Thursday, October 28, 2010

It's been 8 months...

Seriously...can't believe it. It has been 8 months already. Some days have flown by and others have crept slowly. I love to do these posts so I can see how far we have come. It is hard to really notice how much has changed when you are in the thick of it, but stepping back, you get a better picture.

We have really seen some great improvements. Our whole family is doing really well and it continues to be a blessing. I had our follow up call with our agency the other day and was really encouraged. I was able to share some of the breakthroughs that we have had recently and our case worker shared that she thought we were doing many things right and could really take comfort and encouragement for seeing such great results for cocooning and being so intentional.

  • I have gone out for an evening or 2 and had Chuck put the boys down by himself. I am working at being able to be gone for a weekend in Feb., so I need to work on allowing Chuck to take more responsibility for the kiddos.
  • We can do more than one activity a day. Like the park and church. We still don't take the boys out to shopping much or very stimulating activities.
  • Tate seems to be more comfortable around crowds of people. Like our adoption gatherings, or church. He is also starting to eat with others around and not be on such a food strike.
  • Tyce continues to show improvement with being around other kids. He still has a hard time playing with others when we are around others. It isn't that he acts naughty, it almost seems like he struggles with social skills. He seeks out individual toys rather than group play.
  • Tyce still doesn't like toys much. BUT...he loves to draw and color. He is very creative and creates a picture almost every day that represents our family.
  • Tyce is learning to read. We are almost 2/3 of the way done with the 100 lessons book. He is catching on quickly but continues to struggle with some accent issues.
  • Tate is doing better with his language. He is finally using more new words every day. He still uses his made up jibber language and haven't seen that stop.
  • We've had some really good breakthroughs with Tyce. We have been able to identify some key triggers to pain and hurt for him and are helping him process through those feelings.
  • Tate doesn't tantrum much anymore. Instead he finds a spot to sit and be sad, but when he is over it, he comes out and can bounce back quickly.
  • Tate is still struggling with "playing nice". He can sure act like a stinker sometimes.
  • The boys are learning to "check in" when they are out playing. They come over and "check in" with me and show me some good eye contact.
  • We have been working really hard with eye contact with mom and boys. Tate's is continuing to lengthen and show good genuine connection. Tyce still has a hard time when he is being corrected to show eye contact.
  • We now have a dial with "red, yellow and green" spots to show if Tyce is struggling a little, or shutting down, or ready to listen and obey. He is learning he has some control in the situation.
  • Tyce's preschool teacher says he is still doing well and listening and obeying. I notice he doesn't take his eyes off the teacher and watches her intently. Could be a sign of being on high alert.
  • We've learned how important it is to identify with the boys pain and watch their behavior to adjust to make things easier for them to succeed.
  • Soccer season is over, Tyce did an amazing job (another post) and scored a total of 53 goals in 8 games.
  • When the boys offer to pray, Tyce has now moved to including variety in his prayers (rather than just "thank you Jesus...food...family...thank you Jesus, amen". And Tate has started to prayer jibberish and he always wants to sing after we pray.
  • Tyce called out for me one night recently because he had a bloody nose. That was his first time to call for me after I had tucked him into bed. It was a GREAT thing.
  • Still haven't recieved those birth certificates in the mail...ugh...guess I need to follow up on it.
  • I've been hunting for a picture of a mud hut that resembles the home that the boys lived in. I think I found something close. Below is the closest I have come up with.
I will hope to post again soon. Busy busy around here.

10 comments:

  1. All I can say is that I am so thankful the Lord crossed our paths. You are such an example!

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  2. 8 months... WOW! Has it really been 8 months?! Sounds like you guys HAVE come far! This makes me happy! I know there are still hard hard days, but glad that you have great moments to get you through them!

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  3. Great blog! So good to reflect back and see God's grace to all of you in the venture! Hang in there, dear daughter. You will reap the rewards some day. Love you!

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  4. These first months of deliberate consistent care will yield benefits for decades to come. So many of these milestones are behaviors happening less often or more often. It's hard to point to change unless you look backward from where you were.

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  5. I can't believe it has been 8 month already! And I can't believe we've been home for 9! You are doing such a wonderful job with your boys and they have come SO far! I love hearing updates on how they are doing and continue to pray for the 6 of you every single day!

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  6. I have read your blog several times, but haven't left a comment until now. I am happy to read that your sons are doing well. It is encouraging to read of your family's adjustments and progress! Thank you for sharing.

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  7. What a lot of things to celebrate! You are doing a great job, and I know there are hard days. Homeschooling adds another layer on it all, which I am finding stressful!! It's really great to see how well the boys are doing.

    You mentioned a weekend in Feb? Are you going to 'Created to Care'? I am!! I was not going to go, and I've never left Grace and that seems soooooo far away, but my husband put my name on the waitlist and then I got an email that I could register, so I decided that maybe I was supposed to go! It will be so great to meet blog friends like you!

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  8. Hi Cris, Bonnie gave me your name. We are home 3 months with our 4 year old. I remember seeing pics of your homecoming on someone's blog (probably Kristi's). Thanks for sharing how things are going. Amy

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  9. Great to see how far God has brought the boys and all the "rewards" for your hard work. Great to hear this update. Praise the Lord.

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