Today marks thirteen weeks home and fifteen weeks out of the orphanage for Rex. I can hardly believe it. Tomorrow it will be exactly three months to the day of when we first set foot into our house as a family. Time as flown by as these three months have been the most stressful, challenging, tiring, amazing, character-building time in my life since I graduated from college.
So what’s new with Rex? He has learned to blow raspberries and to operate flat buttons that you switch/push back and forth. He can now turn on and off his own vibrating pillow, so I don’t think other toys that use this same mechanism will be far behind. Rex is newly interested in small toy cars and finally a little bit in balls, too. I can tell he really wants to figure out how to toss with some precision and how to kick. Rex continues to enjoy a lot of sensory play, digging in and spilling out his pasta tin, bouncing on the exercise ball (now frequently solo with some stabilizing help from us), splashing at his sand and water table, swinging, and pushing heavy items such as chairs.
We love our occupational therapist and she has been a wonderful help for Rex. She also always gives us great ideas for things to do at home, so I ordered a few OT items to be set up in our basement. I think Rex will really like having a cuddle swing available to him throughout the winter months.
In more fantastic news I have seen a marked improvement in Rex’s attachment to me. He no longer shies away from my kisses and cuddles, but allows them to happen. Not saying he enjoys them yet, but he sticks it out. Rex has also begun snuggling more with me at bedtime and naptime and he sometimes even comes up to me during the day for closeness. Rex does not give hugs (yet), but just yesterday he simply stepped up next to me twice, pulled me to the floor, and then rested his head into my lap/chest. He allowed me to stroke his back and hair and remained with me for a few minutes. I know this is a great concession of trust on his part. Rex is also making better eye contact and beginning to look when we call his name.
Last week we were traveling domestically for a few days and Rex did well. He was quite good on the short airplane rides and did not mind the hotel room. I took him to the pool twice… the first time he loved it and splashed around like most toddlers do and the second time he hated it and screamed his head off like he does at bath time. He also behaved rather well when we were out visiting friends. He is not very interactive with any virtual strangers at this point, but he was able to sit with us at the dinner table and take part in a meal and to move around people’s homes like any self-respecting, curiously exploring toddler boy would.
We are preparing for the remainder of this year to be an incredibly busy, taxing time for our family. Once we return from Bulgaria with our daughter, I don’t expect a routine to form until the new year. There’s just too much going on with the holidays, a visiting Oma, medical and therapy appointments, etc. We are going to take it one day at a time and do our very best for our new family of four.
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