assessment, he is about 6 months behind his age in development and sensory integration.  So we are going to meet with a pediatric occupational therapist to review what techniques and games we need to play to get him caught up.  She had no concerns about him otherwise and said he looked very good and healthy! I really wish I could have her as my general pediatrician, she was so calm, I didn't feel rushed or that she had one foot half out the door and she asked questions of me to see about his entire development, bonding, behavior, nutrition and well as his physical health.  I have met with the general pediatrician twice now and do not feel comfortable with him but just decided that it will obviously take time.  But his responses to some of my concerns were for a typical 2yr old child, not one that has been in an orphanage, which is what I need right now.  So I am going to request some other doctor recommendations from the IA doctor of pediatricians that have worked alot with adopted children.  I don't know why I hesitated when I didn't feel comfortable at the first visit and look for another doctor, because with my own health, if I am not comfortable with a doctor I either get another one and I always get a second opinion too.  I guess I was just hesitant because I know myself and my body but being a first time mother and not really knowing Christian, I don't have the confidence yet to challenge or question the pediatrician.  If I am not comfortable with the pediatrician and confident he is the best fit for Christian, then I don't feel like that makes me a good mother to stay with him.  So I will be researching for a new doctor.

Oh, he also had to have blood drawn at the IA doctor's too, poor little guy. He cried but calmed down quickly and got a cool blue band-aid with bugs bunny on it, that he kept looking at and telling me something I didn't understand :) Baptism class tomorrow night.........

~Amy

Milk Throw/Better Bathtime

Two topics this evening.
1. The Milk Throw
Christian decided after eating his oatmeal for breakfast, he didn't want his milk.  I told him to drink some and he proceeded to throw the cup on the floor, and yes, milk went all over.  Mommy wasn't happy.  So into the pak-n-play he went for a time-in.  A time-in is where he must stay but can still see you.  I am told this is better for adopted children so they do not feel like you abandoned them and they have to handle things by themselves.  So he yelled for a bit, then calmed down. Back into the kitchen we went to finish the milk.  He is very stubborn and trying to run my house, so I am trying a new approach to discipline.  Of course he didn't want the milk, shoved it away from me, dropped to the floor for a tantrum, so back into the time-in he went.  We played this "game" for about an hour until he either got worn out or realized he was going to have to drink that milk.  So he begrugdingly drank the milk, only to "punish" me by not wanting to be near me for awhile after that.  Boy do kids have stamina or what!?!?!?

2. Better Bathtime
Yesterday I tried the suggestion of playing with water in the tupperware first and then move it to the bathtub.  Last night he was calm for a few minutes in the tub playing and then reverted back to his meltdown.  But when I started the water for bath tonight, it went very differently. Instead of running to the sofa when he sees the water on, he came in and starting playing with the running water!!! He was filling up one plastic bowl with water and dumping it into the tub like he was helping fill up the tub.  Of course, after playing a bit and then when I went to take off his clothes, he realized he had to get IN the tub and the meltdown began.  But with some coaxing, when I put him in the tub, we played "fill up" with the bowls for a few minutes.  I would "accidently" miss the bowl and pour the water on him and he didn't notice.  I got him all washed and managed to get his hair wet before he decided he was done and started yelling. So I quickly washed his hair, rinsed off and out he came.  I was SO exicted because this is the longest time he's been in the tub before he freaks out!  I hope this is a good sign and we keep progressing until he actually likes being in there the whole time!

~Amy

Progressing with Bathtime

Well I do believe we are moving into a more positive direction regarding bathtime. Last night he didn't scream or cry at all when I first put him in the bathtub.  I figured out that he doesn't like the bath toys, I think he's afraid of them.  So in he goes, nothing but bubbles.  He did ok when I slowly poured water over him which is a first. Then I started washing his legs, still ok, but started quietly whimpering, then by the time I reached his arms and back he was yelling and crying again.  But at least we had some relaxed time first.

He had discovered my tupperware cabinet, drags it out everyday and loves to play with it.  I am going to try the suggestion of pouring water from one bowl to another, then take them into the bathtub and see if that works for us....fingers crossed!

Thanks everyone for reading my blog as well as commenting! I have gained some wonderful insights and gotten great advice from the comments......truly appreciate it!
~Amy

Social Security Office

So they wanted me to mail my original Russian documents to apply for a social security number for Christian. I didn't want to give them the orignials because I can't get copies easy, if at all, again from Russia.  So I had to go into the actual office.  I stopped by Kinko's first and made color copies of the requested documents, hoping they would accept those instead of the originals, if they needed them at the office. So we only had to wait 20 minutes which was great because the room was full of people.  We did however stand at the window for 30 minutes because the guy inputting the information had never done a foreign adoption before.  Then I didn't know this, but there is a waiting period until I get Christian's naturalization papers, that they cannot assign him a permanent social security number.  So he has a non-resident, legal alien status until I get the naturalization papers, submit those and then his card changes to a citizen.  SO much paperwork before, during and after the adoption....whew!

We had our first "old faithful" moment.  Yes, when he is in the process of getting his diaper changed and had to pee.  Thank goodness he didn't get any on me :)  Bathtime is still a drama and hopefully he will get over it soon, I feel so bad that it upsets him so much.

He is chatting more so I have been able to get him to say a few more words. Of course, the next day he might not feel like saying them again but then the next day he will. He still says some Russian words that I can't figure out what he means but I have managed to figure out some of what he is trying to tell me.  At first every animal he saw was a (sa-bahk-a) which means dog.  Now every animal he sees is a "kitty".  I think it's because we have two indoor cats and he's gotten used to saying "kitty" so much.

He loves to go "bye-bye"!  Anytime I say it, be squeals and runs for his coat, rushing to get it on and scurries to the door.  It's so cute! He sits in the car good and just watches things go by.  The only time he doesn't want back in the car seat is after we make two stops.  When he's put back in the car seat after the second stop, he doesn't like that at all.  I guess he's tired by then of being strapped in.  But otherwise he does really well. He understands now that he has to put on the safety strap when he gets into a shopping cart.  (otherwise he decides to bail out on his own and I'm sure that would result in the possibility of a bloody nose or whatever else he would hurt on the way down).  So now when he's put in the cart, he automatically raises his arms for me to strap him in...so cute.

He is taking a nap right now and will hopefully be in a good mood when his cousin Adam and his fiance come for a visit at 3:30 today!
~Amy

Happy New Years!

Happy New Years to everyone! I hope 2011 is filled with happiness, health and many blessings.

We had a fairly quiet New Year's Eve.  I went to show Christian off to my sister's friends for a little bit in the early evening and then stopped by a friend's house for about 20 minutes.  She has a little dog which Christian was afraid of, plus he didn't take a nap, so we didn't stay long so I could get him to bed. Then I curled up on the sofa, watched a couple of movies and was in bed by 11:45.  It was nice to have a quiet relaxing evening :)

We have the food issues tackled, he is eating good now and drinking milk! Nap time and bedtime are still 50/50 whether he goes down easy or not.  Bath time is still not good and now I have to put a medicated lotion on him before bed which he hates.  But it only lasts a few minutes so that's good for my ears :)

Tomorrow we will see how attending church will go. He did good at Christmas Eve mass and then the following Sunday mass was a little more complicated, but not too terrible.  So we'll see how well he does tomorrow but I am sitting in the back just in case I have to make a fast exit into the hall :)

Monday we get to stand in line at the social security office to apply for his card. I'm thinking it shouldn't be too busy but who knows. They wanted me to mail in the original Russian birth certificate and original adoption decree.  I will NOT be doing that, because if they lose them before they are returned, getting them replaced from Russia would be a nightmare.  Just hope we don't have to wait at the social security office too long.  Then I need to call my accountant to see what they need for my tax return.  Soon, I hope, the paperwork for Christian will slow down!  Being home and not on my normal schedule, I realized I hadn't paid my house payment. So we made a dash to the mailbox and hopefully they'll get it in time. Yes I know, everyone tells me I need to pay my bills online, but I'm just not there yet in terms of trusting the accessibility to my account.

Now to search the web for a table pad to put on my wood coffee table before Christian dings it up beyond repair :)
~Amy