Monday, October 22, 2012

Three! (and other stuff)


Our little L turned three this past week.  I know I've said it before, but the fact that we got to celebrate his birthday with him was one of the biggest gifts we were given in the timing of the adoption.  Choosing just the right present (a Big Wheel) and finding a cake he likes (a brownie--he's not much of a sweets boy just yet) was fun and something we had dreamed about for a long, long time.  We had family over for a small party, and I teared up when we all sang the happy birthday song.  He absolutely loved the attention, and our families were generous and thoughtful, and I think were as excited as we were to be at his party.  It's been a long time coming. 





Checking out his new dump truck and school bus.

 
Getting ready to blow out the candle.

 
Post-party roughhousing with Dada and cousins.  These were some tired kids at the end of the day!


We also had our first post-adoption home visit, which must happen in the first month of custody per China.  The visit went really well, and I was far less stressed than homestudy visits of the past.  Of course, I still cleaned like a maniac, but some things will never change. 

We took L to the pumpkin patch as well, and I think he enjoyed it although sometimes I think he must think we're a bit nuts.  He loves pumpkins, though, and insisted that we not only purchase one for each of us but that we pick out one for Maggie (our dog) as well. 





Fun at the pumpkin patch!

 
Happy Mama






Happy Dada 


Things here continue to go pretty well, actually.  Over the past week or so, L has started to show some real interest in learning English.  He's now repeating most of what we say, and is holding things up so we can tell him the English word for it.  In the past, he usually corrected us when we would tell him an English word --he'd look at us like we were just a bit slow, and repeat the word in Mandarin.  It's complicated, this whole international adoption thing (understatement, yes).  We are dying to communicate with him, and since he talks constantly, we would really love to know what in the heck he's saying.  But losing his native language is sad--it's a big, big loss.  There are certain little catchphrases he says that have now entered our vocabulary that we don't want him to lose, such as "Baloo!" which means stinky and is accompanied by a funny face.  We have lots of video of him speaking Mandarin.  And we need him to have some vocabulary to communicate with those around him, and our Mandarin is pretty limited.  So we're working on it. 









7 comments:

  1. The pictures are adorable--I love the pumpkin patch ones! And Happy Happy Birthday, I am so glad you got to share that as a family.

    The loss of language is so sad, but it sounds like you are working to learn a few phrases. Are there any native speakers you could get him together with on a regular basis to help him be bilingual? Just a thought, though I realize probably an overwhelming one...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Have you read www.becausetheheartisfulltobursting.blogspot.com? She also writes about the sadness of her daughter eventually losing her native language (Amharic in her case. It is so hard to try and keep the language when it is not around you every day. I tried to send my daughter to Chinese school when she was little, and while I thought is was a great idea and opportunity, she found it frustrating and in the end, futile. A few random words (thank you and hello)...and a great desire to learn French and Spanish...now in high school.
    He is a beautiful boy and I am so happy for you. Enjoy all of your days.

    ReplyDelete
  3. He is just beyond beautiful! You all are glowing, and I am so happy for you!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY little guy!!!! What a wonderful thing to be able to celebrate that milestone together. You all look wonderful together!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Seriously, I have tears in my eyes. There is something about this post that is just so beautiful. I don't know if it is seeing how happy he is - or just how you are glowing and beaming as you hold him, but it has hit me that you are a MOM! And how hard these last few years have been and now he is here and YOU ARE A MOM! I am so happy for you. The birthdays, the pumpkin patch, Halloween....now you get to celebrate all that with your son. Amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so incredibly glad that you were able to celebrate this birthday together! I know it was something you were really looking forward to. I'm happy to hear that things are going relatively well for you three. May the good times continue!

    ReplyDelete
  7. What a beautiful family. You 3 look so natural and happy together! I'm so excited for you all. You're finally a mom and dad!! Yay!!

    ReplyDelete