Hands Full, Heart Full: Month SEVEN

   

     This is the second month that has seemed to go by a little less quickly...and I'm so grateful for that feeling. If I had to pick a month where I've felt like life was a little more "normal"...this month would be it! Admittedly, I have felt more like myself as a mom. The preceding months were largely a blur with numerous appointments, sicknesses, procedures, and behaviors...and all on little to no sleep. I never want to make light of the blessing that adoption is to our family...but this journey has also been full of the most challenging and frustrating moments in my journey as a parent. Adoption is HARD stuff. I am constantly working to be more patient (and trust me, I am presented with plenty of opportunities to succeed and FAIL at this each day) and give more grace without completely losing sight of how far we've come...because we have come a LONG way since July!
     Yesterday, we had our six month check-up with the IAC at Nationwide. In speaking with the team there, we realized just how well Josiah truly is doing since he's been home. Like re-reading this blog, we were able to reflect on all the growth we're continuing to make together. One of our biggest challenges has been behavior and discipline. Our little boy has quite the IQ (read: smarty pants!) and we've felt a bit trapped in how we can effectively teach him appropriate consequences. But the doctors were in complete agreement with some of the strategies we've used and they seem to be helping Josiah understand how to interact appropriately in daily tasks. For example, we had a stand-off in the church bathroom this morning where he basically screamed and hit me for an extended period of time. Basically, we continue to remind him that hands are for "nice touches" and until he signs "All done" and says "Sorry" we don't move an inch. He also has to ask to be held during this time. He refuses to communicate during his tantrums so we're working hard to fix that response. This boy is stubborn...but so is his Mama! Overall, I feel like this consistency is definitely working! It doesn't make the situation less frustrating or less exhausting...but we're seeing positive change. Whew! Here's a quick recap of our SEVENTH month with Josiah Bug!

     These two cuties are still banana-lovin' fools! In fact, they officially have adopted this word in their vocabularies. Their versions of "banana" are quite different from each other though. Learning two toddler dialects is quite interesting!

     At any given time, these two can be found holding hands, hugging, or  kissing. They are rather affectionate towards each other which melts my Mama heart. They are also more than capable of hitting, antagonizing, teasing, and stealing toys. We've even had a couple biting experiences which is a first for our family! Yowza! I have loved watching their relationship grow. They have such different personalities but they truly compliment one another.

     We tried our hand at some snow-painting! Josiah LOVED it. We've yet to take him out in his snowsuit yet. I hear we may have a chance to try that this week in Ohio!? We shall see. I think he'd enjoy it. 

     Another new trick this month was "snapping" with Mama. This was just the cutest thing. I was snapping to some music in the kitchen one day and I thought my snaps sounded a little louder than usual. I looked over to find Josiah sitting on the chair...moving his fingers...and clicking his mouth. I couldn't believe it. It was precious!

     Josiah basically eats anything we put in front of him now. There are definitely still days of picky-eating but we are so pleased with how well he has adjusted. He's such a copycat so I think he's more willing to try things now. One of his newest favorites...tomatoes! Cooked or fresh! It doesn't matter! He's definitely my first baby to willingly eat these.

He loves wearing Daddy's hat...and buckets.

  

     And we're having some success at using the potty! It's not something I'm trying to push by any means...but I think he'll be ready in the next couple months! M&Ms are this little boy's love language! His sister might need a bit more convincing.

     I can't wait to celebrate Josiah's SECOND birthday at the end of this month! I know he'll love a day where it's all about HIM. Ha! Who can blame him? We are definitely going to celebrate this special day with a lot of FUN. That is for sure. Thanks for reading, friends!