The Yates Family

The Yates Family

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Monday, April 25, 2011

Busy Days, Busy Toddler

We have now been home over a week now & Trit does seem to be adjusting to our family.  Poor little guy though.  I can't imagine how things must appear to him.  We celebrated Easter with each of our families so he has visited so many places & everyone seems to be making a fuss over him.  He probably is thinking why do they keep dragging me to all these houses, why is everyone looking at me & snapping pictures & why do they keep handing me a bucket then telling me to go find hard plastic eggs???  He actually did okay though & seemed to love all the other "kid" family members that he met.
Today, he had his 1st doctor's appointment.  It went pretty well considering he had 5 shots & multiple vials drawn of blood.  We were glad to hear that for the most part he is a healthy little boy.  He still will need to see a specialist for his G6PD & hopefully, that will also better educate us about his condition.  Just praying that all of his blood test are normal & that all else is well with him.




I fall a little more in love with my precious son each day.  This afternoon I was sitting with him & we were just swinging along when he patted me then said "Mama" with a big grin on his face.  He has also been giving out "kisses" to me the past few days.  He is truly precious & I feel so blessed to have him in our lives.  Yes, I have not slept well in weeks & yes, I am constantly chasing after him & yes, there have been some very difficult times - but I really think it has all been worth it!  I know we have some difficult days ahead - we still have to wean him off the bottle, more doctor visits & eventually "Mama" will have to go back to work.  Right now though I am enjoying getting to know my son & trying my very best to take good care of him & hopefully, we will get through all of those stressful days ahead.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Jet Lag & a Toddler

Jet Lag & a Toddler - I think these are 2 things that definitely don't go together.  We have now been home for a few days & it doesn't seem like a normal sleep pattern is anywhere in sight.  Both Tenley & Trit have been getting up at 3 am or so ready to play, but that leaves us all ready to crash in a few hours.  We have gotten out of the house a couple of times.  Trit does seems to do much better with the stroller & car seat than Tenley did which we can only hope will last.
Trit had a rough night last night though.  We have tried him sleeping in his bed the past 2 nights.  Last night did not go so well.  He woke up several times crying or trying to get out of bed.  I even slept with him most of the night just trying to comfort him.  He was back to crying those pitiful cries much like he did on the early days with us in Thailand.  He has done okay this morning & I can only hope today will be a little better.   
It has been a rough past few days.  The jet lag is awful anyway & then on top of trying to acclimate a toddler to a new environment adds up to some pretty cranky adults (& 6 year old sister).

Trit does seem to enjoy exploring his new home & seems to adore Tenley.  I think one of his favorite people so far though is my nephew Grant.  Grant is 4 & Trit will follow him around & give him big hugs.  Trit is not so found of our dog Griffin.  Poor Griffin is so sweet though & I think he just wants Trit to like him so he will follow him around.  Trit tried hiding from him, but I think Griffin figured it out;) (see pictures attached)

Friday, April 15, 2011

Home Sweet Home

We are finally home after our long & very exhausting travel schedule.  Trit & Tenley did amazingly well.  They slept some & when Trit was awake let's just say he explored every aisle way of the plane quite nicely:)   I only slept maybe 2-3 hours on all of our flight schedule & I think it was about the same for Daniel too.  We all went to bed around 10 pm last night & Trit was up by 5 am.  He cried out a few times last night & he seemed scared.  He slept with us & we know that for now we will have to give up our rule of "no sleeping with Mommy & Daddy".  Poor little thing - yet another new place for him to try to get used to in the short time he has been with our family so we realize some sacrifice is in order. 
He has played off/on all day when he wasn't napping.  We all fell asleep this afternoon.  Tenley, Trit & I all slept in his bed which was an effort to try to introduce him to his bed.  It was kind of funny &  Daniel might have slept in there too, but it is only a full bed so he napped on the couch.  I am not sure how bed time will be tonight.  Typically, this is when Tenley is getting ready for bed here in the US, but it is actually morning in Thailand.  It will take a while for us to get our schedule back on track & for Trit to adjust.
We are so glad to be home & continue to pray that our precious little boy will adjust well to yet another new environment. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Safari World - Bangkok

Yesterday, we went to Safari World.  They have an animal park & marine park.  It is mainly  shows which actually Trit & Tenley both seemed to enjoy.  They especially seemed to like the Orang Tuan show & Sea Lion show.  It was really quite expensive though.  Your ticket pays to get you in the park for the shows, but you have to pay for the only 2 "rides" they have at the park.  One is a safari ride in an air conditioned bus, but it was pretty neat as you see a ton of animals.  They have the largest herd of giraffes I have ever seen.  There is also a boat ride much like the Jungle Cruise at Disney which is extra too.  I would give it a "D" though as it cost almost $10/per person to ride & it was so cheesy. 

We had another scare yesterday too as this time poor Elaine fell & Wayne tried to rescue her so he fell too.  We were trying to find seats for a show & they went face forward down the steps.  I know our family will think we have beat them up so don't be surprised if greeting us at the airport!

Trit still continues to adjust nicely to our family.  He slept through most of the night again & wakes up ready to play.  He was so wild & playful yesterday.  This kid goes like mad all day long & again let me say it - HE IS IN TO EVERYTHING!  At least he does take naps though which Tenley never did.  I think we definitely found our Thai version of the Monkey King.  (This was Tenley's nickname in China because she was born in the year of the Monkey & she was in to everything too.  The difference with Trit though is that he is much more of a daredevil than Tenley though.)




Today, we leave to come home.  Our flight does not leave out until almost midnight though.  We are all ready to come home, but I must say that I am still dreading those long flights back to the states.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Floating Market Damnoen Saduak






Today we traveled almost an hour and half outside of Bangkok to a floating market.  It was quite interesting-kind of like a floating flea market.  The prices were ridiculous for many of the same things that you can find in other stores in Bangkok so we did not buy very much, but we all enjoyed the boat ride & the interesting sights.  We also visited a temple along our tour.  It was definitely an unique experience that I think our whole family enjoyed.  The other adoptive families traveled with us & I think they all enjoyed it as well.
Trit had another great day & is quite the charmer.  I know he always looks so serious in most of the pictures, but believe me he is laughing & smiling quite a bit the past couple of days.  He actually posed for a picture today & put on the biggest grin for the camera.  He really enjoyed our boat ride & truly seems to love the water.  Tenley had a great day as well.  She purchased a lovely pink umbrella to shade herself from the sun:)

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Siam Ocean World & Jim Thompson House

Well, the past couple of days we have been busy, busy!  Trit has been doing well & we have been venturing out more & more.  He is a very active little boy & seems to truly enjoy stretching out his little legs:)  He still will only let me hold him though when he gets tired of walking & this is difficult at times as he is SO heavy.  He is a really big eater & weighs quite a bit.  Let's just say Mommy is getting a workout here in Bangkok.
We went to the MBK & Siam malls on Saturday.  Bangkok knows how to do malls.  They are all massive here - 7 to 8 story malls.  Siam is an amazing one with even a Lamborgini dealership inside along with Versace & many other high end retailers.  There is also an aquarium on the bottom floor, Siam Ocean World, & we took Trit & Tenley to it.  It was really nice & they both seemed to really enjoy it.  Trit especially like the boat ride, but wasn't so crazy about the life vest he had to wear!
Yesterday, we went to the Jim Thompson House.  He was an American entrepreneur who started a silk trade here in his adopted home of Thailand.  He built a beautiful home here in Bangkok, but disappeared mysteriously on a holiday in Malaysia to never be heard from again.  Trit & Tenley enjoyed the gardens.






Trit finally seems to be adjusting to our family.  He plays, he laughs & just as you would expect of any 18 month old - he gets into EVERYTHING!!  We are thrilled though as this let's us know he is finally comfortable with us.  I'll admit it is a FT job though.  Our room is not exactly child proof & you can't turn your back for a second on this little "adventurer"! 

Friday, April 8, 2011

Better days ahead

We had another really difficult day on Thursday.  Trit cried from about 2:30 that afternoon until after 8 pm which is when he finally went to sleep.  It was truly so pitiful to watch & absolutely nothing we did made any difference.
Friday, this cheerful, energetic, and fun loving little boy came into our lives.  He never stopped smiling, playing, giggling, etc. yesterday.  We even went to the Grand Palace & to the pool.  It was so fun to watch a new side of him that we knew was in there, but he was grieving so hard we did not see it until yesterday.
Last night was still a little rough.  He cried off/on all through the night, but this morning so far he is playing & seems to be okay.  I can only hope/pray that this will continue.
We were able to pick-up our Visa yesterday which was earlier than anticipated so we have changed our tickets so that we can come home on the 13th now rather than the 19th. (The Embassy will be closed for the Thai New Year & based on their comments to us we think may likely shut down due to our government's shut down.  All I know is that I am so thankful that we were able to get our Visa early before any type of shut down!)
I think we are all ready to come home, but I'll be honest I dread the hours of flying especially now that we will have Trit with us.  There is no sure way of knowing how he will do with the flight.

Please continue to keep us in your thoughts/prayers & looking forward to returning home soon:)

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Sadness

I have not posted in a couple of days as it has been such a difficult time.  It has been so painful to watch our son mourn for his foster family.  The first full day with us he was truly so pitiful.  The second day was not much better.  He mainly cried & although there were moments that he would smile, he was still so sad.  He would go to the doors of our room or the driveway of the hotel or any way possible he could think of that might possibly lead him home to his foster family.  Our heads tell us with time that it will get better, but our hearts mourn his loss too & there is no way to get through this simply other than a day at a time.  We have been cranky, stressed & cried with him too.  Poor Tenley has been so great through all of this.  It has been hard on her too & she wants her little brother to love her just as she loves him.  She was thrilled tonight that he sought her out & gave her a hug.
Today was better & we even went to the Dusit Zoo for an outing.  Trit really seemed to enjoy the animals & Tenley was thrilled by a mini kid's roller coaster.  There have been long bouts of crying today too, but thankfully not the 3 & 4 hours ones like the previous days.




Please continue to pray for our family that we will continue bonding & for our safety & health as well. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

New Day

Yesterday was the day we took the children to the mall as they want the children to be exposed to a public place & get used to a busier & people filled environment.  Trit actually did well with us yesterday & actually did seem to remember us.  Things started off well enough, but the shopping mall experience for Daniel & I was stressful.  The social worker speaks very limited English & we were having a real hard time trying to figure out exactly what we were supposed to be doing, where we needed to go, etc.  We had a scheduled lunch after we finished purchasing items we needed, but Trit was tired before lunch finished & he made sure to let everyone in the restaurant know it.  I walked out with him while Tenley & Daniel finished & I definitely had an audience.  Thankfully, he finally quieted down.  I knew he was exhausted as it was past his nap time. 
After we finished with the mall trip, we came back to the hotel & had time to come up to the room with him where we hoped he would nap.  He is still used to taking a bottle when he goes down for a nap & they suggested putting another type of milk in his bottle.  Let's just say that didn't go well.  He finally fell asleep after Daniel sat down with him in front of a Tom & Jerry cartoon.  Poor little guy, he was so tired.
It was then time to take him down stairs where he went back home to spend his final night with the foster family.  This morning he will be arriving around 10:30 am or so & then will be forever ours!

I am attaching a picture of our entire group including 3 other families with their daughters & also it shows all the social workers. There is also one of Trit with Tenley beside him as they shopped for toys:)

Saturday, April 2, 2011

The First Encounter



We all envisioned the first encounter to resemble something in slow motion, having arms outstretched with the "Chariots of Fire" theme music playing in the background.  We gathered in the meeting room of our hotel with the three other families with us all nervous with anticipation.  Will our son like us?  Will he remember us from any of the photos?  Then he walks into the room.  Our hearts race and our eyes are opened wide with excitement.  This adorable little boy is finally here!  As adults we anticipate the script and forget that we are not the writer.  Trit had been traveling for 90 minutes to get to Bangkok.  He traveled from a different area of Thailand than the girls that walked in the room before him.  He had fallen asleep and had just been awakened.  New shoes had been placed on his feet.  He entered a room full of complete strangers.  I have attempted several times to upload the video clip to the blog with no success.  I have now pasted the clip to my Facebook page.  From this brief clip it can be seen that he is curious, cautious, independent, smart, healthy, and handsome.  The script may have not been what we had foreseen, but it is still perfect.  Also, let us not forget that this is only a fraction of the whole masterpiece.  Welcome to our family.

Daniel

Short but Sweet




Today was a great day, but our family is exhausted!  I know all anyone cares about anyway is seeing Trit, so we will mainly just post pictures.  Things started off slow with Trit & it took him a while to warm up to us, but once he did we saw a very adventurous, fun little boy!  We think he is adorable!

Friday, April 1, 2011

We are here in Bangkok

We arrived safely here to Bangkok after a short flight from Phuket.  We checked in to the Pantip & had dinner tonight at the Mali restaurant near our hotel with a couple of the other families that are also here adopting.  Tomorrow, we get meet Trit in the morning & we are so excited!  We can't believe in just hours now we will finally be meeting our son for the 1st time.  We will visit with him a short while in the morning & then venture off to visit with him at his foster family's home.  He will have to stay behind & then we will return back to the hotel.  We will then visit with him again the next day & then on the third day he will come to stay with us (hopefully) for good!  Please pray for our family & that we will all bond well.
Bangkok is definitely a different pace than Phuket.  We have sweeping city views from our hotel balcony & it is a vibrant city that spans out in every direction for some distance.  Our hotel room is huge although I will say the Pantip is a bit dated. 
We will try to post some pictures later.