Smilo

This past week has been an exciting one! My cousin got married in Arizona, so I flew out with the kids to be there! Quin couldn't take any more time off work, so luckily my mom flew with me on the way there and stayed with me in the hotel. Milo is still on oxygen while he sleeps, so our home health company had a sister company deliver an oxygen machine to the hotel. So convenient!

We had a great time in Arizona being with family. Milo was able to meet all of my mom's side of the family! He also went swimming for the first time and soaked up some Arizona sunshine!

Milo loved splashing in the pool!

 

Big sister thought Milo made a cute princess! She dressed him up all by herself!

Milo was mesmerized by the cooling mist at my uncle's house!

Milo's uncle was a help to me at the wedding! He and Milo bonded for sure. This is the first time someone other than Milo's parents, siblings, or grandparents has held him. He did great and seemed to recognize me when I took him back!

 

I HAD to take this picture of Milo against the beautiful blue sky. The Chinese people long to see sky like this, as it is extremely polluted in China and blue skies are rare!

Milo with his siblings, first, second, and third cousins on my mom's side of the family!

The hardest part of the trip was sleeping. The first night Milo woke up seven times. I had no backup and had to get up with him every single time. It was SO, SO exhausting!!! I don't know how single parents do it! 

The flight home was nerve wracking! I was one adult with four kids. We weren't even all sitting by each other at first! Luckily the flight attendant took mercy on me and moved me and my two littles to a row by my older kids. The flight ended up being a breeze! The hardest part was definitely getting through security!

Milo has, thankfully, made his way back to us mentally. The change was gradual at first, then suddenly on Monday I met a side of this boy I've never seen before!! He made eye contact with me all day long!! He smiled at me all day long!! He laughed with I tickled him!! He would follow me around the room with his eyes!! He turned his head several times when I called his name!! I could not believe it! I was in heaven all day! I couldn't get too many great pictures, even though he smiled all day. As soon as I'd put the camera up, he'd lose focus. He loved it when I was in his face making eye contact. I tried to take it all in to keep in my memory forever. It was one of the greatest, most rewarding and satisfying days I've ever had! Here are a few of the shots I did get:

We haven't had a day quite like that since, but he's still super duper smiley and darling. His eye contact definitely gets better as time goes on. He is just loving life!! In fact, my kids have nicknamed him "Smilo" and call him that whenever he's in a smiley mood. I love it! None of us can get enough of this guy! He's such a love!

One of my favorite things I've discovered about Milo recently is his love for music. He starts bobbing to the beat when it's a fast song, and a great way to calm him when he's having a night terror is singing gently to him. I love this so much!

I have a couple of random topics that have been floating in my head, and I want to blog about one of them today. First of all, every single person that meets Milo comments on how much he loves his hands and how they've never met a baby that was as fascinated by his own hands as Milo is. The comment itself is harmless. It's true, in fact. He really and truly is in love with his hands! (I am, too! They are the cutest, bittiest, stubbiest hands I've ever seen! I kiss them all day long!) Looking at his hands is, what I consider anyway, a very endearing trait Milo has right now. Hopefully he'll eventually grow out of it, but for now it's sweet! Every picture we have of Milo in the orphanage he's looking at his hands. Since he couldn't sit up, Milo was doomed to be laying down in his crib alone all day. All the other kids could get out of their cribs and sit by the toys or crawl around. If you can't sit, though, you're left in your crib. Milo's hands and all the funny noises he makes with his mouth and nose were the only stimulation he had!! They saved his sanity, and I'm so, so grateful for those beautiful hands! They are definitely still a comfort item for him! He holds his hands up often in the day, and even in his sleep! Even though the comment itself is benign, it's sort of starting to drive me crazy because of the sheer volume of times I've heard it and feel like I had to explain! I have started just saying, "Yup!" I get very exhausted trying to explain it to everyone we meet. This is why I'm addressing it on the blog! If I haven't met you in real life but do sometime, now you know why he's enthralled by his hands so you won't have to ask ;)

I called Early Intervention this week, and I can't wait to start! I'm hopeful they'll help us help Milo come out of his shell even more! He turned 17 months old this week, and I'm anxious to help him get sitting and eating purees better as well! Milo also has a follow up visit with the ENT, his 18 month check with the pediatrician, an ophthalmologist appointment, and the much anticipated visit with the pulmonologist all scheduled for the next little bit! It's a busy time, but we're hoping to get this little guy on the right track!