a week in

So we are a week into our son living with us forever. I'd be lying if I said it was the best week of my life. Frankly, it's been one of the hardest. Harder than coming home with a little baby after an emergency c-section. At least all little baby Forrest wanted was some boob and sleep. This little guy wants our whole being and then some. Luckily there are 2 of us to fill him up.

Every day is a new adventure with Skye, and a new blessing. He is finally realizing that I'm not going to eat him or steal his papa away from him. He still gets upset when Chris kisses me, but calms down much more quickly. Today when I was sitting on the floor and Chris was hugging me good morning, Skye started to whine and then decided against it and just came over and put his arms around Chris. It was sweet, although mildly manipulative. Luckily Chris just gave him a kiss on the top of the head and moved on. Skye and I took a trip to the park. He loves to get out into the stroller and cruise around. He's fascinated by all the other kids, but really doesn't want much to do with them. He loves to slide and swing. If you put him in the swing and once he gets going stop looking at him, and then turn your eyes to him as he's right up to you he laughs and laughs and laughs. Which starts me giggling and there you go, we're both cracking up.

Forrest had a rough day, but it was short lived. He's working out so many new things and just gets so frustrated when he can't figure it out. We just let him get frustrated, and eventually he gets it. He's got an obsession with Riley's water bowl. It's bad enough that if we take our eyes off of him when the bowl is on the floor, he'll make a bee line for it before you can catch him. I was out back with Skye when I hear Chris laughing hysterically. Apparently Forrest has taken up residence inside the dog bowl. Chris had put it on the floor and Forrest saw this as an invitation to climb right on in. Such a funny goofy little boy. I so hope he keeps that silly sweet demeanor through his life.

Sleeping continues to be a struggle for Skye. I asked a number of women who I know have adopted from GT what their sleep routines are. It regularly takes us 60 - 90 minutes to get Skye down at night. One of my friends emailed back that a lot of these kids have sleep issues because they have been moved from one foster to another in the middle of the night. So they go to sleep in one house, and wake up in another. What a terrible thing to do to a child - or anyone for that matter! I'd have trouble sleeping if I'd been moved a number of times in the middle of the night as well. Tonight was better on the screaming front. He only freaked out when I tried to leave, and told him I was going to the bathroom and would come right back. He screamed for a moment or 2, and then was silent. When I returned he was standing in his crib calmly waiting for me to come back and tuck him back in. So I tucked him in and sat down to read - I'm done feigning sleep. He took a while to go down, but he finally did. Chris and I wonder if he was keeping late hours in GT, because he regularly goes down around 8:30, which is an improvement from the 9:00 at the beginning of the week. Hopefully we can get him down closer to 7:30 in the near future, so both boys are asleep around the same time. I don't know if we'll ever get them in the same room, it may be bye bye tv room for a while. sigh.

As a whole it's amazing what a week can do for one little being. He's such a sweet spirit for one who has been through so much. We had some visitors today and he was cautiously wary. When my mom came by he came over and stood next to me, then put his arms around me and said mama. It breaks my heart each time, he has so desperately wanted his own mama who wouldn't leave him, and now he has her. I only hope he knows this is forever, not just a few months. It's hard when we have visitors to tell them that they can't hug, kiss, feed or in any other way nurture him right now. I know he would eat it all up, but there's that parent shopping thing that we have to watch out for. He handled the visit well though, no blow back and no regressions. If anything he was happy to have people come by and then leave without taking him. What an awful last 2 years he must have had. This is my reminder when he's in a full scale tantrum, he's such a little boy.

Although he will always be a little boy so I hope he gets his knocks in to Forrest now, b/c very soon Forrest will be bigger than him and I'm sure the tables will turn. Of course I don't want Forrest knocked, but I am raising 2 boys. Good lord how did I end up in such a house of boy? My only saving grace is the girl cat, and she's never around anymore. Oh well, good thing I have so many mama friends and girlfriend to give me that estrogen hit when I need it!