Still Doing Great With M. Askar!

Hello! All is still going great with Michael Askar.

Everyone asks us, "What should we call him?" and we tell them we call him Askar "ah-scah" or Michael Askar. Our friends and relatives call him either name and we don't mind which one is used.

Sooooo, he is doing very well here. We are still amazed at his transformation and how lovable and happy he is now. He is always exploring and enjoying himself and has gained weight as you can see from the pictures. He is building muscle, better balance and just seems healthier overall because of the proper physical activity, nutrition and TLC.

He is a very good boy most of the time except for the crying and screaming at bedtime, with changing and when taking a bath. He is getting a little better though. He loves driving in the car now and always gets excited about trucks, buses and airplanes.

He loves almost everybody and warms up to new people and places after about 5-10 minutes. We have been to many parties, stores and other events and he does great with crowds and other kids. His funny, cute personality comes out often and makes people smile and/or laugh. We noticed that people stare at him. Maybe because of this blog or they try to imagine what he has gone through. Maybe it's his great smile. He is trying his best with talking. He also imitates what others do.

I look back over the past year and think about all the doubts and stressful times during this process and we now know it was all worth it. When you go through the process and spend a ton of money, you wonder if your doing the right thing. You wonder if you were ever in the right state-of-mind for taking this leap of faith. You are putting your energy, emotions and finances to the unknown which is not very comforting.

I would say to anyone going through this process, that they should look at the big picture and end result and know that everything will be fine. After the process is over and you see an orphaned child blossom right in front of your eyes and they love you and you love them back (and this will happen), you will be rewarded in more ways then you can imagine. When your going through the process, you wonder if this will actually happen to you and it does. It is amazing at how it comes all together.

Now that we've been home a couple of weeks, Haley and the dogs have adjusted well to having Askar around. Haley is figuring out little tactics to use with him and she is a good big sister. You can tell that she loves the fact that she has a brother now. There are spats at times but that is normal. The dogs are gentler than they were before also. You can tell they like having him around also. Our relatives and friends all love him and have welcomed him with open arms.
(picture is Haley's last day of school)

I think back about what the caregivers said in the orphanage and how stressed we felt when we first met him. At that point, you look into the future with your chosen child and imagine both good and bad. You don't know what will happen and you may picture the most negative things at times. Then, hopefully you will come to the conclusion that you don't know how a biological child will develop either.

I remember the caregivers saying when we were there that he was "problematic" and "you won't need another child because he will be all you can handle" and we look at him now and he is totally opposite than when we met him and what they described him as. Thank god we didn't give up on him and chose another child as we almost did when we first got to KZ and he was sick and difficult. I remember keeping in mind what someone said on the adoption message boards about not being afraid to take a sick child because they will get better in a home.

Askar is set up for an ultrasound this week. His medical history said that he has swollen kidneys so we will see if anything turns up on the ultrasound. The doctor also ordered a bone test to see if it coincides with his date of birth. I think his date of birth is OK. He was also referred to the Early Intervention Program offered by the school department for toddlers. His development will be assessed in a couple of weeks and they will treat him as needed.

I will be posting more pictures from KZ in the next post....