5 months

So, we celebrated our 5 month home date on Halloween!  The time is flying by. This upcoming Thursday, Nov. 8th, Garrett will have surgery to repair his cleft lip and palate! We are all anxious and excited to get it done.  I am hoping all will go as planned and he will have a smooth recovery with good pain management.  I just can't imagine his little face afterwards...  Last week, Alma and I both had the same dream that we were seeing him after surgery. It was so cool!
He continues to adjust fantastically to his new life, and is developing so well, I am always just amazed.  Over the last month, he has been speaking lots!  He understands pretty much everything, and is always able to get his point across with words, sounds and gestures. Once he has his palate repaired, he will start speech therapy. I expect he will be quite a talker! When I started back to work, he started staying with my mom during the day, with no issues whatsoever! We say goodbye at the goodbye window, and he always has a great day playing with the other children there. When I come home he runs to the door shouting "mama"!!!! I never imagined he would just fit right into all of our lives so easily.  Even Alma is still a wonderful big sister, after the novelty has worn off.  I still surprise myself when I talk of my "children"- I have 2 now! Thankfully, he is a wonderful eater, enjoying spanikopita, chana masala, quesadillas, and most of all- noodles/miso/tofu.  He still is unable to go to bed without me being in the room until he is asleep, and he is still a crazy roller/mover in his sleep.  There are still often times that I can't close the door to go to the bathroom or take a shower without an audience.  But his temper tantrums are now few and far between, and he is a happy, spunky typical 3 year old.  I can tell, sometimes he gets tired of kids asking about his mouth and taking a closer look to see "what's that little meatball?".  So, he's at just the right age to get his mouth repaired- and move on! Think good thoughts for the 8th!!! I will keep you posted when we return.