8 Days Home

How are the boys doing?  

First of all, they were both sick!  We got them to the pediatrician Wednesday (??) after Travis was running fever and coughing and Tian's cough still wasn't letting up.  They both had major ear infections.  Tian's pulse O2 was low, so he got a breathing treatment.  Travis got his ears cleaned out.  I so wish I had taken a picture.  He had a good 1/2 inch of waxy, dirty, gunk pulled out of his right ear.  His left ear was a bit better, but the doc uncovered a watermelon seed!  What?!  He hasn't had watermelon with us.  Who knows how long it had been in there?  At least it hadn't sprouted yet. (And yes, he's still deaf.)  They are improving a bit after several days on a strong antibiotic.  I was pleasantly surprised that the doc recommended probiotics for the boys as well.

Developmentally, Travis is improving at an amazing rate.  He signs more and more every day.  Right now, Travis' signs are:

cracker (new today), yes, more, food/eat, Daddy, water, potty, shoes, fish, finish (all done), and of course airplane, car, bike, dog, bear, baby and some others he's been signing since China.

He will also sometimes sign happy, sad, sleep, and a few others.  He's still copying anything we sign to him.  Today, he started "parroting" many phrases Ken signs to him.  This is great, because it's a normal part of language development.  We are just amazed at how quickly he's doing it!

Every morning, I take the boys out for a walk to the park about 1/2 mile away.  We go just before sunrise so we can play for a good hour before the heat kicks in.  During our half-mile walk, the boys interact with each other in the double stroller.  Yesterday, they were delighting in the airplanes flying overhead.  When Tian pointed and signed "airplane" with his "f" handshape, Travis grabbed his hand and corrected him, pushing down his middle fingers and pulling up his index, pinky and thumb.  Then he signed "airplane" in Tian's face, showing him the correct way.  SO SO smart! I'm amazed that he was communicated with as if he was an animal for the past two years.

Tian is signing AND talking.  The more he's with us, the more I feel like he has complete hearing in his left ear.  He signs many of the same things Travis does: Daddy (he says "baba"), Mama, potty, more, food, fish, shoes, etc.  He is also SAYING: mama, baba, bye bye, uh-oh, fish (he says fsshh), I love you (sounds like "I nuh new"), Hannah, more (sounds like "MO-ee"), "there he is!" and no.

They both took to the car seat very well. No fussing at all.  A few times, Tian has decided after 20 minutes or so that he's ready to get out and will arch his back, but that's short-lived and we aren't driving much longer than 20 minutes at a time, so, all is well.  

As far as adjusting to the family, the boys just seem to be "at home."  They like us, even love us, it seems.  They give us hugs and kisses, laugh, don't want to be more than a couple of yards away from us.  This week, we will be working on getting Tian more comfortable with his daddy.  He will go to Ken, but is still kinda moody about going to him for comfort, sleep, etc.  Travis will come to me, allow me to put him to sleep, feed him, etc., but he still chooses his dad over me if we're both around.  I love it!

The three older Brownies are doing well, too.  We take time to hang out with them, visit with them, snuggle with them and give them attention.  They are still such a huge help!  I can't imagine doing this journey without them.  The two boys love their siblings.  Ken and I know the older kids were a major factor in helping the boys adjust and feel comfortable here.  Again, we are so thankful and credit their adjustment to lots of prayer, God's grace, and preparation.

We've had a few visitors and the boys have done well.  They don't seem upset to see visitors, nor do they want to leave with our guests.  We have learned that short and sweet visits are best.  We still don't feel 100% normal yet and get SO very tired pretty easily.  We certainly aren't up to playing host by any stretch of the imagination.  I still feel like I have a lot of work to do around the house, but in my short spurts of "free" time, I feel the need to sleep.  Meals being brought several times per week has been a true God-send. If you ever have the chance to schedule meals for a family or just bring a meal to a family going through a transition, do it!  Don't ask them if you can.  Just do it!

The boys are napping at the moment.  My littlest one just started crying.  He doesn't wake, but cries and flails.  He won't let me touch him.  He did this a few times in China.  I put him on the ground and let him flail and toss and turn.  He finally opened his eyes, looked shocked, and held up his arms to me.  I rocked him and he was "back asleep" (I don't think he was every truly awake) within seconds.  Poor guy.  Those are the moments I wish I could know exactly what they are thinking.