Emotionally he was very much 7 to 9 months of age. This was appropriate as it reflected his family age. All my reading said that for the first year or two home children tend to be some crazy combination of their chronological age and their family age. I was not concerned, but I must admit wondering how and when his emotional development would begin to accelerate.
MONTH 8 WAS THE MONTH!
To me the above picture demonstrates some of this growth. Ethiopian things are no longer terribly scary. Joshua loves his "Ethiopia clothes." He has no problem with me calling him Gebeyehu.
He also enjoys and even looks forward to Wednesday nights with Daddy. On Wednesday night, I go to church with all the older kids and Joshua and Daddy have the house to themselves. For weeks and weeks and weeks Joshua threw an absolute fit when I left. Last night he told me, "Joshua I love it mommy meeting. Daddy Joshua havie fun home!" Today he even said maybe someday Daddy could put him mah tah mah tah, but not yet! (Another huge step!)
Joshua now clearly knows who he knows and who he does not know. He no longer hugs someone just because Brenna does. For example, the first (and only) time he met my uncle he ran to give him a hug because Brenna did. On the day of his birthday party, several months later, this same uncle was over again. Joshua did not run to hug him, he hung out behind me and whispered, "Who dat?"
He does really enjoy holding the attention of the adults he knows. He spent much of his baptism party upstairs charming the adults rather than playing with his buddies in the basement. However, he is much more himself in these interactions than the "charmer" or "show boat" he once was. He does not exhaust himself thinking of tricks and stories to keep all eyes on him. He also does a good job taking turns talking and visually checking in with me.
He plays with friends really, really well. He shares well. He takes turns nicely. He will stand up for himself when necessary, but does this politely.
I have been doing a bit fill in day care as a good friend's full time provider is on maternity leave. Joshua has done an amazing job sharing mommy and all his things.
Much of the time he responds like a typical three year old!
However, he still needs a TON of cuddle time. This is truly a need! He pushes himself hard being a "big kid" and absolutely needs mom to hold him and refuel his tank sometimes.
This week he found the Moby I bought before traveling to pick him up. I had hoped he would like this carrier, but at the time it was just too close and confining. This week he wanted to try it again and loved it! You should see him snuggle in like a little egg. (This was packed away again as he is too heavy for me to carry so much, but the picture is a good example of his longing to be close to my heart.)
Another time that he has very special needs for closeness is upon meeting new people. Many times when greeted by an unfamiliar adult he will cuddle into my chin and close his eyes. This is much more reflective of the stranger anxiety of a baby than the energetic three year old he is becoming. I have chosen to treat this just like I would a baby. I allow him to snuggle in and greet the adult for him. I am quite thrilled that he identifies strangers and depends on me to protect him.
He is incredible sensitive to any frustration he hears in my voice. One day while I was taking a nap, he yelled for me to take him to the bathroom. He could see I was sleepy and trying not to be grumpy. He quickly gave me a hug and said, "Mommy I lub you!" While this was sweet, the root of it was his need to hear that I loved him even when his needs were inconvenient. This happens frequently. I am thankful for the opportunity to tell him, "I love you too! Even when I have a tired or rushed or grumpy voice!"
The other area that has grown leaps and bounds this month is his balance and coordination.
When we gave him his trampoline he could only jump once without regrouping to find his balance. He is now up to 15!!! jumps without falling!
He loves to play basketball. Dribbling and getting his rebound have both been super for his hand/eye coordination.
I think his very favorite toy this month has been balloons! He has spent hours and hours bopping the balloon into the air over and over. The balloons move slowly enough that he has been trememdously successful. All this practice has helped both his balance and coordination.
Joshua is also beginning to speak in the first person. He uses the word "me" correctly most of the time. He still speaks of himself as "Joshua" rather than "I" most of the time - but I am beginning to hear him use the word "I" as well.
Each month as I think through all Joshua has learned and accomplished, I am simply amazed.
