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As of 7:00 pm, I have a little boy sleeping on my couch, and that makes today a success! Our day started out a little rough. We were a bit nervous as they were getting ready to bring the kids to meet us in the hotel lobby. I think Ty was sleeping in the van, but he soon joined us as well. They took a few minutes to go through the things that were sent by the foster family to us and said their goodbyes to the kids. This would be the last time they would see them. It felt very final, but completely freeing at the same time. Our son was a crying mess, and I don’t blame him. I can’t imagine what it would be like to be 2 and be pulled away from everything and everyone you know and love… and not have any words to be able to communicate. He is one brave little boy, even with all of those tears. He has been putting on and taking off his shoes all day, mostly when he is crying. I don’t know if that is one way he feels like he can be in control of his situation? We’ve just complied. He will come to sit in my lap to put them on though which is really sweet, and if we are putting pull ups or pants on, he holds on to both of my shoulders to balance himself. It’s the little things that mean a lot to us right now. 🙂
We had a solid hour of nothing but crying, no matter what we did, but we eventually were able to get him to calm down by having him lay in my arms and drink his bottle. From that point on, we saw a very different little boy. We went and grabbed lunch and he was chatty and ate well. He LOVES watching cars go by and gets really excited about big trucks. We were warned that the kids might not eat since they were nervous, but he had a bottle and 1/2 a meal at the Moon House, so that was exciting for us. While we were there, he loved giving high fives, and he loves mimicking Aaron with sounds he makes.
Following lunch, we just tried keeping busy, so we let him lead. He held both of our hands and walked us all over the hotel property outdoors. He is really talkative and his voice is so low and really adorable. He’s quick to smile and laugh too. With only so much ground to cover at the hotel, we thought a trip to the infamous Lumphini Park might be a good idea, so we packed him up in the carrier and were off. He LOVED being in it. He would hold on to Aaron’s shoulders (even though he didn’t have to) and chatted with us the whole way there, waving at everyone as we passed and wai-ing to people as well. The park was a huge hit as well, especially the swings and the slide. He is all boy… he loves moving and climbing and had a blast checking things out. We had SOOOO many smiles and laughs today and really didn’t think we would see that for at least a few days, so we were thrilled with how today went.
Coming back to the hotel, we thought we might spend some time at the pool, so we grabbed a few toys for him to play with so we could all cool off a bit. He loved splashing in the water, but was pretty hesitant at first. His only nap today was in the van ride to meet us, but we thought if we kept him busy long enough, he might sleep really well for us tonight… we’ll see how that theory goes. As 5:00 rolled around, he was starting to get sleepy and with that came renewed emotions from this morning. We had another couple of hours of crying tonight, and we did our best to keep him calm and comforted. He is coming to both of us to pick him up and hold him, so that is fantastic. He looks us right in the eye every time he is saying something, even if it is demanding to go home. It’s sad to see him hurt so much, but I don’t know how to make it better either. He looked absolutely adorable tonight in his new elephant pj’s that we got him, and we spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch with his bottle and blanket that I had sent in one of his first care packages. It took a while for him to wear down, but he finally quit fighting sleep and started sleeping peacefully on the couch… where he is still… I’m a little afraid to move him. 🙂
Tomorrow is a new day and I am sure we will have many of the same hurdles with some more smiles mixed in. Our day starts early at 8:15 for our Thailand adoption board meeting, so please pray for a good night’s rest tonight for all of us! We are falling more in love with this boy daily and are thrilled with all of the progress he is making so far! Very thankful.
