Mid - January: Ethan decides this walking thing is for him.
Haven't posted in a while and I thought I should update. Ethan started taking a few steps for his nonni while we visiting them over the holidays. That progressed to letting go and walking on his own to climbing furniture within just a few weeks. Next week he turns 18 months so we are excited to see him take off!
While he was in this motor stage he wasn't very interested in learning to sign or talk. But once he got pretty stable on his feet he started repeating "ma ma" and "uh huh". Now he makes a little "e e e" sound for monkey. Doesn't seem like a lot but it is huge progress.
Emotionally, Ethan is much happier, secure and loving after 5 months at home. I am so happy to see him explore on his own and interact with family and friends. He loves to play peek a boo, catch (with a real football) and smiley faces with everyone who will pay attention.
Nyla has also come a long way in the last couple of months. We had some really rough times with jealousy and smothering Ethan when she thinks someone might be paying too much attention to him. She still struggles with this, especially now that we have a speech therapist coming to the house 2 days a week. We are working through it day to day, some days are great and others are still really tough for her (& us). She without a doubt loves her brothers but being the middle child is not easy especially when you child like Nyla Mei!
Liam has also come a long way. Although not as verbal with his feelings he also had a hard time with the new guy in his room. Now he gives Ethan big hugs and kisses and I know he loves him so very much.
I am still amazed by Ethan's progress. Of my 3 children, he definitely had the greatest physical delays. Emotionally, I believe the nanny was wonderful in bonding with him and showing him love. Physically, he was undernourished and although he had the desire to play and move, he lacked the nutrition and energy to do so. I know there are many people out there that question when we should be adopting children from other countries and taking them away from their home and culture. But when you see first hand what a difference you can make in the life of a child, it is hard for me to agree with this. I wish my kids could have grown up with their birth families, I know that would have been the best thing for them, but that wasn't their fate and we are trying our best for their sake. To end this on a good note, we are very lucky and we know it!
