Time definitely is flying as it has been around eight weeks since I last posted an update about Rex. Today marks 18 months in the United States for him, so it's a great day to celebrate his accomplishments.
When we brought Rex home, even though he was 2.5 years old, he was much like a baby. He had chubby cheeks and dimpled hands and a big buddha belly. He was like a past al dente noodle with incredibly low muscle tone. Now Rex is beginning to look like a preschooler. In 18 months with us, he has gained about 12 pounds and grown four inches which means he now is weighing in at 40 pounds and measuring 37.5 inches. Craig and I joked that Rex has finally past the three feet mark, so we have to stop saying things which start with, "Anyone in this house under three feet..." Rex is leaner, stronger, and more muscular. He has an awareness of himself and is quite confident. He is not acting like a child of his chronological age, but he is far from the developmental infant he was in 2011.
Rex continues to enjoy his time at preschool and it seems like he is always learning. It's slow going and he has to work very hard to acquire new skills, but he does it with such zest and determination that we can't be anything but proud of him for his well-earned accomplishments.
Rex has mastered the concept of matching objects to objects and is now simply expanding his matching repertoire with new items. He is also understanding the matching of objects to pictures, but since it's still a newer skill for him, it's not yet easy. Rex is doing better with identifying body parts and when we test it, he almost always can point to his belly, his arm, his head. He does even better with it at school.
Rex is using two new signs: work and cookie. I have asked the school to incorporate the acquisition of new signs into his daily therapy sessions and take data on it so that he is exposed and practices this skill regularly and we can measure progress. Functional speech is a long way away, so signs are a very effective means of communication that we will continue to encourage.
Rex has mastered rolling a ball back and forth with an adult and is practicing the same skill with peers. He has mastered imitating ten different motor actions and now is working on two-step motor imitations (two different actions combined) which is a little harder for him. He is wheelbarrow walking, throwing balls into boxes, catching balls, kicking balls (preferably right-footed), walking up and down steps holding one hand or a railing, and giving arts and crafts activities, like gluing and cutting, a really good try. I even got the chance to see Rex's hand-washing skills at school (he made the soap foamy all by himself and knows to push the button for a paper towel). Of course, at home, the little stinker acts like he doesn't know what's happening when we take him to wash his hands.
Rex's sensory processing has come so incredibly far since he was first home. I remember the many months of screaming, kicking, fighting, head-banging, head-rolling etc. over matters of personal hygiene or in challenging, overstimulating situations with visitors in our home, at the grocery store, and so on. These days are very much over now. Rex loves his baths and even lies down on his back in the tub. Some nights Rex takes showers and enjoys the water running over his body. I can tell Rex to come for a nail trimming and he simply plops down on my lap and holds out his hand. Hair cuts are no longer an ordeal. Trips to the grocery store are usually good and Rex rides in the cart unless he gets to do his favorite thing: stick his head into the giant freezer. When we have guests, Rex can be interactive and if it gets to be too much, he just goes into a quieter area upstairs or into another room. Of course, there are still difficult situations, for example, if an outing drags on too long or if we are in an unfamiliar place (most typically other homes) where Rex's curiosity is sparked by absolutely everything and he wants to run off and explore. We continue to provide a sensory-rich environment for Rex as much as possible.
Our biggest struggle at the moment is keeping Rex from being a bully. He tries to push other kids (even those who are easily a head taller and way stronger than him) and also pulls hair which I think is a mix of sensory exploration and being mean. Between his teachers and us, the matter is being addressed and hopefully will be behind us soon.
Overall, Rex is doing so well. He works hard every day and is developing at his own pace. He is an ever curious, fun-loving, active boy. It breaks my heart to think what he would be like now had he remained at the orphanage. Thankfully, we found each other so the trajectory of all of our lives could be changed for the better, if not always easier. Rex, you are fiercely loved by your mama and daddy, now and forever.
