We have seen some major physical changes. When we first received his referral, he was not on the US growth charts. Then when he first joined our family, we discovered that the food at the Care Center served him well, because by then, he had reached the 5% - 10%tiles. Over the past nine months, he has gained at least 4 pounds and grown at least 4 inches, putting him in the 50% - 75%tiles today! And he is on his third shoe size. He currently has 3 pair of shoes, his tennis shoes, his 'dress' shoes and his crocs, which he calls 'my rocks'.
First home with our family, he didn't know any English speaking words except "Ring round rosies, ashes, ashes, we fall down" (by the way, ashes was pronounced without the 'h'). Communication is no longer an obstacle.
First home, he could not sit up from a laying down position because of the size of his tummy and lack of stomach muscle. He could not jump either because of lack of muscle in his legs. When we put him on the trampoline, he would just roll around while we carefully jumped around him.
He is no longer the kid who rolls around. Now when I watch him on the trampoline with the girls, he is right in there jumping with them with much grace, strength and very good balance. Yesterday, he jumped off the coffee table to the floor. I encouraged him to jump over and over because I loved seeing the joy in his face over this major accomplishment.
But I don't blame him for reacting the way he did because I know my girls would act the same way if a stranger tried to rub lotion on them or put their hand up their shirt to scratch their backs. This morning when he woke up, he said "Mommy, will you scratch my back?"
The first few months, he was by my side every minute of the day even though he resisted me doing anything for him. Each task or housekeeping chore, he had to be right there helping me. Each time I had to use the bathroom, even though we weren't really trying to potty train him, he had to use the bathroom. Except, he wouldn't let me help him - he had to pull down his pants, take his diaper off, sit on the pot, wipe himself and when he was done, wash his hands without help and put his diaper back on. I guided him through the process as much as he allowed without throwing a tantrum.
Each time I took a shower, he protested and was waiting with a towel ready to dry me off and help me get dressed. He was over anxious about doing everything, that he was willing to do anything, including wiping his mother's bum (no I didn't let him) to give him a sense of being in control.
Today, he has almost no interest in potty training, he gets frustrated only about half the time when I have to take a shower and he no longer disturbs me when I need to go to the bathroom. All of these changes have happened in just the past 4 - 6 weeks.
One thing that we can see will be a challenge in the future (and a challenge today) but will serve him well some day is that he is very determined to get what he wants. And many times he suceeds because he has become so good at out smarting us and he is a very tough negotiater.
It used to be that he would never sit down and play on his own or watch more than 2 minutes of TV without me sitting with him. Now, he is a HUGE Barney fan! Yes - the big purple dinosaur! We have several Barney movies from Lauren's growing up years and he can't get enough of him. The other day he told me that he was going to find out where Barney lives and go see him. He asked me if I know where he parks his car, because maybe then he could figure out where he lives.
If Barney is #1 in his life, garbage trucks are #2. He is infatuated with garbage trucks. Each Tuesday morning, he helps me drag the garbage out to the curb and most of the time we are fortunate to witness the truck pulling up to dump our can. The garbage man always gives a friendly wave as Samson stands, fixated and intrigued by the process.
The other day, I told him to eat more of his bananas that I had given him for lunch. I told him how important it was to eat healthy because one day he will grow up to be a man. With much excitement in his voice and big eyes, he said, "You mean, I will grow up to be a garbage man?!"
Speaking of food, Samson ate EVERYTHING when we were first home. He would ask for seconds, even thirds of PEAS! I'm sorry to say that now he has joined the ranks of children in our home who we have to connive into eating their green veggies.
I also still have to remind him to chew his food. After several episodes of surviving heimlich (sp?) maneuvers, I am paranoid each time he puts something in his mouth that requires him to chew before he swallows. We realized after the first few weeks of watching him choke several times, that he may never had food in his life that he ever had to chew.
We do have many fun times and lots of laughter together as a family. Samson cracks us up with his interpretation of things. For example, when I tell the girls to 'get dressed' in the morning, he will say, "I'm going to get my dress on."
When I call him my "sweet little baby boy." He calls me his "sweet little baby mommy."
By the time the girls get home from school, I am ready for them to keep Samson busy. I love spending time with him but by the end of the day, I am tired out. The girls love to step in and take over with activities, such as dancing, playing board games and reading to him. It's especially good practice for Avery as she is learning to read this school year:
We have come a long ways. The days are much less intense. There are still times that Steve and I throw our arms in the air and say, "What do we do now?" but overall, we are happy about the progress that we have made as a family. I try to focus on the milestones we have reached because this is what helps me stay positive. The victories are what motivate me to press on. He is such a great kid and we love him very much!
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1 comment:
Love the transformations! Amazing how it happens over time, and when you look back at those moments you can see how far the kids have come... and often how far we have come. :o)
He's beautiful!!
Thank you for sharing.
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