Another report is due on Joseph

Ethiopia requires that we have our social worker visit and complete reports on Joseph's progress at the 3 month, 6 month, and 12 month anniversary of him arriving here from Ethiopia.  We are then required to do it ourselves after that point annually until he turns 18.

During Jody's (our social worker) visit she asks what's new with Joseph developmentally, how is he adjusting and how is he growing physically along with a host of other things.  It was strange because I had to actually take time to think about what he's now doing and what's new since the time of her last visit.  It's feeling as if Joseph has been a part of our family for so long (I know it's only been five months, but it feel like since birth) that I take a lot of his progress for granted.  It was good to spend time thinking about what an amazing little boy he is and how quickly he has learned to adapt and excel.

Eric and I talk a lot about the fact that Joseph seems to understand 100% of what we're saying and asking him to do and that amazes us.  We'll go on these long drawn out explanations of what he's to do and he does it.  One of his favorite things to do is play with Anna's little Fisher Price play computer.  He sits in front of the screen, turns it on himself and then switches the button to the game he wants to play.  I know they say kids these days are smarter than us when it comes to computers, but honestly!  His favorite game is one where a letter of the alphabet will show on the screen (either upper or lower case) and then he has to hit that key on the keyboard before the letter falls off the bottom of the screen.  Believe it, or not, Joseph can get 10 out of 10 of the upper case letter correct.  He's about 8 for 10 on lower case.  Is that crazy?!!?  I think he's a genius.  He can count to 11 and knows his animals and the sounds that they make.  He knows some of his colors too.  It was nice to talk to Jody and realize that he is doing amazingly well and he's totally adjusted to the household.

He has not adjusted to our rules and his stubbornness it very evident.  Jody asked me to describe Joseph and I started out by saying stubborn.  Man alive, when he gets something in his mind it's pretty hard to coax him out of it.

Luke and Anna are still in awe of him.  Luke gives into him and lets him do whatever, whenever.  I'm waiting for that to stop and for Luke to flat out tell him no.  Anna still wants to love him up giving him hugs and kisses and Joseph will allow it at times, but usually would rather not have her kissing and cuddling.  Although, at night Anna is the first one he wants to kiss and give a good night hug too.  I think he knows she's going to give him the kind of hug that means "I love you forever my dear little brother."

Joseph is in his big boy car bed and that couldn't be going better.  He goes to bed with Luke at 8:00 with the lights in the room off and wakes up at 6:30.  Okay, it could be going better.......he could sleep till 7:30 sometime.  We honestly can't complain at all.

One of his favorite activities, other than follow Luke around, is to play horse with Eric.  He hops on Eric's back and around the house they go.  Eric is as rough and ready with Joseph as he was with Luke so Joseph gets dumped off his back onto the couch and chair and then runs back for more.  Boys!!

Yesterday I gave him a haircut.  Some of you may have read my earlier post showing the late-night disaster I caused with Luke's hair and so might be asking why on earth would I be cutting Joseph's hair.  Why not leave it to people who know about hair.  Well, I'm always thinking I've learned my lesson and hair can't be that hard.  Last time I cut his hair I used a #2 clipper and it looked great.  Yesterday I started with a #2 and it just didn't look like I'd even taken any hair off and when we met Joseph in Ethiopia he had very, very short hair and it was adorable.  So, for some reason I gained this crazy urge to go without a #2 comb and go with the straight clipper.  One swipe left such a significant, almost bald to the head stripe, that I had to do his whole head.  If you look at the photos in my last post you'll see how the haircut a.k.a. buzzing turned out.  Eric couldn't believe it when he walked into the room.  I would think he'd start getting used to the idea of me with clippers and scissors isn't always a good thing.

Back to the report.......It's due March 20th and we need to send photos in with it.  The photos of Joseph and the family are always easy.  It's the part of getting all of us, including me, in the photo that's tougher.

Something I forgot until just now is that Joseph has grown 5" taller since he came home.  The clothes that he wore September 20th have made the trip to the Goodwill.