This week has been a bit trying/ tiring, but overall has been filled with excitement, milestones, and gains.
Our biggest setback was attachment. Peng Peng seems so secure 99% of the time. The times that are hardest for my little buddy is when it is time to sleep and when I am not touching him. This means that most of our day he is either being held by me or having some form of physical contact/ interaction with me. I can handle the contact - I can't get enough of this little guy. He loves playing around with his brother and sister and showing off his mad cuteness with strangers as long as they are not interacting with me. He bit Abby pretty hard twice in the last week and has hit AJ several times as well. All were when he wanted something they had or if I was hugging/ holding them. I did need to go to the chiropractor today - my back has been killing me - it isn't used to carrying around 20 pounds ten hours a day :) What I am having a hard time handling is sleep. Peng Peng has had some long crying fits when we try laying him down. To make a long story short, this little man does not like to lay down even when he is really tired. We have tried MANY things, and I don't want to jinx myself, but today went the best it ever has gone. We had a playpen in our room on the wall across our bed. Now that is next to my side of the bed. Compared with when AJ and Abby were this age, Peng Peng cries like he is scared out of his mind. It is painful to hear and if I close my eyes I can hear it now. Poor guy doesn't understand, doesn't know when or if we are coming back, the crib is different than his old one, smells and the surroundings are different, etc. So, for now we are going to the basics. I had read today that we should treat him as though he is a newborn when we came home - so now he is like a one week old baby. Just like you wouldn't leave a one-week old baby to lay in the crib and cry it out we won't do that with him. So, hopefully this change will really help him get over this obstacle and know how loved and safe he is with us.
Our second setback is his tummy. Peng Peng continues to have approximately 10 diarrheas a day, poor guy. So, now we are collecting stool samples to rule out a few things. In the past week he lost .7 pounds. That's a lot for a kid who is in the 4th percentile for weight in his age bracket. He also has some fluid in both of his ears, which might lead to an ear infection.
Now, for the fun stuff.
Peng Peng continues to learn more and more signs. Now he is consistently using signs for: dog, fish, bird, monkey, water, milk, juice/ drink, cracker, cookie, candy, eat, more, book, sleep, all done, clean up, play, help, music, up, shoes, socks, hat, and nods his head yes and no.
When he wants something from me or to get my attention he no longer goes, "uh-uh-uh" - he says, "mama". :)
He loves the dogs. Maybe a little too much - he likes to sit on them and shake their paws and poke their noses, but we are working on being nice to the dogs and thankfully they have been awesome with him.
We are making progress with appointments. So far we have had two appointments with our family doctor. This Friday we have a meeting with the early childhood team with the Lakeville school district. This is a preliminary meeting, but I am very hopeful that they will give approval to start an educational assessment. Next Wednesday we have our appointment with the craniofacial team. The following Wednesday with the international adoption clinic.
Peng Peng is allowing me to have him play more in close proximity than being held. He loves playing with a handy manny tool set and some blocks. He also loves the instruments.
We went to the apple orchard this week - what fun! Peng Peng loved the animals and ate an entire apple! He also enjoyed kicking the chickens because they would squawk, so we have to closely supervise him next time we see chickens.
Bus stop time - Peng Peng loves waving hi to the kids on the bus and gets very excited when we chat with our friends who also go to the bus.
Car rides are actually enjoyable for us now. At first he was not used to the car seat, but now he lets me strap him in and points to things outside.
Peng Peng is playing really well with his big brother and sister. They have both been very patient and understanding of his needs and Abby especially goes out of her way to make him laugh. She cried so hard one night because she just wanted to play more with her little brother. His whole body gets tense with excitement when he sees them.
Books - I love books and storytime has always been a huge part of my routine with the kids. Peng Peng wanted nothing to do with books in China. I am not sure if he has seen books before or if he just didn't care, but lately he is showing his love for "more" and "more" books :) He likes to sign words he sees in books. Today it was "hat" and "dog".
So, even though we have had a few rough patches in our week, the good far outweigh the bad. I realize how blessed we are with how well everything is going and what amazing children we have and what a supportive network of friends and family we have. Just another great reminder how good God is.
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