July Update

A whole month passed this time, oops. Here are some highlights:

JCG's birthday camping trip was actually enjoyable (?!). We ate s'mores, slept in a tent overnight, and thoroughly enjoyed the campsite, it was very child-friendly, complete with a little playground for just the kids' age. My favorite memory was teaching him how to sing the Happy Birthday song inside the tent before he fell asleep.

I have to say that his 4th birthday, first together as a family, doesn't feel like as big a deal as our first family birthday will be (09-09-09). This is apparently very common with adoptive families, especially new ones. We'll have a party in the park and invite lots of people to that one!

He is talking more and more: "no school today" "watch this, Mommy" "want to eat" "don't like it", etc. etc. Two and three word phases are becoming more common. He babbles a lot, many times incoherently to me, but that little mouth is working. I just marvel at him, it's hard to put into words and details often don't come to mind, but every day he is clearly gaining speed with language acquisition.

We took a family portrait the last week of July. It was so much fun! I'm glad we did, and plan to do it annually as he grows. We got some great shots of his expressive little face. I'm hoping I can buy the proofs and upload them to the blog. Cross your fingers!

JCG got to take swimming lessons at the U. of St. Mary for two weeks in July. He improved a lot - learned how to hold onto the side of the pool by himself without fear, blow bubbles, and kick his legs. He's not into lying on his back or doing the arm motions. He's a water baby - next summer I want to get him in more than one session of classes!

As for the two of us, we just keep on bonding. He is getting more independent and sure of himself, though in new and unfamiliar situations he definitely sticks close to Mom. I'm his mother. I'm his mom. It is still sinking in. One night we had a severe thunder/lighting storm, and he woke up pretty terrified, and came running to my room. I put him in my bed, and he was asleep and snoring within about a minute. It was remarkable to me that he was so easily calmed and able to fall asleep with me. I felt a mixture of amazement, responsibility and wonder that night. If I touch him, he is all good.

Sometimes people still ask who his "real" mother or parents are, and I want to scream, "It's me, of course!" His birth parents we know nothing about, his "real" mom we know everything about.

Still, he spent 3/4 of his life in the orphanage before coming home to me. I have spent only a 1/4 of his life with him to date. It's hard to wrap my mind around that one. It feels like we have been together a very long time as far as our intimacy level goes. At the same time, sometimes the way he holds a bowl or spoon when eating is so Chinese, he was clearly socialized there in many ways, and there are still little reminders. We continue to listen to his Chinese language lullaby CD's every day. I hope he is at least retaining pronunciation and some vocablulary. He'll be able to start Chinese classes this year and I'm starting to shop for schools. Luckily KC has some good options. An Asian family I know from church who adopted a daughter from China a bit older than JCG will be starting soon, so I'm kind of following their lead.

More later!