7 month update

Hard to believe it's been 7 months since we've had Timothy at home with us. We are so lucky to have our sweet little guy.

We recently went to the International Adoption clinic for an update. Timothy is 31 inches and 24.1 lbs. He's developmentally were he should be for the most part, with the exception of speech. He has improved from the 10 month level to 15 months, so we are getting there.

The surgery to repair his fistula (opening in the mouth, where he has not completely closed from his original surgery) is next month. This surgery will be outpatient, luckily, and he'll have a lot less done on him this time but I am still dreading it. I was prepared from the beginning for his first surgery (1st surgery with us - c/l repair was done in China before we got him) but I will just die if anything happens to him. I'm dreading this repair and putting him through all that pain again. But it's got to be done, we have to do it to improve his speech as quickly as possible and so he won't continue to learn the wrong way.

Timothy is now the dancing man. That is all that he wants to do. He loves loves loves music. Lately I've been playing him videos from Youtube - Feist with the muppets, Mana Mana, C is for Cookie, and the Lion sleeps Tonight. Would love ideas for other things to play for him.

We now go to gym class every Tuesday which is just an opportunity for me to run after him for 45 minutes straight. Often he will start to follow in the right direction and then something will grab his attention and he'll walk towards the opposite way leading others in his class with him. He loves the bouncy floor where he likes to jump and run and occasionally collide with another little one. Actually he gets incensed by the last part, and cries angrily as if it wasn't his fault. Sometimes all of the kids in the class cry at the same time. But each time he goes he's a little bit better, understands a little bit more and we are able to harness his boundless energy a bit.

He tries new sounds every day. His new words are uh oh - both parts, on, go, mom (pronounced om) and he just said lion tonight. He babbling and happy and will often run from one side of the room to the other and back again just to do it, smiling the whole time.

We had our first time outs - three in one night because he keeps standing on chairs and almost killing himself. One time the chair was falling over with him in it and I grabbed the chair (thinking this would stop both of them) and he continued on to the floor. Did this cure the problem you ask? Not so much. He really fell hard - it was horrible but was fine after a couple of minutes. But after we put him in time out and congratulated him each time he sat correctly in the chair seems to work, for now, not sure it's going to last long.

Video for Lesley

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

This video is of Timothy making his different words and sounds. Seems as if we focused a bit much on having him say "meow".

Hope you enjoy

12 hour camping trip - long post.

I don't know mom, I have a bad feeling about this camping trip

consolation prize

I like the puddles at least

We decided to go to Assateague Island after all on our annual 4th of July weekend trip - the slogan of which is Sacrifice because of the many mosquitoes and other elemental factors. I had deep reservations but Timothy had been sleeping well the last two nights so I threw caution to the wind (more on that later) and grabbed our beach gear and trekked the normally 4 hour trip (with child 6 hours) to the Maryland shore.

I've been going to this event for the last twelve years. Most of the people that attend are from the environmental/non-profit DC crowd. About 150 people come each year and it's really organized from kid's activities, to gourmet meals, dancing, bonfires, talent night. We all sleep in our own tents and converge on a large circus type tent for meals and announcements. Teams are responsible for recycling, trash, dinners and happy hours.

Timothy seemed to like the campsite although he was in a Baby Einstein- induced video fog and hadn't napped. When we got to the campsite he had fun playing in the sand, gave everyone high fives, was thrilled with the ocean and water, ate a great dinner and danced in the tent. He went to sleep immediately. Greg and I read in the tent and passed out as well.

A few hours pass and it starts to rain, no biggie - it always storms at Assateague. But then it gets bad -really lightening, like it's practically daylight in the tent. The winds pick up. Finally it's so bad, Timothy wakes up terrified. I grab him from the pack-n-play and two minutes later the tent is lifted from the ground and we are all shocked as the tent is laying on it's side. Greg yells at me to go to the Big Tent. Others folks from the group were there riding out the storm and helped me try to keep the wind off of Timothy and keep me calm.

It seems silly now but I was freaked out. We've never had a tent blow over like that. It turns out the same thing happened to 12 other tents - a record. Timothy was not happy and wet and very very tired from meds, missing naptime and it being about 11 at night. Plus it was windy and wet. We finally went to the car to try and get him to sleep and Greg pulled everything out of the tent, which wasn't very close to the car, in the windy rain. Since we didn't have a home any longer and there was no way to get a hotel room we drove back home, sigh. We left at 12:45 and got home at 3:15 am. So not much time at the beach. Timothy slept mostly in the car and slept once we got back home. Greg drank coke to stay awake and then couldn't sleep once we got home so unloaded the entire car. The next day we went to a local water park. Not nearly as much fun but he did get to play in the water, sort of. He didn't really want anything to do with it except for the puddles. Plus the water was really cold.