Now, I wasn't the type of girl who got rid of a doll when it got old or traded it in for a new one if it broke or stopped doing whatever it was made to do. I had a soft-bodied doll on which I accidentally spilled a cup of hot cocoa. It stained nearly the entire front of her body. I didn't get rid of her; I just bandaged her up. I had another doll that my younger brother colored on with black crayon or marker and it wouldn't come off so I pretended that she was attacked and the markings were her scars. I loved her anyway. I had yet another doll whose eyes were poked out so I pretended she was blind ... and another whose legs were broken off (I'm sure my brother had something to do with that too). I remember using the cardboard from a box to make "prosthetic legs" for that doll.
I couldn't bare to get rid of them or not love them just because they weren't "perfect" or didn't look normal. And I didn't care what anyone thought about the fact that I kept them and played with them ... even in their "broken" condition.
Despite my being a "girl", I often defended other children who were picked on or bullied because they were different. I absolutely could not stand it when kids were mean to other kids ... because of such insignificant things ... a haircut, glasses, braces, clothing, a stutter, a wandering eye ... I even got into a few fist-fights (with boys, of course) who bullied one too many in front of me. Oh, could I share some stories you might be really surprised about!
I'm the same today ... I can't stand bullying and poking fun at someone for the way they look or act ... although, now I know how to control myself and not start a fist-fight. But there have been a few instances where I thought I might "lose my cool". I wonder, when I look back on my childhood, if God was preparing me all along for the children I would adopt.
A few days ago, I met with the kindergarten classes to show photos and answer questions and talk about the boys with those kindergartners so they are prepared to meet and get to know Jonah and Rees. Those little kindergartners are so awesome ... they can take almost anything ... way better than most adults!!
All of the other classes were given a similar presentation/discussion by their teachers and I could certainly tell what a difference that made. When I next brought the boys to the school to pick up Brynn, there were so many children making comments like, "hey! there's the new kids, Jonah and Rees!" More and more kids are waving at them and coming up to them with a welcoming smile.
I know that there will still be those who are shocked and don't understand. At the holiday program the other day, some young man was so obviously enthralled that he started taking photos with his cell phone. That was a fist-fight waiting to happen, let me tell you! But don't worry ... I held myself together.
(here's Brynn all dressed up and ready for the holiday program)
I know that there are challenging times ahead but there will also be rewarding moments, I know that is for certain. Tomorrow is the first day of school for Jonah and Rees. This will be a huge milestone for them and just the word "school" seems to make them so giddy and responsive!! We invite the LORD, as they take this step, to envelop the boys in His love and mercy and to shield their hearts and minds from the 'sometimes' cruelty of humanity. Prayers are greatly appreciated and very necessary. This truly needs to be a positive experience for them ... for our family. I will be there with them as much as needed this first week that is sure to be both exhausting and exhilarating for them (and for me).
Jonah also has his appointment with the orthodontist tomorrow afternoon so hopefully we will move forward toward determining the best first steps for his medical treatment. Will keep you posted about that.
In the meantime, here's a few photos for you from the last few days.
I gave the boys their first lesson in Welsh Cake making!
They really enjoyed it!
And this 'control-freak-clean-as-I-go' mama just let the boys have a grand time with their own dough and I didn't even worry about the mess.
Be PROUD of me, please!
Jonah is very good at focusing on a task when he wants to (wanting to is 'key'). It's important to him to know that we are pleased with him and he is motivated further by positive reinforcement and, it seems, competition. Rees is less concerned with performance but he has shown interest in positive reactions. He does not always need to be a part of the "group" and seems to enjoy finding his own tasks, though, he DOES like trying new things and being a 'helper'.
They were thrilled with how many we ended up with and knowing that they had their own batch in their own sack (at Mama's insistence ... ahem ... LOL). We used the packaging time as a way to practice counting. They loved the decorative bags.
At the beginning of the week, we found that Jonah and Rees officially had their own school lockers!
... Ready and Waiting for them ...
They couldn't be happier when they were presented with their very own backpacks for school and they are just SO EXCITED! (brand new at Goodwill for $6 each - what a deal! and that makes ME excited!) They are stuffing whatever they can in there to get ready to go to school and they just keep talking about going (in Chinese, of course)!
My mother gave them a few child-size face masks to play with. I didn't think they would have any idea what to do with them but I sure was wrong!
They seemed to know exactly what to do once I got the masks on them and showed them what they looked like in the mirror.
It's been so great finding activities that will actually keep them busy and focused for a while!
I could see that Jonah paid very close attention to the medical team that took care of him earlier this year when he had surgery. He even made believe that he was administering medicine into an IV.
Of course, there were no "owies" as you can see by the smile on their faces!
We spent this afternoon doing some Christmas crafts with the kids.
What a great way to spend a balmy but rainy December afternoon!
This is another activity that kept us busy for several hours.
Such concentration!
We ended up with lots of lovely little creations!
Brynn is getting quite confident with the hot-glue gun!
We pulled out a mini-Christmas tree and they were able to decorate it with many of their creations.
They were quite impressed with themselves!
We hope your holiday preparations are coming along nicely and that, you too, are able to spend some time enjoying simple things that bring such joy!
I just wanted to say Hi and mention that my daughter, who is in Kindergarten, just was telling me about 2 new boys: Jonah and Rees. She was telling me about how they look different but that they are still just like her and other kids. I did a quick google search to see if you happen to have a blog for them and found you right away. She is sitting beside me right now telling me "Yes Mom, that's the boys from China who go to my school. See they look different but they are just kids too." I told her that they were beautiful, just like her, and was quickly corrected and told, "No, they are handsome. They are boys. They can't be beautiful. "
ReplyDeleteMy daughter is special needs and is suspected to have Kabuki Syndrome. She is starting to notice some of her difference or not understanding why some things are different. We had a meltdown last week because she insisted that she lost a tooth and couldn't find where it went. I kept trying to explain to her that she didn't lose a tooth but just has a cute space between her teeth. It's the first time she has noticed it and it keeps getting larger and I was so thrown off when she mentioned it since up until now she's never said anything about appearances except mentioning that she's small and hr friends are bigger (she's a tiny thing).
So thank you for coming and speaking to the kids. It really got thru to her and she's now so excited that the boys are on my iPad (on the website where I showed her photos). Not sure when you did this, she said it was today but time and sequence of events isn't her strong suit.
We only moved here about a month ago and I'm glad I was able to find your blog to learn more about the boys and their journey because she was already asking me questions that I couldn't answer.
:-)
Samantha