We have gone to India and returned home with our son! What an experience. Life is forever changed, for the good and the not so good. Such a place of beauty (especially the people) and at the same time so much need.
We returned home Sunday afternoon and it is now Wednesday very early morning. The adjustment so far has been going as well as can be expected. No one is sleeping well but the kids enjoy each other almost all the time. Emerson is learning to share toys and Jatin is learning to tolerate constant hugs and kisses :) Ainsley is along for the ride. She loves watching her brother and sister and they are both so great with her.
Jatin calls Ainsley "baboo" (baby in Marathi or Hindi??) and touches her face and hands so gently. This reassures me that he was loved at Bal Asha...he has seen caregivers touch babies that way. He has felt the same touch I am sure. Jatin is FULL OF ENERGY. We did not see this side of him for the first several days. It's like he is just too excited, he can't hold it in! Every new toy (or household object) is a new something to explore, furniture is meant to be climbed and jumped from, and light switches are for turning on and off. We are being firm but kind with him and he is learning the rules of his new household. He is trying new foods and especially loved the vegatable soup and grilled cheese we had for lunch yesterday. It is 1:48am and he just walked out into the kitchen :) Dada is on his way back to his room with him. Did I mention adjusting to the time change has been really tough??
Emerson goes between really being interested in Jatin and wanting to play with him, chase him, and hug and kiss him to not being so sure. At times she's not ready to share her most prized toys and even toys she barely looked at before Jatin joined us. And she's not always alright with the attention that he gets from us. She's been wanting to be held a lot and just seems unsure at times. We are sensitive to this and try to reassure her the best we can. We are also helping her to learn how to play with another child--she hasn't had much experiecne with this, but her big brother has. He is so kind to her. She fusses, he gives her what she wants...I wonder how long that will last?? Ha!
I will try to recap our stay in India soon. Reading others' experiences really helped us and I'd like to be able to pass a little bit along to help someone else.
We returned home Sunday afternoon and it is now Wednesday very early morning. The adjustment so far has been going as well as can be expected. No one is sleeping well but the kids enjoy each other almost all the time. Emerson is learning to share toys and Jatin is learning to tolerate constant hugs and kisses :) Ainsley is along for the ride. She loves watching her brother and sister and they are both so great with her.
Jatin calls Ainsley "baboo" (baby in Marathi or Hindi??) and touches her face and hands so gently. This reassures me that he was loved at Bal Asha...he has seen caregivers touch babies that way. He has felt the same touch I am sure. Jatin is FULL OF ENERGY. We did not see this side of him for the first several days. It's like he is just too excited, he can't hold it in! Every new toy (or household object) is a new something to explore, furniture is meant to be climbed and jumped from, and light switches are for turning on and off. We are being firm but kind with him and he is learning the rules of his new household. He is trying new foods and especially loved the vegatable soup and grilled cheese we had for lunch yesterday. It is 1:48am and he just walked out into the kitchen :) Dada is on his way back to his room with him. Did I mention adjusting to the time change has been really tough??
Emerson goes between really being interested in Jatin and wanting to play with him, chase him, and hug and kiss him to not being so sure. At times she's not ready to share her most prized toys and even toys she barely looked at before Jatin joined us. And she's not always alright with the attention that he gets from us. She's been wanting to be held a lot and just seems unsure at times. We are sensitive to this and try to reassure her the best we can. We are also helping her to learn how to play with another child--she hasn't had much experiecne with this, but her big brother has. He is so kind to her. She fusses, he gives her what she wants...I wonder how long that will last?? Ha!
I will try to recap our stay in India soon. Reading others' experiences really helped us and I'd like to be able to pass a little bit along to help someone else.
LOVE the update. I've been wondering about you guys and checking your blog periodically, but didn't want to bother you on email. So happy you got home safely....sounds like things are going just as expected :) I'll keep you in our prayers... sibling stuff has been the most challening for us, but Joshua is 7 and used to being top dog ....well, only dog... :) -- but 5 months in and he clearly loves her :) You guys are doing great. We didn't have the sleep challenges as far as time zone adjusting, maybe become of our flight times.... try a piece of turkey meat for Jatin before bedtime (we did this with Lauren and she loved it)...we used deli turkey meat because I'm not great at cooking a turkey. Dr. Purvis recommends it for several reasons...mainly to regulate energy...high protein does that I guess...and also helps get sleepy. I do think the kiddos at BAT had a snack before bedtime...it just seemed to be in Lauren's "routine". Hugs, Renae.
ReplyDeleteYou're in the trenches, but you'll be through the sleeping stuff soon, I promise! It does get better!!! And Anshu called everything baboo too, so we asked his orphanage and they said it is the word for bear as in teddy bear and also what we might use for little children like "sweetie" or "buddy". Glad he seems to like his home and family!
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like things are going incredibly well for just a short time home. I appreciate all of the details about the adjustments between Jatin and Emerson, and especially how Emerson is doing with it all. They give me some things to think about with Caroline. Her world is going to change just as much as Henna's in a short while. Hugs to you all!
ReplyDelete