Monday, September 10, 2007

Update from the Ogle's

I know we haven't posted much lately, but there really hasn't been that much to post.

We have settled in at home with our new son. Greg Jr. is back at school in Tuscaloosa. Greg Jr. came home last weekend and he and Paul William were glad to see each other. We were afraid how Paul William would react when Greg Jr. left for college but it didn't seem to bother him although he did ask and look for him some. We were worried about his reaction when Greg Jr. left again but he seemed to take it in stride and has not seemed to miss him too much.

Paul William started attending the 3 year old program at his mom's school 3 weeks ago. He has stayed all day a few times and half the day most of the time. We are still working on getting on a better schedule for bedtime and getting up in the morning. Mom goes back to teaching next Monday and Paul William will be going to school all day with her. One funny thing that has been going on at school is that when nap time comes he refuses to lie down and instead sits quietly with one of the teachers. When one of the other children stirs or starts to wake up he tells them sshhhh and shakes his hand side to side indicating no to them. His teacher has dubbed him "the nap police".

The best improvements lately have been that he has been sleeping in the bed with us for just over a week now. That has really helped Mary Louise get better rest. He now seems happy about getting in our bed at night. The next step will be the transition to his own bed.

Food continues to be a challenge. Our pediatrician did say that no 3 year old eats real well. He definitely does not.

Over the last 10 to 14 days his language skills have REALLY kicked in. It almost seems like he just decided one day to start speaking English. He will repeat anything you say to him and picks up new words quickly. He is also beginning to string words together into simple sentences. We have taught him to ask for help instead of screaming at us. His comprehension of English is VERY good and his ability to speak English is improving daily. He is able to identify MANY different objects when he sees a picture of it in one of his books. It's really been fun to watch him develop. I feel like we are seeing development that with Greg Jr. happened over the first 3 years of his life compressed down into a few weeks. It is amazing to witness. Of course like any "new" parents we think he is VERY smart. He picks up on things and figures things out on his own very quickly.

Here is another funny story about Paul William and speaking English. While we were visiting her parents one of Mary Louise's aunts answered the phone. She handed the phone to Paul William and he said "hello". She then told him to "say hello in Chinese" and he promptly put the phone back to his ear and said, "hello in Chinese".

One thing that has not changed, and we hope it never does, is his dogged determination. He tries to do everything on his own before asking for help. He is also very adamant about how he wants things to be. Everyone must have the same food and utensils on the table at meal time. Never mind that most of the time he won't eat the food, he just wants to see it on his plate like mom and dad. Everything must be in its place and not changed.

This morning when dad was leaving for work dad asked for a hug and kiss, which he got, and when he started towards the front door Paul William became upset and then we realized he was telling dad that he forgot to hug and kiss mom too. Those are the things that make you realize how special this little guy is and how lucky we are to be his mama and baba.

The thing that is most encouraging at this point is not necessarily where we are in the adjustment process, but that progress and improvement happen on a daily basis. We still have our moments but all in all things are progressing nicely. We will have more issues to face in the future.

Thanks for checking in,

Greg, Mary Louise and Paul William