Life at home - one week later

Hello all, sorry for not updating sooner but life is hectic with 2 kiddos!! Pat arrived home with Gerad last Friday. Van and I went to the airport to greet them. Van was so excited to finally see Gerad in the flesh (and see daddy again of course). It was obvious dad and second son were exhausted. Gerad was shell shocked. However he was a real trooper on the way home and didn't cry in the car seat. Luckily we live downtown so the drive was only 15 minutes. When we got home Gerad went down for a nap. We woke him up at 5:30, in time to hang out with Van's friend Hudson who came for a visit. He had a great time, laughing and giggling. He enjoyed playing with all the toys. Van and he bonded right away. It's in fact been quite amazing but more about that in a bit.

The first night was understandably rough. Because of Pat's jet lag and lack of sleep I took the first shift. Of course that was a little bit difficult for Gerad as he didn't really know me from a hole in the wall. In any event I laid with him for 5 hours. During that time he slept on and off and cried lots. Poor little guy. Pat took over in the early morning and I managed to get about 2 hours sleep. The next few days were a bit of a blur. Sunday was his most difficult day. He was finally starting to realize that this was it and that we weren't going anywhere. He cried out for his foster mother a lot and had full screaming tantrums for hours. Poor little guy. There was nothing I could do for him as he was attaching to Pat and I was a threat to his foster mom's memory. I have been fine with that and have let him come to me on his own time. We have forever to get there, I am in no rush.

By Tuesday he was starting to calm a little bit and was more easily soothed. Night times were still rough but getting better. As I am working and am not the primary attachment figure I essentially go to bed with ear plugs and Pat co-sleeps with him. It seems that his witching hours are between 2 and 5. Prime jet lag hours lol. In Korea he was sleeping through the night so we know he has done it before. We are hopeful he'll get back there with time. Actually last night was his best night. When we heard him wake up he just moaned a went right back to sleep. No crying out. He also slept until 5 before having an hour of wakefulness before sleeping again! Seems the jet lag is wearing off. He has been napping really well though. All in all we think he is transitioning quite well considering his age and the extreme shock to his world he is experiencing.

Now to Van and Gerad. Van has been simply incredible. Very gentle with Gerad. Not even lashing our when his heir gets pulled. He speaks about his little brother non-stop at daycare and is excited to get home to see him. Gerad has taken to Van as well and when we get home at the end of the day Gerad runs to him for a hug. It's really great to see! We've been trying really hard to keep Van's schedule exactly the same and I think that's helped. It's also helped that I am focusing on him and that we do things alone together as well. He is not being ignored.

Halloween was a lot of fun! Van got more out of it this year than previous years. Three really is a great age. He finally is able to anticipate things and get excited about them. We knocked on about 10 doors which was just enough for him. I let him decide when he was done. Gerad even came with us to the first few doors. He got the hang of things right away and even toddled up to a couple of doors holding out his bucket. Very cute!

Anyway, here are some pictures.

A few more in Korea:











The plane:





First meal in Canada (Toronto airport):



Arriving at the airport:













First night at home:





Halloween:









Van at the same age in the same costume....weird:











Eating the loot: