I keep counting in my head: March, April, May...yes, it has been exactly three months since we arrived home with the little mister, who is right now having his nap. Since he's a short napper, I'll have to type this out quick, or I will never get to it.
I definitely don't want to make this sound like a complaint, because I certainly don't feel that way, but I most definitely have less time for things like blogging since Noah is home. His naps generally run around 45 minutes or maybe an hour or so, which doesn't leave a lot of time, and after getting him to bed in the evening and cleaning up the kitchen, etc., for the night, I don't have much energy to be very interesting. So this is what you get, I guess!
We are continuing to make our way down the adjustment path. Like I said in my last post, we feel like Noah is doing extraordinarily well in adjusting to life around here. Attachments are strong to me, Jerry, and his big brothers. He is always very excited when it is time to go pick up Mario and Erik from school and when Jerry pulls in the driveway after work. And me: I'm still the "it" girl in his life, which is fine by me! I'd like to keep it that way for a long long time!!
He is understanding practically everything we say. In terms of expressive language, he doesn't do a whole lot of words yet, but it is amazing how well he can get his point across as to what he is trying to communicate. A few weeks ago, he and Erik were on the patio in the back yard. All of a sudden, Noah is saying "Mama! Mama!!" very insistently. When I asked him what it was, he pointed to his water bottle, pointed to Erik, and then pointed all over the patio where it was wet. It was way clear as to exactly what had happened to all the water in his water bottle! Last night we were at my sister's house for a birthday party, and my brother-in-law was saying to my sister that he liked her shirt. I think we all added that we liked it too. Seemed like the thing to do. Just to be goofy I asked if people liked my shirt, and there was a round of compliments for me. Then Noah made one of his typical sounds and held out his shirt too fishing for some responses about his choice of attire! He didn't miss a beat!
We've just recently started speech therapy with him, and he is doing well with that. I really think he is a super bright little boy, so I don't think it will be all that long before he is chatting up a storm. He definitely has a lot to communicate. Speech is the only area where he is behind developmentally: he runs around the house and yard, goes up and down steps easily, eats with a spoon and fork, drinks from a regular cup, scribbles with a pen or pencil, has great fine and gross motor skills, etc. He can really do everything, except talking.
He's friendly, happy, has great eye contact, loves to help and is blending in well with the family. I truly think he is an amazing and wonderful little boy. He is truly a blessing! It is impossible to describe how much joy he has brought to my life, and my life is already quite high on the joy meter! I am a very blessed woman.
Like I said in my last post, the area where we have seen the most challenge is the relationship between the three boys. They definitely love each other, it is obvious to see that. I would also say that they get along well most of the time, but we could definitely have more harmony around here. We did a little rearranging of toys and furniture in the common area of the house in order to help Mario and Erik keep their things protected from little hands, when they make an effort to keep their things picked up, that is. That's helping. I also think that with time as Noah gets even more comfortable, he will be in their stuff less and less. Here's hoping for that!
We've seen more and more instances where the three boys play together, and that is like a slice of heaven to this mama. One thing they'll do is bust out in a conga line, where they walk through the house holding onto the boy in front of them saying "Conga line! Conga line! Conga line! Conga line!" There's no one-two-three-kick, but it is plenty adorable! It doesn't matter if Noah is in the front or the way back, he just beams! He loves to play with them! Sometimes they'll march around the house and salute each other. That's pretty cute too. Pretty much anything they do together is cute to me. Jerry and I make extra efforts to oooh and ahhh whenever they are doing something together. I think that helps too.
We're also making sure that we spend time with each boy individually as well. Date night, or whatever you call it. It's not generally a big grandiose event, but just something with mom and one of the boys or dad and one of the boys where they get a chance to really be heard and feel special. And I think it is just as important for them to have alone time with daddy as it is with mommy. They enjoy it, and you know we enjoy it too. Going out as a family of five can be a big ordeal -- it's much calmer when it is just one parent and one kid, and feels very special.
A friend that adopted a couple years ago also recommended making sure to check in with the older two frequently, as in "how you doing/ how are things going" kind of way. I've taken to asking them specifically, on a much more frequent basis than I used to, how they are feeling about this or that, things related to having Noah in the family now, and things unrelated as well. I definitely think that has helped too.
So that is it for now around here. I don't think I will blog much from here on out, maybe at the six-month home mark in August and again at a year home, or at least that is the plan. I love to do this and to document what is going on, I just don't see it happening much more. Especially with summer coming!