What I've Been Up To

I've been trying to get a mish mosh of things crossed off our list this week. One of the things we are planning on doing for Kai is using alternative means of communication to help him out while he learns English and as he awaits palate surgery. We bought and laminated a series of baby sign language flash cards (which I am un-enthusiastically cutting out...there are 100 cards). It is easier having cards than a bound book; they can be laid out around the house as we learn/teach them to Kai. We are also creating a "communication book". This tool is often used with nonverbal students, those affected by Autism, etc. Most communication books are developed using a standard database of pictograms, however I'm just going to cut/paste/print different pictures off the web. Basically, a communication board is a series of pictures (with Velcro backings) that represent foods, activities, routines, people, etc. The pictures are often organized within pages of a 3 ring binder. On the cover of the binder are Velcro strips. The adult can present the child with choices or a sequence of events to help the child anticipate "what comes next". Both the sign language and the communication book are designed to encourage speech, not replace it. We want Kai to feel that his and our efforts to communicate will be rewarded with comprehension, not frustration and misunderstanding.

I also made a few book purchases (Amazon.com saw me coming this month). I picked up a book with Chinese phrases for our trip. It is VERY important to be able to find a bathroom when you need one :) . I also ordered a recently published book by an adoptive parent and fellow blogger. I'll let you know how it is after I've read it.

I also scheduled Kai's consult with the surgeon at Boston Children's Hospital. We set it for mid/late April to give him a bit of time to adjust. He will see our pediatrician a few days after we get home, but I've heard that the initial visit at Children's can take a while to book so I didn't want to wait until we returned to make those arrangements.

Lastly, our Visa's came in this week. I was a nervous wreck last month when I needed to send them out. To get your Visa, you need to FedEx your passports to some woman in NY. Passports can go for $50,000 on the black market - it was unnerving to hand them over to some random guy and trust that we would get them back in time. Trust me, all the other parents feel that way too - I'm not just being a control freak (not about this at least). Anyway, the Visa Department has mailed us the same THREE confirmation letters claiming that the American Consulate has been notified of our need for a Visa for Kai. I would assume that 3 letters means we are all set in the Visa department.

Well, I should go. I need to go pack for an INSANELY cold day of snowmobiling. Yup, I'm expecting it to be quite chilly. Oh well, at this point it's now or never - I'm gonna be a Momma soon!