PARTY OF FIVE: One week as a family of four

Yesterday marked one week together as a family of four. The best and cutest thing that happened on this day is that Grant waved to a lady on the subway and a sales person in a department store and after saying "hi" to them (like he normally does- loves waving at everyone), he pointed to Cody and said "appa" and then pointed to me and said "omma," so he is now happy to announce to the world that we are his parents:-)

We also decided to get his shaggy hair cut because we found out about a cute kids place that does them in the nice department store. The were the most equipped hair cut place I've ever seen for kids- car seats to sit in, iphones attached to the steering wheels, toys and a playroom connected to the place. He started out okay because I gave him a lollipop but then the crying began. Luckily the hair dresser is very used to crying kids so it didn't even phase her. We think it turned out well!

Now that his bond with Mommy is getting better each day (it seems, I pray!), our biggest issue is that he is definitely an "obstinate" little boy (like his paperwork said), in addition to all the wonderful qualities he has- smart, friendly, tries to make you laugh, affectionate, curious, etc. We have been educated that the Korean culture doesn't say "no" to babies and toddlers by our agency, as they wait until school age to start disciplining. Unfortunately, this little guy is into everything and Cody and I are having to use the word a lot and he does not take it well. We try to limit these situations but since the hotel room isn't toddler proofed and he tries to do some unsafe things while we are out and about, we have no choice. And he does not take it well when you tell him he can't do something, he ends up screeching at you or throwing toys which is difficult for us to handle because we never had to experience this with Auden. Of course, you have to put yourself in his shoes, he's really never been told "no" before and now these "strangers" are saying it a lot to him and is getting very frustrated. It's just going to take time and he is testing his limits with us. He's a busy little boy that doesn't stop moving so it can be challenging. Hopefully when we are home, in our own child-proof surroundings, things will get better in this department. We are already are seeing him show some restraint so I think we just need to be consistent with him.

Thank you all for your messages of support and keeping up with the blog! This week has definitely been challenging like we knew the first week would be, but we made it! Hopefully the worst is behind us in the grieving department and every day his bond to us and our bond to him is getting stronger!