FB Note from Sept 25, 2010: Adoption update--eight months

Super T has been home eight months today. I cannot say enough good things about adopting him He is the light of our lives. He brings so much fun and laughter. LOTL and Little Pud are crazy about him. They clamor for hugs from him first thing in the morning. Super T's vocabulary and communication skills have exploded (sign and speech.) He is reading 20 sight words (it would be more, but we took a substantial summer break.) He is learning to run. He is learning to jump on the trampoline (instead of just sitting and being bounced.) He can now crawl (an important developmental step.) He now walks around barefoot all the time with good balance even on rough ground. He not only notices the animals (previously ignored), but he loves the cats and always talks about them and to them. He also lets the dog lick him on the mouth, and likes it, but that is not such a positive. A month after his birthday, he still remembers it and talks about it almost daily. He actually watches tv (may not seem like a positive until you have a child who won't sit in front of the tv for even 5 minutes.) He has mostly stopped grinding his teeth. He has decided that he wants to talk as much as LOTL and Little Pud at dinner. He has a great sense of humor (which he always has had) and his joke repertoire has expanded to include the very dramatic (thanks, Little Pud.) He understands everything, and now I realize it. The Down syndrome is really no big deal. Frankly, I am pretty sure that most of the issues we deal with (sensory issues and his self stimulating behaviors like tapping, etc.) have their root in his first 20 months of life, when he was hospitalized the entire time. I try not to think about that too much, because it is just too painful to me. He was much-loved at Mother's Choice in Hong Kong from ages almost 2 to almost 5, and then much loved and in a WONDERFUL family setting at the Home of Loving Faithfulness from age 5 until we picked him up at age 9, so I don't really look on those years with much sadness for Super T, but those first 20 months alone in the hospital bother me if I think about them...so I try not to. I am just THRILLED that he is in our family now. I don't know what we did without him. He is much loved by us all. The struggles of that first month was so worth it...so worth it. I thank God for bringing Super T into my life. People say I have done a good thing and that I am helping him (which I suppose I am) but really, I think I have benefited the most. I love being Super T's mommy. I love having three wonderful kids.