Summer Time

We've been having a pretty good summer so far. We continue to stay at home a lot, and some days it is tiring, but it is what is best for Alex. Every child is different. I know some adopted children attach much quicker or aren't affected as much going to lots of different places or having lots of interaction with others. This phase in life won't last forever, so we are trying to make the most of our time at home.

We've been having ups and downs with attachment. We thought it had been going so well, but then Alex hugged a female stranger's legs at the store last weekend. I wasn't even along for that shopping trip, so it wasn't a case of mistaken identity. We stayed home from church that weekend because of it. Some of you who are not familiar with adoption or children with attachment issues may think that we are overreacting, but we're not. Our nighttime ritual had gotten worse for me but still OK for Matt. We do things the same, but for some reason Alex was not staying in bed for me once I left the room. He is still going through the attachment stage, so we didn't want to be too hard on him. He still asks a lot at bedtime "Daddy home?" "Tyler home?" "Mommy home?", so it seems like he may be afraid we are going to leave. He also asks if the helicopters and dogs are home. Hmmm, this may be because he is scared of them and wants to make sure they aren't in our house.

Alex continues to surprise us with new words. It is cute how he has associated the word "Good morning!" shortened to the word "morning" as a greeting used anytime. Matt came home from work, and Alex went over to him and said "Morning!" It is so cute when he says "Love you!" and comes up close to our faces with his smoochy lips. He also says "Supper's ready!" or "Suppertime!" "Buppa" is Grandpa and "baa-ma" is grandma.

I also witnessed my first episode of him crying so hard that his lips and face turned blue. This was mentioned in his medical information, so it wasn't a surprise. It is something he will outgrow and nothing to worry about. He did a silent cry and couldn't catch his breath, and he almost passed out. But then he started crying loudly right after that. If he does pass out, then he will begin to breathe normally again. The best thing to do is have him lie down and blow on his face or put a cold washcloth on his forehead. He loves positive or negative attention, so the main thing is to not make a big deal out of it when this happens.

And now here are a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Alex and Tyler hanging out at the garden center where Patti's dad works.


There are four generations of Patti's side of the family mixed up somewhere in this photo. Check out the wiggle worm!

Procrastinating

I thought I better update everyone since it's been almost a month since our last post! It has been exciting to hear of other families traveling to Astrakhan or being registered in the region! You are all in our prayers. I am hoping that there will be another family that goes to Baby Home #2. We have corresponded with another couple from Germany who also adopted a child from Baby Home #2 at the same time we did.

Here's Alex and Tyler going for a hike in the woods for Memorial Day:


Here's Alex enjoying the warm weather:

The weather is finally starting to warm up here, so today we had the sprinkler out and the wading pool. Throw a few squirt guns in the mix, and everyone was bound to get wet, mom included! We've been enjoying our days going to the different parks and playing in the good old backyard. We try to keep things simple and not too busy, as Alex continues to adjust to being a part of our family. He loves to drive his little jeep. He will make circles on the driveway for hours at a time, if given the opportunity. I would say that Alex continues to grow more and more each day, both physically and intellectually. He surprised me at nap time today when I asked him to point to the yellow star and brown triangle, and he got both of them right! I'd say that's pretty good for a 34-month old that only knew the Russian language 3 months ago.

So yes, we've been procrastinating about a few items. Alex needs to go to the dentist, and possibly get his hearing and vision tested. The dentist definitely needs to happen, but not sure about his vision and hearing. He seems fine. Our pediatrician stated that he would prefer we at least get his hearing tested, so we probably will, but I think we will continue to wait. We also have some documents to fill out with the county, which include applying for a Minnesota birth record I believe. We also need to get his social security number. Ugh, paperwork! And before we know it, we will need to start working on our postplacement report! Hopefully the next time I post we will have accomplished something on the "to do" list.