Rex - Twenty-One Weeks Home

Today marks twenty-one weeks home and twenty-three weeks out of the orphanage for Rex and boy, has he made those last two weeks count.

After a developmental hiatus since about Thanksgiving, Rex started making new strides again right around Christmas. I already shared with you one of his biggest accomplishments which is that he can now climb down our 14 stairs unassisted. He also started standing in the bathtub with water in it (as opposed to standing in the dry tub while we washed him from a bucket) and now he is sitting down in the water, too. He does not yet stay seated for very long, but he tries again and again throughout his bath. When he does overcome his fears and sits, he has a huge look of pride and happiness on his face.

A few days ago we converted Rex’s crib into a toddler bed and he made the transition with no problems. He’s been sleeping very well through the night in his new set-up and he is also adjusting to lying down in his bed awake, having daddy read his bedtime story, then cuddling and falling asleep with daddy sitting beside him. Previously, he would fall asleep in our bed after hearing his story. We are just so impressed with Rex's ability to handle change these days. He really has come a long way in this area.

Rex is also making good improvements with turn-taking using a preferred toy or during a preferred activity, with holding our hands while we walk in public, and with letting us know when he is hungry. He is really taking to using the sign for eat now. We do still experience tantrums and incidents of auto-aggression, but Rex is much more easily redirected and calmed now. Sometimes he is even able to stop himself and find a better solution on his own or by reaching out to us. We know that he spent long periods of time at the orphanage raging and hurting himself with little or no intervention, so it’s a difficult habit to break.

I have been reading to Emilia and suddenly Rex has become a bit more interested in books beyond his beloved night-time story. They don’t hold his interest for more than three or four pages, but at least he is looking at the pages now and paying a bit of attention. He also can focus on two to three flashcards in a row when I show them to him. Again, I think this is something he sees his little sister do and he imitates. It might also be too early to declare, but we have heard a first complete and clear word from Rex twice now. And no, it’s no mama or daddy, it’s bubble. I am not holding my breath that he is really verbalizing purposefully, but just letting you know that as always, my little guy is trying hard.

Lastly, Rex appears to be in a growth spurt. He has outgrown several items of clothing lately and I have had to replace them with 3Ts. His feet even got too big for the shoes he’s worn since July and he's in a size 5 Pampers though it doesn't seem to handle his girth much better than the size 4. Rex is eating like a horse these days and is always interested when sister is having her meals, too.

Go Rex, you’re amazing!