Welcome - ยินดีต้อนรับ

Hello all family and friends!

With great excitement, we started our adoption journey in August 2008. We are now first time parents through adoption of an 8-year-old son from Thailand. We have chosen to build our family through the adoption of a son from Thailand because this is where we feel God is leading us right now.

It took 1 year and 9 months to bring Ray home and it was totally worth it!

We appreciate all of your love and support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
Ann & Bryan

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Three Weeks Home

Wow, what a roller coaster ride we're on, otherwise known as parenthood!  Ray is doing amazingly well for a little boy who has just been plunked down into a whole new world.  He likes sleeping with his multiple Mickey Mouses under his rainbow-colored bedspread in his own room.  And he's picking up on Mommy and Daddy's habits of sleeping in...until 9am!  Guess we'll have to change that once he starts summer school in a week and a half.

It's hard to put into words what it's been like adjusting to being parents for the first time and for him adjusting to a family.  It is taking a while to find a "normal" routine of sorts...but it is summer so there's no real set structure each day.  So far we've been to three birthday parties (in the first week home), a volunteer of the year awards banquet (Mommy got a Golden Heart award), went to the Wildlife Sanctuary with Nana Jeanne's Kindergarten class and visited the classroom a few days later for playtime, went to the NEW Zoo with new friends, went to THE Farm with new friends, gone swimming frequently at various locations, went to the Mayfest parade and played baseball with cousins, had a full medical wellness check in Milwaukee (3 hour drive), did lots of shopping for new clothes, toys, a bike and outdoor activities, went on a picnic and hiking with new friends, and joined a soccer team and played in his first of three games this week!  Whew!!!  He is soaking it all in and learning more than we know.  He has already spoken 4-5 full sentences without any prompting.  It is truly amazing how much young minds can absorb in a short amount of time!

Don't get us wrong, it has not been all peaches and roses.  Ray's favorite word is No and it is usually his first response to everything...even if we know he likes it.  Eating has been a struggle as well...not necessarily an aversion to the foods but more defiance in sitting down to eat with us in the first place.  It is getting better though.  We started a sticker chart for helping Mommy and Daddy and one of those marks is for eating meals with us.  I know this will not work for long but it's getting us through for now.  Ray is also into everything...a big time explorer...which is good and bad sometimes depending on the location and situation.  And, unfortunately, he learned to defend himself in the orphanage by pinching and hitting...which he still does when he doesn't get his way or is frustrated.  We are trying to be gentle with him even when we're disciplining so that he understands that he is safe and no longer needs to act out physically.

All-in-all we are a happy threesome and we are all learning from one another day by day.  There is lots of laughter in our home which fills our hearts with gladness and love.

4 comments:

chaniemom said...

I can SO relate to your description of the roller coaster. These kids are amazingly resilient and so much fun. At the same time, it is hard for them and they have such a hard time with learning the new social rules. And it's hard when they don't have routine. It sounds to me like you are doing the very best job possible. I went with Penny the first couple of days in school. The first day I left her alone she yelled, "I HATE YOU!" I just smiled and said, "I love you. I'll see you later." The teachers were all so supportive. In the hard times remember how far that he will have come by this time next year.

Megan said...

Oh, Ann, I have been watching for an update and praying for you guys. Thank you so much for sharing with us! It sounds like you guys are doing great and the laughter is a very good thing.
Blessings~

Brenda said...

We are so happy for you! We are watching from afar (from Nashville) as we wait for our referral from Thailand. It sounds like little Ray is doing exceptionally well. Congrats to you!

Ellie said...

It's definitely a big roller coaster for a bit. Hang on! :) It's great to hear how things are going. Looking forward to hearing ore!

Why are we adopting internationally and not domestically?
While we think adopting domestically is extremely important, our hearts are drawn to the waiting children in other countries. Some of our closest friends and relatives have adopted, are adopted themselves, or are planning to adopt internationally. This has been a wonderful experience for them, as I am confident our adoption will be for us.

Why are we adopting from Thailand?
The number one reason is simply...that's where our son is living right now. Also, the Thai people are extremely laid back and friendly and the adoption process is very straight forward in Thailand and has been around for decades so there should be no surprises or corruption. After researching our other options, the requirements to adopt from Thailand fit our requirements. If we decide to adopt again, we will reevaluate the different countries and domestic programs.