Her View-
They put us in the playroom this morning. It is a small room with a leather couch and chair, 2 small ottomans and a coffee table. There is also a shelf of toys, and a small piano in the corner (that does not work).
When they brought him in this morning he seemed a little overwhelmed and unsure what to do. After a few minutes he calmed down, and came over for some tickles and hugs. We played with the legos, and the globe beach ball over and over again.
When we left this morning, I was worried about him remembering us and connecting with us. He connects with us each visit, but I was wondering if he was actually connecting with us, and looking forward to seeing us again.
He is amazing!
The visit this morning went very fast, and about 30 minutes before it was over he started to crash. Right after our visit is lunch time, and you can tell he is hungry. He starts to get super hyper and is a little uncontrollable. We offered him some crackers and we read a book to calm him. Well not really read a book, rather we flipped through it and felt the pages :) He did this yesterday morning too....
After our morning visit we went back to the beach and walked in the tide. We also searched for sea shells. A little boy that was with him Mama came up to me and we dug a hole together in the sand.
Then we came back to the hotel had lunch and then left again for the orphanage.
This afternoons visit was amazing. My questions were answered when we heard him squealing down the hall while we waited for him in the room. The door opened and he dragged the receptionist in (who brings him to us). Once he was in the room he pushed her out and closed the door then he ran over to us. I would say he is excited to see us :) Eva told us later that the receptionist told him that when he saw her this afternoon he was very excited and ran to the door to leave with her. I do not think he sees the receptionist regularly so he has associated her with seeing us (yay!) :)
Eva also told us that his Nanny's said he was much calmer all day today. Normally when the go outside they all push at the door, and he is normally right up there with them. She said today he stood in the back and just watched. They say they can see a difference in him already. If they can see a difference after a day and a half, who knows what a week, or a month or even a year will bring!!!
On our second visit we played Legos for almost an hour. Basically he dumps out the bag and Bobby and I build something and hand it back to him. He grins and smiles and sometimes squeals (and today he started saying "tha-tha-tha-tha" over and over again when we gave it to him. Then he takes them apart piece by piece and puts them back in the bag. We did this over and over again. He really, really enjoys when you build something and you make it fly to him, or jump to him, or bark at him as you give it to him. He is the easiest kid to entertain!
After the legos we bounced the globe ball around and then we pulled out the tape measurer and crayons. We drew his feet on the paper...as best as we could -- he sat on my lap and let me do it. Then we measured his legs, waist and arms. He wouldn't stand still long enough to measure his height -- but we can try again tomorrow.
Bobby also took his watch off and put it on the coffee table. Geo noticed it and decided that he wanted to wear it, so he picked it up and slid it all the way up his arm. Then he took it off and tried to unclip it. I asked him to bring it to me (which he did), and then I showed him once how to unsnap it and snap it. This little booger got it immediately. He is very, very smart! The nannies say he is very smart, and catches on very quickly. I let him have my watch and he figured that one out too. He likes to see how things work, and then he wants to do it all by himself.
He has also associated me with helping him. He brings things to me that he can't do (not to his Papa - hehe) :) He lets me help him and trusts me that I will give whatever object back. You do not know how happy this makes me!!! He also makes really good eye contact. He will hold your gaze and smiles when he catches you looking at him. He doesn't turn away or hide (which is a really good sign!) I think he needs glasses though and I think he has trouble seeing things that are further away. Yesterday afternoon and this afternoon we noticed that his eyes start to drift towards the end of our visit.
We gave him some animal crackers this afternoon and I held out four in my hand and asked him to give one to Papa -- and he did!!! He put it in Bobby's hand...I was so surprised that he knew what I was saying, and that he gave up food willingly! That is huge!!! Later Bobby told him to give one to Mama and he walked over and put it in my hand. Then he smiled really big at me and took it back and giggled as he stuck it in his mouth -- he is a little stinker!!! Oh I love this little stinker though!
Then about 15 minutes before it was time for us to leave we started packing up and cleaning up the room again. Geo has figured out that this is time for us to go, and he starts to spaz out. He runs around, and is destructive. This is when he misbehaves and tries to distract you from cleaning up. I think from now on, we are not going to clean up until after the Nanny comes and gets him. I just don't think he knows or can express himself and so he goes a little crazy.
He is still manageable but we have to tell him "Ne Geo, ne," a lot during the last 15 minutes or so.
Leaving the orphanage without him today was hard. I miss him. I know I will see him in the morning, but I already miss him. Thursday is going to be very, very hard!
I am going to let Bobby add the pictures today after he blogs -- so I can't be held responsible :)
Tonight we are going to go swimming (maybe) and eat at the hotel. We gave Marty and Eva the night off :) They are in a Bulgarian vacation spot and haven't been able to do very much (except escort us around), and honestly we could use the down time too :)
Thanks for following along in our journey.
He is perfect!
Love,
Lura
p.s. I think the director likes us! She told us today that we can come an hour earlier tomorrow and Thursday to spend more time with him!
His view--
This morning it was very hard to wake up. We were both exhausted from running around, and I definitely got a bit of a sunburn on my face and neck. Once we went downstairs for breakfast we were quick to perk up and get ready for our next visit with Geo.
We met with him twice today, in the morning for 2 hours and 1.5 hours for the afternoon. We hung out and ate lunch at the beech between visits.
He was super excited to see us this morning and we didn't have to get him ready for playtime. They asked us if we wanted a playroom or to go outside with him, and we chose the playroom for both visits so we could get out of the sun for a while. We didn't have to bring any more toys this time and he was still content with us.
He had many toys to choose from, and he quickly picked up the big bag of Lego-ish blocks. The majority of the time we had with him was spent with these Lego blocks. He knew how the zipper worked on the bag but it was a little difficult for him at first. Once we held out the actual zipper for him to grab, he unzipped it and it was on. Giggling the whole time, he immediately shook and dumped the bag all over the floor. He then picked each one up and separated them before putting them back in the bag. Once he was all done with the first round, we decided to have a bit more fun with him. Lura and I started making all sorts of shapes out of the blocks, and he just lit up and waited for us to hand him a new creation for him to separate and put away.
We did play with a few other items throughout the day but it always came bag to the blocks. He was a little difficult during the first five minutes of each visit, and around the last 15 as well. The beginning time seems to be a bit overstimulating for him. He is just so excited and doesn't know how to control himself. He stood up with the blocks at first, but we sat him down and it relaxed him after a minute or two. The last few minutes he gets even more rambunctious. He is visibly tired at the end, and is very aware that the visit is almost over. We had tossed around a beach ball for a bit, and every toy after that he tried to toss around in the same way. The only way to really calm him down was to hold him, which he didn't really mind anyway.
It is obvious that he is going to be very stressed out when we bring him home, but he is pretty easy to calm so far. There are going to be many challenges and we are up for everyone of them. Geo is very smart and a delight to be around. Tomorrow will be our last day with two visits, and then we leave after a visit on Thursday. Even though we anxiously await our time with our daughter, it is going to be very hard to leave him for so long. I really think he will miss us, and I hope he can remember us when we come back for him.
They put us in the playroom this morning. It is a small room with a leather couch and chair, 2 small ottomans and a coffee table. There is also a shelf of toys, and a small piano in the corner (that does not work).
When they brought him in this morning he seemed a little overwhelmed and unsure what to do. After a few minutes he calmed down, and came over for some tickles and hugs. We played with the legos, and the globe beach ball over and over again.
When we left this morning, I was worried about him remembering us and connecting with us. He connects with us each visit, but I was wondering if he was actually connecting with us, and looking forward to seeing us again.
He is amazing!
The visit this morning went very fast, and about 30 minutes before it was over he started to crash. Right after our visit is lunch time, and you can tell he is hungry. He starts to get super hyper and is a little uncontrollable. We offered him some crackers and we read a book to calm him. Well not really read a book, rather we flipped through it and felt the pages :) He did this yesterday morning too....
After our morning visit we went back to the beach and walked in the tide. We also searched for sea shells. A little boy that was with him Mama came up to me and we dug a hole together in the sand.
Then we came back to the hotel had lunch and then left again for the orphanage.
This afternoons visit was amazing. My questions were answered when we heard him squealing down the hall while we waited for him in the room. The door opened and he dragged the receptionist in (who brings him to us). Once he was in the room he pushed her out and closed the door then he ran over to us. I would say he is excited to see us :) Eva told us later that the receptionist told him that when he saw her this afternoon he was very excited and ran to the door to leave with her. I do not think he sees the receptionist regularly so he has associated her with seeing us (yay!) :)
Eva also told us that his Nanny's said he was much calmer all day today. Normally when the go outside they all push at the door, and he is normally right up there with them. She said today he stood in the back and just watched. They say they can see a difference in him already. If they can see a difference after a day and a half, who knows what a week, or a month or even a year will bring!!!
On our second visit we played Legos for almost an hour. Basically he dumps out the bag and Bobby and I build something and hand it back to him. He grins and smiles and sometimes squeals (and today he started saying "tha-tha-tha-tha" over and over again when we gave it to him. Then he takes them apart piece by piece and puts them back in the bag. We did this over and over again. He really, really enjoys when you build something and you make it fly to him, or jump to him, or bark at him as you give it to him. He is the easiest kid to entertain!
After the legos we bounced the globe ball around and then we pulled out the tape measurer and crayons. We drew his feet on the paper...as best as we could -- he sat on my lap and let me do it. Then we measured his legs, waist and arms. He wouldn't stand still long enough to measure his height -- but we can try again tomorrow.
Bobby also took his watch off and put it on the coffee table. Geo noticed it and decided that he wanted to wear it, so he picked it up and slid it all the way up his arm. Then he took it off and tried to unclip it. I asked him to bring it to me (which he did), and then I showed him once how to unsnap it and snap it. This little booger got it immediately. He is very, very smart! The nannies say he is very smart, and catches on very quickly. I let him have my watch and he figured that one out too. He likes to see how things work, and then he wants to do it all by himself.
He has also associated me with helping him. He brings things to me that he can't do (not to his Papa - hehe) :) He lets me help him and trusts me that I will give whatever object back. You do not know how happy this makes me!!! He also makes really good eye contact. He will hold your gaze and smiles when he catches you looking at him. He doesn't turn away or hide (which is a really good sign!) I think he needs glasses though and I think he has trouble seeing things that are further away. Yesterday afternoon and this afternoon we noticed that his eyes start to drift towards the end of our visit.
We gave him some animal crackers this afternoon and I held out four in my hand and asked him to give one to Papa -- and he did!!! He put it in Bobby's hand...I was so surprised that he knew what I was saying, and that he gave up food willingly! That is huge!!! Later Bobby told him to give one to Mama and he walked over and put it in my hand. Then he smiled really big at me and took it back and giggled as he stuck it in his mouth -- he is a little stinker!!! Oh I love this little stinker though!
Then about 15 minutes before it was time for us to leave we started packing up and cleaning up the room again. Geo has figured out that this is time for us to go, and he starts to spaz out. He runs around, and is destructive. This is when he misbehaves and tries to distract you from cleaning up. I think from now on, we are not going to clean up until after the Nanny comes and gets him. I just don't think he knows or can express himself and so he goes a little crazy.
He is still manageable but we have to tell him "Ne Geo, ne," a lot during the last 15 minutes or so.
Leaving the orphanage without him today was hard. I miss him. I know I will see him in the morning, but I already miss him. Thursday is going to be very, very hard!
I am going to let Bobby add the pictures today after he blogs -- so I can't be held responsible :)
Tonight we are going to go swimming (maybe) and eat at the hotel. We gave Marty and Eva the night off :) They are in a Bulgarian vacation spot and haven't been able to do very much (except escort us around), and honestly we could use the down time too :)
Thanks for following along in our journey.
He is perfect!
Love,
Lura
p.s. I think the director likes us! She told us today that we can come an hour earlier tomorrow and Thursday to spend more time with him!
His view--
This morning it was very hard to wake up. We were both exhausted from running around, and I definitely got a bit of a sunburn on my face and neck. Once we went downstairs for breakfast we were quick to perk up and get ready for our next visit with Geo.
We met with him twice today, in the morning for 2 hours and 1.5 hours for the afternoon. We hung out and ate lunch at the beech between visits.
He was super excited to see us this morning and we didn't have to get him ready for playtime. They asked us if we wanted a playroom or to go outside with him, and we chose the playroom for both visits so we could get out of the sun for a while. We didn't have to bring any more toys this time and he was still content with us.
He had many toys to choose from, and he quickly picked up the big bag of Lego-ish blocks. The majority of the time we had with him was spent with these Lego blocks. He knew how the zipper worked on the bag but it was a little difficult for him at first. Once we held out the actual zipper for him to grab, he unzipped it and it was on. Giggling the whole time, he immediately shook and dumped the bag all over the floor. He then picked each one up and separated them before putting them back in the bag. Once he was all done with the first round, we decided to have a bit more fun with him. Lura and I started making all sorts of shapes out of the blocks, and he just lit up and waited for us to hand him a new creation for him to separate and put away.
We did play with a few other items throughout the day but it always came bag to the blocks. He was a little difficult during the first five minutes of each visit, and around the last 15 as well. The beginning time seems to be a bit overstimulating for him. He is just so excited and doesn't know how to control himself. He stood up with the blocks at first, but we sat him down and it relaxed him after a minute or two. The last few minutes he gets even more rambunctious. He is visibly tired at the end, and is very aware that the visit is almost over. We had tossed around a beach ball for a bit, and every toy after that he tried to toss around in the same way. The only way to really calm him down was to hold him, which he didn't really mind anyway.
It is obvious that he is going to be very stressed out when we bring him home, but he is pretty easy to calm so far. There are going to be many challenges and we are up for everyone of them. Geo is very smart and a delight to be around. Tomorrow will be our last day with two visits, and then we leave after a visit on Thursday. Even though we anxiously await our time with our daughter, it is going to be very hard to leave him for so long. I really think he will miss us, and I hope he can remember us when we come back for him.
Your posts are great. You are giving us a clear picture of your boy. He is really beautiful and fun to be with. Right? And you love him to death! Amazing how that happens.
ReplyDeleteOur youngest was 2 1/2 when we brought her home from China and she was picking up English within two or three days. I have a feeling that your son is going to progress by leaps and bounds when you get him home where he will get more individual attention. I wouldn't be surprised if, with a little therapy, his delays disappear. Expect him to be a handful for a while because he is bound to be overstimulated with all of the changes to his life but I think he will come around quickly. What a cutie! You must be so proud.
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