Breakthrough!

Look what greeted me Christmas morning when I staggered in after work...

"What is this?"  I asked, as everyone crowded around the two of us. 
"It's a Christmas surprise!" they answered. 
"For whom?"  I asked.  (Actually, I said "who" because even though I know grammar, I don't really talk that way.) 
"For the whole family!" they answered. 
"Whose family?"  I asked.

So I got to be the Christmas grinch (again) since I wasn't so thrilled about the Christmas "surprise."  The real surprise is that I didn't grouch about it more, but three 12-hour nightshifts will knock the fight right out of you.  Lest you think that this is a passive-aggressive way to go about showing my displeasure, let me assure you that no one here is in doubt as to my true feelings...surprise.

A few days ago, we were all sitting around the table, visiting and chatting, and our littlest son was still sitting in his chair, even though I'd scooted him away from the table.  After a little while, I started tickling him, which often brings a smile, but instead of only smiling while being tickled, he looked right at me and smiled.  Pretty soon we were all marveling as he sat in the middle of the group, looking about pleasantly, and smiling at us when we tickled him.

A little while later, I took the girls to get them ready for bed, and he toddled along after, as if he wanted to be where we were.  Last night, David said that everyone went in another room, and left the little guy by himself, and pretty soon he had followed everyone else in.  David said he then ignored everyone, but the point is that he wanted to be where everyone else was, and that he wanted them to know that they were being ignored!  They can't feel the full effect, if they don't know they're being ignored.  I feel it's a real breakthrough!

Again, I think this might be a first, as both of the girls tried to grab the ice cream off of the cone when they were presented with this classic American treat.  They had to be shown how to hold it, and how to lick it.  Did they catch on?  See for yourself...

Did they approve? Obviously! These girls never met a food they didn't like.

Our little boy liked ice cream, too.  Since he refuses to eat anything that isn't off of a spoon, he got his in a bowl.  Then, after he quickly scarfed it all down...

I gave him this...

Why is he crying?  Because he now knows that ice cream is delicious, and he has no way of getting it into his mouth, since there is no bowl and spoon attached to it.  The way this story ended is that I picked up the cone and put it to his mouth, and he started to eat it (very quickly) and then I put his hands around it to hold it, and he continued to eat it for a moment or two, until his face started to freeze, then he threw it down, and rubbed his face on my arm, as if to try to thaw it out.

Here's a picture I bet you never thought you'd see!

Oh, the agony!  The torture!

Playing with his big brother...It's so great to watch him learning to be a kid, and to have fun!  Notice the barefoot girl.  We haven't been so strict about shoe-wearing as they are at the orphanage, and I like the kids to develop the muscles in their feet.  I feel this is better accomplished by letting them go shoe-less.  They do have the option to wear shoes, but when I ask the girls if they want to, and show them their shoes, they wave their hand dismissively, and say, "Ni!"  We do try to keep socks on them, though.

"I like you--and you're an awesome playmate!"

 I know this post was heavily weighted in favor of our new little boy, but it's so wonderful to see him making progress.   Anyway, here's a picture of our littlest girl.


So sweet, it'll give you cavities!