All Gone

We are having a great time here in Illinois. The weather has been great. Justin is FINALLY back in the fields today and will hopefully make up for lost time and get the fields planted. My attitude adjustment this week has done wonders for me. It probably helps too that the house is finally back in order and I feel a bit more caught up with ‘things’. On Wednesday of this week Blake and I joined Madison and her class on a little field trip. We walked uptown to the library, to an autobody shop, gas station, and to the park to eat lunch. It was great to spend time with her. This stay-at-home mom stuff is tons of work and sooooo much fun!

Blake continues to be happy and easy going. I would say his favorite thing to do is to talk on the phone. He will talk to anyone he can (even himself). It doesn’t bother him one bit that the person on the other end has no idea what he is saying. Brady and Madison would claim that Blake’s favorite activity is opening and closing doors. It is quite the obsession. On another note, we believe we have already broke Blake’s habit of sucking his fingers at night. This can be a ‘controversial’ topic for some. Some feel that you should allow children to such their fingers and thumbs until they grow out of it. Justin and I felt that it was having an effect on his palate and shifting his teeth so we have helped him break the habit. So far so good – we’ll see if we have any regression.

Blake will try to repeat anything you ask him to. We are constantly talking and telling him to say this and say that. Earlier this week he finished his oatmeal and he looked at me and said, “all gone.” My face lit up and I asked him what he said and he repeated “all gone.” Well of course this got a big reaction from me because he said this on his own and completely out of the blue. He loves getting big reactions from all of us so now he is sure to tell us whenever anything is “all gone”. Today at lunch we even heard, “pasta all gone” and “corn all gone”. It is fun to see the progress he is making.

Blake also enjoys meeting new people. Several people have said that they weren’t sure if they should call or visit because they wanted to give us time and not overwhelm him. We actually were prepared to stay home and keep his ‘world’ small for a bit so he didn’t get overwhelmed, but he enjoys seeing new things and meeting new people. He doesn’t get over stimulated and shut down or act out. When he does get nervous he will ask me to hold him, and that is enough to sooth his nerves and he is all smiles from then on.

Next week we have our first post placement visit with our social worker. Russia doesn’t require a post placement report until 6 months after court, but the state of Illinois requires one within 30 days. There are still paperwork things I need to do and haven’t gotten to yet, and I believe Justin and I are thinking of readopting Blake here in the States. Illinois doesn’t require that we do that, but some states do require it. I need to do a bit more research, but I think we may go through the legal paperwork just so there are no issues later for him.

I will leave you with a few pictures. But first a big thank you to Abby and Corindy for their visit and thoughtful gift. And if you could take time to say a prayer for the Chatterton Family it would be appreciated. Specifically I think praying for peace in their hearts is appropriate.

Here are Blake and Madison playing at the park during the field trip on Wednesday. Just FYI – Blake a little over 3 ½ years old. The little shorts he has on are size 6-12 months!

Again, I tell you this guys cracks us up. He found the glasses that went with Brady’s Elvis costume and Madison’s baseball hat. I am glad he loves to pose for pictures.

M&Ms are a favorite for Blake so I try to use them to count and sort and say the colors etc… (We are seriously talking to him nonstop). Today I counted out the last of the M&Ms in the package with him and then got up to take the dishes to the sink. I hear Blake say “Mom” so I turned around and he was grinning from ear to ear and proudly showing me that he sorted out the candy. I love it!!!