One Month and Then Some . . . Home

Nathan has been in our home for a little over a month now.  I can say there has been an adjustment for all involved.  He has been doing remarkably well.  In fact, his adjustment has been so good that I think it is a testament to the resiliency of these children.  Imagine for a minute being a child in an environment surrounded by the same people your whole life, no matter how short that life has been.  Following the same schedule day in and day out and eating the same food everyday.  Then one day you are suddenly whisked off to another environment with totally different people filled with things you have never seen before.  Your schedule is off by seven hours and the food is nothing like you were used to.  Everyone you now encounter speaks a language your little ears have only rarely heard before.  That scenario I believe, would throw anyone for a loop!  Our son, and many other children, have lived that scenario.  Considering this, he has done wonderfully!  He eats just about anything and only seems to have a dislike so far for cottage cheese and luncheon meat.  In just a month he has learned to nap at about 12:30pm and go "night-night" at about 8:30pm.  Most of the time he sleeps until 6:30 or 7:00am, although not uninterrupted.  He is now saying a handful of English words.  These words include:  ball, all done, hello, dog, daddy, Elmo (although it doesn't sound like Elmo he says the same word when he see's him), eye, and occasionally Jessica and Jenna.  He just seems to soak everything up like a sponge.

As far as adjusting to us, he knows who his mom and dad are.  He goes to Troy now almost as often as he does me although he still will get out of sorts if he see's me leave without him.  We are able to lay him down for a nap and at night and leave him while he is still awake without any fuss.  As Troy said; "I think he knows he is here for good."  He is a very loving little boy and now "gives kisses" when asked or when Daddy leaves for work or the girls leave for school.  The girls play with him constantly and he looks to them as a source of entertainment, tickles, and laughter.

Our adjustment has been a little more of an ordeal.  I mean, let's be honest, going from two totally independent children with the youngest being nine to a needy, clingy 16 month old is a bit of a shock to the system.  For me, the end of my freedom has been the hardest adjustment.  I once again have to time my outings around meals and naps and when I do go out I can only "stay so long."  My house is never clean as I now have a little tornado that follows me around undoing what I have just done.  It has most definitely been a change . . . but one that I would never trade for a million dollars.  I think back to those horrible months of crying, and stressing, and being heartbroken with the delays we faced and the uncertainty of whether he would ever come home.  The lingering pain from that ordeal makes all the changes seem like nothing.  I can definitely deal with a messy house and more "home" time if it means my son is finally here with us.  As they say, "it is always darkest before the dawn."  We went through a very dark time and now we have our little ray of sunshine to show for it.