6 months since Gotcha Day!!!!

Ethan drawing a sun.

Placing stickers on a color sheet. Ethan loves playing with stickers.

It's hard to believe but yesterday, on October 17th we've had Ethan with us for 6 months. It has been an exciting time.



So much has happened in the last 6 months. He has gone from living in an orphanage in China, to living in a family in the United States. We have made it through two surgeries, one to detether his spinal cord in May, and to place a shunt to relieve pressure from hydrocephalus in September. A new diagnosis this month of narcolepsy with medication that has been working great!!! Ethan is so much more alert and awake now and he has been just blossoming developmentally. Ethan has also started school part days in a kindergarten classroom that will help him catch up academically and developmentally to help him be ready for kindergarten next year.

Snap Circuits

Brandon has had a lot of fun working with his snap circuits. If you don't know what they are http://www.snap-circuits.com/ this will tell you alot about them. The experiment that Brandon did this time makes it so that when he talks into the speaker on his snap circuit, it will send his voice to the am radio that is sitting right next to it, and you can hear him through the radio.

Acorn picking

The boys helped Papa by picking up acorns. Notice the pile by the tree. Instead of putting them in the bucket, Brandon decided that they needed to leave them out for the squirrels so that they could store them and have enough to eat over the winter.

There's even more on this side.

All that hard work deserves a Popsicle.

Animals at the farm show

We think this might have been Ethan's first time to see many farm animals up close. He loved watching and learning what sounds that they made, but didn't really want to pet any of them.

Brandon got to bottle feed a baby goat. Ethan just wanted to watch.

Okay, that's close enough, goat.

Brandon didn't mind getting up close and personal with the animals.

Ethan kept thinking that the donkey's were 'little bit horseys."

What does a pig say?

What does a puppy say?

A lotta green tractors

We went to a farm show this weekend and Ethan was very excited to see "lotta green tractors". Much to Daddy's dismay, Ethan's favorite tractors are green.

Trying out a tractor with Papa.

Brandon had a blast climbing on all parts of the tractors.

Checking out he four wheeler.

Brandon in the scoop of a Cat.

Faster than a speeding bullet

Brandon and Ethan have both gotten much better riding their bikes. They always have a great time riding.

Archery master

Brandon had a lot of fun practicing his bow and arrow.

Nice form, and a pretty good shot as well.

Whole new kid

We are just amazed at the things that Ethan suddenly is doing now that he has the shunt. He is talking in longer more complex sentences, he can ride his big wheel all the way to the corner and back, as well as hike around the lake with Daddy. We are suddenly seeing him do things that he has never done before. One of the biggest differences a friend of mine pointed out just two days after his surgery. "You can see his eyes, they're huge!" Said when seeing Ethan from across the room. His eyes are much more open and alert.

You gotta love that smile! No matter what has been going on, surgeries, tests or doctors appointments, he's always so very happy.

Deep & Wide

Singing along to Deep & Wide.

Surgery time again

Ethan had surgery to put in a shunt to drain the fluid from around his brain last Wednesday. Back to the hospital we go.

Brandon and Daddy waiting. Does anyone know what Brandon is sitting on?

Waiting for the 'goofy juice' to start working. We like 'goofy juice' it makes him nice an comfy and not really caring that he's about to have surgery. Gotta get a little reading in first though.

Ethan was very glad when he was able to get the IV out of his arm. Eating and drinking sure does wonders.
You gotta love hospitals, they give you all the sprite you want, and with a bendy straw!!

We were amazed, the night of his surgery we could already see a difference, he was galloping down the hall of the hospital on our way back to the room after spending some time playing in the playroom.

We are amazed at how quickly Ethan is changing now. We are seeing so many new things everyday since he got his shunt.

BTW, Brandon was sitting on a toilet.

Art is done, let the fun begin

Ethan tends to make a bit of a mess when he does art projects. He likes to cut paper, and let it drop all over the floor.

Notice the work gloves?

When he was done coloring and cutting, he went and got the dust pan and started cleaning up all by himself.

Better push it way down in there, gotta make room for more art.

All done. Now which was more fun, coloring and cutting, or cleaning up?

First day of Second Grade

Getting ready to send big brother off to second grade.

All ready to go.
A few more steps!
Almost there!

Lining up in the lunch room waiting for school to start.

More fun on bikes

Brandon is getting even better without the training wheels

Brandon helping Ethan with his elbow pads.

Its a tad harder in the grass.

Kitty Cats

Playing with the kittys on the farm

Listening for the kitty's motor.

Lucky

Lucky, come here Lucky.

There's Lucky!
Riding Lucky and having a blast!!!

Legos

Brandon has a blast both building with his Lego Star Wars, and acting out the movies, or making up his own stories.

Brand new wheels

Look mom, no training wheels!!!! Brandon has moved up in the world to the ranks of two wheeling!!!

The tricycle was too small, the little bike was too wobbly.

The big wheel is just right. Now Ethan can ride around outside with Brandon. Now to just get the hang of pedaling.