Settling In

So it was a rough start - double ear infection + cold for Ryan and throwing up / lingering colds for Kari and I. Probably the hardest 72 hour period any of us ever had to deal with. Good news is, the screaming, crying, back-arching little boy has transformed into a smiling, babbling, laughing, and seemingly very happy little boy! He is such a cute and charismatic little guy! He has met a lot of our family members and has taken very well to everyone (a lot of the adoption books advise against introductions during the first month ... we've been easing him into it, and he seems to be attaching to us just fine).

A few updates on his progress so far:

Sleeping: While in Korea, Ryan slept with his foster mother in her bed, and typically went to bed at midnight. We have been putting him in his crib from day one, and he's taken very well to it. We rock him to sleep and gently place him in there before quietly tiptoeing out of his room. He has been able to sleep soundly from ~8 p.m. until 3:30 a.m. - this has been a great and unexpected success (especially considering we've been sick). He cries at around 3:30 a.m. when we bring him a bottle and rock him back to sleep, where he usually stays until about 6:30 a.m. That's earlier than we would like, but he is still adjusting to the time change (amongst a million other things). So, sleeping = good.

Eating: Ryan doesn't eat much, and he's little (17 pounds) - we're told by our pediatrician that this is normal for an Asian baby. We've been giving him ~4 ounces of formula 5 or 6 times daily, along with baby food and table food. It was interesting that our pediatrician strongly advised feeding him table food - she says kids at his age (9 months) have a narrow window to form their eating habits. If you miss the window it's tough to get them to enjoy foods they should be eating as they get older. He seems to love it - table food is his favorite! We cut it into small pieces and place it on his high chair tray. With thumb and forefinger pinchers he shovels it in, and laughs as Cooper tries to get his share.

Bathing: He hated his baths for the first two nights. His way of telling us was to stand up in the bath screaming. So, thanks to Kari's cousin Jenny we've implemented a very effective trick - I go in the bath with him in my swim trunks, and he sits between my legs. This has worked wonders, and he now seems to really enjoy it - all smiles and splashing.

Walks: We take him on 2 walks a day in his Bob Revolution stroller (which I HIGHLY recommend by the way) - he loves it - just relaxes and takes in the scenery before falling asleep.

Car rides: He fusses when being buckled into his car seat, and when the car is stopped, but as soon as the car starts moving, he falls right to sleep. This is another win as he is used to riding on somebody's lap while in a car from his time in Korea.

Playing: He enjoys his toys - a particular favorite is an activity table that he can pull himself up into a standing position next to. He can keep himself entertained for ~15 minutes at a time before moving on. He crawls all over the place looking for new stuff and things to pull himself up with. He babbles a lot and has started imitating "Dada" and "Mama" sounds. Really cute.

So, a complete transformation has taken place and we couldn't be more pleased. A special thanks to my Mother and Father-in-law who have been a HUGE help while Kari and I recover. They have stepped in several times to provide food and help while we rest and carry on our household chores. Our neighbors have been incredible (dropping off food and gifts every day) - very nice, and very unexpected, but very much appreciated.

Finally, a special thanks to my wife Kari. If you could have seen her on the plane, you would be amazed. She held on to our crying, screaming son for 15 hours, patiently rocking him to sleep and consoling him as best she could. I knew she had it in her, but to see it firsthand was incredible. In short, she was absolutely amazing. They say fathers develop new and deeper feelings for their spouse in the early days of parenthood - this is definitely true for me. I am a very lucky guy on all fronts. She is an incredible wife, and an even better mother.

Some new photos below.