Let's see, where to start, how about with BJ! A year ago May 22 is when we received our referral for Bartek! I can't believe we even hesitated to consider! He has become such a big boy, although he is still pretty tiny! Just at 2o lbs. and 33 inches. His limbs look very long, its' just that his body hasn't caught up yet! I'm sure it will!
BJ is moving along at an incredibly fast rate (at least I think so!). He's doing everything two year olds do, including toilet training! YEA! This is such an exciting time! How many times is it acceptable to do the "pee pee and poo poo" dance?! LOL! He still has such a long way to go, but at least he has finally started to show interest! He loves to sit on his potty chair (and the big potty) and will go pee pee. But unless we put him there, he isn't that interested to go on his own! He did, by accident, go poo poo the other night and it scared him enough to run halfway down the hall. It was hard not to laugh, but he couldn't figure out how that "ball of brown" got in there! On another note, we had BJ evaluated by our Early Intervention team back in April. He scored average/high on developmental skills (blocks, stacking, puzzles, spoon feeding, drinking from a cup, climbing, running) which we were very excited about! All this from a little boy who 8 months ago couldn't walk or even feed himself! They also tested him on his speech skills (this is why I wanted him tested). It turns out that they were impressed with his ability to "sign" what he wanted. He also learned some new signs in the short amount of time the lady was here! They were also impressed with his understanding and ability to follow directions! However, his expressive speech scored within the 18 month range, which really didn't surprise me. The good thing is that he repeats everything we say back to us. You can't understand him hardly at all, but at lest he's trying. There are many words we can hear quite well like no, yeah, momma, Dada, papa, grandma, doggy, etc. He can also put two words together although it's hard to always understand. We were offered services by EI but at this point are holding off until after the summer. The fee was a bit much and a sweet, kind, friend who is a speech pathologist at my school has offered to work with him to see how far she can get him over the summer! So we will see!I have also had a very eventful last two months. I was able to experience my very first MOTHER'S Day!
It was very nice and I enjoyed many cards, gifts, and a beautiful dinner! But best of all "my sweet little ornery BJ!"
So many changes in the past year, but I wouldn't exchange it for anything else! I feel so blessed to be a mom and to have BJ as my son! I absolutely wouldn't want it any other way! To add to my joy, as a combined birthday and Mother's Day present, I finally had iLASIK done. Three weeks ago today. It's amazing and I highly recommend it to anyone who is tired of wearing contacts and glasses! It was so easy and the results are unbelievable. I went to Eye Surgical Associates in Bloomington, IL where James had his done a few years earlier. This procedure is entirely laser, blade free! It is amazing and was so simple! I am so excited and every morning I'm in shock because I can actually see!We have much more pictures of the last two months to come, but first you might be seeing some Florida pictures. James, BJ and I and BJ's grandparents, aunt, uncle, and cousins are going to be with us. I am so excited that BJ will get to experience his first ocean trip! However, we are driving the 20 hour trip, so please say a prayer for us! Who knows, maybe he'll sleep the whole way! We'll keep you updated!
Have a beautiful summer and may God's blessings fall down upon you!
BJ is absolutely adorable! I know you will have an awesome summer together. I am really impressed with how quickly he caught up on his developmental skills. That is awesome.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing your update! It looks like BJ is thriving, what a handsome little guy. Happy Mother's Day and happy summer! :)
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome update! I swallowed every word. I'm so thrilled to hear BJ is doing so well developmentally. That's truly great news.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your trip to Florida. Can't wait to see photos.
I just love how you share that you wouldn't have it any other way and that you feel truly blessed. A lesson that I try to share with those waiting for that referral is that their time will come when it is meant to. God is choosing, very carefully, the child that will fit into a family just perfectly, in a way that makes the child and parents feel truly blessed, that it could never get much better than this. I am so loving the fact that you have shared this in this blog post, as well as in past entries. I am so happy for your family. Didn't the year go by so incredibly fast? The next one goes by even faster.
ReplyDeleteI forgot to mention that Michal, too, is having language difficulty and is also working with a speech pathologist. We get free services from out school district, so you may want to check with your school district's special ed program to see if BJ qualifies for pre-school services. Michal qualified automatically due to his cleft palate, and so far it has proven to be helpful.
ReplyDeleteThough Michal's physical development is miles beyond where he was when we met him, Michal is also behind in that area. He hasn't seemed to catch up as quickly as BJ, but is improving every day.
Check with your public school system... you pay the taxes so you should be able to receive the service. Email me if you have any questions.
I'm so glad to hear how great BJ is doing. Your mother's day picture is adorable. We will miss you at Polish Fest, but enjoy Florida and your precious summer with your little man!
ReplyDeleteI remember a road trip to Florida in my childhood; my 2 year old brother spent half the trip unwrapping straws from McDonalds. It took him 30 minutes to unwrap one, but for some reason it fascinated him. After we learned that, at every rest stop and got him a dozen. It may be worth trying at the 12 hour mark :)
Wonderful to hear from you!! .....and you can to do the poo poo, pee pee dance as many times as you want!! SOMETIMES, I find myself HUMMING A PEE, PEE song at WORK! I stop and look around and hope no one is watching!! Good luck with the trip, all will be well!
ReplyDeleteHi There. I found your blog through an internet search for poland adoptions through st. mary's international. My husband and I are strongly considering adoption using St. Marys. If you happen to read this comment, I would greatly appreciate the chance to visit with you. Congratulations on your son. He's such a blessing. God is so good! megsybarron@gmail.com
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