Yesterday was our one-month anniversary of being back home from China with Hui-Hui. It’s been an amazing time in our family’s life. There has been a lot of change in our routine, and even more change for Hui-Hui, but the addition of a toddler to our family has been less disruptive than I had thought it would. There is more clutter about the place, and we are a bit more housebound, but he has actually brought a calming rhythm to our lives.
It’s also amazing to see how he has changed. He is much more confident and assertive than when we first got home. I joke with Tina by asking if she’s seen that quiet, cooperative, little orphan that was around here a month ago? That kid’s pretty much gone. We now have another wacky Ocheltree boy in the house!
When we first got him he was so helpful when we dressed or diapered him, holding out his arms or legs, laying still. Now he runs away, and wiggles all over when you catch him, much more like what I remember from our first two.
At mealtime when we first got him in China, we had to feed him. Now we are not allowed to touch his spoon. He has also gotten over the non-stop eating. He will usually eat a pretty big serving, but when he’s full he stops, and sometimes he will balk at eating anything, even when we think he should be hungry.
His overall energy level seems much better. I think this can be attributed to being rid of the intestinal parasites, as well as better nutrition. We have him on vitamin and iron supplements, and pump extra nutrition and calories into his food by using PediaSure and formula powder. He still only eats soft foods, but we have him on a pretty good diet, so we’re not worried about the chewing thing yet. He will see the doctor again on Friday, so we’ll have an accurate weight check then, but he looks like he is starting to round out a bit.
When we first got him home he had a real hard time using ride-on toys, like his Little Tykes car. He had trouble straddling them and getting on or off, as well as difficulty pushing them. We actually acquired 3 different models, trying to find something he could use. Now he’s quite proficient with all of them, but prefers the Little Tykes one because it’s good to use for standing on when climbing to get things out of reach.
He still looses his balance sometimes, but we see much less of that “drunken sailor” gait that he had a month ago. He runs the loop through our house with confidence and loves being chased, especially after bath time when all he has on is his hooded towel.
He still is apprehensive around the animals and doesn’t like it if the dog is between him and us, but he is no longer terrified by their presence and will even smack the dog around a bit if she’s laying down and we are there to back him up.
All in all, it’s been a really great month we’ve had a number of adventures and we are looking forward to the ones ahead of us!
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