29 July 2004 - Progress Report

The boys continue to learn English, but more importantly they're learning to be members of a family. They fold clothes, make beds, set and clear the table, put away their toys, and help with general housework.

They still want me to buy everything in sight when we go anywhere, but are slowly learning that "not today" means "not today" rather than "ask me again." They're learning the same lesson with food. "I don't want any more" means the meal is over, not that dinner gets replaced with ice cream or yoghurt (their two favorite foods).

It's a hard adjustment for them. They were told in Ukraine by everyone at the orphanage that Papa would buy them anything they wanted. They've gone from not having anything to having a lot, and they can't understand why "a lot" doesn't mean "everything."

However, it's getting better every day. If I tell Nicky he can have something "tomorrow," he pouts for a minute, then acts as if he's forgotten about it ... until first thing the next day, where he says, "Good morning, may I have _____ now?"

Zack is doing less well with waiting, mostly because his language is significantly less developed, but he's catching on. I see progress every day. His bedtime tantrums have gone from (not kidding) nine hours to about five minutes. Rigid adherence to the schedule is really helping him.

Both kids smile all the time, and are growing rapidly. They've each gained some height already, and are putting on weight, too. As they adjust to the routines (to which we pretty strictly adhere, both for their sanity and mine), they have fewer tantrums and disappointments. It really helps for them to understand that things come in sequences, and they have to do X before doing Y. They're starting to volunteer things like, "After nap, we can go swimming, right?"

Their favorite DVD is "Shrek," and they're starting to sing the songs and name the characters in English. It's fascinating to watch language acquisition in progress. I'm not pushing English very hard because I prefer to let it happen naturally, but I'm looking for ways to work English words into all of our daily activities, and they're soaking it up like little sponges.

Nicky needs to go back to the doctor next week to have his ears and UTI checked, but otherwise they're healthy as horses.