Jaden's first week has been a success. Most of the things we worried about have just not come to pass. We worried that he would not appreciate being given a new name--he loves it and proudly uses it. We worried he would be afraid of the cats--he loves them and it is reciprocated and the dog--his response was to seeing Dug was "Ni hao, gou!" or "Hello, dog!". We were afraid we would have a hard time feeding him--with help of Auntie (who is from Thailand) we are learning the ins and outs of rice cooking and otherwise he does fine with his meals. We worried he would have a hard time attaching to one or more of us--no problems there either, he knows who his family is and seems to love us all. He had his first family dinner with NaiNai and YeYe and did great, he agrees that NaiNai is a great cook!
His language skills are beginning. He can say several words already, just one week home. He can say mama, baba, cat, kitty, please (ok, it sounds more like "peas" but he's getting there), stop, go, "Oh Tootles!" (it's a Mickey Mouse thing), monkey, milk, nose. Hmm, I know there are others but you get the point. I wish he had been in one of the few orphanages that taught him a little English but he is learning. I think he finally gets that there are 2 words for each thing and that is a huge step.
He is enjoying exploring his new home. Today we have spent time exploring the garage, the front yard, and the patio. He is still a little uncomfortable with the feel of grass under his shoes. I don't believe he had any time to speak of out of doors. He loves his ride on toys both the little bike my staff gave him and a little Pooh ride on that has a horn that he honks constantly (obviously, his trips in the vehicles in China ingrained that need to honk!). He found a Duplo wagon today in the garage and has decided it makes a wonderful cart for mom to pull, with him in it of course.
He still collects his important things of the day. Today, it is "his" otter (sorry, Mitch), his family book and his Disney cars. I enjoy seeing that his precious objects have moved from being things I would consider necessities to things meant for fun. Still the family book for comfort but I'm ok with that. He hasn't held a fork as dear for a few days now and I see that as progress. I think he is learning that Mama and Baba will provide the needed things for him.
He had his first Chinese New Year here a few days ago. It was the first time he saw other China-born kiddos here. He and Jessa had a great time playing. He chatted with her as if she should understand him but didn't seem overly frustrated that she didn't. She was great with him. At just 5, it would have been easy for her to resent the attention he was getting but she didn't. She was so cute; as she would pull things out of her toy box, she would say, "Oh, I think he'll really like this one!" and give it to him. Hopefully, the start of a good friendship. He wasn't overly impressed with the fireworks, the train set in the house was much more fun. He didn't seem overwhelmed by the number of people there but all of us were adoptive families and I think it helped that everyone was aware of the potential for his anxiety and nobody swamped him with attention. He really started to show his personality after a little while.
As a mama, I'm having to adjust to the fact that I now have a toddler again. Oops. I didn't think through this part of it as well as I should have. I should have worked on my arms a little more, they are noodles sometimes by the end of his "I need to be carried" times. I should have de-cluttered my house more; I had forgotten just how much "stuff" a toddler adds to the mix. I should have de-cluttered my life more, I had forgotten how exhausting this phase is. Yesterday, I worked in the morning, taught in the afternoon and had a church meeting that went fairly long. Tim and Jaden had lots of together time as Tim didn't work (out of the house) at all yesterday. Our alternating schedules will work fine for keeping Jaden with only family but life has just gotten a lot busier!
We have our first post-placement social work visit today. Hopefully Jaden will get a nap today, otherwise 3 o'clock could be a little tough. Our social worker is great though, I think she'll overlook a little toddler temper if needed.
Jaden is an amazing little boy. We're going to try to enjoy every step of this incredible journey; we've had a great start.
Blessings y'all.
My thoughts on meeting Jaden when he was home only one week: he loves his family. He was willing and eager to stay in your arms. He knows what it means to be held. He felt secure there. What a gift of God! You and Tim probably don't realize how many times you would each look at him and smile and say to us, "isn't he cute?". :) Yes, yes he is! We loved watching you loving Jaden! You are so blessed to have eachother. Feel like we got to share a little of the Master's joy. Xin Nian Kuai le 2013! It going to be a hao Nian.
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