What a whirlwind life. We need to slow down a bit. Eric and I ran errands with the boys yesterday. I'm hoping we bought enough groceries to last the weekend. Not planning to leave the house except for a walk later if the weather holds.
Kai continues to do amazingly great. Kids are amazing and just so incredibly resilient. For the first two days he was all about Eric but that has switched and I'm the new go to. He is such a sweet boy and a little gentleman. He holds the gate for me :) He is following me and trying to help with everything I do. My plan right now is to plant myself in the family room as much as possible so he isn't covering a million miles behind me all over the place. We've absorbed his things into the house and he seems pleased with each place that is found. Trying to make him feel a part of each room. His clothes are sorted in the dining room, planning to put them in his dresser today. Just need to harass Eric to bring it upstairs. He's been a little busy.
When we got in Walmart yesterday Kai was jumping and squealing in his very high pitched voice. Apparently he likes shopping. Or being around that much food. He had a riot in there loading the cart and putting it on the conveyor at the end. Even more fun still at home helping put it away.
This morning Kai and I cleaned Jia and Luk's desks and crafting drawers. One full black garbage bag of papers and bits left. Then we set up drawers for each kid. So we have a clean slate. We are short a desk but they haven't noticed yet. I'm glad Jia was still sleeping because she hates to see anything go in the garbage.
If anyone has questions about Kai, ask away. shelnel@blforest.com
The homestudy for Kai has been swift. We still have to finish with our social worker but I think all of the paperwork gathering is done. Truly amazing what you can get done in a time crunch.
For now we're trying to be gentle on ourselves. Everyone is bathed. We're managing meals. Dishes and laundry are a constant. A family of seven generates a LOT of both.
Speaking of baths. Kai hates being wet. He rejects getting his hands and face wiped. I've offered to let him help me with dishes but even though he's right beside me he won't make the plunge. He was scratching at his neck so Eric told him he was having a bath. He screamed his head off through the whole thing but didn't fight him. Eric held him and I quickly washed him. He was quiet the moment he was lifted out. I've read about kids being dunked in cold water and super quick washes. Would be nice if we knew what he was used to. He survived it and was even pleased to let Eric brush his hair after. It's going to long haul getting this kid in water willingly. Fei and Luk also came to us with HUGE water aversion and they're both water babies now. Kai will have no choice in this family ;) Luk had a bath this morning and Kai was right there watching. I asked him if he wanted a bath and he left the room pretty quickly!
Sleep. Kai needs someone with him to go to sleep. Alone he just lays there staring at the ceiling and then gets up. If we sit or lay with him he is asleep in two minutes. First three nights he was up at 4am, then 5am and today he slept until 7am. Fingers crossed for a continued 7am wake up call.
The big kids are doing OK. Lili is a bit dismayed that Kai won't stop going in her room. Too funny. She says she has the other two trained. Lili also said the Eric and I are dropping the ball because we forgot about her dance class on Wed. night. Too funny. She made it on time. I leaped out of the tub and drove her in a nightie with soaking hair.
Jia is missing Luk a bit. Kai can keep up with her and they play more involved games but she is getting tired. The never ending play date. Today she closed the door to the living room and announced that she needs alone time. I've never heard her say those words before. Luk is melting more than usual and also trying to find some quiet time. He's used to playing alone a lot.
Food. Kai is an eater. He delves in and gorges but then is done with a reasonable amount. When we first saw him eating we thought he might have some more issues. Hoarding, stealing etc. Thankfully he isn't trying to control food. He is just learning how to use a spoon. He holds it sideways and tries to tip it into his mouth. He is always grateful when we take a minute to help him get it in. He is chubby and his hair is coarse. Better nutrition will help that and hopefully he'll continue to slim down with more activity. I have to say though, after our four skinny kids Kai is refreshing.
You can see in the one photo that he has lined up the water bottles. He moves Luk and Jia's water constantly to the same spot. Too funny.
