Our One in a Billion: March 2018

The honeymoon is over. Our Little Panda is throwing fits and not always sharing with his sister... and it’s AWESOME!!

He is understanding that family is forever and that there isn’t anything he can do that will cause us to stop loving him. He is no longer walking on eggshells. It’s sooo wonderful to watch him behave as a typical 3 year old! He is beginning to enter a healthier mindset.

That being said, his fits aren’t that bad and his natural personality is to please. So even though he’s letting his mischievous side out and sometimes sharing his displeasure with a situation in his 3 year old language (aka fits) he still likes to please and follow the rules. So all in all, we got it easy with this one.

He is doing so well overall. The doctor appointments are really in full swing, and that has been his biggest challenge. It’s after medical days (as I call them) that he has the most melt-downs and during the night has nightmares. But if we go a few medical-less days, he just thrives. So it’s a balance of meeting his physical needs and emotional needs.

Panda challenges:

Pulling out of a tailspin
I’m getting a little better at helping with this one, but Little Panda just has no experience with these extreme emotions and how to deal. Whether it’s calming down after a blood draw or finding his way back after a melt-down, it’s a huge challenge to soothe him, let alone trying to teach him how to self-regulate. He goes down the rabbit hole and has a really difficult time finding his way back out.

Growth
Still hasn't grown an inch. Still in 12 month clothes even though he's at least 3 years old. Still waiting to get into the endocrinologist to get to the root of things.

Panda awesomeness:

Playing outside
Like I’ve said before, Panda isn’t one to stay afraid long. I wouldn’t say he’s begging to go play outdoors or anything, but he’s not crying while we are outside either! He is enjoying our time at the park now and eats during our picnics. He even was so adventurous to explore at the beach!
(I included some fun outdoor days in the pictures.)

Gross Motor Development
Panda is now taking 4-5 steps at a time and is pretty good at the concept of jumping! (something we work with Ladybug on daily for her PT) He loves the praise more than the accomplishment itself, so we just gush all over him when he tries new things!

Social Situations
Panda struggles the most with other children, as he very much doesn't trust them. It's obvious there were some bullying issues in the orphanage, which isn't surprising as he's so tiny for his age. But he is beginning to both trust some other kids, and more importantly trust me or the Duke as his protectors. He has been enjoying spending more time outside of the home and with others.

Brushing Teeth
He has finally allowed us to brush his little teeth!! Thank goodness. We did get him to a local pediatric dentist, who very nicely informed us that his issues paired with his size is beyond their expertise and that we would have to do dental through the hospital system. We suspected as much, but thought we'd try!

Language
Still picking up on English like a champ! Nouns and names are foreign to him. He doesn't understand the concept of a person or object having a label. But verbs or requests are coming much more easily.