Wesley was sooo excited to see Kira when they arrived that he started kicking and squealing while I was holding him. We put the two kids together in the family room with some toys and Wesley immediately went over to one of his favorites to show Kira. And, it went on from there. . . The two of them played really well together it was adorable. Wesley definitely had a close eye on Kira since she's older and is walking - it didn't hurt that she's beautiful :)
Wesley and Kira playing together.
Kira is starting early with the phone in hand :)The highlight of the day was when the two were playing peek-a-boo behind one of the family room curtains. If you have read this blog you know that Wesley is a big fan of peek-a-boo.
The beginning of the "peek-a-boo" dance
Peek-a-boo!
Are you talking to me?We had a wonderful day with our friends and Wesley had a fun time getting to know his new girlfriend. He did really well the remainder of the day once our guests left with the exception of nap time and bedtime. He woke up an hour into both crying, but I rocked him back to sleep and he was good to go. He's never done that before so I can only guess that it was a reaction to the day's festivities - which we've read can sometimes happen.
15 Months
At 15 months and almost one month home with us, Wesley has done remarkably well. There are many areas in which I feel that he has really made progressed since we arrived home. Then, there are unfortunately a few areas where we still struggle, but we constantly remind ourselves that we haven't been home that long and he's been through a lot. Here's a little breakdown:
Food
When Wesley left South Korea he was only on formula (every 3 hours) - hence the almost 30 pound little boy we now have on our hands :) Our pediatrician wanted us to keep him on the formula a little longer (reduced amount) but introduce solids. So, we've been having a blast trying out different foods with Wesley. And, boy does this kid LOVE to eat! He literally hasn't turned a thing down. He loves anything and everything. Vegetables, fruit, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. he eats it. And, he really "gets into" his food.
Note the crazy hair - food is caked in there making it all stiff and spikey
What's so funny?Sleep
This is still a challenge. More so at nap time versus bedtime, but it varies. We've done our best to establish a schedule and routine for naps and bedtime. However "somebody" just doesn't want to go to sleep the majority of the time and tends to put up a fight. Now, this may sound like every other child, right? Well, throw in some grieving - which happens to occur during these times and it's a whole new ballgame. There's not only crying, a struggle and calling out for foster mom but, we are now seeing some new signs of grieving which have been upsetting. We're hanging in there, being patient and just giving him the love that we know he needs hoping that he can work through the grieving.
Walking
No walking yet. . . But, he's close and we're okay with that. He's all over the place as it is simply by crawling and by cruising along the furniture. He has a few walker toys that he uses down our long hallway and he loves to cruise along our bar stools in the kitchen. Something tells me it's coming soon.
Here's Wesley cruising around in the hallway
Teeth
One word = drool. Lots of it. It seems like ever since we brought Wesley home he's been teething. He's gotten 3 teeth in since we've been home and we're pretty sure that he's cutting a molar. The drool is non-stop and he's been putting his finger(s) in his mouth like he's trying to gag himself. Poor guy :( Baby Orajel is his best friend and sadly he knows the tub and makes a grunting noise for it when he sees it. I feel for him.
Well, I think that's it for this post. I got him down at 10pm tonight and while we were laying on the floor together in the dark room with the Beatles Bedtime CD playing (just part of our "routine") he looked at me, smiled and touched my face. And in that moment, any of the challenges, sleepless nights, worries, etc. faded away and he melted my heart. THIS is why we're parents. . . Goodnight.
Oh Michelle, it sounds so great to hear all the progress Wesley is making. I can say from experience it does melt your heart when they start showing affection to you. It still melts my heart to have Ethan or AJ love on me. You had me crying when you mentioned Wesley touching your face.
ReplyDeleteThink of ya'll often and hope we can make the drive up to visit soon so all the boys can play.
Happy 15 months Wesley! Thanks for the great update - I could relate to so many of these things (the sleep, the grieving, the teething). It's so very hard to see them suffer and want their old life back but it does get better. We are home two months now and we haven't seen much grieving any more at night. I've been told it sometimes goes away and then resurfaces a few months later out of nowhere though... is Wesley in a crib?
ReplyDeleteThe touching your face is so wonderful, isn't it? Everything else really does melt away ... sigh.
PS - I wish Max was still crawling. Now that he walks he's FAST and even MORE into everything. I have to watch him like a hawk!!
So cute! I love the update and hearing how he's doing. Thinking of all of you!
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, Thanks for the card and also counting us as one of the good things. Just want you, Brian and Wesley to know that we are always here if we could be of good help in anything, anytime. All you need to do is just walk over. Love your blog and the pictures. They keep us going through our 'waiting days' with lots of smiles. Thank you so much for sharing. Kamsahamnida....
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