An update from home…

FOR SOME REASON CAN'T UPLOAD PICTURES, WILL ADD LATER...

We have been home now for about 4 days and things have been a little crazy with 3 kids, all of us jet-lagged and trying to recover.  Things are going pretty well, Benjamin is learning the new environment and we are quickly remembering what it was like to have a toddler running around the house!  It’s amazing how quick we fortget!  Het gets into everything and thinks he’s funny when he grabs something and throws it and it makes a lot of loud noises.  The biggest adjustment we are dealing with is a change in his sleeping behaviors from when we were in Taiwan.  While in Taiwan, Benjamin went to bed really easy and slept for 12-14 hours.  When we got home that has started to change and he does not like to go to bed, take naps, or have anything to do with sleeping.  We have read that this is pretty typical, it was just a bit of a surprise for us because he was sleeping well in Taiwan.  This could be due to a number of reasons, but the primary is probably stress and grief.  Consider the fact that he was perfectly comfortable at the orphanage, knew the system and was thriving there.  Then, some strange people that don’t look like him, take him, put him on a plane and take him to a strange house.  That’s got to be pretty scary for a 3 year old and it will take time to work through it.

We took him to the International Adoption Clinic today where he was assessed by a physician and family therapist/counselor that each specialize in adopted children.  Overall, he seems pretty healthy and all of his behaviors are very typical of children when they arrive home.  The counselor took a long history from us and mentioned that Benjamin is exhibiting a lot of good behaviors and it sounds like the orphanage did a nice job of getting him ready and instilling a lot of positive feelings/behaviors.  He is apparently healthy and in the 50^th percentile for height/weight. The hardest part was they drew several vials of blood which he really didn’t like and we will get results of those test over the next few weeks. 

I don’t think we have taken any pictures since we have arrived home, just been surviving.  Bryce and Elise went back to school today and Scott went back to work. Over the next few weeks we will be developing new routines and creating a new normal for all of us.  Please keep praying for us and that Benjamin feels safe, secure, and loved in his new home.