It's hard to imagine we are closing in on the four month anniversary of Gottcha Day! In some ways, it seems like it has been so much longer; Aiden fits so naturally into our family, it is like he was born into it. In other respects, it feels like yesterday we were in China seeing his beautiful, tiny, stunned face.
Christmas, which we celebrated here at home, was a special time. He was beautifully behaved at church and had a good time opening presents....each time he had the opportunity! Aiden didn't really grasp the concept, but he certainly got a kick out of the wrapped boxes containing hidden treasures just for him. Of course, in some instances, he got more mileage out of the boxes themselves than the gifts they contained - such is a 2 1/2 year old.
For New Year's Eve, we went to some friends' house for a few hours, but came home early. Aiden had a ball running around and playing in a new environment (since Mom and Dad were around), but we were - and are - trying desperately to keep him on a schedule. Even so, he still doesn't sleep well. Every now and then we'll get a night of only one or two awakenings, but those are the exception not the rule. I actually rang in 2011 asleep. Sigh.
After the the holiday break, I returned to work. This has NOT been a big hit with our little guy. In fact, he still cries, sometimes very hard, every day when Troy drops him off. It's hard on Aiden, but it's also hard on Dad. I would take my turn, but one day, when I had to take him to day care, he got hysterical, and he was affected for about four days. He didn't want me to be out of his sight and would actually cling to my leg or demand to be held in some cases. Our day care provider is wonderful, and we really like her, though. In fact, every day we go to get Aiden, he is in good spirits. He is excited to see us and wants to go home, but we know he is getting good care and love there.
Most recently we celebrated Chinese New Year with some other adoptive families in the area. Somehow we managed to cram 19 kids and their parents into our small house. We ate Chinese food, passed out red envelopes and small gifts, and "set off" party poppers in leiu of fire crackers. It was a little chaotic and cramped, but overall it was a really nice time. We met some great people while trying to maintain our children's culture and heritage. We hope to stay in touch with them. It was interesting the way our Chinese kids seemed to "recognize" each other. It's nice for them to have others around them who share a culture and heritage. It's also nice for the parents to have a support system! Fortunately, they were all great families!
Overall, things are going well. Aiden is a bright, happy, funny boy! He loves to tease and be teased. His sense of humor is amazing, and his facial expressions are priceless! We are praying, though, that he starts to grasp language; he can understand pretty much everything we say, but he is still unable to verbalize much. His favorite words / phrases right now are "da doo" = love you (as well as "da doo too" = love you too), "di dow" = sit down, "tay" = stay, "doo doo" = thank you, "pea" = please, "joo" = juice, "mi" = milk, "wah-oo" = water. He can say Mom, Daddy and bye-bye well. He is working on "mumma" = grandma and "mapa" = grandpa. He has no-no-no down pretty well, too. He enjoys babbling a lot right now, though, so maybe I should not be so eager for him to find his words. He may never stop talking once he does! ;)
We are ceaselessly amazed at how blessed we are. We would like to just watch and listen to him all day, every day. He loves to dance, run everywhere he goes, "sing," and line up his toys (and everything else). He plays beautifully by himself and seldom requires an entertainment committee but is pleased when we spend time with him playing cars, reading books, and "cooking" in his kitchen. He is thriving with individual attention and from being surrounded by so many people who love him immensely. Don't misunderstnd, though. The kid has a stubborn streak a mile wide and can definitely cop an attiutude. I guess that just proves he was meant to be ours, huh?!
We continue to pray for good news from our doctors and would appreciate any prayers anybody wants to offer up as well. We have another ENT visit on February 11, ironically, the anniversary of Gottcha Day, to see if Aiden has permanent hearing loss or if it was just wax and fluid build-up. It may be that the tubes were enough. We are also praying that there are not other findings of medical problems. The geneticist feared he may have a syndrome; we're praying she was wrong and have luckily been able to cross off a couple of the criteria. Here's hoping a few more are knocked off the list!
Thanks to everybody for the continued love, support, and prayers!!
Pictures Top to Bottom: Most of the kids in attendance at the CNY celebration; the family before the CNY gathering; Mom and Aiden; New Year's at the Farkes; Aiden's Christmas
