On Monday we picked up the boys at 9am and then took a long walk before heading to the Sailing Club. We were the only people there which was really nice and we sat and watched the boats sail by while sitting in our Gazebo. L LOVES that word and finds it hysterical to say :) He's very proud of himself for not only knowing what a gazebo is, but knowing how to say it! At 11:30 we walked back to our guest house and gave the boys lunch. They normally eat Ugandan favorites for lunch, and I was a little nervous with how they would do with my peanut butter sandwich idea, but they LOVED it and were literally licking their plates when they were done :) We paired that with a banana (which they could eat about 10 of in one sitting if we let them!) and we were golden. At 12:30 we got them ready for their nap and after a book and prayers we laid them down to sleep. They were SO excited to be sleeping in a big bed and with all the newness of the day I thought they would never go to sleep. I laid with them for 15 minutes or so, but after seeing their persistent alertness I knew this wasn't going to work. Soooooo, I may or may not have bribed them with a "sweet" if they went to sleep ;) Judge me all you want moms! It worked like a charm and thankfully they were asleep by 1:50. They normally sleep until 3 at the orphanage, but I let them sleep until 3:30 and then Paul and I woke them up as not to totally mess up their routine. They were groggy and droopy eyed, but enjoyed still being at Mommy and Daddy's house :) After they woke up a bit we did snack and then FaceTimed with my parents so they could "meet" the boys. They both did so well (to our surprise) and were hamming it up for my parents. J was definitely shy to begin with, but once he warmed up, he was good to go. It was so sweet to see. When we were done we went outside to play and the boys enjoyed some bubbles, squirt guns (another mom brought them and our boys LOVE them even though they need 2 hands to figure out how to shoot it!), tag and jump rope (really just swinging it around, because let's face it, trying to teach a kid to jump rope is REALLY hard!). At 5:45 we loaded them into the "trailer" (stroller) and headed back to the orphanage. Neither of them wanted to leave, but they both seemed to understand we would be with them again tomorrow. It was comforting to not see them freak out as had been the previous norm. Nap Day 1: Mostly Successful
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| Marabou Storks near the lake on our walk...Ugandans call them Kaloli which means "ugly" :) They are SO big, almost as tall as me! |
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| Nap time :) It's so cute that they're in the same position :) We put their legs on the bed after the pic, don't worry :) |
Tuesday they were both fairly irritable when we went to pick them up, and the whole morning was a roller coaster of emotions from both of them. We decided not to do an activity and instead we ran some errands around town. We needed more data for our hot spot (life saver!), Paul needed a haircut, and we needed some bread and bananas for lunches. So off we went! Getting the data for our hotspot was quick and straightforward, although it's a fairly long walk, so we let the boys be grumps in the stroller while we walked :) Finding a place for Paul to get a haircut, now that was interesting. We ended up at this little hole in the wall place off a side street downtown, and it was exactly what we wanted. I gave the boys their snack while Paul got his hair cut...and by haircut I mean cut, brushed with 3 different types of brushes, then precisely trimmed, followed by a hot towel wrap, and a neck and head massage. I'm sorry, are we at a spa? It was SO comical, but awesome, and I had to stifle my laughter multiple times at Paul's clear discomfort. In the end though, his hair looks great and it was worth the entertainment! From there we grabbed our groceries and headed to a local coffee shop to get some energy. The boys colored and did some puzzles (not quietly I might add!) and Paul and I enjoyed a quick iced coffee for ourselves. It was heaven until I felt puzzle pieces being hurled at my head and I quickly came back to reality :) Once we settled the boys down, they did better and we stayed until 11:45 before heading back home. Nap routine was about the same, but a little smoother today and the boys were asleep by 1:05... Praise Jesus! They slept until 3:15 and I was so thankful because they definitely need it! Nap Day 2: Success! In the afternoon we again just went outside to play. They seem to really enjoy this time, and it's nice to see them get more comfortable each day. This is the first time they actually have things to call theirs that don't need to be shared with 50 other children at the same time. You can tell how much they treasure the things we brought, and I can't imagine their reaction when we get home! After a good afternoon, we dropped them off at the orphanage at 6:10, said our goodbyes and headed off to dinner. It's been hard to take them back each evening (for all of us!), but we have to continue to be patient until we get the written ruling from the judge. However, my patience doesn't mean my heart isn't breaking for the confusion that must be going through their minds...All I can do is give them to God.
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| Paul's haircut :) Don't mind me creeping...I couldn't hide, there were mirrors everywhere! |
Wednesday was challenging from start to finish, and if I were home I would've made myself a good cocktail (or 2!) and settled in with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. The day could literally not end fast enough and Paul and I were both so frustrated throughout the day. It started off with a bang as I woke up with a migraine. We had made plans to take the boys to the pool, so we loaded up everything (towels, floaties, swim diapers, regular diapers, shoes, snacks, water, the whole 9 yards!), and prepared for the day. Since we were so preoccupied trying to make sure we didn't forget anything, it wasn't until halfway through our walk to the orphanage that we realized we didn't eat breakfast and we brought no snacks for us. Grrr. Oh well, we continued onward and upward and persevered. Paul and I were carrying everything we brought (because it's not like we just hop in a car and go), in addition to a standing fan we bought when we first got here, that has since broke into 3 pieces and the motor fried. Greeeaaaatttt. Well on our walk the fan broke a 4th time to which we just added more pieces into our pockets and kept walking. When we got to the orphanage Paul dropped off the pool stuff, and I stayed to get the boys ready while he went to try to "return" the fan. Long story short the people at the store were so rude and Paul left without a new fan and even more frustrated than when he arrived. Additionally, the weather began to get pretty chilly and it was very overcast and threatening rain. Soooo after carrying all our pool stuff with us, we abandoned that plan and after much deliberation, decided to try "Creationz Kidz Park" (I kid you not that's the real name). We had never been there, but it's basically a large patch of grass that has kids play equipment, so we thought we'd give it a go. There was no one there and it was clear we were intruding, but the owner was nice and let us stay for a while anyway. J is infatuated with "machines" (weed whackers, generators, motors, you name it) and there was a man trimming the grass while we were there (and by trimming I mean they literally cut huge areas of grass with a weed whacker. There is no lawn mower involved. It's crazy.) Well even though we paid for the kids to be there, J sat in the stroller and watched the weed whacker for over 25 minutes before finally getting out to play. We could've gone anywhere for that! :) L was enjoying having free reign of the playground and it was sweet to see his excitement. Toward the end of our time, the owner let the boys get on a "real" bike and Paul helped them ride around the grass while they pedaled. It was definitely new for them, but they LOVED it, and it melted by heart to see their joy. I know now what to get them for Christmas! :) When we got home they were much more defiant with their nap and it took a little while to get them down. They finally fell asleep at 1:20 only to be woken up at 2 by the neighbor doing work in his yard with the LOUDEST "machine" I've ever heard. Both boys wouldn't go back to sleep and I knew it would be a challenging afternoon. Nap Day 3: Fail. Both J & L were so irritable once they woke up and were behaving so poorly that most of the afternoon was spent disciplining them. I know they were both overtired and that was most of it, but J definitely acts out of impulse with aggression, and we've been diligently working through it every day since we arrived. He is getting better, but this afternoon was particularly terrible, and I could've just cried the whole time. Additionally, Paul had a call for work in the middle of our afternoon, and I was struggling to give attention to L while trying to keep J calm. It was just an all around bad time. At 5:45 we loaded them up in the stroller and walked back to the orphanage. By this point I was SO spent and I could've gone to bed right then. We said our goodbyes to the boys and it was clear they didn't want us to go. So we scooped them up and stayed a bit longer before heading out to dinner. Praise Jesus Wednesday was over!
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| Creationz Kidz Park :) |
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| "AERO-PLANE!!" |
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| Giant Swing! |
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| Deciding where they want to fly! They chose Kampala :) Mommy was pushing for Hawaii! |
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| Riding his bike! |
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| "Merry-go-round" |
Thursday morning Paul and I resolved to make the best of the day even though we were still feeling exhausted from the day before. We took some time for ourselves in the morning, talking and praying together, before heading out to get the boys. We got to the orphanage at 9:15 and they were SO excited to see us. We got them changed and ready, and since the weather was back to normal, we decided to try the pool. We walked a ways to Hotel Paradise and paid for the pool pass for the day. The boys were so excited to go swimming (even though neither of them have ever been!), and the whole walk there they were telling anyone who would listen, "we are going to swimming!" It was too cute. When we got there they were hesitant to get in, but clearly curious. Thankfully the hotel has a kiddie pool, so Paul and I got in first and then carried the boys in with us. Initially they refused to let go of our hands, but little by little they got more comfortable and by the end they had each dunked their heads (but only once...that was enough adventure for 1 day!). At 11:45 we packed up and headed home for lunch and nap. After a peanut butter explosion, a juice explosion, and 1 banana on the floor, we cleaned them up for the 3rd time and headed in for nap. L went right down and was asleep in 5 minutes or less. J on the other hand was clearly over-tired and it took 30+ minutes before he went to sleep. This momma was ready for a nap of her own! Thankfully it was quieter in the middle of the day and they slept until after 3. Nap Day 4: Success. Thursday afternoon we stayed inside for a bit since we had been in the sun all morning. The boys typically do well for a period of time, but then definitely need to head outside to run it out. They were much more well behaved this afternoon, and I was so relieved because I couldn't have done another afternoon like the day before. I'm finding their attention span for activities is slowly increasing, but they still require a lot of redirection to keep a calm demeanor when they get flustered. It's been hard to get them to settle in to sitting activities, especially in this new environment, but they seem to do better when we're outside. We played for a long while before heading in to FaceTime with Paul's parents, and then heading back to the orphanage by 6:15. In the evening, all of us met up for dinner with another adoptive mom here in Jinja (who we met at the Embassy last week). We chatted about the process and our time in Uganda and it was nice to share our hearts with a kindred spirit. She is adopting an 8 year old boy, and will hopefully be heading home soon! We're believing the same thing for us! :) All in all, it was a good day.
Friday we thought we might be headed to Kampala to pick up our passports (enter squeal of delight!), so we got everything packed and walked to the orphanage by 9:15. We waited for the director to arrive to let us know, but unfortunately it was a no go as the passport officer who we were to meet was out sick :( We are prayerfully going on Monday to get them, so please keep that in your prayers!!! With a bit of disappointment, we made a new plan and decided to spend some 1 on 1 time with the boys. We were carrying them on our backs, so Paul took L and I took J and we headed in different directions. We each went to one of the little restaurants in town and let the boys talk and play and eat with us while we gave them our undivided attention. L thoroughly enjoyed his time with Paul and you could tell he definitely felt like a big boy. J was more quiet, but was excited to be in a new place and did well playing with his cars and play-doh while counting ceiling fans, lights and tables :) We met back up around 11:45 and walked home together for lunch. The boys were much more mischievous today and Paul and I were getting a bit frustrated at their lack of obedience. Not only did they break a glass cup and some eggs, but they hardly slept and were getting into everything they know they shouldn't. They lost many privileges throughout the course of the afternoon, and it was hard for us to remain calm with them continuing to push the limits. Nap Day 5: Fail. In the afternoon, we again went outside to play and thankfully they did well. After a while all of the moms and kids came out to play (5 adults and 6 kids!), which normally is a free for all, but all of them did SO much better today and we were thankful to see the progress. We are believing this will be a turn in the right direction for playtime with other kiddos! Currently the boys are SO protective of us and often get very clingy and defensive when other kids try to spend time with us. With that said, I think they are starting to understand a little more that we are their people, and they've been better at sharing us :) Here's hoping to ch ch changes!
