Since We've Been Home

So we've been home in the USA for 3 weeks and so far I haven't written a single thing about the stuff we've done since we've been back in Ocala. Today is catch up day. 

Davis has been exploring new foods. This is peanut butter crackers that Wesley cut up for him and fed him in his high chair.

We made a trip to Staples for a  new office chair. And afterwards had dinner at Mojo's new location on Grand Opening Night. Davis liked the fried pickles (once they cooled way down).

There's been lots of time for all of the boys to play in the yard together. Davis catches rides on his trike from everyone and sometimes, he takes other things for a ride on his bike.

We dropped off Parker for a week at church camp in Leesburg. It's the Warren W. Willis youth camp that both Daryl and I attended as children/youth and where I served a summer in college as a counselor. We met Uncle Daniel and Aunt Dawn and the cousins (who were all attending camp as well) at Ramshackle Cafe for lunch on the day of registration and then went over to settle them in. Things that made us feel better about leaving him for a week: he;s completely familiar with the camp layout from Clergy Kids, two of my summer camp counselor friends from years ago now help run the place and also know Parker from Clergy Kids, plus we had pastor friends serving as the middle school worship leaders (the Sanders) and the elementary worship leader was my mentor, Debbie McLeod.

The cousins all attending camp together - Kayla, Micah, Bethany and Parker.

Miss Mary was a high school camper from our home church in Seffner. I used to teach her older brothers in Sunday School and Wednesday night church when they were toddlers!

Cabin 6A2 - Parker is ready for fun!

Introducing Davis to our friends the Sanders - Chris and Charissa.

There have been nightly baths with lots of fun toys. We're working on keeping the water inside the tub!

There was Davis' first trip to Brick City Park just down the road from our house. We rode the big slide together a few times and then he mastered it all by himself. He was not a fan of the baby swings. In subsequent trips we've discovered he likes the big swings, while on someone else's lap or swinging gently by himself.

Davis and I stepped out for lunch at Latinos Y Mas one day with the MODELS and he got some snuggle time with Aunt Eunice. 

Someone has been adjusting to life in a car seat - there are no seatbelts usually beyond the front row in vehicles in China and no car seat laws. In fact car seats are just hitting the market there. Davis is definitely making it work for him. 

Wesley has finally gotten old enough to attend YMCA camp. He's been earning lots of beads from the teachers for Faith, Respect, Responsibility,  Caring, Honesty, and Integrity. He also earned camper of the week for the Kindergarten class one week.

When we went to pick up Parker from camp, we met up with Uncle Daniel's crew again and went to brunch at Wolfy's afterwards in Leesburg. But before pickup, we got to sit through the last session of praise time. When we finally got to see Parker, he was hoarse from having so much fun at camp and even sporting a Badge of Honor (bruise from disc golf!) 

With Parker's cabin counselor Brandon before heading home.

Someone missed his brother.

One big happy family again on one of the famous camp rocking chairs.

My mom, or Grandma as she is known in these parts, came up for a visit too. We're glad that she has the flexibility to do that now that she's retired. We hung out played at the house, did a little shopping at Target, took Grandma to Mojo's for the first time (and she liked their fried pickles too!) and then this is where Wesley took his afternoon nap. The big boys got to spend some time with her in the afternoon following camp before she headed home.

There have been a few other not so fun things. Jet lag was brutal for about 4 days. Everyone except Davis has had at least one day of the stomach bug; we'll spare you pictures of that for everyone's sake. The Honda Odyssey went in to the dealer two different days for a recall on the ignition switch and a warrantied part that was broken in our airbag system. The washer at the parsonage died (stopped spinning the water out of the clothes) and so after a Saturday trip to the local laundromat last week, this is my new best friend. 

And there have been doctor visits galore. Daryl had his first - at Shands in Gainesville for his ear. His hearing has not improved with the healing of the hole in his eardrum. It's time to do something about it and so he is scheduled for surgery on August 21 (which means he has another preop appointment in early August and postop appointment set for in September already). We had hoped to show Davis that the doctor's office could be ok - but when they cranked Daryl back in the chair just to examine his ear, Davis was not a fan of anyone doing anything to his Baba. And I had an appointment too; another followup for the abdominal/back pain that sent me to the ER back in April. While Grandma and Daryl stayed with the boys, I saw the OB/GYN to rule out an ovarian cyst and I have to go for an ultrasound in August. 

Davis also had his first appointment with our pediatrician, Dr. Okonkwo. He did great with the vital check, the finger prick for the iron test, the stethoscope on his chest, and even the doctor checking his left ear.  But when he got to the right ear (the one he holds for comfort/sleep) he was not a happy camper and didn't appreciate anything else that came after, including the four shots he needed for vaccinations that they do not give in China. Then yesterday we had to take him for the start of the routine bloodwork they do on all international adoptees - they managed to get 8 vials of blood out of our little guy with Daryl holding him. We still have stool and urine specimens to gather and another blood test later that can only be done at the county health department, but we decided that was enough for this week.

Chilling out before the blood was taken.

So that's what has been happening in our neck of the woods for the rest of July. The Adventures just keep coming!