Aaron's update

This week I am posting Aaron's update.  His legal name is Sergey Aaron, so this is why Sergey is used throughout.   As I mentioned in Avery's update, I am copying the relevant parts of their embassy reports and pasting them here to give our blog readers a detailed update on our adopted kiddos. 

Here's Aaron's:

Sergey is a very healthy 8 year old boy who has cerebral palsy.  He has rarely been sick and has not been hospitalized since his last report.   He continues to improve in his ability to walk and keep his balance.

Sergey is a friendly, outgoing, and talkative boy.  He makes friends with everyone he meets.  Adults just adore his loveable and endearing personality.  He tests boundaries every once in a while, but seems to learn from his consequences.  He is helpful and considerate of others.

 

Sergey had an IQ test administered and he scored 63, including all 4 subtests, which is under the 70 mark for intellectual disability (ID).  The psychologist felt that due to his history, 2 of the subtests should not be included in his score, as cultural impact could not necessarily be factored out.  Taking the other 2 subtests, his score was 76.  This is above the 70 mark for ID.  The psychologist also stated the results should be viewed with caution, given his background.  His diagnosis of cerebral palsy is likely a factor in the low score, along with lack of stimulating environment and nurturing care during his first 6 years.  Repeating the test in a few years will likely be advised.

Since Sergey’s last update, his greatest accomplishment is that he is walking completely unassisted!  He no longer uses his arm crutches, unless we are going to be walking extremely long distances.  His balance has greatly improved. 

 

He has also started going to our local public school.  We had been homeschooling him to allow him some extra time to acclimate to our family life and bond with us more.  But at this point, we have realized he needed more structured time in a place where he can learn to listen to others in authority and receive special needs services including physical therapy and speech therapy.

 

He can now give himself his own bath, without constant supervision and prompts to remind him of what body parts need to be washed.

Sergey is a good eater with a balanced diet.  He is slow to eat at times and needs reminding to eat over his plate, pay attention, and use his manners.  For the most part he is like any other child his age when it comes to eating habits.  He is not a picky eater and has even acquired a taste for spicy foods!

 

Sergey gets a bath every other morning before school.  He gets on the bus around 8:30 in the morning and comes home at 4 pm.  He buys lunch at school and has memorized his 5 digit code for his meal account.  He continues to go to physical therapy through Children’s Hospital of Richmond every Monday afternoon at 3 pm.  He has a good and long-standing therapist, named Stacey, who has been working with him for 2 years now.  He has also joined the Good News Club which is an after-school Bible based club.

 

Sergey does not nap and typically is in bed by 8:30 at night after bedtime story and prayers.

Sergey loves to play outside!  He enjoys spending a lot of time at the sandbox and swing set.  When the weather is nice, he likes riding his bike, which provides good exercise and strength for his legs. 

 

His favorite part of school is recess and getting to play with his friends.  He says he doesn’t like it when he is bored at school or when he gets tired/fatigued in gym class and struggles to keep up with the other kids.

 

His favorite toys are cars, especially his new remote controlled truck he recently got for Christmas.  His absolute favorite food is pizza, with hotdogs being a close second.  The pizza is interesting because he hated pizza when we first introduced it to him soon after his adoption.  He is also a big fan of applesauce.

Sergey has a normal, bonded relationship with all immediate family members.  Daddy is a big tease to all our kids.  Sergey usually enjoys this play, but can become frustrated.  Sergey is affectionate with me, his mom, the most.  He likes to hug and cuddle.  He plays well with his siblings, but gets into squabbles with them as most children do.  He continues to be kind and share when he plays, and has also learned to stand up for himself better.

Sergey is accepted and loved by all extended family.  He readily and happily visits grandparents for a week of vacation at the beach, along with his siblings.

Sergey continues to be a patient at Shriner’s Hospital in Philadelphia.  They repeated his motion lab study in June 2013 to compare his posture and walking ability to his first motion lab study done prior to his surgery.  The difference is incredible!  They want to follow up every 6 months to monitor his continued progress and possibly recommend foot braces to help lift his instep.

So that's it for Aaron.  Feel free to friend me on Facebook to catch the day to day pics and posts of the kids.  Just message me "blog reader" and I will gladly confirm!