Don’t tell Alex, but we spent the evening cuddling on the couch and watching tv.
(Alex is spending the night with Granny and Pop in the hotel.)
Month: October 2012
I will admit I have bought the boys some matching tops (and we’ve been given some). However, the ones in the pictures below are random circumstances. Teague is wearing a shirt my Mom bought for Alex several years ago. Alex is wearing a shirt we were given by a friend with older boys. As I was going through their closets looking for church clothes I realized it was the same shirt. I asked Alex if he wanted to wear the same shirt as Teague and he said yes.
We tried to leave Teague in the nursery and he didn’t do so well. There was only one nursery worker, one preteen helper, and eight kids under the age of two. I didn’t feel I could leave a screaming Teague – especially since I wasn’t sure he would stop crying. I eventually just stayed in the nursery with Teague. He would leave my side and have fun for short periods before getting concerned and needing a hug. We’ll continue to work on this one.
I didn’t attempt to get a picture of the boys till after lunch and Teague was more than ready for a nap.
Alex and Pop playing in the rain.
Wade got this bike out of the attic for Teague. He hopped on and started making circles around the house.
Alex couldn’t wait for Granny and Pop to arrive yesterday. He has kept them in constant motion. His two favorite games are to move “chicargo” into his rocket ship bed (which requires Granny to get up in the bed) and to chase bad guys with flashlights (when they are caught they are flushed down the toilet).
Granny and Pop were nice enough to watch Alex while Teague had his first doctor’s appointment. We started at the International Adoption Clinic at Children’s Hospital. Teague had quite the audience with a doctor, nurse, resident, and psychologist attending. They did a routine exam and then scheduled a bunch of standard appointments (hearing test, vision test, lab work, and a visit to Teague’s pediatrician). We went ahead to the lab and that was a disaster. I knew it wouldn’t go well, but it required two nurses and three different needle sticks – poor boy!
Alex convinced Pop to help him with some coloring.
Teague loves music and today discovered the guitars.
Granny and Pop arrived today!
One of the items in Teague’s last care package was a recordable book from Hallmark. Wade and I recorded ourselves reading alternative pages. It was the only item from the care packages that Teague’s foster mother returned. It is also currently both Teague and Alex’s favorite book.
Part of the bedtime routine.
Bear with me. I’m sure I’ll get tired of these shots eventually.
Today we had our first post placement visit. The social worker from our adoption agency has to visit and write a report at arrival, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. All four of us had to be present for the visit and our social worker was sweet enough to bring gifts for both boys. Overall the visit was not a big deal. She had a lot of questions on Teague and his adjustment. Then she “interviewed” Alex. He was really good about sitting and talking – especially since his gift was a Scooby movie he couldn’t wait to watch. My favorite moment was when the social worker asked Alex what he did when Teague took his toys. Alex immediately answered, “I go tell Mom or Dad to get it back.” This is not what he does in practice, but it is what we have been telling Alex he should do. Talk about coming across as a very well mannered 3.5 year old! Gold star for Alex.
Alex recently realized there were new games on my iPad (bought for Teague and the long flight home). He’s been begging to play for days and I finally gave in.
Teague will eat anything, but refuses to drink milk. His foster mother told us he still got three bottles of formula a day. I’m experimenting to see how I can transition him to milk in a sippy cup. My latest attempt is all milk with a single scoop of formula (opposed to 5.5) in a bottle. We got to the doctor on Friday and I’m hoping for more suggestions.
Wade and I have both been amazed at how well Teague is adjusting to his new life. Everyday we see more and more personality. Below is a quick run down on Teague.
Sleeping – This was my biggest fear. We knew Teague co-slept on the floor with his foster parents and weren’t sure how he would react to being along in a room and in a crib. The first two nights were awesome. He slept alone with no problems. The next few nights he would wake up crying every hour. Sometimes he would need a pat on the back and sometimes he would need an hour of rocking to go back to sleep. I’m happy to report that the last few nights he has only woken up once and just needed a pat on the back.
Eating – Teague will eat anything and everything. So far he hasn’t turned anything down and usually eats double the amount Alex eats. I’m not sure if this is his normal behavior or a coping mechanism – maybe both. We are just going with it and letting him fill up on fruits and veggies. We were told by the foster mother that he took three bottles of formula a day. With the way he eats this seems crazy, but he won’t drink milk. He loves water (in a suppy cup), but throws a cup with milk. I’ve even tried putting the formula in his sippy cup and he won’t touch it. My current course of action is lots of dairy (cheese, yogurt, etc) and one bottle with milk and a scoop of formula (which he is fine with).
Bathing – We were told Teague loves a bath. The first one we gave him in Korea he loved. Then we got home and he screams and fights and gets quite upset. We tried letting him take a bath with Alex. I tried taking a bath with him. Our current solution is a shower with me every other day. When we are more settled I have some ideas to try, but it’s been so easy to shower that we are going to stick with that for now.
Attachment – We read books and talked to people about attachment in detail. I was prepared for it to take a while. I was prepared for Teague to attach to Wade first (which seems to happen quite often). I’m happy to say this is going great! Teague definitely prefers Wade and I to other adults. Given the choice between Wade and I he will choose me. He will spontaneously give hugs and ask to be picked up. He comes to us if hurt or scared.
Talking – Teague’s foster mother said he knew 10 words in Korean. I think I have recognized “appa” – father, but I’m not sure. Teague has continued to babble more and more each day. We know “ooooh” means car – he gets very excited when he sees one drive down the street. Tonight I was pointing to Madison and said “Woof woof”. I know he tried to imitate the sound, but it was way off. He is definitely beginning to understand English. Teague will wave when you say “hi” and “bye”. He also knows it is time to go upstairs when I say “night night”. My other favorite word to say to Teague is “pop pop”. He will immediately grin, squat down, and pretend to pop bubbles. (We did actually blow and pop bubbles the second day he was home.) Most of the parents I have talked to said it took at least a few weeks to get English words. We are all taking bets on his first English word. My guess is “car”.
Alex was determined to pick our pumpkins and pull them in the cart.
(Which was a huge help because I was pushing the stroller.)
Teague is still a little unsure of the leaf piles I keep putting him in.
Today was Teague’s first Tour Club outing – Glacier Rock Farms. (If I had realized this was an hour away I probably wouldn’t have signed up for it. It was fun, but Green Meadows Farm is closer and better.) Teague did really well in the stroller most of the time and even got out to pet some of the animals. Alex and Abby had a blast running here and there and everywhere.
Thankfully both boys stayed awake until we got home. They both took naps and then we went outside to rake some leaves. Amber, Abram, and Grant joined us before too long. Abram and Alex come up with the craziest games – they wanted to “ride bikes” into the leaf piles. Then they got stuck and would just sit on the bikes. Silly boys.
We decided to wait one more week before taking Teague to church. Instead we tried a new brunch place with Dad and Laura. We all agreed Cafe At The Plaza was great (and child friendly). Dad and Laura left for the airport and we all settled in for a Sunday afternoon nap. Then we decided to embrace the fall waether with a trip to the park. It turns out Teague loves the slide! He got quite mad when we were ready to leave.
How nice to run into a friend from church at the park!
Teague created his own “seat” for the football game.
B had the best toys!
(I was cleaning the basement out a few weeks ago and found this service station that belonged to my Dad as a little boy. My Meme was great about saving his toys and I have quite a few of them.)
I have the feeling we will be seeing a lot more of this. Teague absolutely loves the animals. (I caught him in the same pose with Tabit earlier in the day.)
Alex was so excited to have B and Lori come for a quick visit. They arrived this morning and Alex proceeded to monopolize B’s time. Teague was his usual happy self and followed Madison and the food around. Madison knowns my Dad is always good for a pet and joined him on the couch. A few minutes later Teague was up there and then they were both laying on B.
It’s universal. All little boys love garbage trucks.
Alex had one more place he couldn’t wait to show Daddy on his week off – the museum where you change the tire (otherwise known as Betty Brinn). I was pleasantly surprised at how empty the museum was – normally there is quite a crowd. They were opening a new space – a vet clinic and even had a vet come in with his dogs to talk to the kids. Teague loved the real dog and Alex loved working in the clinic just like Pop.
Alex wanted to be in charge of pushing Teague’s stroller on our walk tonight.
When Teague got quiet, I sent Alex to find him. Alex reported back that Teague was laying down and sucking his thumb – normally only done at nap time or nighttime. I quickly went to investigate and found this.
Wade did a little computer magic for me and now both boys have their own “Picture of the Day”. If you go to www.littletoadfrogs.com you can see both boys’ daily picture. For only Alex’s blog click here. For only Teague’s blog click here. (Or they are listed on the link listing to the right.)
Alex has been enjoying his kindermusik class, but his favorite part might be the new book he gets to borrow each week.
Teague loves to eat – anything! He couldn’t wait to try some of Alex’s popcorn.
Big brother haircut to show Teague it’s no big deal.
First haircut (in the US).
Best friends having deep discussions (or playing Batmobile).
Teague has no interest in loveys, but carried around Wade’s portable cell phone charger all evening.
Wade has taken the week off work so today we introduced him (and Teague) to Green Meadows Farm. Their fall season is officially open so we even got pumpkins!