Asa: Singer/Songwriter

He LOVES playing on the piano!

Our Little Tadpole...

He LOVES swimming and he's getting to be so good at it! He can even dive about 5 feet down for rings!



Sorry for the weird camera angle; I was using the laptop and couldn't see what I was filming. ;o)

Lazy Siesta Key...

I cherish our time there. In 2007, I dreamed about the day Asa would be with us; we had recently accepted his referral and even mailed off our dossier from the FexEx location right off the island. So it was with great JOY that we were finally able to make our first trip with Ace. Here are some pictures from our time on the beach, the boat and around the island...

4+ Months Home...

And things just seem so normal, that it feels weird to be writing an update. Asa's adjustment has been miraculous, considering the dramatic way in which his life has changed; he has remained a relatively mellow, happy and go-with-the-flow kind of kiddo. There are areas in which we remain vigilant, just to insure that he is bonding properly, but most days pass without any major surprises. His English just blows us away and he communicates effortlessly. Asa does (occasionally) test boundaries but responds well when we explain rules and model good behavior. He's now sleeping through the night (YES!!) and naps really well every day. There's been a little bit of regression with the potty (just as a heads up for other adoptive parents - I've heard it's common) but it's not too big of a deal.

Here's a little rundown of what's been going on this summer:

We were SO blessed, over Father's Day weekend, so see my brother, sister-in-law and nephew, Grayson. They moved to Amsterdam last fall and we thought that we wouldn't be seeing them until their furlough, sometime next year. But they were able to make a quick trip the the States and came to Florida to see us!! This was really special because they got to meet Asa for the first time. We did a lot of swimming and the kids had fun playing with little Grayson. I didn't have the foresight to get a picture of all the grandkids together before Allyson left for church camp (bummer). But I did get this one of the littles together....


Asa got to experience his first week of Vacation Bible School. He was so excited about getting up every morning and dressing in the theme color for each day. I helped teach the three year old class, so he wasn't apart from me at all, but it was good to see him participate and interact with other children his age (he's still staying with us for church every Sunday). He did pretty well, overall, but it's clear that he enjoys being a little bit of a class clown.

Asa can swim now. Really and truly swim: underwater, above water, treading water, etc.... All without any floaty devices. It was my goal to have him swimming by the end of summer but he totally took to it with no fear and a very strong desire to do what the other kids were doing. The cutest thing is to look at him underwater while he swims - he has his eyes wide open and sticks his little tongue out while he does a unique, froggy-style stroke!

What's so funny is how Asa just knows how things work around here. If he has a snack at the table and needs to make a quick potty break, he pushes his plate to the middle of the table so a particular golden retriever won't walk by and swipe it. He even says "Mama, watch my food. Henry, don't get Asa's food," (yes, he's still mostly referring to himself in third person but is starting to say "I" and "me" occasionally). When he hears the garage door open, he's always the first one to say "Daddy's home!" and runs to the door to greet him. He knows all the family members with whom we skype and even asks to talk to them, by name. He plays so nicely and always cleans up after himself. His favorites toys right now are: Tinker Toys, Legos, and Matchbox cars. He knows exactly what things annoy each of his siblings and makes sure to do those things at least once a day. He tattles (both funny and annoying).



Tomorrow, we're off for a week on the beach. I'll definitely be back with pictures!

Fun With Pronouns

Asa calls himself Asa. He doesn't use "I" or "me" yet. Jim's attempt to teach him "I" sounded a bit like the Who's on First routine.

ASA: Asa wants more.
PAPA: Asa, say "I want more."
ASA: Papa wants more.
PAPA: (cracking up) Nooooo. Not me... you. Say "I want more."
ASA: You want more.
CAMDEN: (chimes in) Asa, don't say "Asa," just say "I want more."
ASA: Camden wants more.

Then, we had this exchange in the pool today.

ASA: Asa is a dolphin.
MOMMY: Asa, can you say "I am a dolphin?"
ASA: Mommy is a dolphin!

I knew where it was going and just gave up.... I was laughing too hard.

Our Son...

• Says "Mama, mama.... ummmm, mama? Mama! Mama..." before he tells me anything. Even if I'm looking right at him and he has my full attention, he must say "mama" no less than eight times before telling me what he wants to say. Very cute. Usually.
• Asks "What's this?" or "What's that?" when he sees anything he can't verbally identify in English. Once we tell him, he repeats it once and often remembers a few days later.
  
• Separates phrases with "ummmm...." [then smacks his lips] when telling us long stories.
  
• Asks "What'dya doin?" when he wonders what we're doing. Or, when it's obvious what we're doing, he still asks like this, "What'dya doin mom? Cookin?" which is super adorable.
  

We've Been Busy...

Which is my lame excuse for the lack of blogging. May kept us occupied - we were finishing our homeschool year with the bigger kids and watching in amazement as Asa's English exploded. By the end of the month, school was over and we had an incredibly verbal little three year old... it was the perfect time for a week long vacation in Orlando.

[asa, as we were packing for the trip]

We explained to Asa that we'd be going on a trip and that we'd come back home when it was over. He went with me to drop Henry the Dog off at the doggie hotel and seemed to understand that it was a temporary arrangement. He pointed at his canine buddy and said, "Henry, stay here. We be back laaaaater."

[walking and sweating in magic kingdom]

Asa already had a little bit of exposure to Disney World. My birthday was in late April and Jim, being the thoughtful hubby he is, got our family annual Disney passes as my gift. We had done a few day trips to Epcot to go on the "Big ball ride" and Magic Kingdom to see "Dickey Mouse" (???) but we were really excited about one full week at a condo only three minutes from the parks. We went to all four parks; Asa saw his first real zoo-type animals in Animal Kingdom and learned about the afternoon summer downpours at Hollywood Studios.

[asa loves buzz]

Our condo had a few fun swimming pools in which we passed a lot of the time, too. We've been teaching Asa how to swim here at home and people at the pools were shocked by how well such a tiny little guy swims underwater. He's our tadpole!

[matching suits for the boys... of course]

[asa dives right in... with mommy nearby]

We all had such a nice time and it was a great way to start the summer. Asa loved the "becation" and I think it was a really good opportunity to teach permanence. His family stayed together even though we weren't in a familiar environment, our home was here and the same when we returned and, as promised, Henry Dog was happily reunited with us.

[konked out in his king size bed at the condo]

We've experienced so much with Asa in his three months here at home. I'll definitely be discussing all the highs (many) and lows (a few) in a future post.