Proud Parent!

My mother was here for two days. What a blessing! It was way too short though...MOM COME BACK....Anyhow, my mother got to witness first hand darling MATEA obsessing over clothing. We finally have decided to lock the girl's bedroom during the day so that they don't come home to clothes everywhere. My mom and I had separated all of the clothes into 3 different dressers according to child....all of the girls are in the same room now. So I have no desire spending another afternoon separating the clothing into the appropriate drawers. I am hoping this phase will pass. In the meantime, I fool the baby by placing about 3 or 4 outfits outside of the laundry room that she secretly FINDS (not suspecting I have planted them there)...So she can work on them all day. After school the girls come home and I open the door trusting they will keep the baby in control (they love keeping their room clean).

Jared had a doctor's appointment today. This was officially his first physical in the states. He saw the doctor a week ago to check on his ears. He has been on antibiotics for 8 days and it hasn't cleared up the stuff in both ears. So we now get to go to an ENT. Also dermatologist (he has 3 pimply things on his body that could be molluscum). He had the sweetest eye test. He had to stand several feet away and the nurse pointed to a circle...Jared said "o". She pointed to a hand and he said "finger". She pointed to a star and he said "coco" (means star). She pointed to a cup and he said "BUNA" (means coffee) ...she then pointed to a tiny cross...he said "Jesus"...So we both laughed but he passed the test.

THEN...he had to have a TB test, blood had to be drawn AND he had to then get 5 shots...It was grueling.. He freaked out when he saw the first needle. But he got on the table...cried and screamed..it was traumatic...he held to me very tight and didn't bite, scratch or hit...he kept saying MOMMY another nurse held his feet down and another nurse held something else....I was hugging him the whole time...and then he kept saying Bekka...which means finished. I have to say that I was so proud of the fact that he didn't act out...he fought but held to me rather than attacking etc.....I couldn't believe this was the same child who would kick, scratch and even try biting when being disciplined a week ago and the prior weeks. AND I know this is sort of an embarrassing confession...but I had a weird kind of satisfaction with being able to comfort him while he was a human pin cushin ..I felt that we had really come far in our relationship through the past month and it made me proud....tonight...he had a little melt down and again rather than flailing about or throwing himself down on the floor...he looked for me, came to me and I cuddled with him in the rocking chair until he fell asleep. Of course Matea had found a pair of tap shoes which someone had donated to us (okay which one of you is responsible for that) and decided to tap on the tile floor while I was singing and saying SHHH to Jared. But I am in awe at how far these kids have come already. They are doing so well....we have seen them lower their guards down and now we are in bonding mode...it is really sweet to be able to help them heal and readjust..It really is by the grace of God.,