Is there a Doctor in the House?

Valmik has enjoyed playing doctor lately, ever since he discovered the doctor kit and coat at school in the Imagination Station. Tonight he took good care of Dad, as you can see in the picture above, administering shots, medicine, etc.

The collage pumpkin was decorated at school. The teachers had the students coat the pumpkin with a watery glue and then cover it with pieces of tissue paper. Fun!

First Fire of the Season

A Brief Visit to School

Today Valmik went to school for a while. He worked with Playdoh, practiced the letter 'h', and played with new friends. He really enjoyed it and wants to go back tomorrow. We are thankful for such a wonderful learning environment and teachers who are wise and kind.

The rest of the day was full of the usual activities. We have added a few trips around the block after dinner each evening because the weather has become so cool and beautiful. Mom walks, Valmik rides his bike, and Dad jogs along beside Valmik. We go down to the pond and count the ducks while the sun sets. It is such a lovely time of year to be out enjoying God's creation!

Birthday Party

Valmik went to a birthday party on Saturday afternoon. He had fun running, jumping and playing at the park. As he ran around trying new slides and equipment, he kept looking for Mom and Dad to make sure we were nearby. Then he would take off and give it a try! It was fun to see him eat a cupcake and take swings at the pinata. After each turn he would laugh and squeal and jump into our arms.

After the birthday party, we went to pick out another pumpkin. We will be visiting school this week and the students are bringing in pumpkins to study and have fun with. They will use the pumpkins in science and language arts. Valmik is pretty excited about this!

Pretending

Valmik loves pretending to be a crocodile or a tiger. He spends a lot of time each day playing this way. He is excited about visiting school next week and asked if he could sleep in his uniform shirt tonight!

A Visit to School

Valmik was assessed at school today. It was fun to visit the classroom, play with interesting toys, and spend time with wonderful teachers. Later at home, we had some fun dancing!

Balloons!

It was a beautiful day and the morning air was cool, so we went to a new park for lots of climbing, sliding and jumping. Later we ran a few errands, brought home a few books, and bought a pair of sunglasses for Valmik. This afternoon, Valmik visited our classrooms for the first time. He really liked the fish tank and sat watching it for a long time.

After dinner, Dad inflated a balloon and he and Valmik played games with it. There was a lot of laughter and squealing by Valmik! Thanks, Aunt Cindy, for sending us the balloons.

One Week Together

Sunday was a special day! We had pumpkin chocolate chip muffins for breakfast, put a table cloth and some flowers on the table, grilled shish kebab for lunch, played at the park altogether, had ice cream in the evening, and Valmik took his first bath in the master bathtub. He really liked all of the bubbles and the jets. Valmik also seems to enjoy playing the piano. He plays for a few minutes every morning and every afternoon. This completes our first week together at home!

A Birthday Greeting

We are settling more and more into the regular order of things: bedtime routines, trips to the pool and park, playing with toys, a few chores, etc. We are thankful that is has been so "natural" and comfortable in such a short time.

Today Mary Chris's family is getting together to celebrate, but we can't make the trip. Happy Birthday, Aunt Lougene. We'll hope you and Valmik meet soon!

These photos were taken by one of the foster parents and we are so glad she shared them with us. Aren't they cute?!

More of the Same

Today was a quiet day at home. We went bike riding, made more pretzels, listened to music, danced, read stories, etc. At dinner, we gave Valmik cucumbers and French onion dip. He really liked it! He also likes hot dogs, which he calls "chicken doggies", because the first ones he had were made from chicken meat.

Now Dad and Valmik are wrestling a bit on the couch and playing hiding and seek. Soon it will be bath time and the day will be done- for Valmik, anyway!

Again!

"Again!" is probably the word we hear most often from Valmik when he enjoys something. Does Mom sing a funny song? "Again!" Does Dad go down the slide with him? "Again!" We are learning that he loves to ride his new bike (thanks Aunt Cindy and family!), listen to stories, play the piano and wash dishes.

Today, Dad went back to work, so Mom and Valmik made pretzels together. Valmik is very good at using the rolling pin! He liked working with the dough and having his hands covered with flour. After work, Dad took Valmik to the park while Mom made dinner. Valmik was eager to spend as much time with Dad as possible, and wanted to be close to Dad for much of the time.

It will be fun to see if he likes turkey burgers and sweet potatoes!

We are learning to enjoy a slower pace in many ways, as we do things over and over. In this way, as in others, Valmik has been a good influence on our family. Again!

Milestones

We have been so busy that we haven't had time to update the blog as we had hoped. We are glad to report that Valmik made the trip to Florida Sunday with flying colors (pun intended). With his Indian garb he looked like a little maharajah in training! The trip went very smoothly and Glenn Hansen met us at the airport to drive us home. When we got to the house, Valmik was truly amazed by the beauty of his new home. It was very sweet to see things through his eyes and hear some of his expressions, like "All this is for ME?" when he saw his bedroom. He has been very brave throughout this whole process, and we appreciate all of your prayers on his behalf.

Last night he slept soundly in his new bed and is sleeping even now. Sleep has been difficult for him in the past, so this, too, is an answered prayer.

To update: On Friday, Valmik visited our hotel for the first time and went swimming in the pool. Then, we took him out for lunch. This prepared him for spending Saturday night with us in the hotel, in preparation for our departure Sunday.

On Saturday, we spent a long time at the pool, and by the end, Valmik was swimming across 2/3 of the pool unaided (you'll see in the photos he has a swimsuit with attached flotation aids, but he was providing all the movement forward). This was very unexpected, because Valmik has kept close to the stairs at other visits to the pool with his foster parents, and was even said to be afraid of the water. Not a problem now!

On Monday, the big event was learning to ride a bike with training wheels. No more tricycle! On Tuesday, David will return to work. Mary Chris and Valmik will spend the day together at home and at the park. So far, we know that Valmik likes chicken and onions and doesn't like apples. Today we will try a few more things as we get to know each other better.

We miss seeing our family, friends and students. We hope you are all well and we look forward to seeing you soon! Thanks for your prayers and your many kind words of encouragement and congratulations.

A Visit to the Pumpkin Patch

Today was another beautiful day here in New Jersey (yes it's true!). The leaves on the trees are red and yellow and many have begun falling on the ground. It was a perfect day to visit the Pumpkin Patch at Springdale Farms. We saw chickens and rabbits, which Valmik just loved. Then we took a hayride out to the pumpkins. Valmik walked around touching all of them. We chose a big pumpkin to take home. David bought bubble gum and Valmik was overjoyed with it!

On the way home, Val sang a song Mary Chris had been singing for him and then drifted off to sleep. Later, we had dinner with Valmik's foster parents and it was fun to watch him make shish kebab with them. While the shish kebab was grilling, David and Val wrestled and played in the backyard.

We have been reflecting on how we feel the great blessing and honor of being chosen by God to parent this precious child. We see this as a reflection of how God adopted us, choosing us to be a part of His family, as well.

Morning Routine and A Visit to the Park

This morning we went to see Valmik early and helped him get dressed. Then we saw his morning routine and had breakfast. Later that day we came back to take him out on our own for awhile. We had a wonderful visit to a park near the Delaware River this afternoon. We walked along the river while Val rode his tricycle. We stopped and inspected a spider web which fascinated him. Then we played with his ball and went on playground equipment. David pushed Valmik on the swings and went down the slide with him. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed it immensely! Val talks to us a lot and it is wonderful to be getting to know each other and growing closer as a family. Tomorrow we hope to visit another public place together and then see his evening routine.

Our First Meeting

Hello, everyone! We arrived in Philadelphia around 9:30 this morning. We met Valmik around noon. He and his foster mom were sitting outside on the steps of their home reading a book as we drove up. He recognized us and waved! Later, he showed us his bed, his clothes, his favorite books and toys. Then we all walked down the street to a nearby park where he likes to play. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed the visit. Valmik was excited, but also calm and pleasant; we had fun together! We plan to go back for dinner this evening after Valmik (and hopefully we, too!) has a chance for a nap or some downtime. We want to thank you all for praying for us and encouraging us while we waited for this great day to come to pass. It really was wonderful! Here are a few pictures from our time together.

Leaving Tomorrow!

This afternoon we were told that we could leave on Tuesday to go and meet Valmik! We have been busy all night preparing to leave. We are excited for things to be underway! Our plan is to meet him in the morning for a short visit and then to return later in the day for dinner. More later!

A "Book" Shower With My Students

On Thursday afternoon, my second grade students (Mary Chris here) held a shower for me, and all of the gifts were books for Valmik! The parents made things lovely, sending flowers and special treats for everyone, and the children were so excited about telling what made these books their favorites. My students are precious to me and they are an important part of this process as they welcome Val and pray for us. I'm thankful for each one of them and their families. Now the basket of books is in Valmik's room and I'm sure they will get a lot of use.

David has spent most of the morning putting together a dresser and bedside table in Valmik's room while listening to Robert Rayburn speak on education. Now he is hanging a small picture and it is really beginning to look and feel more cozy in there. It is bare by American standards, though the paint warms it ups a bit, but we need to keep it that way in order to avoid over-stimulation. We've been asked not to post pictures of Val until we have verbal approval of the Interstate Compact that allows us to transport across state lines, but we will post some pictures of the room.

Other than these developments, we are still waiting for the final word that will send us on our way. We are especially thankful that a Geneva family has graciously provided us with stand-by tickets, good anytime, for Southwest Airlines.

We are thankful for the way God is guiding us and helping us to be patient while we wait. Of course, there is still plenty to keep up with around the house and at school, so I'd better get to it!

Conference Call with Foster Parents

Today we talked with the foster parents in a conference call. It was really nice to listen to them talk about Valmik's favorite foods, games, books, etc. We were able to make plans for what we hope will be a smooth transition. We still don't know just when we'll leave, but we continue to pray that God will bring it all about in His good and perfect timing.