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!
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