Gabe has improved in a lot of ways already. He sleeps great at nap time and bedtime, he will eat some crunchy foods, he doesn't chew but he moves it around in his mouth until its soft enough to swallow. Before he would reject any crunchy texture. He does great at following our voices while walking and he even explores on his own a little bit, he knows to hold his hands out in front of him to feel for obstacles. We recently had a successful, short trip to the grocery store. That's a big yay! He learned to drink from a straw, but now he won't drink from an open cup. We're working on it. He is starting to understand basic everyday phrases and words, he says mama a lot, but I'm not sure if he's really saying it to me. He is showing more emotions now. At first he was either really happy or mad and screaming, no in between. Now, he whines, he cries a genuinely sad cry, and he still is angry and screaming sometimes. In between all that he's happy, joyful and loves to play!
In some areas Gabe is regressing as well, which is normal. Going to sleep, especially at bedtime is a long process. He gets really sad sometimes and pushes us away and just cries until he falls asleep, this takes over an hour every night. occasionally he will let us snuggle him but not often. Gabe's mood can change in an instant and that makes it hard for us to know what to expect. The issue that concerns me the most is his sensory issues with sounds, but mostly voices. He covers his ears and cries or whines at any unfamiliar voices, even the tv. He didn't do this in China or when we first came home. Im not sure if it's the unfamiliar language thats upsetting him but its getting increasingly worse. I apologize for all the birthday parties and family gatherings we've missed but we just can't. I'm sure people expect us to be getting out and about more now that we've been home a few months but we're not there yet. I wish we are, we miss you guys!
Gabe doesn't know that we are his forever. All he knows is that another big change happened in his life and he's having a hard time dealing with it. We are loving him, meeting his needs, and trying to earn his trust and love. I was hoping at this point, being home 3 months, we would be doing a lot better, but there is no time frame for grief and healing, every child is different and so we wait, and pray for his heart to be healed.
"God never said that the journey would be easy, but He did say that the arrival would be worthwhile."
~Max Lucado~
I never know if I should share the super hard stuff, but maybe it will help someone else in a similar situation not feel so alone, and also let you guys know how to pray for us. We're still waiting for the insurance mess to be worked out. Please keep praying about that.
