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Coming Home
May 22, 2009
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April 28, 2010
Wednesday,
April 28, 2010
ONE YEAR POST ADOPTION REPORT
Well hello everyone!
Unbelievably, we find ourselves getting ready for Ethan’s one
year anniversary since he came into our lives – our first Gotcha
Day marks an amazing celebration for us. On the one hand, we
can’t believe a year has gone by already, and on the other, we
can’t believe there was ever a time before Ethan (yeah, I know,
like you haven’t read that a hundred times….but it’s still
true). To sum it all up, he is a light, a joy, a constant gift.
While I can’t ignore we all had our own transition period simply
just getting used to being a mom of two or a family of four, for
the most part, I have to say, it’s been 95% smiles and
gratitude. And I know deep within my heart, we are so very very
lucky to have him.
To mark the occasion, and to avoid just being a saccharine sweet
bore, we thought we’d just include a few excerpts from his one
year PA report (with a few edits here and there):
Health Update:
Specific to his special need (congenital heart disease) Ethan
had one minor surgery as a temporary measure to address his
aortic stenosis and mitral valve regurgitation (leakage). The
procedure involved placing a balloon in his artery to facilitate
blood flow and relieve leakage (called a balloon arterioplasty),
all done via a catheter. The surgery was performed one month
after arriving home, at the All Children’s Hospital here in St.
Petersburg, Florida. Since the surgery, five follow up visits
with pediatric cardiology specialists have occurred as part of
the ongoing monitoring. He also underwent a series of scans of
his arteries, brain and blood flow. All tests came back
revealing that Ethan is, for the most part, very healthy. You
can also just tell by his photos that he has grown
exponentially, and he is strong as an ox. And wait until you
read about his activities. You would never know he has any
condition at all, and we remain hopeful that his open heart
surgery (for either a valve repair, or worse case, valve
replacement) can be delayed for as long as possible (the doctors
say it could be as long as waiting until he’s a teen!) He will
be seen for monitoring now every 3 to 4 months.
Physical Development (motor coordination, favorite toys,
hobbies, and activities): Ethan is incredibly active. He
plays tennis weekly (which he absolutely loves) and he just
started swimming lessons. He has a strong throwing arm, can
often catch a ball, and he can hit a ball with tremendous power.
He loves to ride his bicycle – fast and for fairly good
distances, for extended periods. Similarly, he is a very fast
runner. He loves climbing, playgrounds, the slide, the water,
anything with a bat and ball. He also enjoys music, dancing and
singing. He tried violin lessons for a bit, but we believe he’ll
have more concentration for lessons next year. He has an
excellent sense of balance as well as hand/eye coordination, and
he loves to jump or hop.
Language Development: Vocabulary, transition to English
language: The Developmental diagnosis is that Ethan is a
normal, healthy little boy with excellent social, cognitive,
relationship, play and communication abilities. He is highly
verbal, and VERY communicative (he is CONSTANTLY talking!). He
has an outstanding understanding of the English language –
recognizing 99.9% of what is addressed to him. His ability to
articulate words clearly is slightly delayed; however neither
the Developmental Specialist, nor the speech therapist, nor his
teachers feel the need to start him on speech therapy. They all
have confidence that his school and activity/experiences will
continue to facilitate his ability to address any issues he has.
The speech therapist will reassess Ethan’s language and speech
development in September 2010.
Emotional Development:
Ethan is the most loving, snuggly, gentle little boy, but he
also has a strong sense of self. He loves to be held and hugged
by both Mom and Dad. Mom is for cuddles, Dad is for fun and
laughing. He loves to be with his dad, and likes to know
everything he’s doing. He laughs this adorable, gut-centered
laugh with everything Gregg does. At the same time, he
oftentimes just comes up to kiss me, and he likes to come into
our room at night and crawl into bed to cuddle. He also likes to
be read to before going to sleep, and he’s gotten into the habit
of “reading” to himself when we leave the room. He also loves to
tease, and he oftentimes just cracks himself up laughing.
He adores his big sister and mimics everything she does or says.
When we pick her up at her school, he literally runs into her
arms and gives her hugs. He loves to play with her, be with her
in her room, and last week, he crawled into her bed to have her
read to him and he fell asleep in her bed. However, he is no
pushover. If she raises her voice to him, he raises it right
back to her. |
Ethan Turns 3!
Cool Dude, Astronaut Ethan at NASA
Ethan and Daddy in matching tuxedos
Ethan and Emma all dressed up
With cousin
Justin
Always ready to play |
He still challenges us, but if
a voice is raised to him, he just raises it right back and
yells, “OK!” or announces “No Loud Mama!” He, on the other hand,
can be incredibly loud and will run laps around the house
yelling at the top of his lungs. We haven’t seen a temper
tantrum in well over 6 months, and if he’s whining, it’s usually
because he’s tired or hungry. His most recent favorite yell is
“Buzz Lightyear to the rescue!”
He’s been left with a babysitter, even by himself with the
sitter (Emma wasn’t with him), and he was fine with it. He waved
bye-bye and apparently went on playing after we left the house
(having said that, the sitter was someone he knew VERY well).
He has friends at school – as much as 3 year olds have friends,
but he clearly has a couple of favorite boys he likes to play
with. He is attentive and interactive at circle time, music time
and in the playground. He engages with all activities.
His favorite types of indoor toys are balls, trains, cars,
airplanes, any kind of riding toy, a developmental laptop,
phones, musical instruments, coloring (he’s starting to color in
the lines), lego’s and building blocks. His new infatuation is
anything to do with Buzz Lightyear . He’s starting to show an
interest in puzzles, and we find he even tries to write his name
– he’s getting good at writing E’s
.
He likes to watch Little Einstein, Backyardigans, Phineas and
Ferb, anything with Mickey Mouse and Friends, and he has started
attentively watching movies – Disney animated movies, but also
movies like the Sound of Music and High School Musical (clearly
influenced by his sister.) He also likes to play the Wii with
his sister and father.
Assessment of the Child’s Adjustment in the Family: Ethan
is incredibly well adjusted. He says “I love you too” whenever
we tell him we love him, and he’s always ready with a hug. He
says “Please” and “Thank you” regularly. He smiles and waves to
people, but he’s very comfortable saying if he’s scared of
something or if he doesn’t like something (not in a whining way
– he’s just letting us know) He is gentle with the dog. He
sometimes just dances around the house and will cock his head
saying“I bappy mama – eetan bappy” (translated, “I’m happy
Mommy, Ethan happy).
As a family we read books together, travel together, eat
together, take drives, go to the movies, watch kid friendly DVDs
or shows, play with Lego’s, do puzzles, go to museums, the
acquarium and markets, bike ride, walk, and his favorite place
is now Disney. He announced yesterday however that its time to
go by-by again in a plane. He has bonded very well with Dawn’s
sister (his Aunt Ellen) and her family (especially his cousin
Julia), and he’s bonded with Dawn’s brother, sister-in-law,
nieces and great-nephews (Ethan’s 2nd cousin is a year older),
and we are all taking an extended family trip to Disney in May,
as well as one to Maine in July.
For books we have several about adoption and about China (what
Ethan refers to as his “babies from China” books), which he
likes to read, but he also likes books that have to do with
automobiles, whales, boats, airplanes, Rudolph the Red Nosed
Reindeer, and Mickey Mouse. Lately, he has become fascinated
with the moon, particularly after the Autumn Moon Festival, and
reading the book We See the Moon.
We attend all cultural activities offered by the FCC-TB, and we
frequently eat at Chinese restaurants (as well as other ethnic
restaurants.) We are hoping to get him more exposed to Asian
professionals, particularly professional men – something Dawn
will work on (starting with USF). We don’t think he’s ready yet
for Chinese language classes, but we’ll look into those in the
future. Ethan’s preschool is a Montessori school that has a lot
of diversity and celebrates a variety of holidays and customs.
In fact, during the week leading up to Chinese New Year, his
class made lanterns, Year of the Tiger art projects and danced
to Chinese music
Someone actually asked me the other day (sadly, in front of
Ethan), “What would have happened to him if you hadn’t gotten
him?” I replied with all sincerity that I know Ethan would have
been adopted and loved, and a million families would have wanted
him – we just got really lucky and were fortunate enough to be
the ones chosen.
I really believe that. I don’t know what we did to deserve such
a special little boy, but I’m not questioning our good fortune.
In fact, when I see our children together, I feel that way about
both of them. So, on the eve of the day one year ago that we
flew into Beijing to end one journey, and begin another, all I
have to say is Thank G-d – for all of it. If you could meet
Ethan in person, you would know what I mean, instantly. His
sparkle, his dimples, his smile, his gentle kiss, and that sweet
little voice and wave of his hand. He is truly a blessing and a
gift. From a time of so many tears (that seems like eons ago),
to a time now of so many smiles, this really has been a journey
of a lifetime. ….and now….well……they lived happily ever after.
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