3 weeks home!

The buffalo were only about 20 feet away running by like we weren't even there.

I actually climbed to the top of the rocks! It was beautiful!

This was Brian's favorite part. He loved walking in the water once we convinced him it was okay to wear his sneakers in the water.

I can't believe 3 weeks has gone by already. It feels like we just got home a few days ago. Things are going good. Brian is on his 5th day of school. He has a hard time getting up in the morning but if you wake him up by playing with him, he is fine. His favorite thing to eat for breakfast is rice with butter, sugar and milk. We let him pick what he wants for lunch as long as it has a main meal and fruit or vegetable. He loves jelly sandwiches but no peanut butter. Tiffany eats only peanut butter sandwiches with no jelly. Every day, Brian asks to have pizza for dinner. Of course, we have to tell him no but he tries.

This past weekend, we went hiking in the Wichita Mountains. We had a picnic. It was beautiful. The buffalo roam freely there and while we were eating, a bunch of buffalo came running by. There were only about 20 feet away from us. It was amazing. They definitely are used to humans being around because they just ran on by like we weren't even there. On our way back down the mountains, Tiff jumped off some rocks and twisted her ankle. Daddy had to carry her about 3/4 of a mile on his shoulders down the mountain because she couldn't walk on it. We had to take her to the ER the next day to get x-rays and they said she sprained it. She was on crutches for 3 days and is doing okay now.

Well, I am not convinced putting Brian with a teacher just because she speaks spanish was the best thing to do. For the past 4 days, when I picked Brian up, I asked how he did. Well, yesterday, she said since he is so far behind, she had him do something else well the other kids worked on phonics. She said she didn't think he could spell words with the sh sound and then walked away from me. I felt like it was too much of a bother for her. It looks like we are going to have to have a meeting with the school. We were also told the ESL teacher would call us to discuss what we need to do and that was 2 weeks ago and nothing yet. We get the feeling that they feel since it is so close to school ending why bother to teach him anything now. We are working with him in the evenings with sight words and the alphabet but after being in school for 8 hours, he really doesn't want to do it again at night. I honestly wouldn't want to either but we have explained to him that he has to learn his alphabet. I think I am going to get the Hooked on Phonics computer program to help him. He loves using the computer and that might get him more motivated. We will have all summer to work with him so he will be ready for 1st grade in the fall.

First day of school!

Brian walking to school on his first day of kindergarden.
Brian couldn't wait to go to school. He was waiting outside for me to hurry up so he could get there.

Yesterday was Brian's first day of school and it was a success (at least for Brian, not mommy)! John woke Brian up yesterday morning and the first thing he said was "School today?" I didn't think enough time passed for the chicken pox to heal but John insisted we let him go. On the way to school, I kept telling John that we needed a note from the doctor saying he could go back. John of course said no we didn't. When we got to the school, we took him in the front office to say he was here and to see the nurse. She said he was fine to start. John thinks I was hoping she would say we needed a doctors note and that he couldn't go today. Maybe he was right.

The kindergarden classes eat lunch at 1040 so I told the teacher we would be back then.

Boy, 2 and a half hours sure went by reallllllllllllllllllllly slow. I kept looking at my watch. I was thinking that Brian would be missing us. When we got there for lunch, he acted all embarrassed that we were there. Of course, we were the only parents there so I guess that is why. John told him we would leave and he just said "Bye-bye!" I was heart broken but at the same time happy to see that he was just fine. We stopped by to ask the teacher how he was doing and she said he started to get a little restless but with her help, he did his work. Every morning, they put their stuff up and them get a blank piece of paper. On this paper, they have to write the sentence that is on the board and then color the sheet. We are not sure what he did the rest of the day but it must have been fun because Brian couldn't wait to get to school today.

Before school today, we had his follow up doctor's appt. All his lab work came back okay except for one thing. Something about possible allergies. They want to recheck that blood work in a few months and see if it has cleared or if he will need to be allergy tested. He now can get his last 2 shots and his immunizations will be up to date. Since he has started school, he shots have to be current so we couldn't help to get them already.

On another note, we have started the readoption process already. We filled out the paperwork yesterday. Since Texas doesn't require a 6 month wait since Brian is already legally adopted we have decided to do the readoptin here rather than our home state of West Virginia. John and I are both residents of West Virginia but are in Texas due to a military assignment. We had the choice of either state. John really wanted him to have a WV birth certificate but once we weighed the pros and cons, it would be cheaper and easier just to do it here. Also, by doing it now, Brian's name will be legally changed by the time he starts 1st grade and there won't be any problem with using Brian rather than German. Everybody who sees his name has pronounced it just like it is spelled so he doesn't respond to that since his birth name is actually pronounced Hermahn in Colombia. Oh, by the way, my little boy is now writing his first name by himself!!!!!! He is learning so fast and I am so proud of him.

Tiffany is doing much better too. She is started to feel more relaxed with him and acting more like a sister rather than a mother figure. Tiffany is also doing really great in school and I am so proud of her.

First major melt down!

Daddy and Brian played their first game of catch.
We were convinced this was Brian's first time getting a bath. He was so excited.
Tiffany and Brian at Lucy Park.
Poor Angel doesn't get any rest now.

Well, it has been almost 2 weeks that we have been home and Brian finally had a major melt down yesterday. We knew it would be coming but we didn't know when. It started when John asked him to put on his socks and shoes so they could go in the backyard and play. That is all it took. Brian just like freaked out. He screamed for a long time. We tried everything to calm him down but to no avail. It only lasted for ohhhh about 2 hours. John and I took turns holding him and talking to him but nothing was going to satisfy him. It was almost time for dinner and we thought what a bear this is going to be but suprisingly, he sat down and ate like nothing happened. I guess there will be things we won't understand that he does. We just know that we have to be there for him and let him know that no matter what, we are not leaving him.



Okay, enough about that. Brian is doing much better with the chicken pox. He is not itching anymore and most of them are scabbed over. We took him to a park this afternoon to ride his bike. We figured everyone would be in school and the poor kid needed to get out of the house. We were the only ones there and Brian had a good time. We also played some baseball. Brian is using more English already. We go back and forth with English and Spanish. Everyday, we have him sit down to learn his ABC's, colors and numbers. He is doing much better. He can say over half his ABC's in order and is counting up to 16. He is having a little difficulty with the colors orange and red but is doing much better with the other basic colors. He knows his shapes also but not in English. He is not as far behind as we were told.

One week home!

Well, we have made it through the first week without any major incidents. Brian (this is what his new name is going to be) is adjusting quite well. He is doing much better with listening. He doesn't like time out or going to bed so I think that helps. We registered him for school yesterday and he was supposed to start kindergarden today. Notice I said supposed to start today. Well, he woke up this morning with CHICKEN POX! I took him to the doctor right away and he thinks it was from the vaccination. I told him Brian was exposed to chicken pox 2 weeks ago but he said from the way it looks, it was from the shot. So, Brian will not be going to school for another week. We went out last night and bought him a lunch box and a few school supplies and he was so excited this morning. I felt so bad. Although, the selfishness in me said wow, I get another week of him home with me. The bad thing is, we can't go anywhere or really do anything because the doctor doesn't want him exposing other kids.

Even though Brian will be 8 in October, they want him to do kindergarden for the rest of this year just to get him used to being in school and not to overwhelm him. In August he will start 1st grade which is what I was hoping for. He will only be a grade behind according to US standards. He is a quick learner and it is easier to step him up if needed rather than bring him back a grade.

Haircut!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I took German to get his haircut yesterday and the only thing I asked Patty was, "How do you want it cut"? She didn't care so I had Harry skin the sides and back and take a good bit off the top. He did very well while getting his haircut, never movedor squirmed. When we got home, Patty and Tiffany both just about fell over. Needless to say, Patty was not expecting me to get his hair cut like mine. I love it and have been laughing at Patty and Tiffany since yesterday.

Here are a couple of pics of his new haircut!

WE ARE HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, we have made it home safe and sound. Actually, we have been home for 2 and a half days now but this is the first chance I have gotten to get on here. German was so excited to come to the US until we had to get in line at the airport. He threw a tantrum. I don't know why but I am guessing he got scared. Once that was over, he was fine until we started to descend to Atlanta. His ears hurt really bad. I tried to give him gum and at first, he wouldn't take it but then he did. I tried rubbing his ears and that seemed to help a little. I think we actually had a bonding moment there. THe second flight went much better because he fell asleep before we even left the ground and didn't wake up until we were already in the descent. He did really good with the 2 hour drive home.

I couldn't wait to show him his new house and room. Well, German was more excited about the dog. He loves Angel. The first night, he kept calling Angel to come sleep with him. She did for a little while and then went to her normal sleeping spot with Tiffany. Tiffany was a bit jealous at first because Angel went to German. On Thursday, German and I slept in late. John picked us up after lunch so we could go register him with the military and get his insurance started.

Of course, all the paperwork we had was in Spanish so we had to get his birth certificate translated into English before they would allow us to register him. After that, we went to the hospital to get him enrolled in the healthcare system. We then made an appt with pediatrics. Since German had an infection when we met him, we wanted to make sure it was cleared up. Well, they did his physical, lab work and started his immunizations right away. I was so worried. He had only been here 2 days and had to go through this. German was a real trooper. He laughed during his bloodwork. They had someone there who could speak Spanish and that helped him a lot. The immunizations was a different story. They gave him 5 shots and he still isn't done. Since we didn't have any medical records on him, he has to get everything. We thought we would be really mad at us but they gave him some lollipops and he walked out of there with a huge smile.

Friday night, we went to eat and to the store. He was really excited. We let him pick out 2 toys at the store and he was happy. German does like to touch everything though and then he will say "WOWWWWWWW!" really loud. We know it is just because he hasn't been exposed to the things we have. I hope we are not putting too much on him yet. This weekend, we are just relaxing and playing at home. Tiffany is sick so she has been in bed all day. Tonight we are going to try family night. Our tradition had been that every Friday, we would order pizza and watch a movie. Since we didn't do it last night, we are going to try it tonight. I am hoping to give him one more week home with me before I have to register him for school. He wants to go because he sees Tiffany going and yesterday, we picked her up from the bus stop.

I have so much to do before I go back to work and he has to start school but I can't find the motivation to do it. I just want to spend time with him playing and doing what ever. I want to give him a chance to be a kid and get used to our family. Well, I will write again in a few days to let you all know how it's been going.

WE ARE COMING HOME!

German and I are coming home tomorrow! Monday, we applied for his US visa and I picked it up today. We are completely done!!!!!!!! I can't believe we were only here 17 days. At times the time went fast but then other days, it was very slow. German and I are very excited to be able to see John and Tiffany tomorrow. This may be my last post for a few days until we get settled. I want to thank everyone again for the comments and seeing us through the wonderful process. I can't wait to write about our days at home.