Solo

My mom left this morning to go back home.  She has been at our house since before we left for Colombia, and she more than deserves a break and a good night's sleep in her own bed.  I am sure that my dad will be so happy to have her back home also, and we are so grateful to have had her here for so long.  We miss you all ready, Mom!!! 

We survived our first day here with just Jason and I.  We have recruited the kids to start "helping" with things around the house, and even if the help isn't really help, it at least keeps the kids close at hand and they are learning the importance of helping out in the home and having responsibilities.

Yesterday the kids got to meet Jason's mom, their Grandma Mimi, and LaVerne.  Mimi and LaVerne came bearing gifts...lots of Little People toys (a tractor, a wagon, a bulldozer) and some things that were Jason's when he was a boy.  The kids have been playing and building and hauling things all over the house, and have had a blast.  Thank you, Mimi and LaVerne!!

We have been trying to encourage the kids to play independently a little bit more, so that Jason and I can try to get things done around the house, like prepare meals and/or clean up after meals while the kids play nearby.  This has been a mixed bag.  Some times the kids can play fairly well with only some squabbling, but we have also had some bad blow-ups and melt-downs too.  This is really hard for us, because we can literally not turn our back on the kids for even a minute. 

Plus, in the last 2 days, we are starting to see some physically aggressive behaviors from Juan Manuel.  He has been intentionally rough with Christian and Santiago (grabbing them by the face and shaking them), and today we caught him "teasing" Ruby with a fist in front of her face.  This is really really hard for me to see, and it makes me especially nervous to leave him unsupervised with his little brothers and Ruby, I do not trust him.  We have been extremely firm in dealing with his physical aggression, but I have the feeling that we are going to have to work on this with him.  I know that this is not totally unexpected, but it makes me sad all the same.  Some times I just wish that this could be simpler, or that I could have more energy and patience, or that I could un-do the hurts of the past for our kids.

Jason has off of work all of this week to help get the kids settled in at home and spend time together as a family.  Thank goodness, because I am definitely not feeling ready to handle all 3 kids all day by myself yet.  A few hours at a time is not so bad, but all day long feels a little bit overwhelming right now.  I pray that the kids will settle into a routine and a sense of comfort in their new setting.