Our year in review:
January: Will enrolls full time in his new ABA based school. The two year old begins a toddler/preschool class once a week and cries every morning at drop off. Heather makes a new year’s resolution to stay fit, enjoy her kids, and worry less.
February: The two year old no longer cries at drop off and instead demands to kiss the teacher’s picture every night before bed.
March: Resolutions go out the window as Heather sees a picture of an adorable three year old boy in China waiting for a home. She spends the next two weeks on an emotional roller coaster trying to decide if she should be his mother, all while drinking red wine and eating chocolate.
April: Heather and her husband submit for pre-approval from China. 48 hours later they commit to his adoption. At the same time, Heather decides to potty train the two year old. The two year old has other plans, but ends up in panties by the end of spring break.
May: Amidst a home study and adoption paperwork, Heather decides that a long weekend would be a good time to attempt potty training Will using ABA methods. Things go more easily than planned, but the family notices that they are now cleaning the bathroom every day due to “misfires”.
June: School ends/summer begins. Heather thinks she should buy stock in Clorox wipes due to the number that get used in the bathroom daily. She prays the three year old in China is potty trained.
July: Did July exist?
August: Heather drives an entire day to the state capital to turn in the adoption dossier. She finds out a week later that it still hasn’t gone to China yet. School begins again.
September: Dossier is logged in somewhere in China! The seven year old keeps us busy with soccer games. Not to be outdone by her brother’s history, the two year old ends up in the hospital with a significant staph infection that settles in her lymph node and bone.
October: After two weeks of being inpatient, the two year old comes home with a PICC line. Halloween and all three kids go trick-or-treating and in costume! An accomplishment!
November: Heather builds bigger biceps as she masters the art of holding a two year old down for PICC line changes. Will has surgery for the “misfires” and the bathroom floor (now replaced) has never been happier.
December: The family receives final approvals for the adoption and looks forward to traveling in February. Christmas is calm and uneventful. (Though the two year old still demands to kiss the teacher’s picture every night!)
Here’s hoping that 2011 is a good one! Happy New Year!