I'm happy to report that Alexander had his dental surgery June 16th...no more brown decayed teeth! He had three extractions, eight capped, and one regular filling. Overall it went very well and he hasn't complained about tooth pain since. Alexander also has slowly been gaining....?attention?... its not that he couldn't concentrate on something, but that he didn't want to - that he was quickly bored with whatever he was doing and always wanted to be moving on the the next thing. My one friend described him as 'busy'. I called it 'annoying' :) . But I have definitely seen an improvement. Yesterday I let him pull out a 100 piece puzzle even though I was quite certain that he would never finish it - and he amazed me with how long he tried at it. When he finally did get frustrated with his lack of advancement (about 30mins of trying), I told him to ask Alexis to help and the two of them probably sat there for another 30mins working on it. They got about 2/3rds done before they got tired of it, but I was very happy to see Alexander stick with it so long! We also had kindergarden orientation and it went better than I expected - confirming my thoughts that Alexander will quite enjoy it. When it really comes down to it, I have security in him going to kindergarten early because Cameron will be there with him. I'd be worried that Alexander would feel scared and 'alone' (maybe even abandoned at first) except that I think he will gain much security with having someone from our family there too. And then during orientation I saw Cameron numerous times helping/watching out for Alexander - seriously, not a behaviour I see at home! I was quite proud of Cameron and encouraged to see the bond there. As for day to day, definitely still Alexander and Alexis play the most together.
Carter is still our guy that hangs all over and in the face of any stranger. It is hard for us to know how much is attachment related, orphanage related behaviour, or just personality. Emily had some of those same behaviours when she was young (would want strangers to pick her up or let her sit on them), so it makes me think it is 'possible' that it is just his personality.... but maybe not 'probable'. All three boys will be seeing Dr Baxter, a pediatrician at the Edmonton Adoption Clinic, on July 14th so am sure she will have some input. As for day to day - Carter usually spends most his time following Alexander and Alexis around, sometimes being included in their play, other times just playing nearby.
Eli....hmmm, Eli has seemed to move out of the 'innocence of babyhood' and right into the 'troublesome toddler'. His favorite thing seem to be trying to 'rowse' others, usually by hitting them or trying to steal their chair or toy. His favorite person to pick on is of course Carter since he is closest in age. Before when Eli would cry it was easy to assume that someone took something from him or hurt him, now it seems more likely that Eli was the one to start the fight. Don't get me wrong though, he is still a darling boy who is full of giggles and plays very well on his own - I just see more of the 'boy' in him coming out each day. Actually Eli is now acting pretty much the same way Cameron does! His next eye appointment is July 13th where I hope to find out whether or not surgery will be in his future. Oh, another change we have seen with Eli is that he is no longer as scared of strangers. He used to cry if someone looked at him, where now he will even smile for others when they talk/play a bit with him as long as he is in a comfortable environment (like at our home or while being held by Aaron or myself). I think this has come as his sense of security in our family has grown.
Overall, things continue to go quite well. They all sleep well, know most of the rules and don't try to pull fast ones on mom (cause it won't work). They've also simply learnt how things work around here - stuff like that EVERYONE is fed and that I'll make sure they all get to the table at the right time, and don't bother asking for a treat or more to drink if you didn't finish your food (veggies included), etc. Alexander no longer 'parents' Carter like he initially did. And would you believe that they have all gained over 2 lbs and about 2 inches each! I knew they had outgrown clothes already, but hadn't expected to see 2 inches in less than 5 months.
Lastly, we had some portraits taken of our whole family, so I will leave you with a bunch of pics of my cute kids (oldest to youngest: Emily, Cameron, Alexander, Alexis, Carter, Eli).
