We really enjoyed today. It started with us checking out a guest house (US equivalent to a bed and breakfast) for us to stay at for week 2. We got out of the car and an adorable bulldog greeted us and wanted to be pet. I was sold before looking at the suite. It worked out well for what we need—two beds, a pool, and a yard for T to run around in. We hope that starting Thursday or Friday of this coming week, T will start doing overnight visits with us.
After checking out the room, we got to the care home and played with Legos and dinosaurs (together, of course). At one point, one of the Lego people started riding around on a broom. I off-handedly said he was like Harry Potter. T’s face lit up and he stopped moving the Lego around. I asked him if he knew what I was talking about and he said yes. We told him his room was decorated like Harry Potter and he was very interested. (We’ve shown him his room before, but not explained it yet.) So that was a pretty great moment.
Lego construction men riding helpful dinosaurs—naturally.
T & Daddy Brian (as he's called at the moment) & Roy
We got to go out to the mall with T for lunch. When we made the plans yesterday, T wanted pizza. He was very adamant on this point, as it is his favorite. We got to the restaurant and all of a sudden, it’s a cheeseburger and pizza. We compromised and he ordered just a cheeseburger and he could have some of our pizza if he was still hungry. Along with the cheeseburger, he also ordered a cream soda. That cheeseburger disappeared very quickly. Brian and I are sure he inhaled it—I think he’s going to be growing soon. He enjoyed watching the chefs take the pizzas out of the pizza oven. We played with Roy (I got my first full toothed grin from that). After a good meal together, we walked to a candy shop and T picked this test tube looking thing that sprays sour strawberry liquid. I tried it, squirting two times into my mouth and almost lost my lunch. T was squirting it up to ten times under his tongue and not even making a face. This kid.
Photos courtesy of T. He enjoyed taking photos at lunch.
When we were done at a delicious coffee shop with many unique single-origin African coffees (Brian’s words, not mine), we walked to the book shop. We’re really trying to build a love for reading books. We let T pick out a book, but had a difficult time finding one in English (Afrikaans is very prevalent in this area). He picked out this weird book about a girl giraffe with no neck who wears sparkly high heel books. Weird. It ended up being an ok book, thankfully. Along with that, we picked up a new illustrated Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone for him. We are going to start reading him chapter books while we’re here.
After the book store, we headed back. Our boy was tired, so there was very little talking on the way back. Occasionally we would hear him squirt that gross sour stuff and it got comical when he would squirt 7 times or 10 times. Once again, this kid.
Back at the house, we played Legos again, read his new book and a couple of others, including my favorite from when I was his age—The Day Jimmy’s Boa Ate The Wash (pictured). We colored in his dinosaur coloring book and put a transportation puzzle together. When we finished and cleaned up, we told him we would come tomorrow after lunch (we're hoping to attend services at an Acts 29 church just south of here) and stay through dinner. He told us he wanted us to come in the morning. (I think he likes us!) Because of that request, we are now going to go to the 8:00 a.m. service at church and surprise him by coming in the morning.
Story time together. I love this picture.
I told Brian at dinner that this is the first day where leaving the care home was hard for me. The first and second day left me emotionally and physically tired and I needed a break. Today was hard to leave him at the home. Sitting at dinner felt a little empty because he wasn’t there inhaling food and giving shy smiles. I miss him. We can’t wait to go back tomorrow.