Keep Moving Forward...

This week has been one of drastic ups and downs. There have been immense frustrations and great strides. Many of the downs are simply a result of what else? A lack of paperwork and power. I still do not have anything that says my boys are OURS. I have blacked-out copies of birth certificates and a copy of immunization records. Nothing that says I have the power to make doctor's appointments, change or fill prescriptions or do anything that might further ease their transition. These things I will wait for (oh-so-impatiently) and hope that the will smooth out some f the difficulties. So...I will focus on the ups; the things we can and have done something about.


What has become abundantly clear this week is that our boys feel comfortable in our house. They call it home, and they mean it. They do not ask to speak to their former foster parents, and even when I ask if they would like to talk to them, the answer is almost no. We have begun to settle into a routine. The boys make their beds (success!!) and help us set the table. They play with their sister and say their prayers before bedtime. These things are all a BIG DEAL. 


Our biggest success, however, has been Ethan's transformation over the past weeks. When Ethan arrived, and on all our previous meetings, he was painfully shy. He would turn away from you when you spoke to him, cry at the drop of a hat and he only said "I love you" on the off-chance that he heard his brother say it and wanted to mimic him. We have seen a lot of that change at home. He hugs us freely and without his brother as a model. He smiles--and means it. School, however, was a different story. He was painfully quiet, and became inexplicably angry when he was playing or working. So...we ran an experiment. We had never seen this behavior at home, on the weekends, when he did not get his ADD medication. So, after consulting with his teacher, we decided to try him without it at school. What we saw was...a little boy. He is funny and engaged. He makes faces and laughs at silly jokes. We are eternally grateful for a patient teacher who was willing to let Ethan figure out what to do with all of his energy. But he is, unquestionably different. I do not want to say that he will need medication again. But it has done all of us a world of good to see the little boy that he is capable of being. 


so... we shall keep moving forward...