5 months....

Adam has now been home 5 months! To sum up the last month in one word – imitating! This month Adam has started imitating things we do – scary, I know!! He loves to use a spoon to “stir” in a little bowl, “comb” his hair, “feed“ himself – aim is still a little off - or others, with his spoon, and “talk” on the phone. My favorite though is how he pretends to wipe his hands after we change his diaper. We have a bottle of sanitizer on his changing table which we use after we change him until we can get to the sink- I guess he has watched us do it for 5 months so he was bound to pick it up – so he will mimic us wiping the sanitizer on our hands. The first time he did it I did not realize what he was doing…..

Adam continues to eat anything you put in front of him though he is starting to develop some “favorites” and recognizes them and will point for them. He loves mac and cheese, mandarin oranges, blueberries (really any fruit is fine with him), Nana’s banana bread, and much to his mother’s chagrin – hot dogs! At his shot appointment on Monday he weighed 29 pounds…though we think that is a little off but he is definitely growing!

Yeah for good weather because Adam loves to be outside! He will stand at the backdoor and point to the doorknob until you take him outside. He likes to run around on the deck and play with his ball and shovel – yes, sometimes together. He has some new outdoor toys that I will be posting pics of over the coming weeks….stay tuned!

I think Adam is beginning to understand language better and take nonverbal cues as well. He is starting to follow simple directions. If you ask him to go get his ball, he will go get it and bring it to you. If you tell him it is “night night time”, he will head to the stairs. His understanding does remain somewhat selective – when it is time to “clean up the toys”…..he suddenly can not understand what you mean! He knows when it is time to leave in the am and I have his shoes, he will come sit down in front of me for me to put his shoes on. (Of course there are also some days he does NOT want his shoes on and I have to chase him to get them on!!)

This past month we were able to go to Indiana to visit his friend EvaLinn from Kazakhstan. We were so fortunate to be in Kazakhstan with 2 other families that were so fun and supportive. We shared so much with each other, things that pictures and words just can’t explain. We have lots of fond memories of those 4 weeks together and being able to see EvaLinn and Karri again was very special. (Unfortunately Brenden lives in NY L) I really hope that the three kids can stay in contact as they grow older. They may not remember their time in Karaganda, but they were together and I think that is a very special bond. We had a great time and look forward to more trips in the future….

There you have it!…the update on AJAM!! Stay tuned…