A day in the life

The kids are doing just fine. They amuse each other, which is good for their mama. They like to watch TV together, chase each other, and ride bikes in the house together. So, in a way, it's a little easier on me.

On the other hand, I have one person calling me mommy and the other calling me mother quite a bit. I have told Avery she is going to need to be less dependent on me, since she is getting older and cannot get my undivided attention anymore. It is hard for her, but she'll conform. She has often been challenging me (not in a good way) and has spent some time in her bedroom for bad behavior. I wonder what her brother is thinking when she is throwing a 3 year old tantrum - screaming at the top of her lungs and flailing. She pushes the limits and he is rule follower. I am a rule follower as well, which is a trait that I love in him. But, I am fond of Avery's leadership qualities, and the fact that the girl knows what she wants. It is very challenging at times to discipline her given her specific personality. God broke the mold when He made her. Seriously. Love that girl to pieces though.

Now let's talk about that boy that I love.

I took him to his new school yesterday that he will attend in the fall to fill out paperwork. Then, I happened to meet the ESL (English as a second language) teacher, and she seems very dedicated and really nice. I was completely impressed. Nathan will be in first grade in the fall. He will be in the regular classroom most of the day, and he will get one hour of one on one time with the ESL teacher. We ended up going on a tour, and he got to see the library, art room, computer room, and the gym. Also, Eric's aunt works at the school, so we saw her and her classroom. Her students had been following our journey while we were in China, so they were excited to see Nathan (and Avery!) in person. I think he liked the visit.

He is saying in everyday conversation: hot, cold, drink, water, milk, open, chocolate, yes, no, Avery, Nathan, mother, father, thank you, you're welcome, hello, bye bye, please, TV, noodle, fries, pizza, take a shower, brush the teeth. He knows up, down, hold hands, wash the hands, stop, lay down, and come here - and more I'm sure that I am probably forgetting.

We are calling him Nathan now and he is responding, although sometimes we forget and call him Guohao.

So I must say that life is not as overwhelming as I thought it would be at this point. I am a very lucky mommy.

One more thing - Avery just asked him for an M&M, and he said, "Hold on!" I love it!!!