Greetings again, Dad here, on the evening of Tyler’s ONE YEAR Anniversary of joining our Family.
Coincidentally, today was also the First Day of School for all of the children. We survived our crazy summer, having checked off many of the things we’d wanted to do. There were a few items we hoped we would have had time for (i.e. Tubing on the Delaware, visiting Gettysburg) but hopefully we can keep them on the list for Summer 2018.
Our Tyler has made remarkable progress since first shouting out “Mama” to Lisa, and running into her arms (and our hearts) in the darkened hallway of the Taiyuan Civil Affairs Office. His English skills are accelerating, and he understands nearly everything that’s being said to, and asked of, him. His vocabulary is growing daily and he’s been getting better at putting full sentences together. He has abandonded his Mandarin (and dialect), and hasn’t looked back. We know this by seeing his blank stares when our good friend (native Chinese) recently tried to speak with him in Mandarin. He had been at least a little bit communicative with her a few months ago… not anymore! It’s all English, all the time.
Tyler has found his place in our wild world, and he has developed unique relationships with all of his brothers and sister. He has a special fondness for Kyle – we can’t really fault him, since he has trained Kyle to carry him around on piggyback on command – the word (the ONLY holdover word) Tyler uses sounds like “bayzhwa”. He enjoys playing with all of his siblings, whether it’s jumping on the trampoline or just running in the open field when we go on our evening family walks with Murphy. He enjoys bowling as well. He likes riding his scooter and his new bicycle (with training wheels) – and enjoys riding in his trailer behind Dad for longer bike rides. Tyler has not let his vision challenges slow him down at all. He’s become very independent recently since he’s completely mastered the phrase “I’ll do it!”
Tyler’s become a seasoned traveler having completed two airplane trips since last post: Punta Cana in the spring, and Southern California in the summer (we just recently returned), and a Road Trip to see Lisa’s family in West Michigan over the 4th of July. He loves the beach and playing in the sand with Dylan (our other sand hog), and also playing in the waves with Ashley and Ryan. He has toughened up a bit and does not let a wave wipeout keep him down. He has completed a set of swim lessons and now feels comfortable and confident enough to dunk his head under water in the pool by himself (while wearing his safety vest).
He’s also become very well known at a few of our CHOP (Children’s Hospital of Phila.) facilities, since he’s been through several levels of evaluation to understand all of the elements of his various challenges. He just got a new pair of glasses and a cool new strap to keep them in place. He will be starting his modified full day Kindergarten program tomorrow – regular Kindergarten with his new class in the AM, followed by Lunch with some of his other Kindergarten friends, finishing with some intensive 1:1 / small group life skills activities in a specialized classroom. He seems ready and after our summer of endless activity his stamina will hopefully be up to the demands of this new schedule.
Speaking of Summer 2017, it was busy – to say the least. Lots of outdoor time, Gardens, Museums, Playgrounds, Pools, State Parks, National Parks, Bike Rides, Bowling, and so on and so forth. Looking back, we started the summer with a literal checklist of stuff – and we accomplished quite a large number of those activities. Though it seemed to be a long summer, in retrospect it went by really fast. We made some great memories along the way and have the photos and videos so we’re able to relive everything!
First Day of Summer
First Day of Summer
With Our Cousins at the Lake
French Creek State Park
At the TOP of Bowman’s Tower in Washington’s Crossing, PA
Riverbend Environmental Education Center (Near Conshohocken, PA)
Museum of the American Revolution with our LOCKHEAD FLAG!
With Nick & Judy in Disney’s California Adventure
With Daisy in Disney’s California Adventure
With You Know Who at Disneyland
So with our first year under our belt, we’re buckled up ready for whatever comes our way this fall and for the school year. We can’t wait to see what Tyler is able to accomplish next. We’re so very Happy and Fortunate to have him in our lives and can’t imagine our family without him! We all love you T-Bone!!!
All our Love,
Mom & Dad