20 THINGS ABOUT VAHNYA AFTER 4 WEEKS HOME

Vahnya has been home with us for four weeks now. I wanted to share some of the things I have learned about him and some of the changes I have seen in him in this short time



Here are 20 things.


1)He trusts us, when he gets hurt he comes running to find one of us and cries until we calm him down. when I first got him out of his baby home he would fall or get hurt and laugh about it or just rub his head and get up and go on.He didn't know the love of being comforted.


2) He is getting picky about his food,at first he would eat anything I put in front of him.


3)He is walking better and running and I'm not worried he will fall on his face.He was not a good walker before would stumble and fall (got stitches in Moscow because of this)He was like a one year old that just learned to walk (he has only been walking since November)


3) He is caring, when one of us pretends to cry he will come to us give us a hug and rub our back and look at us like are you ok.


4)He does best with routine and does not do well with transitioning from one thing to the next, if he is having fun he wants to stay there. When we were at the beach it was a fight and a huge fit every time we change from one thing to the next. Getting out of the pool you would have thought he was in pain the way he cried. When we left the swings same thing. things like that he would just have a huge fit over that took him at least 15 min to settle down from. Also changing his clothes he still cries but is getting better.


5) He cries like an infant full on baby cry. He also laughs like an infant with that infant giggle. He kisses like and infant to with an open mouth, there are a lot of things I know he has to learn that he never got the chance to learn being in a orphanage. He has to start out with them like an infant would. Its sorta hard sometimes when you know he's 3 1/2 but I really just try not to think of age with him. My day care kids will call him the baby "the baby just took that" I tell them he's not a baby he's older then you, they don't understand because he looks like a baby to them. He is older then all but one of them,I really don't mind because he seems to me to be around age 18 months and that is one of my favorite ages and I know he is going to learn fast he already has.


6)He is a copy cat monkey see monkey do you can show him something once like a sign or movements to a song and he will remember it.


7)He is a charmer liked to give people this charming big smile,but he fakes you out he smiles at you,opens his arms up like he wants you to pick him up but when you try he wants down lol. I think we have smothered him with too many hugs and kisses lol.


8) Every place we go someone or several someones will stop us and tell us how cute he is. I'm not sure if this is because he really is the cutest kid around (I think so!) or because of his red spiked hair or because he has down syndrome or because he just has a sweet sprit that draws people to him. I think it is all of the above.


9)He is getting much better about holding our hand when walking out side, we have taken a few walks and made him walk holding our hands. This is great because before he would pull away or sit down and would not walk with us. Now he actually holds our fingers and doesn't let go.


10)He loves dogs any dog he sees he says uff uff! and gets all excited.


11)He does not like rides like the cars you put coins in and they move or the carousel horse. He does not like the movement.


12)He loves the swing, loves to go way high. He also loves for Josh to toss him in the air or hang him upside down.


13)He loves water the bath tub or the pool loves it!


14) He loves sand, loves to dig in it and sift it in his hands and run in it and eat it lol.


15) He falls asleep in the car almost before you get out of the driveway.


16) He loves music, will dance and sing. He loves when we all dance with him and copy him, he will be dancing so will we then he sits down and we all sit down he thinks this is so great. He giggles and giggles putting his hand over his mouth and has a look in his eyes like I can't believe they are coping me. It is the cutest thing ever.


17)He has a bad habit of throwing things and putting things in the turtle tank. Has gotten in trouble several times for this but keeps doing it.


18)He loves to play with my daycare kids and the kids at sundayschool,doesn't take toys or hit but doesn't like to share if he had it first lol.


19)He does not like when his brothers and sisters leave and don't take him with them, like when they all go off to practice he sits and cries.he loves them.


20) He is content,happy ,loved he is home!!.