My sweet, affectionate loving child did some not so sweet and loving things this week. I think it actually started last week.
When I picked him up from school Friday he told me that one of the boys in his class hit him and it hurt. We talked about it a little and I thought it was forgotten.
I was wrong. When I picked him up on Monday his progress report had a :( on it. He had been hitting the boy that hit him on Friday. He was even throwing toys at him. I punished him from watching Max and Ruby (his favorite cartoon which he watches in the evening before dinner). Ok, so he just had a bad day, we all have those.
He promised he would be a good boy on Tuesday, but it was not to be. Daddy picked him up on Tuesday and to his embarassment, the teacher told him that Jacob had choked one of his friends. WOW, where did he see/learn that??? We were at a loss! I wondered if maybe he was getting sick, are his shoes too tight??? These are the crazy things that went through my mind. I added his favorite toy to his punishment and we hoped for better on Wednesday.
On Wednesday when I picked him up from school I was presented with two slips to sign because Jacob had BITTEN TWO KIDS! What???? One of the kids was a boy that he plays with and sometimes they get physical. But, the other was a sweet little girl that he bit on the arm. His teacher called the little girl over and showed me the dental impression on her arm. I was horrified!! Jacob went up to her and kissed her on the bite. Daddy and I began to start questioning our parenting skills.
We were really at a loss. We have NEVER had a disipline problem with Jacob. I've read and go by the 1-2-3 Majic time out method. I even typed out the method and provided it to his teachers at school and they use it for Jacob too. I looked up aggressive toddler behavior on the internet which brought me some relief. It wasn't our fault, it's normal. We are already doing all of the things they suggested for curbing this behavior.
On Thursday morning daddy and I only asked him once if he would be a good boy, then we didn't talk about it anymore. On Thursday and Friday we got :)!!! YEAH! I bought him a new book as a reward for his good behavior.
WHEW, I hope we have a better week next week! :)
Saturday, June 28, 2008
We had a tough week!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
Red Letters Campaign...Blog Buzz
Do you have any tips / advice / suggestions for your “Gotcha Day” for people preparing to travel to pick up their little one. . .This could include things that made your day special, an easier transition at home, etc. Tell us what worked (and what didn’t) for you
First of all, it was one of the best days of our lives. We arrived in Guatemala on Saturday night and Jacob's foster mom couldn't get to our hotel till Monday. We knew this before we planned our trip. This leads to my first piece of advice; if you are able to, arrive a little early. Although, at the time it was hard to wait, in retrospect, it was nice to get situated before we got our baby. I was able to get acquainted with the hotel and unpack ALL of the stuff I brought. We also got to know the hotel staff (as best we could speaking two different languages). On Sunday we walked around the city.
We were warned that everybody runs late in Guatemala, so not to expect them to actually be there at 9 AM. So, that morning we went down to breakfast. Just as I was sipping on my coffee at precisely 9, I saw a group walk into the lobby with the most precious baby boy I had ever seen!! I lept from the table and asked the group if this was Jesus'. Jacob's foster mother, Maria, was so upset. She had cared for him from birth until this day, he was nine months old. That part was very difficult, because this was one of the happiest days of our lives, but it was a hard day for her. We had lunch together and she and her sisters stayed with us for about 4 hours. Maria was much less emotional after getting to know us. She was assured that we adored this baby boy that she had loved so much.
When we got back up to our hotel room we just marveled at this beautiful miracle that was our son. Jacob, however, was very reserved and looked scared. We didn't leave our room much for the next couple of days. We spent our time holding and kissing our son. After the first night he began to relax and trust us. There were many opportunities to tour the city as well as excursions outside of Guatemala City. We didn't take advantage of any of these. I wish we would have. It is our intent to return to Guatemala with Jacob in a few years.
I'm not sure if I've offered any "advice", but that's our story. 
Jacob and Daddy's first meal together. This is in the lobby of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Guatemala City, Guatemala. Just moments after meeting our son.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Rest in Peace
Saturday, June 21, 2008
She spoke to ME today!!
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Coming together in prayer....
Friday, June 13, 2008
Thursday, June 12, 2008
An Addiction
Is there a 12 step for Nemo addicts???
Jacob and I were sick with a virus earlier this week. Actually he was sick this weekend and so generously gave me the "bug". On Tuesday I was unable to eat and feeling like a horse was kicking my stomach nonstop. Jacob was feeling pretty good, so he wasn't into just laying in the bed with mom. So, I had to do the only thing I could so I could rest.....let him watch Finding Nemo (his current favorite). I set the DVD player to continuous play and he watched it 3 TIMES back to back on his little portable DVD player.
