Squirrel Part Deux

(For those of you scratching your heads, let me explain...I found this squirrel frame back in March and used it in a post. I warned readers that I am far too amused by this little critter and that he will make frequent appearances. Well, here he is in all his squirrel glory with my son. Pretty darn funny if you ask me.)

Kai, you have a little something on your...Oh, never mind.

Mmmm Breakfast

Photos: Kai just began riding in the car with his seat facing forward. He loves seeing where we are going and being able to be "with us". Also, Kai (ready for a nap) but loving the atmosphere at our favorite local 50's diner. He had already finished his breakfast and was hamming it up for our friends, the waitress, and anyone else who might be looking his way.

Update: ~Kai has been walking up a storm and is now able to stand up for several long seconds before falling.
~We just bought him a sandbox and we will soon be setting up a kiddie pool and climbing tower/ball pit, so expect some pictures featuring an active toddler in the week to come.
~Bedtime has been smoooooth sailing; naptime continues to be "%&*@".
~He can climb a flight a stairs as if he has done it a 100 times. (Thankfully he doesn't seem interested in doing this at home.)
~Kai baulks at diaper changes leaving his desperate momma to chase his naked behind around the floor or changing table.
~Kai enjoys playing with his "medical kit" and knew right off the bat how to use each item. Kai takes his own temperature (in his ear and mouth), puts on the bandaid (plastic cuff), checks his heartbeat with the stethescope and takes his vitamins with the medicine dropper. Well, its actually supposed to be a syringe, but he looks mighty cute "swallowing the medicine" as he pushes down on the plunger.

Kai at a Graduation Party

"First" Haircut

Okay, while it's not his first haircut, it's his first with us. We figured he'd struggle with the experience and sadly we were right. He was pretty teary eyed about the whole thing. Cartoons were playing on the t.v. above his head, so that eased his pain a bit. Fortunately, his trim only took a minute to do and he was out of the chair and smiling again. Rob's (and now Kai's) barber is a grandfather to twin boys from China, so it was nice to talk about how his little guys are doing and about our trip.

Oh, How He is Growing...

Kai is blossoming by leaps and bounds each day. Here are a couple of things he has been doing in the last few days:
~ He expresses himself very clearly when he doesn't want to do something i.e. Kai doesn't like the feel of grass and immediately and repeatedly signs "All Done" to tell me that nature isn't his thing and that we should return indoors as quickly as possible. What a cutie. Too bad I don't listen to him. Mean old Mommy and Daddy keep him outside and he eventually lets his guard down enough to have fun.
When I looked into the rear view a couple days ago, I smiled as I realized that he had been signing "More," telling me that he wanted a Cheerio. :)
~Kai is feeding himself very well with a spoon.
~In the evening, Kai has been falling asleep within minutes of being out down and sleeps throughout the night.
~On Wednesday Kai began taking his first independent steps. His dad and I sit opposite one another as he teeters back and forth. Tonight we sat about 3 feet apart and watched a very proud baby grin from ear to ear as he met this new challenge (in the grass no less)!
~While outside earlier in the day Kai bent over and picked up a ball, stood up (unassisted), and stood for a full 2 seconds before landing on his bottom. I don't think he realized he wasn't being held up.
~Kai used clay and crayons today and didn't eat them once.
~Kai had another playdate with his friend Delia on Wed. and had a lot of fun in the sandbox and scooting around the house, exploring her toys and following her lead from room to room.
I know I am pretty biased, but my kid is the smartest, cutest, silliest, and most lovable little boy in the world!!!

Early Intervention

Here's a picture from this morning. Kai is reaching for the camera.
Kia met with the Early Intervention team on Monday in our home. He "played" with the physical therapist and speech pathologist for about two hours while they assessed his current development. As I suspected, Kai is at/above normal development of his same-age peers in all areas except walking and language. At the time of our intake meeting, Kai was already making efforts to walk (w/ assistance) and we knew that he would soon be walking. Kai will not require PT, but it will remain on his individualized plan so that he will be eligible for these services if the need arises. Regarding Speech Therapy, Kai will meet with the pathologist 1x per week for 60 min. These sessions will help her evaluate his language needs, and more importantly train me on how to best support him day to day. Our focus will be on helping Kai to learn English, increasing his pronouncement of consonant sounds, and utilizing sign language to support communication.
These days we are working on the following signs: want, more, drink, play, swing, sleep, bath, thank you, dog, mommy, daddy, aunt/uncle, grandfather/grandmother, water, milk, cereal, car/ride, love, happy, all done, bird,banana and friend. (There may be one or two more, but they have slipped my mind). Kai signs for "more" and "all done" when he is eating and is starting to pick up on a few more here and there.

This Kid LOVES Sound

Kai recently discovered a mini wind chime that hangs on my plant stand. He could easily spend half an hour batting it around and listening to it's delicate sound. Kai thoroughly enjoys ANYTHING that makes sound. Whether it's drumming on the washer/dryer, playing with toys that sing and play tunes, or using actual instruments, Kai is sold on it! Enjoy his smiles in these pictures.

One Month Together!!!

(This photo was taken on the 6th. I didn't get any new pictures today.)
It's amazing how fast a month can fly by, but today is the our 1 month family anniversary! Our little guy has grown so much in these 4 weeks. When we met him, Kai was very thin and had underdeveloped muscles. Kai seldom crawled on the bed and could not tolerate floor time activities. Evidently, Kai lost some of his strength and weight after his palate surgery March 9th; living on a liquid/puree diet for over a month took its toll on him. When we met Kai on May 10th, we were introduced to a little boy with the courage of a lion. What Kai lacked in physical strength, he made up for with his big personality and unyielding ability to connect with others. Kai was brave enough to allow us, two perfect strangers with foreign language, ideas, and appearances to become his new family. Despite multiple changes in location, new hotels, long flights and layovers, and two flight cancellations, Kai remained resilient. Now that we are home, Kai is starting to settle into a routine and is getting to know his extended family and friends. Kai has put on about 5 lbs. this month and is a bundle of energy. He crawls like a madman and runs if holding onto our fingers or his walker. He is forever making efforts to stand on his own and will soon be racing ahead of us minus any support. Kai is a smiley, silly little boy who is quick to giggle and fond of imitating others. Kai is eagerly buddying up with our Newfoundland, Cooper, and squeals with delight when he is greeted with a lick. Oh, how we have waited for days like this! Becoming parents to this little boy has added a richness and joy to our lives that cannot be matched.

Picts taken yesterday

So here is our boy, again photographed just before bedtime (look'n like a hot mess). Rob was playing with us too, but only his hand and feet made it into these shots. Kai is the main attraction around here these days. In some of these photos, you'll notice that Kai is sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth. This began Memorial Day and hasn't ceased yet. It's so goofy looking and isn't helping with the drooling. Yes, his shirt is soaked with spit, but we changed him into his jammies a few minutes later. KaiKai has to sport a bib all day to stay dry. :)

Never to Young Learn to Ride (?)

Rob has wasted no time in showing Kai around the garage. Kai's even sporting his "tough guy" look. Here he is introducing our son to the finer points of riding a motorcycle. Boys, boys, boys.

A couple of picts taken minutes before bedtime

Kai was looking pretty rough in these picture. Note the saturated t-shirt (thanks to excessive drool caused by unyielding teething). You might also notice some HEAVY bags below the eyes...again, Kai didn't nap. Despite his change in nap routine, Kai went to right to sleep without any fussing or goofy chatter. We went through our goodnight Cooper, goodnight Daddy, goodnight Mommy routine, I lathered him up in his Aquaphor (to help with the eczema), put on his jammies, and off he went with Mr. Sandman. Go figure.

Another photo from China

Here's a couple of photos to satisfy those Kai cravings...We set up a swing for him this week. Do you think he likes it???


This photo shows Kai's ever growing desire to feed himself with a spoon. He's really accurate when it comes to bananas (it sticks to the spoon despite gravity). As you can see, eating cottage cheese and egg salad is a different story. As long as he's smiling, it can't be that bad right?

Today's Happenings

Today Kai and I made a diaper run to BabiesRUs and then made a stop to share a couple slices of pizza together. It's great taking him out on little errands. He is getting much more tolerant of car rides now that we installed a large backseat mirror and a musical toy. In China, it is customary for children to ride on the laps of adults so a rear facing carseat and harness took some getting used to.
Kai has been exploring the world of toddlerhood these past couple of weeks. Lately naps are becoming less predictable. Yesterday I couldn't shower until Rob got home from work because Kai refused his a.m. nap. Although he needs a pre-dinner time nap, they are always few and far between. Today Kai continued his silliness throughout "napptime" and it was a big loss. ****I hope to video his napping antics for you sometime. He is at his cutest when he is trying to change the subject and get you to play with him. I am proud of myself for resisting his charms thus far, but it's killing me. He's such a little goof ball. ;)
Anyway, tonight, while I was wrapping up his early dinner with the intentions of trying another attempt to get him down, I became aware of a car in the driveway. Apparently I had become so wrapped up in piddly little day to day happenings, I completely forgot that I been scheduled to meet with a representative from Early Intervention.
Early Intervention is a service provided by such organizations as Easter Seals. Children under the age of 3, who are not developing/ at risk for not developing as their same age peers, are qualified to receive therapies in given areas of need. Kai's evaluation will take place within our home in a few weeks. Basically, given his cleft condition, Kai will need speech therapy to develop his communication skills and likely physical therapy to work on his gross motor skills(unassisted walking). It is plausible that in the next few weeks that Kai will master independent steps, but at the moment he needs help in this area. I look forward to watching Kai's overall progress over the coming months.
I have been a bit passive in the picture taking department this week, but here's a photo of Kai and his favorite "auntie" from his orphanage. We had the privilege of visiting staff and playroom a couple days after meeting Kai and were sooooo impressed with the love and enthusiasm that all the staff showed for Kai during his return visit. We promised to send them photos of him regularly.

Care Package Photos

Several months ago, we sent out two care packages to Kai. The packages contained several items including disposable cameras. It's never a guarantee that the orphanage staff will have the opportunity to take pictures of your child, but many families send them with the hope of preserving those earlier moments at the orphanage. Well, we were beyond ecstatic when we discovered that all three of our cameras had been used. We were eager to have them processed once we returned home. After breakfast today, Kai and I ran over to Rite Aid to retrieve the pictures. Those familiar with international adoption will appreciate the priceless value of the one or two photos given to them of their child prior to adoption. Our experiences with Kai's adoption has been the opposite extreme. Kai's orphanage, SWI Nanjing, has superseded all of our expectations . We were shocked to receive as many referral photos as we did in November, floored by the follow-up photos that were sent to us after the care package was received, and now we find ourselves breathless to possess another 70something pictures of Kai.
As you take time to look at these pictures, please consider why we have been one of the fortunate few. We didn't know this until we travelled to Nanjing, but the children of Kai's orphanage have been touched by a very special group of people. Half the Sky Foundation, an organization founded by an adoptive family, raises funds each year and facilitates, hires, and trains caring individuals to work with our special needs children and provides them additional nurturing within their setting. This organization strives to provide these children with clean, vibrant play spaces, safe equipment and toys, and a setting that will encourage healthy growth and development. Half the Sky provides our children with well trained "aunties" that foster healthy bonds, creating social and emotional bridges that will enable secure attachment with the families that await their futures. In addition to all of the photos that the staff have provided us,this foundation recognized another critical piece to Kai's sense of "personal history"...Upon meeting Kai, we were presented with a Memory Book. For each child in their care, they create a collection of photos and narratives, highlighting typical days and special moments. In these photos, we see Kai, am underweight infant, struggling to grow under the burden of a bilateral cleft lip and palate. In these photos, we meet his favorite auntie, the woman who has nurtured Kai through his most challenging months as he fought to gain enough weight to qualify him for lip surgery. In these photos, we see a little boy smiling, playing with friends, and making huge developmental strides. In these photos we see our KaiKai celebrating his first birthday, we see the loving staff around him CELEBRATING our Kai's existence. In these photos, we see our son happy, loved, and at ease. Years from now, Kai will have this collection of memories to treasure and reflect upon.
Friends and Family, if you are looking for a charitable organization to make financial contributions to this year, please consider Half the Sky Foundation. It is no coincidence that Kai has transitioned into our family as seamlessly as he has. We are forever indebted to HtS for giving Kai the healthy start he needed for the first 16 months of life. If you wish to learn more, please check out this link: Half the Sky.