Return of the Pelicans

What a title for a blog entry. What does it mean? Well, every spring and fall brings a large migration of pelicans through Oklahoma which is a great indicator that the season is about to change. Last weekend we saw the first of the fall pelicans from our deck, and there are even more in our cove this weekend. Looks like fall is upon us.

It has been an eventful week for Cameron. While visiting his cousins on Thursday (while Dad was watching his beloved Yellow Jackets get trounced by Miami) he decided on his own that he was ready to ride a bike without training wheels. He promptly got on his cousins old bike which is very small and proceeded to just take off on it. Since it is so low to the ground, he can easily bail out when he’s about to crash. So…..we have now raised the seat a bit and he’s riding it all over the place. As you can see from the picture, it is clearly a girls bike, but he couldn’t care less. He has loaded the basket on the front with a newspaper, mail and his football. He likes to ride by the mailboxes out front and pause briefly to deliver the mail. Very cute! Soon he will be riding his own bike.

His swim lessons continue to go well. He is really enjoying them and is beginning to put the pieces together. It will still be a while before he is actually swimming, but his progress is noteworthy. He ought to be swimming like a dolphin by next summer!

This week he had another dental appointment. At this appointment they fixed his front tooth that was partially decayed. This was obvious to see every time he smiled, so now he has a wonderful smile with no blemishes.

This week he went to his first Pep Rally at his cousins’ school and evidently had a great time. Afterwards, he and Angie went shopping at a local consignment store and came away with a great deal on a Halloween costume for him…..Spiderman! He has really enjoyed donning this for everyone to see, and is so proud of it that he has it hanging on the wall in his bedroom. He loves putting it on and then acting like a fierce fighter, mostly with martial arts type noises and moves (he has yet to learn of Spidie’s actual superhero powers, although I doubt it will make a difference.......he'll be inclined to stick with his Chinese version of Spiderman!).

Tuesday was a very busy day. We had an appointment with an orthopedic doctor concerning his feet. We got some good baseline weightbearing radiographs, and are in the process of setting up an appointment with a doctor who specializes in the care of club feet. We are doubtful anything will need to be done right now, as his feet cause him no discomfort or limitation, but want these contacts in place should anything need to be addressed down the road. Following his swim lesson Tuesday evening we finally stopped by Wally World and got him a new MP3. It is at least comparable to his old one in features, but the data we lost on his old one is irreplaceable and priceless. Nevertheless, he seems to like the new one just fine. This one also has an FM radio built in, so that’s something he enjoys. The language can be changed on the MP3, so he has it switched to Chinese. We really like this, as it helps us in encouraging him to retain his mother tongue in reading, writing and speaking. As if Tuesday wasn’t busy enough, we also stopped by the local library and got him his first library card and books to read. Part of his daily schooling now includes reading, although these are the most simple of books…..it’s a good starting point. He especially likes Dr. Seuss!

We are currently following the blogs of two families we have come to know who are currently in China completing the adoptions of their Hope Project children. Our experiences while in China adopting an older child seem to mirror theirs quite closely, both the joys and struggles. Cameron currently talks with 2 of the other Hope Project children who have returned to America, while we are planning to call the third for the first time tonight. Cameron looks forward to calling the 2 children in China upon their return to the States in a couple weeks, which will make 6 children in all that have returned so far. Additionally, there are a few more families traveling next month, including one family who lives about an hour away who will be returning with 2 Hope Project children. It is heartwarming to see and listen to these children talk to each other and compare experiences and situations now that they are with their new families.

All is continuing to go quite well with Cameron’s homeschooling. His math has gotten much better, and he now breezes through the flash cards quite quickly. The alphabet and Pledge of Allegiance are now memorized. He is reading simple sentences, although comprehension is still fairly low. His vocabulary is steadily increasing, as is his written ability.

A Few Videos

A Long Overdue Update

It has taken me way too long to get this blog post out, but with all the additional demands on my time, it is difficult to find the time to sit down and write uninterrupted, especially with my tendency to write lengthy posts. If you are only interested in viewing updated pictures, please scroll down to the bottom of this post, as I have uploaded a couple dozen.

We have now been home for about 5 weeks, and all continues to go remarkably well. That is not to say that we have not had any challenges to face, but rather that things are following a “best-case” scenario. Cameron is a remarkable little boy, with loads of personality and charm.

Cameron is adjusting to his new home and family life fairly well. He continues to be very affectionate, always ready to jump on your lap to see what you are doing or to just snuggle. He is also very helpful; if he sees you doing some menial task, he jumps right in to help without being asked. He does best with a fairly busy schedule; if there is too much dead time he gets bored quickly. There are not too many toys he likes playing with. He prefers either video games or anything mechanical. A week or so ago he bought a little remote controlled helicopter with his own money and he has enjoyed playing with it outside. He does not care for any organized sports at this point. While initially quite afraid of water, he loves to play at almost any pool now, and is set to begin swimming lessons at the YMCA this week. We have even taken him out on our Sea Doo a couple times and he really enjoys it.

The initial barrage of medical and dental testing is nearly done. So far he has had 4 teeth pulled and is set to have two more capped or filled at his next appointment. The dentist says this should set him up nicely for when his adult teeth come in. His dental hygiene is getting much better, and he now brushes twice a day, uses mouthwash, and is even flossing a little. I’m sure this is quite a change from his hygiene in China. He still doesn’t know what to think of the Tooth Fairy, and he had to write her a note to make sure she didn’t take his teeth when she visited. For some reason, he also seems to think that Mother has something to do with the Tooth Fairy. Hmmmmm……Christmas and Santa Claus may get interesting this year!

Medically, he has had his initial checkup and it only required him to get one immunization shot. We have an appointment with an orthopedic doctor next week to take a look at his feet, mainly just to get a good baseline at age 10 in case he develops any feet-related problems down the road. He is quite healthy and has not had a single incidence of sickness in the 7+ weeks he has been in our family. A couple weeks ago he was able to “tell” us through the translator and gestures that he was 5 years old when he had his feet operated on. For those who are unaware, Cameron was born with bilateral club feet but, following surgery, has no limitations (running, jumping, etc.). He proceeded to walk around the living room a few times to show us how he walked up until his surgery. With his feet drawn in he was walking on the outside edges of his feet (similar to a position one gets in with an inversion ankle sprain). Up until that time, we were unaware of how old he had been when his surgery occurred, as it was not included in any of his medical file documents. He also has another scar on the outside aspect of one thigh. He related to us that this scar was caused by a burn when he came in contact with some sort of heater or radiator, also at about 5 years of age.

Angie began homeschooling Cameron several weeks ago and, after some initial difficulties, he seems to be settling in with the concept just fine. He knows his ABC’s and has begun “reading” simple words and phrases with some assistance. His vocabulary continues to grow by the day, and communication is not too difficult anymore, with the exception of anything requiring more detailed explaining or more conceptual thinking. We seldom use the handheld electronic translator anymore. He is currently counting to upwards of forty, and we are working on simple addition and subtraction with him right now. He has really improved on this in just the two weeks or so that we have been working on it. Angie has also been working with him on more everyday needs with communication such as time (he only knew digital time), money, directions, body parts, and household objects. We have also joined a local Homeschooling Cooperative in Owasso which is a valuable resource to use and provides many opportunities for extracurricular events, social gatherings, etc. It remains our intention to homeschool Cameron this year and then enroll him in private school (hopefully at Lincoln C.S.) next year.

Cameron has experienced a number of firsts since moving to the States. A couple weeks ago I took him to the Will Rogers Fly-in, and he enjoyed a morning of watching airplanes taking off and landing up close, climbing in/over a fire truck and ambulance, and playing on a Jupiter Jump. He has also experienced his first ice cream truck (I would have loved to know what he was thinking when that happened!), and now it’s our summer Sunday evening ritual to await the sound of the approaching ice cream truck so that Cammo can choose his treat for the week. One funny first that happened about a week after our return was when (unbeknownst to us until it happened) he encountered his first water fountain at the YMCA. He looked up at me like the water fountain was the strangest thing around, and we were crazy for slurping water from it. Upon reflection, though, it became apparent to us that due to a lack of drinkability of tap water in Beijing, he had probably never encountered a water fountain before. Now we point them out to him all the time, but he still won’t drink from them yet.

Cammo seems to think he’s some sort of fashion guru. He is adamant about selecting his own clothes, although his matching abilities could use some practice, and he can primp with the best of them. He takes great pride in his ability to apply gel to his hair and get it looking just right, especially with a swirl in the front. He will then put on his sunglasses and flash a peace sign to Angie and I like he is quite cool and proud of himself. He’s going to be a handful when he’s old enough to date! And when he starts belting out music and begins furiously playing an air guitar, it’s a sight to behold! I’ll have to catch that on video for posterity.

Cameron keeps his room impeccably clean and neat. He even dusts off all the surfaces! I’m not sure I’ve ever known a 10 year old that kept their room so clean…..it’s the cleanest in the house. He is also tremendously helpful. If I’m out mowing the lawn, he wants to be out raking and edging without being told. If I’m below the bluff clearing and burning debris, he has to have his own little burn pile, bring me the tools I need and bring water periodically to keep me from getting too hot. If Angie starts to clean the house for guests, he jumps right in and starts washing windows, vacuuming floors or putting things away. Once again, all without being told. Friday evening he decided on his own that he was going to clear the grass from all the cracks in our driveway. He worked on it for an hour or so, then said he’d finish the next day. Sure enough, the next morning, before he had even changed out of his pajamas and without the slightest reminder from either Angie or I, he went out and spent another hour pulling up the rest of the grass and then sweeping the whole driveway. Quite an amazing little guy. He kept telling us that the dogs needed a bath, so we had to bathe them outside this past Saturday. The dogs were rather indignant as you can see from the pictures, but Cammo had a blast!

A couple times over the last week or so he has become sullen for seemingly no reason. At first Angie and I thought he was upset at us but, come to find out he was thinking of his orphanage friends. He has had several good cries like this and Angie and I just hold him, cradle him, shed tears with him and provide whatever comfort we can while he grieves this loss. Sometimes at these times he will have us get the notebook he came home with which had entries from his classmates so that he can go through it with us. He points to his eyes, makes a hand gesture for crying, and points to specific pages to convey to us for who and why he is sad. It is truly heartbreaking. Nevertheless, as many more of his orphanage mates return to the States with their new families he will be able to keep in touch with them by phone as he has with a couple already. In fact, the families who are adopting this specific group of children are already making tentative plans for a reunion next summer.

Yesterday we had some friends over who have adopted two daughters from China. Cameron was so excited all day as he knows them well (we have already gotten together with them several times over the last few weeks). He played the perfect host…….cleaning the house, getting the sunroom and patio ready, helping with the grill and Tiki lamps, getting the silverware ready, arranging the music, and generally helping out any way he could. Needless to say, it was a wonderful afternoon and evening, and the full moon rising over the cove was a breathtaking end to a day spent with good friends.

I have included about 20 pictures below……..needless to say, lots to document in pictures over the last 5 weeks. Enjoy!

Life is good!

Blog Updating on China Trip

Just a quick note to confirm that I have added to the blog all the daily emails I sent out while on our adoption trip to China. I have not yet added all the pictures, as that will also take a bit of time, but will do so ASAP as time allows. Tomorrow is return to work day, so I'm getting ready to shake the rust off after 3+ weeks. Angie will begin acclimating Cammo to a home routine at the same time. I'll update the blog with a post later this week or next weekend.

China Update - The Return Home

Hello from Claremore, Oklahoma! We have now been back for 4 full days and we are continuing to recover from our jetlag. It’s no fun to wake up at about 0100 or 0200 and to be unable to fall back asleep, knowing you will be utterly drained the next day as a result. Nevertheless, it is slowly starting to improve and by this weekend we ought to be back to normal, or nearly so. Cameron seems to be dealing with it better than us…..you wouldn’t know he has been on such a long journey just by watching him. All continues to go remarkably well on the homefront, as I will expand on in a moment.

Our return flights home went fairly well, although with lots of turbulence from Beijing to Chicago and Chicago to Tulsa. Our flight from Chicago to Tulsa ended up being delayed for about an hour due to weather surrounding Chicago. However, we didn’t really know it would be delayed…..until it was actually delayed. So…..we were nearly an hour late arriving to Tulsa but were unable to alert our well-wishers at that point. However, they were all troopers about it and still awaited our arrival…..a bigger contingent of family and friends than we were expecting. Many thanks to all who met us including 2 other adoptive families who we have befriended (Burnett’s and Peak’s), friends (Cohea clan, Delk’s) and family (Angie’s parents and sister/family). There was a nice welcome home sign and balloons. We greatly appreciated their warm welcome. Cammo was very shy upon our arrival (totally not like him, except when around unique people or situations) and I don’t think he said a thing between our arrival and when we left the parking lot. Angie, one of the two adoptive daughters of the Peak’s, walked up to Cammo and exclaimed, “I’m from China too!” Very cute. Cammo is great around other kids, both older and younger, so we look forward to spending time in the future with both of these wonderful families with whom we share the international adoption experience. You guys are awesome and we cherish all you have done for us.

Cammo is doing remarkably well so far. One of our big concerns was getting him acclimated (and vice versa) to our two German Shepherds. He was terrified of them at first, but by the end of the weekend was their best buddy. This took quite a bit of effort on our part…….they spent quite a bit of time in their outside kennel and behind closed doors in the house before he slowly began to warm to them. Now he enjoys giving them treats, taking them to potty and helping Angie groom them. We continue to supervise this closely, though, to ensure the safety of both Cammo and the dogs.

We are slowly working into normal family routines…..bathing and hygiene, meals, bedtime, etc. When we first met Cameron he was used to showering ~2x per week and was fairly resistant to any change to this. He now takes a shower every 1-2 days depending on our activities, and is agreeable to doing so without resistance. He continues to turn the shower on and off during the process……get wet, turn off shower and soap up, turn on shower and rinse, turn off shower and wash hair, etc. Once out of the shower, he makes sure to have us smell his hair to show us that he did a good job. He has also started using a kids mouthwash….saw dad using mouthwash so he had to try it, but didn’t care for the apparently strong “taste”. We got him some kids mouthwash and now he’s great about using it. However, the first time he tried it he ended up having an overflowing mouthful of bubbles that were going everywhere. After a few belly laughs at this sight he has since mastered the process. He has also gotten better about changing his underclothes…..very resistant at first (and we didn’t push the issue too much) but is now much better. He tends to wear mostly size 7 clothes, but some 8’s are okay.

We have kept his bedtime about what it seemed to be in Beijing, and he readily goes to bed without protest. We got a set of nightlights for him, but he prefers to have the bedside light on. We turn it off when he goes to sleep and, between the two nightlights in his room and one each in the hallway and bathroom, he has no problem waking up to this. The first night he was home he slept with us. The following night we gave him the option, and he chose to sleep alone in his bedroom. We told him it was fine if he awoke and wanted to come in with us, but he has done just fine on his own, and has not felt the need to do so, apparently. He readily sleeps throughout the night…..no waking that we are aware of. He does tend to grind his teeth a lot when sleeping, and is also prone to talk in his sleep a bit.

Cammo’s eating habits are evolving. He continues to prefer lots of fruit for breakfast, but has yet to develop an affinity for our yogurt (which tastes a good bit different than what we got in China). We initially kept to foods that we knew he liked in China but have begun to branch out. Believe it or not, he doesn’t really care for rice! He is beginning to like certain foods that, when he looked at them before trying them, he rejected. For example, we had some frozen seasoned fries that he said he did not want. However, after they were cooked, he tried one, liked it, and proceeded to have a small plateful. We also grilled some Italian sausages last night with sautéed onions and green peppers, and he had three of these in buns! Quite an appetite! He does not like mustard yet, though. We also keep a ready stock of Ramen noodles on hand, and we will put some shrimp or chicken chunks in with it to make more of a meal of it. Needless to say, I don’t think finding foods he likes will be a problem, although I’m sure we will have both hits and misses. We also have plenty of snacks for him available…..lots of fruit, trail mix, hard-boiled eggs, etc. He has quite an affinity for ice, now, and is mesmerized by the icemaker built into our refrigerator. Of course, he also likes to get small pieces of ice to give to the dogs, which has made him a big hit with them!

He has been spending some time playing with his cousins, and we also went to a family friend’s birthday party on Sunday and he had a great time playing with all the other kids, especially on the monkey bars. He is quite helpful with the other kids and there was no hitting, outbursts, etc. for the nearly 2 hours we were there. He is very enjoyable to be around. He is very happy most of the time, and on those rare occasions when something is bothering him (usually with something around the house or with us as he gets acclimated), he gets over it quickly and moves on…..no lingering resentment. Having said that, Angie and I have spent tons of time going back over all we learned through both Dillon International and Christian World Adoption, as well as through the Social Worker’s and support staff to make sure we are approaching each issue with sensitivity to his background and what will work best for both he and us. Needless to say, we “pick our battles” carefully, and Cammo has been awesome in adapting to his new environment (and us as well). Many thanks to those who have helped us prepare for this over the past 18 months…..Julie and Rebecca with Dillon, Mei and Jane with CWA, the Peaks and Burnetts, and the many books and courses we took…..we have needed all of it. Even as I write this, he is helping Angie with cleaning around the house…..vacuuming, dusting, etc. He loves to help out with things like this.

Communicating is still quite fragmented. We use the translator to communicate to him, but this is one-sided. Nevertheless, we have a system of gestures and words that allow for fairly effective, albeit crude, communication until he learns more language. Frustration on his part with this appears to be at a minimum.

We were able to call and get him his first dentist appointment for tomorrow morning. We also have his first doctor’s appointment for next Wednesday. We took him by the doctor’s office yesterday to get the paperwork we would need to fill out, but also to give him a chance to more gradually get comfortable with going to the doctor. This gradual acclimation is also how we’re approaching swimming…..he was quite scared of the water at first and would not go near a pool unless in the kiddie area (since he cannot swim yet, this is a good thing). I took him by where I work to show him the YMCA pool and youth area so he could visualize this. Then yesterday we took him to the Y’s splashpad and he had a great time. We stopped by the youth area in the indoor pool again, and he was much more agreeable to going in, and has even asked to go back. We think that after a couple sessions there he will be asking to take (or at least agreeable to) swim lessons.

As you can see, we could go on and on in this message about all that is going on in our family right now. Suffice it to say that Cammo is proving to be an even bigger blessing than we had ever envisioned, and we feel truly honored and humbled to be given the opportunity to be called his parents. We simply cannot imagine our lives without him now.

This will be the last post I will be sending out to this distribution list. As mentioned previously, we have created a blog which I will plan to update at least on a weekly basis, and anyone interested in following our ongoing journey can bookmark, subscribe to it, or otherwise check it on a regular basis. The address is okie-ramblins.blogspot.com Please note that it has not been updated in a couple months, but this will change over the next few days and weeks.

Over the next week or so I will attempt to go back over the emails I sent while in China and add them to the blog as well. We hope you all have enjoyed following our journey and, seeing as how a number of our followers are in the process of adopting themselves (most from the Hope Project), we look forward to following your own journeys. If we can help you in any way as you prepare for your trips, stay in China or whatever, do not hesitate to email me/us. May your lives be as blessed and enriched through this process as ours have been.

China Update - July 29 PM

Hello again from Guangzhou! This time tomorrow we will be somewhere over northern China at about 35,000 feet, heading toward Siberia. It has been an awesome trip, but we are quite ready to return home. We are heading out to dinner shortly, so just a quick note to update you all before we eat and pack for departure.

Yesterday afternoon we went to the Chen Family Temple. It was built in the 1890’s by three wealthy and influential members of the Chen family to honor their deceased relatives, as is customary in this culture if one achieves a measure of stature and/or fortune. It has also been made into a Chinese Folk Museum, so there were some interesting artifacts included. Following this, we traveled to the Pearl Market. It was an interesting place to visit, but seeing as how we were not in the market for any pearls, we merely people-watched and observed the surroundings.

Today was our big appointment at the U.S. Consulate. No pictures to show, as they did not allow any cameras to be taken into the building. The adoptive families as a group repeat and oath of truthfulness in the documents they have prepared. There were about 20 or 30 families competing their adoptions and taking the oath today. At the completion of the oath, we were given a sealed brown envelope that contains the documents that we have to present at U.S. Customs and Immigration upon arriving in Chicago and, upon perusing these documents and stamping their approval, Cammo will officially be a U.S. citizen.

As I write, Angie has taken Cammo downstairs to take some pictures of him on the well-known Red Couch, as well as some other pictures around the premises. He is wearing his new outfit, so these should be interesting and more traditional looking.

Tomorrow will be an extremely long day for us. We waken at 0500 Guangzhou time (1600 Tulsa time on Wednesday) to get ready for our first flight, an Air China flight at 1000 from Guangzhou to Beijing. We then have a 3 hour layover before taking a United Airlines flight at 1600 (0300 Tulsa time on Thursday) for the nearly 14 hour flight to Chicago. In Chicago we go through U.S. Customs and Immigration Service as part of a 4 hour layover before boarding a United Express flight to Tulsa which departs at 2000 and arrives in Tulsa at 2155. I will check my email first thing tomorrow morning and will also check it in Chicago on my cell phone. I will probably send a blurb out when we arrive in Chicago to confirm our departure to Tulsa is on time. We arrive a bit later in the evening, but would love to meet anyone who would like to venture to the airport at that time.

Once back home, I will probably continue to use this distribution list for a few days, then will convert back to blog’ing on our site for those interested in continuing to follow our journey. We look forward to introducing you all to our little man on our return! He is very excited about leaving, although I don’t think he’s looking forward to all the plane rides to get there.