Overall, Judd is doing very well. He is 20 months old minus a few days, weighs 21 pounds, and is a little dude. He walks and runs, laughs hysterically, and is a very smart boy. He can’t say much other than momma and bye-bye. Well, he may be stinkin’ fluent in Chinese but we’d not know it. He grunts and talks and dances and wrestles and cries. You may have heard that orphanage kids don’t cry. This one does. My does he ever.
He eats like you wouldn’t believe. Our boys at home are picky eaters, a luxury Judd never had. We have literally not found anything he won’t eat. He loves food. And lots of it. Our favorite thing is his happy dance as he chows. Dude loves vittles. We sometimes have to cut him off because we are afraid he’ll puke. And when food is taken away from him, he freaks. Screams. Flails. Spazzes out. You can tell he had to do that to survive in the orphanage. Still, we let him eat for an hour.
The first week with Judd, he showed a lot of “orphanage behavior” meaning making a scene and being difficult because that was the only way he got what he wanted/needed in the orphanage. We’ve said countless times that his behavior was the result of lazy parenting. We’ve been working a lot with him saying “please” in sign language rather than grunting and pointing and yelling for what he wants. Honestly, it’s working well. He knows several signs and uses them all the time now. Like I said, he’s a smart boy.
He seems like our other boys: happy as long as he has slept and eaten. Heck, I’m no different than that. Guys are simple animals. We’ve learned the importance of an afternoon nap and regular snacks, and overall, he’s a happy guy. If he’s hungry or tired, he becomes a very angry Genghis Kahn.
Judd with Aggie our guide in Hohhot
We’ve learned a lot about him, and he’s learned a lot about us. He knows daddy is fun to play with, and momma is safe and comforting. Honestly, he loves his momma. He likes me okay, but sometimes he needs a momma fix. We know he likes us and possibly prefers us, but he hasn’t attached yet. He still goes to anyone, including the lady at the restaurant tonight. They call it “mommy shopping,” and while he does it, he seems to want to come back to us more quickly now.
His chicken pox is doing very well. It has been a very mild case. I’d bet he doesn’t have 25 bumps on his body, and he’s not had a fever we’ve noticed. We’ve been stuck around the hotel because the doctor wanted him to lay low and get better. We go back to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully can get back to seeing the city and getting on with the trip.
More from Guangzhou soon.
-Chris
3 comments:
He sounds awesome!!! He also sounds a lot like Graysen was when we got him 2yrs ago. He improved so much when we got home! Love the Vols shirt!
Great to hear how Judd is doing. Looks like he is adjusting well. We are waiting on our TA to get our second son who is also 20 months this week and weight is similar from what we know. We are taking our 2 year old ( just turned 2) with us when we go. We are glad to see we may have to deal with more behavior issues, and hope taking our son helps with bonding. We pray it goes that way!! Enjoying following your journey!
We're so thankful that Judd is doing so well and that you guys are enjoying your trip. I've enjoyed following your jouney and can't wait til we get our TA so we can follow in your foosteps. Know that we're praying for you.
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