Jordan is turning into a little boy! I love it! I love meeting him. He’s been home just over a month… but it is just now that the little boy is beginning to come out. I knew we’d passed another milestone when he started getting into the wood repeatedly. And then another when he went straight for the dog’s water when I took him from the wood…. and then to the wood when I took him from the water… and back and forth a couple times. Love it!!! My son is not primarily hiding inside his mind any more: he’s COMING OUT!
He is making much better eye contact. He almost never turns his back on us. He crawls around the house instead of just the living room. He can frequently be found standing up against pieces of furniture. His favorite place to find is the bathtub, where he stands and laughs and yells happily. Don’t you just love babies!? When he’s bored, he rocks… not because he’s overwhelmed any more, because he’s bored. Hooray! Normal life! Home! He has tired of playing only with rattles and has expanded into things with strings that can be swung around or otherwise moved and observed. He loves his drumsticks.
While he never picks up something to put in his mouth…. he began to rub his hands in the ashes and wood dirt near the woodstove and then put his hands in his mouth. What probably started as an accident was quickly a learned behavior. “Hey, this is interesting!” he must have thought. This has, with messy practice, turned into intentional rubbing of hands in food and then putting them in his mouth. Next stop – picking things up and putting them in his mouth! (instead of things just getting stuck to his hands) Tool number one for teaching him to chew? Red licorice rope. Oh yeah. Rot them teeth, boy! He is almost for sure left-handed. He does not want to be rocked with his left hand confined. He plays primarily with his left hand. Time will tell, but I think we have a lefty! (I should note he sucks primarily his right hand…. whatever that means! Ambidextrous?)
Oh, and Jordan has stood in the middle of the room two times when we set him down there!
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- Maggie on Papa's lap at dinnertime.
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- Adorable little boy foot.
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- Hands in the applesauce!
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- Hands in the mouth!
You go, Jordan Scott!
Rex used to mouth and try to chew everything at first, too: sticks, leaves, mulch, rocks and so on. I let him because I knew he never had had an opportunity to explore this way. He stopped on his own after a month or two home.
Oh, he is just so beautiful! What an angel.
Yeehaw!!
Yay! I cried a little when I read this, this is just wonderful!!
Way to go, Jordan! We are excited to get to know you better and better!
Hello from Reece’s Rainbow! How are things going for you guys? And have you joined our After the Rainbow group yet? If not, please email me and I’ll get you connected. Adoption is an amazing thing but it also brings its challenges! Sometimes it helps to talk to someone who has “been there”. Please feel free to email me if you ever have questions or just need to talk.
~Rachel Whitmire
Post-Adoption Care Coordinator
Reece’s Rainbow Down Syndrome Adoption Ministry
http://www.reecesrainbow.org
Rachel@reecesrainbow.org