Our first cruising week!

Abbie's "Promotion Sunday" moment of moving to the 4-5 year old classroom


A lot of things were added to our schedule this week along with a lot more structure to our time. We've started cheer leading through a local church sponsored program, preschool and Anna's gymnastics. We started home school last week with a new curriculum and so far so good on that. I'm racking up the miles on my car, but things seem to falling into place. We still have one more gymnastics class to add for all the kids and we're adding a home school coop on Fridays. The kids are noncommittal about the coop and I'm nervous because I have to teach a class and don't consider myself a classroom manager at all. I think I'm in for some growth/stretching this year. Hopefully they'll like being a part of the coop. It's kind of an experiment for our family. Of course this time of year I seriously weigh all options for the next year and wonder what we'll end up doing.

I am happy to say that with the adjustments made (see last blog), Wyatt had a very good week. Abbie and he are actually playing together peaceably more often than not and he is learning to share. I am seeing the strengthening of one trait I picked up on a little those first few weeks home - he is a caregiver. He indicates through motions and sometimes English when a family member (even Abbie) still hasn't been given food for a meal, or their vitamin or whatever he knows everyone should be doing together. He seems genuinely concerned by his communication and the look on his face. I think he'll make a good husband and father someday if that's what he chooses. For now, our biggest challenge with him is in the form of church. He doesn't do well yet with unstructured nursery playtime during the service. He grabs a toy or goes after someone else's toy that he desires and then its like watching one of those wild animal shows where the one lion has its captured prey and is watchfully keeping the other lions at bay. This does not go over well. I sang with the Praise Team Sunday and since we decided maybe the best option was to keep him in the service, he was up in the balcony for most of the service, then decided he needed some Mommy time and took off running. I looked up during offertory in time to see him climbing up onto the platform with us. I ended up having him with me for the offertory and last song. Thankfully most of the comments I've heard from people is that they found it very amusing. I know this nursery thing is going to take an earnest amount of time to resolve. One day he'll surprise us by getting along with the others and that will definitely mean a MccyD's celebratory stop after church!

We're in the middle of corn silage harvest here and Wyatt and Daddy have been in "boy" heaven harvesting together out in the fields. Wyatt is so intense about grabbing his shoes and snack and running out the door with Daddy. He's so important! When he comes home again, he walks in the house like he's 16 years old and his confidence level is sky high. He seems peaceful then (if I tried to put a word to it.) Mike and I marvel at God's provision as it seems He reached into China and plucked out the little boy who ended up literally being a "little Mike" in his interests. Nothing interests both Mike and Wyatt more than machinery that moves. The bigger, the more power, the better! They even grunt like "Tim the Tool Man Taylor" when they're together. Its entertaining to have another "man" around the house to say the least.

We're at cruising altitude now (I think)

Abbie loved her first day at preschool! Wyatt was very worried about why we left Abbie at that building with all those little kids and just exactly what was she doing there. He became very naughty on the car ride home until all of a sudden he said, "Abbie working" and I said "yes". His eureka moment. No, we didn't leave her at an orphanage or wherever else he was worried about. We dropped her off at "work" and we would have her back "later".

I've discovered that he becomes very naughty when he's stressed. His behavior was so sweet last week while he was sick (all the experienced Mom's chuckle now) and then he came back with his horns showing on Saturday and Monday. I prayed. God jogged a memory of a dear friend of mine talking to me about training my green broke horse years ago. (I'm famous with my children for relating child raising to horse training - they think its a hoot.) Anyway, she said that if the horse is acting up, most of the time its the trainer's fault. So I started thinking "what have I done differently this weekend" and all of a sudden it hit me....less face time. When Wyatt was sick, I held him, talked to him, face time galore, doted on him. Then when he recovered, I was waaaaaaaaayyyyy behind in work and hit the ground running (my house looked like Florida post hurricane season and there were bills, taxes, sick loved ones, etc.). I was treating Wyatt like a kid who'd been here years and he acted out. So as any parent will tell you, each child is an ongoing experiment... I tried giving him more face time today, more hugs, more intense attention and wow, what a difference that made. We had a good day today! Abbie and he played together really well for them! Isn't God amazing? I asked and He reminded me of training horses :o) See kids, God agrees with me that horses and children aren't so different after all.

We received an appointment for Shriner's Hospital

We just got a call that Shriner's in Boston will review Wyatt's case and evaluate him for treatment in September. We are very excited about this!

I waved the white flag today

We started our home school year this morning... it started with a short Bible story. So far so good.

Then Anna and Abbie began to simultaneously ask questions about their work while Wyatt scrambled between the two to figure out what was going on. Abbie demanded to work in a spelling book (she doesn't know her letters yet) while Wyatt demanded to be like Abbie, though judging by his expression, he wasn't sure exactly what he was asking for. I bravely set everyone up in their spots with crayons, books, pencils and paper and we went to work. Within 10 minutes, a fight ensued over the crayon box: Wyatt was done with coloring, Abbie was done with Wyatt and Anna was cranking out the work with a deaf ear and blind eye. 10 minutes later, the Abbie/Wyatt match was heating up, Anna was still working, and I was beginning to get that gut feeling inside that this was not going to work out as visions of chaotic months ahead flashed before me. 10 minutes later, Abbie was yelling while Wyatt was silently throwing up all over himself and the carpet (he had a fever too) as Abbie continued to expound on what's hers (everything) and what he cannot have (everything). I cleaned up the vomit, cleaned up Wyatt and began speaking what has become a mantra for Abbie - "share PLEAZZZZZZZZZZE". 20 minutes later, Abbie and Wyatt were separated to their respective rooms for quiet play while I checked on Anna's work (finally). I really wanted to hide in the closet at this point. So I did what any sanity craving home school mother would do...I got out the yellow pages, found a church preschool I knew was good and called immediately. Do you have any openings pleazzzzzzzzzzzzze. It was meant to be because this preschool, which normally has a waiting list and students signed up years in advance, happened to have an opening for a 4 year old! We went to open house tonight and Abbie is very excited to be enrolled in preschool!