Adam's struggles

I spent all morning and most of the afternoon getting some number-recognition down with the kids. Adam especially, since it seems most critical that he "get it." He has a major mental block right now with recognizing the numbers 9 and 11 for some reason. He can say them just fine as he is counting, but he just can't recognize them in print. What he can do one day, he can't do the next it seems. We got out the watercolors and painted the numbers today, we made a Memory card game, we practiced writing the numbers over and over again saying the name of the number as he wrote it, etc., etc. He still has trouble. I even had him SCREAM the numbers as loud as he could a few times. While he thought it was fun, he still couldn't remember those two numbers five seconds later. He did the same thing the other day with "12" and "8" but he gets those every time now, and quite easily... (but I'm hoping those numbers don't zap out of his brain like 9 and 11 have today). John told me to just lay off the numbers altogether for a few days. Adam has some serious brain mush going on right now with losing his language and trying to make sense of another. Soon he won't be able to express himself in EITHER language, which will make things extra frustrating. John reminded me that most kids get to learn to count by hearing it for several years before they are required to recognize the numbers and write them down. Oh yeah. Duh, Shelly.

We went to the grandparents' house again tonight to visit with the great-grandparents some more before they leave town. Boy was the house LOUD. All four grandchildren plus two babies that they were babysitting. Oy. Talk about frayed nerves!

I feel bad that Adam is going through this "baby" stage at such a large size. I've mentioned the "2-yr-old" behavior that all of our kids have had to experiment with. Well, in crowds, Adam still winds up, and especially if people are willing to even remotely look like they are going to play. He gets in peoples' faces and butting in their conversations, starts playing rough, starts chattering nonsense, etc. The little girls get away with all of that much easier with their "cute-ness" and small size, but a 9-yr-old boy looks like he should know better. Not sure exactly what to do about that. It will be so much easier when he fully understands us when we try to explain WHY it isn't good to do this stuff. He just wants to play and have fun, but he's awful rude sometimes. Like I said, it will be a lot easier to deal with once we no longer have the language barrier in the way. (They are using lots of English now though. Grandma understood them lots and lots tonight.)

He has been *REALLY* good at home lately though. He'll sit still for hours at a time to read if we would do so. (I LOVE that he loves to read!) He also helps out in the kitchen cleaning up, making meals, etc. He's a really, REALLY great kid. Very tenderhearted, affectionate, takes care of his sisters, etc. He still gives me kisses after his meals and rinses his plate, just as he did when he first came home. It's just when he's around the rest of the world that he acts up. *sigh* (This will pass, Shelly. This will pass, Shelly. This will pass, Shelly. This will pass, Shelly).

I was doing some reading on one of the adoption boards I frequent, and one of the hot topics is tantrums. We have really lucked out with our kids in that they do not throw tantrums on us. I've read about kids throwing themselves onto the floor in the middle of stores, etc., but our kids have never once done anything close to that. I've also read about kids who rock themselves to self-comfort/stimulate etc. Ours don't at all. All of our food issues are completely gone too. The kids are typical little kids who like this but not that, etc. The girls aren't as picky as I thought they were going to be, and Adam has not hidden food or begged for more and more and more food except for things he really loves (ice cream would be a prime example). Pretty much, we are BLESSED. God has really gone above and beyond for us in these little guys, and we are so thankful! Yes, they have their issues, and Adam doesn't know a 9 from an 11, but when he gives me a squeeze and says, "my mama," nothing else matters all that much.


The kids taught me one of their nursery rhymes today in Ukrainian. It is soooo cute! The translation is something like this:

Cola, Cola, Nicolai (Cola is a n.n. for Nicolai)
Sits and home and doesn't go out
Then the girls came in,
Kissed him, and left.

(Yes, I know, it loses something with the translation!) You definitely have to hear it get to hear how cute it is, but I'm so tickled that I picked it up. Hopefully I'll practice it enough to keep reinforcing it with them so they don't forget it.

Speaking of songs, every time we go outside at dark Aleksa points up and says "star." Meaning we have to sing "Twinkle, twinkle" to her. She loves it, and it makes me all teary that one day she'll quit asking for it, and will actually get all the words right. Oh to have a remote control button on your life and be able to pause and rewind all you want. These are some of the happiest days of my life. I feel like the worlds luckiest person having our three little Ukie kiddos, but I know that our time together is short. :O(


Thanks so much for all the emails with links to Ukrainian recipes, traditions, etc.! I'll have to condense all the info I got sent to me and stick it up here somehow for others to enjoy. I sure can't wait to make some of these traditions "ours!" THANK YOU!!!!