English explosion

Well this boy of ours is talking up a storm. He is comprehending at an unbelievable rate as well. Here are some of the things he is saying:

"This is for you."

"Watch this."

"I want to do."

"What are you doing?"

"Mother, I can't do this. This is too hard."

"I want to take a picture."

And his new favorite word...."AWESOME!"

It is amazing to think how far he has come. And I am the one who has been able to spend each day with him, to watch him grow. There have been some tough times, but I am very thankful that the things that we needed to address are very minor. And I cannot wait to have some expanded conversations with him. I have a feeling that time will be just a few months away...

Oh, and have I ever mentioned what a detail-oriented kid I got? He is very skilled at building things. I see a Purdue Engineer in my future....

Look Ma...I lost my tooth!

Nathan lost his tooth - the top one that was loose since China - on June 18th. He was very excited and couldn't wait to tell us. And he was even more excited to get money. He was actually at Grandma's house when he lost it, so he wanted to call his momma right away. Sweet boy. And after a pretty rough week, it was such a nice moment between us on the phone. I felt even more of a closeness to him.

Since last Friday, he has been so much better. I am so very thankful. He is now starting his whining thing a little bit in the past day or two, but it is more tolerable.

We had a visit to my work today, and Nathan and Avery drew pictures for everyone. Nathan even gave the doctor a (fake) shot! Too funny....

And oh! The other day Nathan told me, "Mother, can you open this?" Holy Moley - can you believe all of those words he put together at once? So proud of him...

Tough times

This past week has been a trying time for myself and Nathan. In addition to a lot of whining, he has finally let out his tears, which I believe he was holding in since we got him. I am talking some serious crying here. I think he had to finally start to grieve, and let out some of his emotions that he has been keeping inside - a very normal part of his being adopted into a new family, language and culture... dealing with his losses. He has been testing my every last ounce of patience, and trying to be in complete control. Of course, he needs to understand that Eric and I are the ones in control, and I believe that from the last few days and the progress I think we have made, that he is beginning to understand that. I must keep reminding myself how scary it must be to be in his size 12 shoes. And he has proven that he is a boy of courage.

No one said that this would be easy. I am so thankful that I am off of work right now, so that I can deal with every situation as it comes. The time is going by so fast.

I made Nathan a chart, where he can earn stickers for good deeds being done. Five stickers earn him a fun size Kit Kat bar, which to him is a big motivator - and being a chocolate lover, I don't blame him, really. So I am focusing more on positive things, and it seems to be helping.

So I hope that these past few days we have made some progress. Time will tell.

Oh, one awesome thing is that Nathan lost one of his top front teeth! He was so excited, particularly to get money under his pillow. Next time I will post pictures of his new smile.

In the meantime, here are some more pictures of the kids. They went to a "bounce house" and loved every second of it.

Happy Father's Day to all of you dads out there!

My little girl is turning 4!!!

Miss Avery turns four years old tomorrow! We had a party with some family members, and she had a good time. I cannot believe that she is such a big girl now. She is a good girl, and I feel that she is making some headway in her behavior, albeit slowly. I have said this repeatedly already, but she has such a strong personality, (my alpha child) that it is difficult at times in the discipline department. It helps so much that she is more cognitively developed, so her comprehension of important concepts help her make the right choices. This parenting gig is the hardest job in the world. We all know that. But man, do I love that little girl! Happy Birthday to my sweet Avery!

Nathan this past week has been trying to figure out his place in the family, and has been testing his mother most days. I know that he will figure things out, and I cannot imagine his previous experiences, and the change that he has gone through. If this is the worst of it, then we've got it good. I know that he is making progress. And he is starting to hug us more, which is what we have been patiently waiting for. This is so early on - we are on the right road, even though things can be overwhelming at times. It is all normal stuff.


Our boy is saying sentences now fairly regularly. The latest: "Mother, can you open?" "Father, it doesn't work." "Father, watch TV?" "Wait a sec" and the most popular, think of it said in a whiny tone, "I'm cold!" I feel like he understands 80-90% of what I tell him. I try to keep the words pretty simple when I explain things, and I think that helps.

Oh, and by the way, Nathan's front tooth is loose, so he is excited to get a visit from the tooth fairy, and make some money. Eating is a challenge, with both the tooth issue, and adjusting to the American food, but we are finding our way.

Here are some pics for your enjoyment, including Nathan playing the Kai Lan computer game that he loves, and Nathan showing Avery how to use chopsticks - he is actually feeding her!

Time keeps on ticking

The days are flying by. This Friday, we will have had Nathan for a month now.

Nathan's vocabulary and understanding of the English language are increasing every day. He is a smart boy and is eager to learn. A very good friend of ours is a teacher with English as a second language (ESL) experience, and will start tutoring Nathan in the next week or so. We are so excited for him to learn even more than he is learning now.

Nathan was trying to understand the relationship of our two kitties. Our smaller cat, Abby, is younger, but a spitfire. Our (much) bigger cat, Sara, is older (turns 14 this month) and is, for lack of a better term, Garfield. Nathan asked me, "Mother, Father?" I said, "No." Then he said, "Abby Mei Mei?" Yes! Abby is the younger sister! So then he started calling Abby "Avery" and Sara "Nathan". So yesterday, he said to me, "Mother, Nathan Kitty no come up!" I have been letting Sara come on the main level for a few hours each day, and I had opened the basement door, and he wanted her to come up right away! He is very concerned about things happening in the house, and is often explaining to me what Avery is doing. Avery takes this as Nathan tattling on her, and she gets upset more often than not. I explain to her that he is concerned and is trying to use his English. She isn't buying it. Imagine that.

He is also saying, "I'm ready!" It is just adorable.

The first picture is Nathan eating a smore with chopsticks - this was his request. There is also a picture of the kids pouncing on their daddy, which happens often until daddy gets a kick in the ribs and is injured for a few days. Then there is Nathan's first time in our pool.

Today, Avery and Nathan wrote their names on the chalkboard. Nathan, my Type A child, wrote his name perfectly. Bless his heart.

I am also so proud of my girl, who just yesterday really started trying to write all of the letters in her name. They are very random on the picture, some unrecognizable, but it warmed her momma's heart for taking a lot of time to write each letter. I hugged her so tight after she presented it to us. Yes, her work was concealed until the big revealing. Precious girl. Can you see how proud she is in the picture?