Happy First Halloween

Precious Pumpkin!

Friday Retrospective

8:30 am... the daily quest to get permission to bring the deck chair into the kitchen. Forty degree weather isn't slowing this little guy down a bit.

11:00 am... I think I have mentioned that Rex is very strong. He built this "hut" over the heating vent all by himself.

12:30 pm... a well-deserved impromptu nap on the vibrating pillow which he had turned on all alone. If you're wondering about the paper, we'd been working on fine motor skills earlier by ripping old documents.

3:00 pm... note how the bottom shelves have been nearly cleared of their load. Rex loves to play in the pantry. And yes, he pulled the kitchen chair into the pantry by himself, but I don't know why.

Never a dull moment around here with my little Rexplorer.

IAC 195 Results

The following referrals were issued in IAC Session 195 which was held on 10/04/11:

1) Greek dossier from August 2006 referred a male child aged 2 years and 5 months

2) Greek dossier from January 2008 referred a female child aged 2 years and 9 months

3) Italian dossier from January 2009 referred a male child aged 4 years 3 months

4) French dossier from February 2009 referred a male child aged 5 years and 7 months

5) U.S. dossier from September 2009 referred a waiting child (#1442) with a profile on the MOJ site

6) U.S. dossier from October 2009 referred a female child aged 2 years and 5 months with data on family history

7) U.S. dossier from February 2010 referred a female child aged 2 years and 8 months with data on family history

8) Italian dossier from May 2010 referred a female child aged 4 years 4 months with data on family history

9) Spanish dossier from July 2010 referred a female child aged 10 years and 4 months

10) Italian dossier from August 2010 referred a male child aged 9 years and 1 months

11) Italian dossier from March 2011 referred a male child aged 9 years and 8 months

12) U.S. dossier from June 2011 referred a waiting child (#1257) with a profile on the MOJ site

13) Swedish dossier from July 2011 referred a waiting child (#1240) with a profile on the MOJ site

14) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#1136) with a profile on the MOJ site

15) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#1297) with a profile on the MOJ site

16) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#1398) with a profile on the MOJ site

17) Portugese dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#1355) with a profile on the MOJ site

18) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#7) with a profile on the MOJ site

19) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#1143) with a profile on the MOJ site

20) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred two waiting children (#1048 & #31) with profiles on the MOJ site

21) U.S. dossier from September 2011 referred a waiting child (#803) with a profile on the MOJ site

Rex - Thirteen Weeks Home

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.

It's 7:00 PM...

…on a Tuesday night. Do you know what your kids are doing?

Mine is outside on the deck in 60 degree weather getting completely soaked at his sand and water table and having the time of his life. This is the kid that hates baths and screams bloody murder throughout them.

What comes to mind is Dr. Seuss, “You’ve never yet met a pet, I bet, as wet as they let this wet pet get.”

P.S. Just so you know, it’s now almost 8:30, Rex is inside, dried off, and snuggled into his jammies with a bowl of warm, homemade pumpkin tomato soup in his belly.

Rex's Hearing

When we accepted Rex's referral, we knew that he had been diagnosed with moderately-severe hearing loss in Armenia and were prepared for the possibility that he might be fully deaf. However, when we met him, it was obvious to us that he could hear, we just didn't know how much.

Today we finally had an audiology test for Rex (we had to wait until the tubes were in his ears and the fluid gone). The test setting wasn't really conducive to Rex's needs, so we were unable to complete the full test, but we did learn that at the most Rex has mild hearing loss. It's likely that his hearing is just fine. We could do another, very accurate hearing test under anesthesia, but we are not going to pursue this option until it is time for his next surgery. Rex just doesn't need any more probing at this time.

In any case, I am thankful to know that my little lovey bug can hear much better than we expected. It is a huge blessing amid all his other medical/developmental diagnoses and needs.

First Pumpkin Carving

Yesterday Rex's aunt and cousins stopped by to carve pumpkins. They picked out some nice ones, including one for Rex and one for us. Of course, Rex was a little skeptical about the goings-on and observed from the sidelines:

Colton inspecting the finished pumpkin for proper lighting:
These lovely pumpkins are now on our porch. Colton was very sweet, decorating the little one for Rex:
After the hard work of carving four pumpkins, we ordered pizza for dinner and spent some play time inside. Of course, we had ice-cream for dessert before it was time to call it a day.