If you notice since we have been home the posts are becoming further and further in between. Apparently I'm busier now than I used to be. ;) There are so many new things that I don't even know where to start. Of course Kobe continues to bring us such joy. His smile and laugh is just priceless. He loves his sisters!!! He has a favorite song. Okay now don't think I'm totally crazy. There is one song that comes on and his arms flail and legs go crazy. The girls sing it to him. I thought maybe it was because they were singing to him. They have sung other songs to him and doesn't get the same reaction. He will react the same way to the song even if the girls aren't singing to him. It may sound crazy, but we have all witnessed it.
Another "crazy" thing is that this kid, who has only been here for 5 weeks, knows what a "kitty" is. It doesn't matter what we are doing, but if we say, "Kobe, where is the kitty?" He seriously searches the floor until he finds one of them. He might not look for Mom or Dad, but will look for the kitty. :)
The other day I was rocking him in the chair. He looked up at the wall behind the chair and smiled. Ummm...what would have prompted this? He did this more than once. After much pondering, I realized the girls' pictures were up there. Call me crazy, but seriously what else would have prompted the smiling? This kid takes EVERYTHING in and missing nothing.
It has been 2 weeks since our doctor's appointment in Sioux Falls. She wanted to recheck his labs. His liver numbers were still a tad bit high, but nothing like they were. Thank goodness. Maybe getting the salmonelle out of his system helps to get the blood work until control. He had 2 people holding him down during the lab work. When we were done, I picked him up and he instantly stopped crying. Yes! He must know his mommy!!! :) He looked at one of the people that had held him down. His lip came out and he cried. This kid is no dummy! He knew they were part of the pain.
4 days after we came home, a doctor recommended him for Birth to Three. (A program to help with delayed children) We knew he would be developmentally delayed with being in instutional care. (even as amazing as Hannah's Hope is) We had our meeting 5 weeks after being home and he is average or above in every area. That is how much ground this kid has made since we have been home. Unreal!
Kobe's new game is rolling, rolling, rolling. He was doing this a bit ago, but nothing like he does now. I realized my floor is not near clean enough after he rolled all the way across it. His shirt picked up plenty of fuzzies.
Tooth #1 and tooth #2 broke through this week. :)
The last day of school was yesterday. It was a very bittersweet day. It will be nice to be home more often as a family of 5, but I am sad that Kobe/Mommy days are over. Let me tell you...some days were very long and hard with just the two of us. Now we have settled into a new routine. I will miss our days together. I really sometimes have a hard time sharing my baby. #1--I'm used to having from midnight until 7pm with him just in my care. #2--We have waited so long for this little blessing, I don't want to let him go. #3--He is changing so fast, I'm afraid I'll miss something. I was gone for a few hours yesterday to help a friend. Kobe was hanging with Dad. He was starting to get fussy. As soon as I got home, all was well. He was the longest that I had been away from him. We need to slowly ease him into life outside our house. We need to slowly ease him into being away from Mom. It is a great comfort that he was fussy after I had been away for awhile. That proves to me that he knows his Mom. That is what makes the first weeks/months at home such a challenge...to get him to understand Mom is Mom and Dad is Dad. We will be here always! We will meet his needs! We will not leave him! Kobe may be a baby, but he has been through so much in his short life. We need to prove to him that we are here for him. We are seeing some great signs of attachment. Yeah, God! Since he seems to pick up on things so quickly, I think we are on the right track for attachment.
Thanks to all of you for being understanding during this time of yet another transition for this little man. After the stories I have read about others that have brought their children home, we feel even more thankful that Kobe is such a laid back, relaxed, and easily adjusted baby. We haven't had too much "grieving" to deal with and believe me...this little man has gone through plenty. His behavior could be so much worse. So many have bouts of inconsolable crying. After all, they have been yanked from every thing they have ever known. As I look back, I see God's hand more and more in this whole adoption story. Kobe is a PERFECT fit for our family and God's timing was PERFECT!! I am so blessed to have had 5 weeks a home with my little angel before the chaos of summer hit. Yes the wait was hard. We knew it would be worth the wait. We knew God's timing would be perfect. The wait was still extremely long and painful. Wow! It is amazing! God was working every single detail out in this adoption. It is true that God's plan for us will not be late by one single day.
