So Much to Share

We have had a great week around here! After his crazy-fussy weekend, Kellin suddenly turned into a much happier kid. Don't get me wrong, he still fusses and whines plenty, but somehow he just seems more settled and happier overall. Maybe he has finally adjusted to his new routine, maybe he even let go of some trauma from his past - whatever it is, we'll take it!

We've noticed that Kellin is much more confident in public lately. We went to a fall/harvest-type festival last weekend, and a science museum yesterday (pictures below), and Kellin chose to WALK around (some) at both places! He doesn't seem nearly as overwhelmed by crowds and noise as he used to be. Huge step forward!

Kellin's language is still inching forward. He is regularly adding new signs to his vocabulary AND maybe starting to verbalize a bit. A few days ago, he definitely said, "All done, all done" when he finished eating (however, he has not done this again) and this morning, I thought maybe he was trying to copy a couple of the words I said.

Kellin is becoming a rock star with those "put in" tasks I started working on all those months ago. He puts shapes into the bucket and plastic coins into his treasure chest toy pretty easily. I think it might be time to up the challenge - maybe he could start to put the shapes into the correct holes on the shape sorter? (Up until now, I just took the lid off and all he had to do was drop them in.)

Kellin climbs up onto the couch and ottoman, and onto our laps, by himself. He is getting much better about climbing in and out of his booster chair for mealtimes. Sometimes he walks down the stairs without holding our hands (he puts both hands on the wall instead).

On a few occasions, Kellin has taken a BITE off of a cracker. This is a HUGE first for him! The eating progress continues to be slow but steady.

I am going to put in some pictures here, but please continue reading to the end, as this post ends with me going into my "advocacy" mode and I really want you to see a couple of very sweet waiting boys. :-)

Fall Festival:

Peek-a-boo!

Rabbit and Pooh

It was a VERY windy day!

Train ride!

Best one of all four of them - not bad!

So much fun on the train!

Trying out the bike course.

Look how calm he is. :-)

Did I mention it was windy? Look at his hair!!

Science Museum:

Making giant bubbles

Light-up wall!

And more light!

I love the look of wonder on her face.

Pull hard!

Best way to look through a microscope - with your cheeks.

Touching fossils

Pooh too

That's a big astronaut!

Working hard

Kellin wanted to try too

And . . . happy in the light!

And random pictures:

These three worked with Daddy to build a Lego Millennium Falcon!

Goofy glasses from the science museum

Kellin loves to stand up on the windowsill and look out at the sunlight. Don't worry, Rabbit is right behind him.

Happy boy!

Kellin climbed up on the couch all by himself!

We thought maybe this could be Kellin's Halloween costume, but he did NOT like the hat!

Shouldn't all children have the opportunity to have these kinds of experiences? Even if they are orphans? Even if they have special needs? Even if they live halfway around the world?

Meet Shepard.

http://reecesrainbow.org/99191/shepard-2

Shepard has a sad story. He is two years old, has a resolved heart condition, and has vision issues. It is not known exactly how much he can see. His adoption was recently disrupted in-country. What that means is that his family traveled to China to adopt him, spent 24 hours with him, and then changed their minds and left without him. The reasons given were that it seemed that his vision appeared to be poorer than they were led to believe, and that he exhibited some autism-like behaviors. I saw a video of this little guy, made during those 24 hours his family spent with him. I can tell you that Shepard has WAY more skills at two years old than Kellin did at his Gotcha Day at age 3 1/2 (and look how far we've come!). I saw Shepard walking, eating, touching toys, and cuddling. He looked incredibly sweet. It is possible (but certainly not guaranteed) that those autism-like behaviors are simply institutional behaviors that are very typical for orphans, especially those with visual impairments. So Shepard once again waits. I hope and pray another family steps forward for him soon.

The other little guy here is someone I have featured before. This is Robbie. Isn't he handsome?

Robbie is perhaps the most special waiting child to me because I had the great privilege of meeting him when I was in China picking up Kellin in January. I felt an instant connection to this little bundle of energy, who grabbed my hands and chattered away. The staff told me he had a family coming for him. I thought of him often over the next months, wondering how he was doing and if his family had come yet. It hit me hard to learn this summer that his family was unable to complete his adoption. And the facts are that Robbie is five years old (an "older" boy) and he is visually impaired (for some reason, one of the least chosen special needs by adopting families), which means that his chances of finding a family are realistically not too good. However, I HAVE to believe that there is a family out there for him! My impressions of Robbie were that he was bright, talkative, social, and active. Robbie lives at Bethel, an amazing foster care program for visually impaired children. He receives good care and good education. However, in China, this only guarantees him a good "right now," not necessarily a good future. His visual impairment and orphan status are difficult obstacles to overcome in China. I desperately want this little boy to know the love and care of a family. I believe he would bring so much joy! I felt the joy radiating from him just in the few minutes I was lucky enough to spend with him!