Easy & Sunny Update

 If you are interested, here is a little update on some of our new family members. Sunny is doing well in his new school. He just had his first round of tests. It is pretty ironic when his English homework that he completed with El Padre comes back marked up! Part of it is the fact that it's to be written with the vocabulary the teacher has been using (British English). Also when writing in a second language the lack of carefulness is often a factor. 

It is kind of hard to define how he is 'related' to the family. I have a friend who calls some children like this her "African children."  He asked to take El Padre's name and he said yes - although it will never be legal. He is above the age for international adoptions, so we will never legally adopt him and he probably won't ever travel to the US with us. We are providing food, clothing, schooling, housing, etc. for him and helping him with homework. But he helps us in so many ways too. He is willing to hold a baby while I get dinner ready some nights. He is a good example for our children. The only 'complaint' is that sometimes he likes to tickle the middle kids and get them all riled up while we are trying to get a meal on the table. And the kids don't know when to stop or how to de-escalate so well. Maybe he is providing a valuable lesson for them!

We found out the full story of how he became a Christian a few weeks ago and also how he hurt his leg and now walks with knee pain and a limp (more on that another time).

Also an update on baby Easy Teasy. It is amazing how quickly and how strong he is growing. His development is catching up to his age very fast. We are working to establish a bit of a routine especially in the afternoon / evening and overnight. He is sitting up on his own, but it is still good to have someone spotting. With an adult balancing, he can support his weight on his legs for at least a minute - which is a huge change from him not even extending his legs when he first came. We are going to see a physical therapist this week to see about a grasping issue, but we are very pleased with all his growth and development. We are even pleased that he has learned that if he cries, someone will respond. Maybe he isn't as easy of a baby after learning that, but that is the way it should be.

-- La Maestra