Almost a month in! Really?!

Well the time sure does fly by when you have two rug rats to contend with. I had planned on updating more often but really I just can't seem to find the time. I will hopefully get better at it once all the dust settles.

Things have been pretty good and the transition is going better than expected I think. We have had to work through a few little bumps. Mainly in how we have been dealing with some of his tantrums. We have tried different strategies and feel like we are almost there. Part of the issue was his insecurity and fear so any correction, no matter how mild ended up in a huge uproar. Then he would demand Pat's attention. A couple of times we tried ignoring the tantrums but his insecure attachment just caused him to escalate to extreme levels so we have decided to just continue to gently correct behaviour then offer him immediate, calm, attention when he demands it. This has definitely helped the tantrums and we have been able to calm him down. We are trying to teach him to give us signs that he needs attention that are less dramatic than screaming and crying. It seems to be working. We'll get there slowly. We have also moved up meal times as that was another source of tantrums. It seems his foster mother free fed him throughout the day so when he wants food he wanted it 5 minutes ago and does not take kindly to having to wait. Unfortunately we are not going to be free feeding him throughout the day so this is something he is going to have to learn. Compromise was the key to this lesson so we basically feed him more often and earlier so he doesn't get as hungry. He is sleeping well although he does not like to go to sleep and will have some good crying jags at bed and nap time. We again tried different approaches but what seems to be the best is to let him get it out as he then falls asleep. This does go against adoption dogma as we are told time and again never to let newly adopted children cry but believe me we did try all other approaches and these wound him up even more (we even purchased the no cry sleep solution). Now he will cry for 5-10 minutes and fall asleep. Now that he is getting more sleep his tantrums have decreased so it is better all around. Of course I'd like to get to the point where he isn't crying when it's bed time but I think we just have to be patient as he is probably still grieving his foster mom. It is definitely true that every child is different and every family is different. Our approaches (which were very different with Van) seem to be working pretty well with Gerad.

Gerad's little personality is blossoming for sure. He is a very loving and happy boy most of the time (except and bedtimes and for diaper changes, then watch out. The boy has a set of lungs!) and we are very lucky in that regard. He loves his brother very much and seeks him out for hugs. He has picked up the English word "come" and says it to our dog while gesturing (just like daddy lol). He also has a catch all word "chee" which seems to mean "I want more food", "Hello", "Where are we going?" "There's my brother", and so on lol. He loves music and has a great time dancing or bopping while sitting on your lap. He thinks the cats and dog are grand but not sure they feel the same way yet as he is still learning to be gentle. He loves to eat...boy does he love to eat. You have to be careful that you don't introduce new food while he is eating another food or the food in his mouth will quickly be spit out to make room for the new food. He loves being out and about and will just smile and smile while taking in his surroundings. He is pretty laid back and is a dream to take shopping or to go into stores as he loves just looking around at all the things and people. Pat tells me he is great at playgroups and is pretty social. He is real people person and just loves to get attention. He's seriously the easiest child to get a smile out of and as a result taking pictures of him is a delight. The opposite of Van who purposefully will not smile lol.

Speaking of Van he has been doing amazingly well. He is over the moon to have a little brother and simply cannot stop touching him (his hair, his face, his hands). He loves to give him hugs which is handy as Gerad also loves the hugs. These boys are hugging each other constantly! There hasn't been too much sibling rivalry. Only a few times where we'll hear Van exclaim "No brother!". It's usually because Gerad is trying to take the toy he's playing with.

All in all Gerad Yihyun has fit into our home perfectly and I do not even remember what life was like before him. It's a louder, messier and happier house since his arrival!

Here are some pics:















Van got a haircut :)