The child we are interacting with NOW is a very different child than the one we visited 6 months ago and even different from the one we brought home 2 months ago.
We brought home a child who was (rightfully and understandably) terrified, lacking gross motor skill, had no confidence, no drive, no sense of exploration, no real connection with or interest in the world around him, did not make eye contact, spent the majority of his time in self stimulation activities and made absolutely zero effort to have meaningful communication outside of physical cues (i.e. grabbing my hands and pulling them towards his chest in a gesture that is him telling me 'I want you to move me').
Today, I watched as Ivan mimicked me (something the orphanage staff told us that he had never done and could not do).
At one point, I scooped Ivan up and had him on my hip. I reached above our heads and tapped on the floating car that is part of the play area and said "Look, Ivan." He instantly looked up towards the tapping sound and immediately reached up, tapping on the car himself, then he laughed.
Through out the day he has willingly and happily offered and sought out eye contact. And not only with me but with my Niece, as well. I watched as he ran excitedly with the other kids toward the Bubble Machine toy that produced a surreal experience in our yard where Ivan was holding his hands out and touching bubbles as an immense cloud of them floated around him. I had to continually move the toy because he wanted to get his face right up inside it to see HOW it was making the bubbles. He wanted to feel the fan blowing. He wanted to taste the bubbles.
HE HELD A PIECE OF TOAST IN HIS HANDS AND PUT IT BETWEEN HIS TEETH BY HIMSELF AND TOOK A BITE AND PUT THE REST OF THE TOAST BACK ON THE TABLE WHILE HE CHEWED THE BITE.
no Y'all don't get it.
He took a bite. Of toast. That was too big to all fit into his mouth at once. He held the toast himself and made the measured choice to take a bite off. Then he sat the remainder of the toast on the table.
!!!!!!
It doesn't sound big but i promise you that it is monumental. Like, Mount Rushmore, monumental.
He has learned to turn his sippy cup BY HIMSELF to orient the spout to where it lines up with his mouth.
Another action that doesn't sound like much but IT IS HUGE.
He climbs into his own chair at the table for meals.
He is climbing the ladder up the play set and going down the slide on his own, without any kind of prompting or assistance, regularly now.
He is sitting in a "big kid" swing, holding the chains and keeping his balance.
He is understanding near everything I say.
And here's the big one. The BIG one.
When I was changing his diaper today, I played a game with him where I lifted his shirt and blew a raspberry on his belly and it made him laugh. After about 3 times of lifting his shirt, raspberry, and pulling his shirt down I thought we were done and could go back outside but he pulled his shirt up and HE MADE A RASPBERRY SOUND
WITH HIS OWN MOUTH
AT ME
IN CONTEXT OF THE GAME.
*breathe*
The last few days, he has been *almost* blowing kisses when told to. He will *almost* do it on his own. He gets so close, he recognizes that I am blowing a kiss, he makes the choice to blow one back and then will stop short and wait for me to help him with the motion. BUT HE'S SO CLOSE.
we are /--this--/ close to meaningful interactive communication.
six weeks home.
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