Kellin Update!

It's been nearly 10 months since the day I met Kellin. And if you figure that his life essentially started that day (and in many ways, he was a lot like a very young infant), it's pretty amazing what he's accomplished in these 10 months.

Eating:
Then - ate only from a bottle, and not always very happily; rejected many new flavors; did not hold his own bottle; had a complete meltdown if any food was put into his mouth from a spoon or finger; could not chew at all
Now - eats from a spoon and is able to lift the spoon to and from his mouth (needs help scooping the food); drinks from a sippy cup; feeds himself finger foods (only hard, crunchy foods right now, but working on others); chews cereal, crackers, muffins; has foods that he actually seems to enjoy (Cheetos and Oreos - the kid loves his junk food!); has recently learned how to take a bite off of a piece of food

Sleeping:
Then - slept a few hours here and there; fussed and rocked in his crib for hours each night; could not be calmed by being held, cuddled, rocked, etc.
Now - nearly always sleeps through the night (9-10 hours)

Touch:
Then - did not like being touched or cuddled; would go limp or stiff when picked up because he was so unused to being held
Now - loves to be held, hugged, and cuddled; seeks out people and holds up his arms to be picked up

Moving around:
Then - preferred to lay in a fetal position; sometimes pulled to standing in his crib; with his hands held, would stomp his feet on the floor like an infant does; could not sit or crawl
Now - sits, crawls, stands, walks independently in familiar places and with a hand held in public; walks toward people and toys; climbs up onto the couch and into his booster seat, and back down; walks up and down the stairs by himself (both hands on the wall or railing); just today, I watched Kellin walk around the living room, climb up on the couch and then back down, climb up on a chair and back down, walk through the dining room and into the sunroom

Using his hands:
Then - would only touch things if I brought them to his hand; would not grasp any objects (I still remember the day we were out for a walk in Guangzhou and someone handed Kellin a piece of paper - and he held on to it briefly - I was so excited!)
Now - holds many toys and moves them around, turns them on; picks up food and puts it in his mouth; touches walls and furniture as he walks

Favorite activities:
Then - laying on his right side in a fetal position; playing with spit; poking his eyes; did react sometimes to singing and being tickled
Now - musical toys, splashing in water, looking out the window, doing the actions to many songs, being tickled, swinging, playing with gooey stuff like yogurt and shaving cream

Communication:
Then - did not respond to any words in Chinese or English, even his name; made a few random sounds
Now - understands many simple commands (stand up, lay down, sit down, step up, step down, pull pants down, walk, hands down, no poking, touch the wall); understands many words and phrases; waves "hi" and "bye-bye;" uses several signs to communicate (all done, please, window, swing, drink, blankie, mama, dada, cube, on, music, more); uses gestures to request his favorite songs; makes many sounds (but no real words yet)

Dressing:
Then - laid limp while being dressed and undressed
Now - pulls pants up and down; takes socks off; mostly independent in putting on and taking off shirts and coat; helps zip and unzip coat; holds out feet for shoes to be put on

Really, if you think of Kellin as a 10-month-old (the amount of time he's been with us, his family), he's doing great!! What will the next 10 months bring?!