3 Months Home!

I realized this morning at church that today was 3 months home exactly!

There are times when it feels like he's been in our family forever and there was no "life" before him.

And other times I hear words like "I have to go pick up my son from school" or "Why are you holding your bottom, do you need to go potty?" and I think.......Wow....That sounds....really... weird.

Okay so potty talk might always sound weird, but you get my drift, ya'll!

3 months home and I am continually amazed by Marvel. I feel immensely blessed to hold him each night as he falls asleep or have him confirm (after I've said it) that I love him or I'm proud of him. He is truly an amazing. Amazing. child.

In the past few weeks, we've had a lot of firsts:

*  Marvel started going to school ALL DAY last week and made the transition like it was no big thing at all and we were all crazy for watching him so carefully! I shouldn't have been surprised. Ya'll all remember how well he did on the First Day of School afterall!

*  The temps dropped to the 30s and 40s (Fahrenheit) this week for the first time. Based on our experiences and what we've read, this is probably the coldest temperatures Marvel has ever experiences. And, of course,that sparked another "first"...

*  Emphasis! Marvel has started telling us things with Emphasis!. For example, today he told me his hands were "very very VERY cold" and last night, as Moses was about to knock something over, I heard a quick repetition of "nononono NO!" followed by an "Oh nooooo" ;-)  It's been awesome to watch him determine whether or not something deserves emphasis and it's so exciting to see him adding this to his repertoire of language (which is growing by leaps and bounds daily)

* Complete sentences. Used to, when Marvel wanted to talk in long sentences (like most people do) we would get a series of repeated phrases..."Mommy, daddy-where is it? I don't know. daddy where?" or "Moses, outside. let moses out, Moses backyard?"  It was obviously quite hilarious to hear and a lot of fun to copy ;-)   Of course, we knew that season was going to be short, especially with his language building at supernatural speeds.... and much to my funny-bone's dismay, this week, Marvel came up to me in the kitchen and said "Mommy, I need some water please."  The Husband has also started calling Marvel by a nickname and Marvel often responds "[Nickname] is not my name! My name is [Marvel]!". Most recently, we've even heard  "I'm", "It's" and "don't" a few times! It may not seem like anything unusual for children who learn a language in the normal way but for later-English-learners, it's a pretty big deal when they start using words like "I" "You" and "And".....so when they begin using contractions? Break out the confetti! Because that is HUGE!!  

*  Marvel has decided he LOVES Pizza. This makes life a lot easier because after he decided he no longer liked eggs (who would after eating 2-3 a day for 2 1/2 months?!) and before pizza, I had no idea what to send in his lunchbox when he finally went full-day! Most parents might scoff at sending mini pizzas each day with their child but I know for sure he will choose not to eat if the food hasn't been approved. We've chosen to give him control in the food department (since we single-handedly took away any control he had before when we picked him up and flew him halfway around the world and required him to learn a new  language) and I want to know he ate SOMETHING during the day, so pizza and corn-on-the-cob it is!!!  This week he has said he would try corn dogs and hot dogs and has asked for cucumbers in his lunchbox which encourages me that we are continuing to make great strides in the food department!!

*  Association: We've been trying since we brough Marvel home to get him to make associations with people/relationships by asking "who are your friends at school?" then listing several names we recall from the first days or showing pictures of his ET friends with their families/siblings. He picked up the parental association quickly "Marvel's mommy vs. Orange's mommy" but he's recently started telling us the names of friends at school and remembering his teacher's name when I ask him a generic "who is your teacher?". This week, he's started pointing at strangers in the store and saying "Mommy, baby, I don't know?" to which I respond, "That's right, Marvel, you don't know that baby!" =)

Genius Child, I tell ya!! =)

* He loves Moses more and more each day and showers the dog with hugs and kisses! He was so excited to celebrate Moses' first birthday this week and buy him a new bone and, as I type, they are sharing the kid-couch with Marvel laying across Moses. Best Friends, he would tell ya!


All in all, we're making great strides in language, food and trust-building and hopefully building the foundation of safety for him to begin working through everything he's been through. I've made a story book of the adoption to give him some opportunities to open up about how he felt during certain shared experiences.

We are always reminded that we may never know where these amazing traits we watch blossom come from but we reverently remember from whom they come....

Favorite Food(s): cupcakes, pizza, strawberry milk, cucumbers, apples, carrots and pancakes/bacon; french fries; butternut squash soup; 
Favorite Person: Moses (our dog). He also loved spending the weekend with his cousin K1 and told me they were "best friends" as well =)
Favorite Color: Green
Favorite Show(s): Jimmy Neutron, Avengers, Iron Man, Dora and Diego
Favorite Phrase(s): "Aww Man", "Mommy, I love you!", "Moses, Move!", "It's Dinner-time!", "What is it?", "I see it!", "Mommy, crazy?", "I think so"
Favorite Sport: Soccer
Favorite Thing(s) To Do: Help cook in the kitchen; do puzzles (currently doing 24 piece puzzles!); play Memory; dress up like superheroes; play soccer

First time riding a horse!



First Fair rides!!!



First time sleeping all night in his own room (with cousin K1)