This and That

We had Alex's hearing checked last week and it was normal. Also, we have his first dental cleaning and exam in a couple of weeks. Most likely he will sit pretty still for it. He seems to be really interested in the "equipment" at places like the audiologist's office, dentist (when Tyler went), doctor, and optometrist (when Tyler went). Last week we had to take Ty to the eye doctor because Alex shot a rubber suction dart right into Ty's eye from a short distance. Thank goodness it wasn't a sharp one, but nonetheless it hit him right in the eye so we had it checked out. Everything was fine, but the doctor could definitely see where the dart had hit his eye. It was on the white part and a few hours later it was already starting to heal. I did not know that the white part of the eye heals so quickly. What I wanted to say is that Alex kept on saying "my turn" because he wanted the eye doctor to put that "equipment" on his eyes. I guess it looked like fun to him.

We went on vacation to Matt's parent's cabin for the fourth of July and had a great time. The car ride was not that great, but could have been worse. We enjoyed the fresh air and watching the kids play along the shore and wade in the ice cold water. At first Alex seemed fearful of the shore and the waves crashing in, but it didn't take him long to get over his initial uncertainty. Instead of "lake", he calls it the "cake". We all got a good laugh when we bought him a little horse finger puppet and he was trying to ride on it as if it was a lifesize horse. Also, Ty and Matt had a great time hiking on one of the many trails. However, it is tick season. Ty had one on his shoulder, but it hadn't gotten very far under his skin when we noticed it.

This past weekend we also visited my parents and great grandparents. They were all delighted to see how much Alex seems to fit in and thrive. And they enjoy seeing Tyler in a big brother role. I think that is a role that everyone has desired for him. We all went to the local spot for soft serve ice cream cones that are as big as your head. Well, not quite that big, but they sure don't skimp on them.

This weekend we also got to visit with a local family who has also adopted from Russia. It is amazing the bond you can feel with someone else who has gone through international adoption. I am also excited that I have made a few more local connections of families who have adopted from Russia and am excited to get together with them as well!

I feel that Alex continues to catch up with his speech and fine and gross motor skills, or perhaps even excels in things like climbing. He has always been a climber. When we first came home from Russia, he couldn't jump down to the floor from a low height, but now he has no problems jumping off his bed or the coffee table onto the floor - I know, coffee tables aren't meant for jumping off of! Try telling that to an energetic two year old! We are going to have the school district assess him in the fall sometime. At this point we don't have any major concerns. Our pediatrician agrees with our assessment of where he is at in comparison to other two year olds. He is behind, but growing and learning more every day.

I think Alex's emotions have evened off a little bit, but we are still working on some issues. Some of the behaviors are typical two year old stuff or magnified by his past. Some of them are probably not typical. I think he is still learning how to trust us and "tests" us at times to see if we will abandon him, which of course we would never do. I wish I knew exactly what he went through from birth until the time he became our child. I'm sure there are some of you adoptive parents that can relate to what I'm saying here. I have run out of time, so I'll have to post some photos next time.