Later this morning, Tyler went on a wild goose chase to submit our documents to the US Embassy here in Moscow. There is only a one hour window wherein you can submit your documents. Everywhere he went they told him to go somewhere else. He ended up in the right place and was able to submit the documents with 2 minutes to spare. It was a close call and we feel blessed that it worked out in the end.
While Tyler was gone to the US Embassy, I took the advice of my mom and spent a few minutes focusing on Calvin and then switched to Silas. Right after I switched to Silas, Calvin was right there in my face wanting my attention. I told him that it was Silas' turn and that he would have to wait. He pouted and whined, but seemed to get the picture, especially after I switched back to him and he realized that Mama's time needed to be shared between the boys. After about 30 minutes of this, Calvin began to do things to garner negative attention. I guess he figured that if he couldn't have any of my attention - when I was loving on Silas - that he would start banging the wall or hitting the dresser to shift my focus to him. This was frustrating, as I was making every effort of "being there" with both boys when it was their turn. The one thing that I didn't implement this morning was to establish a TIMEOUT for the Calvin. Later on, we had to put both Silas and Calvin in TIMEOUT - which consisted of them standing with their face to the wall for a minute or so. My brother-in-law, Yury (from Belarus, said that that is how they typically discipline the children in Russia. Both boys seemed to know what to do, as though it had happened to them before, and they didn't like it but they did do it and we will continue to do TIMEOUTs with them this way.
Calvin occasionally begins to laugh really loudly and seems to be out of control. I am not sure if this is just from the stress of the BIG CHANGES in his life or if I'm possibly seeing some ADHD or potentially some RAD. I'm not sure. Only time will tell. He reminds me some of how Iryna behaves, but he has more control than she does. Perhaps he is just really excited about being with us.
I am so happy that I can cook now! I've made hash browns and eggs and for dinner we had a cheese souffle and corn. The stove and oven are gas. Tyler had to light the oven so I could make the souffle. I take things like this for granted in the states - I don't have to light anything myself there. Calvin eats everything that I give him. Silas eats slowly and doesn't always finish. Silas also doesn't like to drink much. I have to encourage him to drink the water over and over. Calvin will drink anything I give him.
So much of our day revolves around playing with the toys, eating meals, and watching Baby Einstein - the boys LOVE it. And I like it, too. It promotes calm playing and I'm a fan of that. We've been in the apartment for 24 hours and the boys are getting antsy, but they are doing fairly well with being cooped up. I saw one show on the tv called FUNNY ENGLISH, which promotes the children to learn English. I put on one Baby Einstein that has nursery rhymes in foreign languages, including Russia. I was watching the video with the children and they were sort of all over the room. And then a woman starting counting in Russia. Both of their heads swung right to the screen and they watched intently until she had counted to 20. I think it will be hard and even scary for them when they get to the states and no one is speaking Russian to them anymore. Calvin has only heard Russian for 5 years. It will be an adjustment.
Eggs and hashbrowns are a hit!
Brown eyed boy!
Blue eyed boy!
See that thumb? That is a very common place to find it. :)
3 comments:
Hang in there, Mama. The beginning of the ride is always bumpy. My plan, even before I read your post today, is to start a series on my blog about attachment. I'll bump up their priority level. Hopefully they will help put things in perspective a bit.
I know you're in the stress of the moment but try not to worry too much about the attention seeking. My 2yo does that and he isn't adopted or even speaking a different language (though sometimes his gibberish sounds Dutch). They will adjust and when you get home, you will fall into a pattern of life. I won't tell you that things will settle down b/c that's a myth:) But you will figure out how to love and live with 5 kids and these 2 little guys will get on track with everyone else. Hang in there girl! Remember this is something you've been pining for and now you get to enjoy it:)
You are doing a great job Jill. Calvin will get used to sharing your attention. I am sure both boys are so excited to have your love and attention. When you are with all five children, he will get attention from them and that should help. He will learn how to share your attention. Rachel and Spencer are still learning how to wait and share our attention. All children love to feel accepted and appreciated. As he feels more secure about himself and his relationship with you, he will not need the constant reinforcement. Keep up the good work. We will continue to pray for you. Love ya.
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