LANGUAGE - We had Alla (Russian speaking woman from Ukraine who lives in Greenwood) come to the house last Monday to talk with Scott and to try and get him to talk. He wouldn't say a word - until after she left). I am grateful that I was able to learn the basics of communication through a CD and little book we purchased before our first trip. Being able to say in Russian, "Are you hungry, thirsty, do you have to pee/poop?, does it hurt, are you ok? where? say____...." has been very helpful. John also found a website that we can type in the English word we need and a man's voice pronounces it over and over (and it is spelled phonetically). Scott is starting to repeat many English words and a few phrases, "socks, shoes, pajamas, Shelby (our dog), apple juice, popsicle, pickle, mama-juice please..." His pronunciation of most words is perfect and he says it with a smile. He continues to talk about all kinds of things in Russian. The best I can do is smile back at him and say, "dah/yes" or ya-ni pai yimani/I don't understand, which hasn't been necessary so much. I have been writing Scott's name (and Cooper's) on each of their water bottles and after pointing out his name and the letter "S," he has been finding "S's" in the newspaper headlines and pointing them out. Smart little guy. I'm still hoping that he can start kindergarden this Fall with Cooper and not be held back. It would be nice to have them at the same schools. We have much to learn this summer and the biggest lesson is how to live in a family. This is a HUGE adjustment for all of us. Bringing home a 2yo (Cooper's age when we got her) was far less a challenge.
John and I are fairly laid back, but having kids that mind us and don't whine about everything is a biggie for us. Right now, Scott is having melt downs (crying tantrums and a lot of "nyet, nyet, nyet/no's" when he doesn't get what he wants or is corrected (ie. for pinching/hitting Brady, ect.). I feel like a policeman, but when I go to get a report of what happened, Cooper seems to be my only reliable source (Scott can't tell me and Brady often struggles to get out the truth, translation, he lies). As I'm typing this post it is 10:45pm and I can hear Scott in the bedroom whispering. I went to a wedding this afternoon (John's on call and still gone) and my mom came over to stay with the kids. Regrettably, we let Scott sleep for over 2 1/2 hours. He was very tired at 1:30 today and he is used to taking naps when at the baby house. The peace and quiet was so good then, but he is NOT tired now so the naps have gotta go. At least he's staying in his (or close to his) bed right now. Cooper is being an absolute trooper having her space severely invaded and sharing all of her toys. They have had some moments of actually playing together, but mostly just playing near one another. Brady has shown a little brotherly kindness, but mostly, finds his new brother annoying. At times it feels like I have triplet 5 year olds, one is just much bigger in size than the other two.
**Now it's 11:05 and I've been back into the kids room 4 times since typing this. It seems like this last approach is what I need to do more of. I sat on Scott's bed, held him in my arms, and sang the song I sing Cooper ("Surely, the Presence of the Lord is in this Place") while I rocked him. I told him I loved him and I hugged him. He smiled and hugged me back. How I wish I knew what was going through his little mind. I get so exasperated with one challenge after another, but I am forgetting just how much this little guy has been through and is going through now. Nothing is familiar to him except for spending less than 3 weeks with me and John in his domain. How in the world should he know how to behave living in our house? Oh God, I need grace to make it. I am confident that if indeed You have called us to do this, You will equip us with everything (and all the energy) we need to do it right. -Amen
MEALS - Scott has a great appetite and the list of foods he will try (and likes) is getting bigger. He had 2 fried eggs, ham, pear, 1/2 pickle (his choice), part of a bagel with butter and juice for breakfast. After a battle to get him to try the tenderloin I cooked (two bites of this and then...), he gobbled the same meat down tonight without hesitating. He loves pears and most fruits, but isn't so keen on veggies (likes raw carrots and field peas, so far). Surprisingly, he wasn't interested in pizza, chicken fingers, cheeseburgers, or french fries - none of which are healthy anyway (just very convenient to serve).
**11:20pm - just moved Cooper into my bed (John still at the hospital) so she can sleep. I didn't want to do start that, but I feel terrible for her right now. Scott won't stop bugging her. She is not complaining. Even at five, Cooper seems to understand that Scott's adjusting to our family and life in America is going to take some time.
Will close for now -this is way too long. For those of you who prayed us through the adoption process while we were in Kazakhstan, please don't stop. We need discernment every step of the way on how best to help this little boy adjust and to know he is loved. We need physical strength and stamina to get through each day (it's now 11:40pm and FINALLY quiet).
kirby,
ReplyDeletei'll continue to pray for all of you as you continue to transition and adjust to having scott here and a part of the family, and all that this means to live it out daily. i pray that God will provide you all of the grace and energy you need. He is your rock!
beth
I will continue to pray for you and Scott, I know I definitely needed it with Eli. We had many problems with the transition to bed, and our first sign of light at the end of the tunnel wasn't until about 4 weeks later. We continued to have issues until about the 3 month mark, then we were good. This past month has been fairly normal. I feel for you - keep up the strength !
ReplyDeleteKristen