And the floodgates were opened...

 

It all started with a minor spat over the use of a yoga mat.  Mild pouting followed by angry tears resulted.  My boy hates to cry, so he hid his face in a pillow as he tried to reign in the emotions.  He seemed to be getting a grip and then the something about his cry changed.  It wasn't angry anymore.  I touched his leg and said his name.  I pulled him onto my lap and told him it was okay to cry.  And then the floodgates opened wide.  A gut-wrenching sob escaped from deep within him.  It was the sound of pure agony seeping from his soul. 

 

Of course Sweet One felt responsible and came over to try to give in to the original demands of the spat.  I assured her that, in this case, she was not in the wrong and that this crying was not about a yoga mat.  I explained that he has been through a lot in the last few weeks and sometimes a good cry just helps to get through it.  She cried right along with him.  After almost 30 minutes there were no tears left.  He asked if he could play a game on Baba's iPad (a special privilege) and after a few minutes of that (because kids are amazing) was ready to go out and play.

 

I expect that those emotional releases will be few and far between for him, but I'm so glad he was able to just let go and cry.  And I'm glad he let me hold him through it.

 

In other news, the last few days have been full of medical visits, playtime, and a few short outings. Earlier this week, Rudolfo received a book in the mail from his grandma.  It has buttons that play music when pressed.  It also has a battery compartment.  Rudolfo tested out the buttons and then ran for a screw driver to check out the battery situation.  He loves to tinker!

 



 

 

He also successfully installed a water bottle holder on Sticks' bike

 

 

and rigged a way to ride his scooter and take the dog for a walk.

 

 

He hung out a bit with Grandma and Grandpa who were here to help out and eagerly joined in with the puzzle play as it neared completion. 

 

 

Sweet One, Dr. Jiggles, and Rudolfo all spent hours creating a tent neighborhood and furnishing each one with just the right combination of pillows, bean bags, toys, and the occasional canine.

 

On Tuesday we drove Dr. Jiggles to baseball practice.  We stayed for a few minutes to watch, and then Rudolfo was anxious to get home.  As soon as we arrived home, he hunted down a plastic bat and asked Ziggity to teach him how to play baseball.  (You remember that "baseball" was one of his first English words, right?") Well, Ziggity patiently showed him how to swing the bat and after several misses, he finally made contact.  And then he danced a cute little jig of victory.

 

 

I have to insert a photo here simply because I thought it was hilarious.  Rudolfo lined up his tube of dinosaurs on our very tolerant dog.  The dog gets a gold star for the day!

 

 

On Thursday, we said goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa.  They were such a blessing to us, taking care of entertaining kids, preparing meals, accompanying me to doctor's appointments, babysitting when I needed to go to appointments with only the kid in question, and helping maintain order through my brain fog period.  :)  I think the success of the past week is due in large part to their presence and assistance.  I am forever grateful.

 

 

 

 

Later that day, the oldest three kids were invited to a playdate.  After being without friend time for nearly three weeks, they were eager to accept.  My friend picked them up, and I explained to Rudolfo that he got to play with ME while they were away.  It was the first time the two of us had been alone together in the house.  He was fine with it - for the first ten minutes.  Then he began asking where the other kids were, when we could go get them, and why they weren't there to play.  I guess I'm just not exciting enough for the poor kid.  I was even trying my very hardest to be fun!  Oh well.

 

After about two hours, I couldn't hold him off anymore.  He kept pointing to my watch and telling me it was time to go get the kids.  I texted my friend to tell her we would be headed her way shortly and off we went.  When I pulled into the driveway, her kids, my kids, and a few neighborhood kids ran out of the garage to greet us.  As soon as I opened Rudolfo's door, I heard loud excited whispers.  "There he is.  There he is!"  It was really cute.  But it got me thinking.  How do others view us and him?  I am so close to the situation (adoption and orphan-care, in general) that I no longer perceive our family or him as anything but "normal."  His current celebrity status made me realize that other kids definitely see him as something unique, at the very least. I know many of our friends and family have been following our blog and are anxiously waiting to meet our little guy in the flesh, but I'm still interested in what the perceptions of those outside our little family are.  My playdate-hostess friend shared her thoughts with me.   Feel free to share your thoughts if you'd like.  I'm genuinely interested.

 

By Friday, I was confident that Rudolfo understood commands like, "Stop!," "Be careful," and "Come here."  It was time to visit a small neighborhood park.  We had a great time and ended the adventure with a smoothie treat.

 

 

 

Later, we went for a walk in the wooded area near our home.  We found many minnows in the creek, but American minnows are apparently more elusive than Chinese minnows, because we came home empty handed.   

 

 

 

Somewhere between the park and the hike, Rudolfo informed me that he needed three things.  1) A remote control car.  (He found one working one that belonged to Dr. Jiggles as well as two non-working ones.  He was determined that he should own one.) 2) Training wheels for his bike.  And 3) a superhero cape.  After discussing with him the possibility of earning some money to buy his own car (and the fact that Baba would buy him training wheels and Mama would make him a cape), I posted his cute "top three" on Facebook.  My neighbor immediately messaged me to tell me she had already purchased a remote control car for him!  That little boy was one lucky little fellow!  We went over to meet this neighbor this morning and acquire the now-beloved car and a fun USA puzzle.  I should mention that another neighbor also provided him with a bin full of art supplies that he spent much of the evening using.  I wish I had thought to take a picture when we went to the grocery store, because he insisted that the bin of supplies AND the puzzle accompany us on the trip.

 

 

Between meeting new neighbors, receiving unexpected gifts, learning to use his bike and riding for a good long time with his bike-buddy, Baba, (WITH the requested training wheels), playing in proximity to a child outside the family (a big deal for him), visiting our neighborhood pool, and putting major mileage on his remote control car, this boy had a BIG day.  He was bouncing off the walls from fatigue and overstimulation by dinnertime.

 

 

 

 

Shortly after dinner, I got him ready for bed and snuggled in for our nightly book time.  He listened quietly and when I closed the last one, he said, "Wo ai ni, Mama," and gave me a kiss on the cheek.  For those that don't speak Mandarin, that's "I love you."  :) 

 

I thought that was the perfect way to end our day, but then it got better.  Every day, I have been praying, "Dear God, thank you for Rudolfo" in front of him.  Tonight, he folded his hands and said (in English!), "Dear Jesus, thank you for Mama.  Amen."  Then he draped his arm over me and said (In English again!), "I love you."

 

This Mama's heart is very full tonight.