Day 10 - Getting to Know "Grady"

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

We had 2 great visits today.  Things we have learned about "Grady" so far.

• He is a picky eater. He only likes some of the juices that we have brought. He likes bananas and mandarin oranges. His caregivers say he will not eat soup or meat, which are part of their daily meals. He likes bread and chocolates. : ) Today I sat with him during lunch time, and he only took a few bites of his sweet potato puree, had one spoonful of soup, and did not touch the rice or meat.
• He is potty trained and will let us know when he needs to go. He uses a little potty. He balances very well and is able to get in and out of it.
• His arms are so strong. He lifted himself up to a couch today in a blink of an eye. I could not believe how fast he did that.
• He knows how to brush his teeth and wash his hand using a sink. He will stand and balance on his little twisted feet. One foot he will place flat and the other is so twisted that he put the weight on the ankle. The shoes we bought are size 5 and they are huge on him. His feet are so tiny.
• He can open and close ziplock bags, can drink out of a water bottle, and can peal a mandarin orange.

• He knows how to take turns and does pretty well with sharing food.
• He wants to do everything himself and will get frustrated when he can’t do it. We are working on asking for help and accepting it once given.
• He will repeat everything we say. English will probably come “easy” to him.
• He is very curious and loves to press buttons. We tried watching a cartoon on our DVD player. He was more interested in pressing buttons then on the cartoons. We will need to practice how to watch without touching the buttons. : )
• He is stubborn and wants to have his way. That will be one of our greatest challenges with the language limitations.
• He loves music. He has a little drum that he enjoys keeping rhythm.

• He can do puzzles that are age appropriate.
• He is eager to learn. Today, Randell wrote his name on a little board and showed it to him. He erased it and tried to replicate it. He got the A and some of the other letters although not the exact shape. He also tried to copy the bear I drew. He is so smart.

  

We gave him lots of hugs and kisses today and had some good bonding time.  He is soooo cute!

It was cold today, and it rained most of the day and snowed for a little bit.

Please continue to pray for Randell's back.  It has been hurting all day.  Please pray for me.  I have a cold, and the cold weather is not helping!  YUCK!