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First of all, let me say how thankful I am that we are now functioning with 0 social workers and 0 appointments in our day. I am thankful that both exist so that we can make this whole thing happen, but it is so freeing to not feel like I constantly have someone looking over my shoulder. You can’t create any kind of a routine like that and some time away from Bangkok is just what was needed.
Our evening was another rough one. A good night’s sleep would do us all some good and I am hoping that tonight will be it. Our son has been going to sleep around 7:30, but then wakes up at 10:00 & 12:00 for bottles, and then another handful of times before waking up around 5:00.
Morning brought with it cloudy skies and rough seas… just the way I like it. The waves crashing outside are hitting the first row of lawn chairs and that’s about 10 feet high off the water and maybe 20 feet from our front porch. Since we weren’t sleeping, we decided to grab some breakfast and holy wonderfulness. First off, we had the whole area to ourselves – everyone in their right mind was still sleeping – but it gave us our choice of any table. We enjoyed our time together outdoors, overlooking the whole property and the ocean beyond. The buffet is massive and offers everything you could possibly desire – even nutella and croissants – whaa hoo. By the time we were finished, it was pouring down rain, so we spent a little bit of time exploring the main building before making a run for it back to our room. Fantastic start to our day and my perfect kind of weather. We spent some time reading books and playing in the room before we got in a nap for Ty (woot woot) and we got a chance to facetime with a friend from home. So refreshing to see faces you know and love when you are far from home.
After his nap, the rain had let up, so we spent some time on the lawn, playing with his blocks and playing catch. He is such a boy and already loves hanging out with his dad. It was pretty hot and muggy today, so we thought we would take another stab at pool time. Thai kids apparently never go swimming at this age. It is beyond me why they wouldn’t since it is unbearably hot most of the year. Aaron and I both got in and let Ty splash around a bit from the deck, but then he realized that it was really fun to dump water all over Aaron. The two started splashing each other, and after about a half hour, he was brave enough to step in the water (about a foot deep) and start playing. By the time we were done, he was walking all over the shallow pool and we were having a great time together as a family.
We might be insane, but we got this idea in our heads when we booked this hotel that it would be a great place for a mini photo shoot. We should have known from all of our years of experience working with families that a photo shoot with a 2 year old is never easy, but we thought we would try anyways. Aaron spent some time with Ty so that I could shower and get ready all by myself – never saw that as a luxury, but wow did that feel good – while the two of them had a dance party. I’m telling you – completely different kid than we were with the first few days. I can’t say the photo shoot was a complete success, but we did end up with a handful of great photos that we will have to remember our time here together in Thailand as a family.
For tonight, we headed into town for dinner at Divino’s in town and then walked around Cicada Market after. It’s magical – tons of food vendors, street performers, lights in the trees. We didn’t spend a ton of time there, but we loved it. We grabbed a tuk tuk to get back to the hotel (his first with us and he loved it, of course) and arrived to a storm coming in over the ocean. Lots of thunder and lightning – so beautiful. We had a great surprise at bedtime tonight. We put on his pj’s (which he was pretty excited about – they have dinosaurs on them), got a bottle ready, grabbed his blanket, and Aaron read a story – it was normal! He loved the story, and then I laid there with him for a few minutes, but left him awake and he fell asleep on his own! Another HALLELUJAH! moment.
I am not counting on anything at this point, but it feels like we are making progress. I can’t tell you the number of appointments he has had to sit through, the long car rides, the change of schedule, new people, new everything, and I am amazed at how well he is really doing. Any time we are walking, he wants to hold one or both of our hands (Aaron and I). He gives kisses freely, loves to sit on our laps, and likes to snuggle. He is constantly making eye contact and laughs easily. It makes us hopeful.
A ginormous thank you so much to all of you who have toddlers and wrote me encouraging notes yesterday and the day before. It was a really good eye-opener for me, realizing that this isn’t just a hurt kid, he’s just a kid. They can be moody, tempermental, and completely unreasonable. It was good for my heart to realize that it wasn’t just me not knowing what to do. Thank you for allowing me to feel normal. Your words were exactly what I needed to hear.
I feel like today was a breakthrough for us. For the first time since Sunday, I felt like we were a family today and it felt really good. Aaron has been there since Sunday, I think, but it took me a little longer. I think part of it for me is just realizing what our new family is going to look like. Our days ahead aren’t going to all be smooth, but we are making progess and are really starting to just enjoy each other. Thankful.
Random note : There are fresh flowers here everywhere. Cut for our breakfast table, desk, and pillows at night. Potted orchids all over the place. Love it.
