It's hard for me to find the time to write and to feel like I have info worth reading. But, it is fun, at least for me, to read back on the progress that Vasa is making and we are making as a family. We are approaching our year anniversary of our pick up day-so crazy-and our court day has passed. It was June 3. We have now officially been Vasa's parents for a year. He has made so much progress. He speaks very well, I think, especially if you know that he has only been speaking English for a year. He uses his pronouns correctly now and is starting more conversations. His latest conversation starter--what is your favorite food? I respond (homemade chocolate chip cookies or pizza) then ask him and he answers either a banana or ga-loot (russian word for yogurt). It has been one of the few words he has hung on to. We need to get our rosetta stone going or something to expose it to him again. He really is just lacking in vocabulary when it comes to speech--mostly from lack of exposure. Example--today he sees someone's fan on the ground outside and says, what is that? One of his sisters also told him about what a limousine was. Each week, he seems to know just a little bit more.
He is very outgoing. He has to comment during any conversation--even if he knows nothing about the content. He is also in the 3 year old why stage. We must hear that word 75 times a day. One of yesterday's conversations--I say-we are going to swim today at the pool. Why?-v Me-because it is fun. V-I want to go to the car pool. Me-I've told you, car pools are not pools. When your friends go to carpool at school, they are not swimming. Their moms just don't come in to get them like I do. We pick up your sisters in the car pool-a teacher just puts them in the car-there is no pool. V-why? Because we have to pick them up. Ok, honey, let's head to the pool. V-why? You tell me why? v-because I like the pool. Circular conversation going nowhere.
He is very imaginative. He is constantly arresting us for doing things and taking us to jail. I have to pretend I'm mommy bird and he is baby bird. He lines up chairs and says he is on a train. He likes to pretend we have alligators or sharks threatening our lives. He has enjoyed having his sisters to play with this summer. He keeps taking dd's new play high heels. He wants them to pretend that they are mommies. When we went to disney world a few weeks ago, he wanted to have the pirate paint on his face. It was really cute when he kept saying, "Ho, ho, ho". We had to say, no, that is santa. Pirates say this...
He has a very contagious smile and we have had many people tell us that they want to take him home. Especially when he adds the word my in front of their name. It does melt your heart. He is a natural charmer and wants all eyes on him. He is an entertainer. He is also very loving--he doesn't like to see anyone upset. He wants to fix it.
We have started swimming lessons this week. Have to brag and say he is the star student. He is doing great. I think he loves the clapping and attention from us that he gets, along with being so proud of himself. He is grinning ear to ear each time his turn is over. The other children cry the whole time. He has a little advantage, because I asked her to put him in the 3 year old class because he has had no lessons. Probably helps that he has 3 big sisters that he wants to be like. I think he is also surprisingly gifted in physical stuff. I was shocked to see him skipping the other day. He can also throw a ball pretty hard.
Our struggles right now--he is hard headed and gets impulsive late in the day when he is tired. He gets in trouble for the same things over and over. Minor example--Today, we picked up an ice cream cone. We have had a lot of trouble getting him to eat-talk about that in a minute-so I was thrilled when he said he liked it. Two minutes after we have picked up the cone in the drive thru, I look in my rear view mirror and notice that there is no cone in his hand. Where is your cone, Vasa? I'm not hungry anymore. What did you do with it? I put it down there. Vasa, what are you supposed to do with your trash in the car or food? Give it to you. Why did you throw it down? I don't know-I was finished. Gross. No wonder my kids say my car smells. Dried up milk products in the floorboard can stink up your car. Not to mention that I really wanted a lick of that cone... Sadly, he is learning responses from his sisters--today at the pool when I got on to him about something he said, "But I didn't do anything!" Kind of funny, too.
We are also still struggling to get him to eat. We went to the doctor and he had not put on a pound since January. He is still on his medicine for latent tb and will be until the first of August. I am still convinced that it has to suppress his appetite, because he could care less about eating. He would live on drinks, fruit, and yogurt alone if we let him. He put his head on the table today and cried when I made him eat two chicken nuggets from chick fil a. We have been giving him more pediasures, yet his weight hasn't really gone up. He is so active, though. He runs and plays hard. We are also swimming a lot now, so I worry that he won't put the weight on that he needs. I was discouraged today when I read a friend's blog about her child growing 7 inches since they picked him up a year ago. Vasa has grown a little over 3. Hoping, though, after he is off the medication that his appetite will pick back up.
I am worried about school next year. He will go into 4 year old preschool next year, and I worry that I should have kept him in the 3 year old class. Mainly because he still doesn't stay attentive for more than a few minutes doing table work with me (probably because working on your name and letters is boring) and he also still only knows a letter or two. We have worked and worked on letter a. He told me yesterday it was called circle and a stick. He does know v, he knows his colors, shapes, and a few numbers. I know we'll get there. I just need to let go the worry and concern of possibly having to repeat him. Probably a pride thing for me more than anything.
He is very outgoing. He has to comment during any conversation--even if he knows nothing about the content. He is also in the 3 year old why stage. We must hear that word 75 times a day. One of yesterday's conversations--I say-we are going to swim today at the pool. Why?-v Me-because it is fun. V-I want to go to the car pool. Me-I've told you, car pools are not pools. When your friends go to carpool at school, they are not swimming. Their moms just don't come in to get them like I do. We pick up your sisters in the car pool-a teacher just puts them in the car-there is no pool. V-why? Because we have to pick them up. Ok, honey, let's head to the pool. V-why? You tell me why? v-because I like the pool. Circular conversation going nowhere.
He is very imaginative. He is constantly arresting us for doing things and taking us to jail. I have to pretend I'm mommy bird and he is baby bird. He lines up chairs and says he is on a train. He likes to pretend we have alligators or sharks threatening our lives. He has enjoyed having his sisters to play with this summer. He keeps taking dd's new play high heels. He wants them to pretend that they are mommies. When we went to disney world a few weeks ago, he wanted to have the pirate paint on his face. It was really cute when he kept saying, "Ho, ho, ho". We had to say, no, that is santa. Pirates say this...
He has a very contagious smile and we have had many people tell us that they want to take him home. Especially when he adds the word my in front of their name. It does melt your heart. He is a natural charmer and wants all eyes on him. He is an entertainer. He is also very loving--he doesn't like to see anyone upset. He wants to fix it.
We have started swimming lessons this week. Have to brag and say he is the star student. He is doing great. I think he loves the clapping and attention from us that he gets, along with being so proud of himself. He is grinning ear to ear each time his turn is over. The other children cry the whole time. He has a little advantage, because I asked her to put him in the 3 year old class because he has had no lessons. Probably helps that he has 3 big sisters that he wants to be like. I think he is also surprisingly gifted in physical stuff. I was shocked to see him skipping the other day. He can also throw a ball pretty hard.
Our struggles right now--he is hard headed and gets impulsive late in the day when he is tired. He gets in trouble for the same things over and over. Minor example--Today, we picked up an ice cream cone. We have had a lot of trouble getting him to eat-talk about that in a minute-so I was thrilled when he said he liked it. Two minutes after we have picked up the cone in the drive thru, I look in my rear view mirror and notice that there is no cone in his hand. Where is your cone, Vasa? I'm not hungry anymore. What did you do with it? I put it down there. Vasa, what are you supposed to do with your trash in the car or food? Give it to you. Why did you throw it down? I don't know-I was finished. Gross. No wonder my kids say my car smells. Dried up milk products in the floorboard can stink up your car. Not to mention that I really wanted a lick of that cone... Sadly, he is learning responses from his sisters--today at the pool when I got on to him about something he said, "But I didn't do anything!" Kind of funny, too.
We are also still struggling to get him to eat. We went to the doctor and he had not put on a pound since January. He is still on his medicine for latent tb and will be until the first of August. I am still convinced that it has to suppress his appetite, because he could care less about eating. He would live on drinks, fruit, and yogurt alone if we let him. He put his head on the table today and cried when I made him eat two chicken nuggets from chick fil a. We have been giving him more pediasures, yet his weight hasn't really gone up. He is so active, though. He runs and plays hard. We are also swimming a lot now, so I worry that he won't put the weight on that he needs. I was discouraged today when I read a friend's blog about her child growing 7 inches since they picked him up a year ago. Vasa has grown a little over 3. Hoping, though, after he is off the medication that his appetite will pick back up.
