Pool, Fun at the Mall, and Lots of New Words

Playing with the dogs at a cookout on Sunday

Getting better on his bike


All ready to go to the pool (pool noodle in hand!)

Our week has been full of new things. Trey has really enjoyed his new bike. He loves to ride it just about everyday. In addition to his bike, Trey was able to get into a pool for the first time this past weekend. Our new neighborhood has a pool, therefore, we went to the pool twice already. He absolutely loves it too! Of course, he has no idea how to swim and he is a little spastic in the water....just splashing and kicking and having a ball. I'm sure that it won't take long for him to figure it out. He has already been observing the other kids and starting to pick up on the concept.

Tonight, it was a little chilly outside, so we took Trey to the mall to play in this big climbing area that they have there. (I'm sorry....I don't know how to describe it). We figured that it would be a good activity for him on a rainy or cold day. And....Trey loved it! He started out just staying on the lower part and exploring. However, as time went on, he kept climbing higher and higher. (Don't worry....it was a safe activity and we didn't worry about him getting hurt.) Anyway, by the end, he was at the very top and he was dancing up there. It was too cute! He kept looking down at Shane and I and he just smiled. He was loving every minute of it and, of course, he asked if we could go there tomorrow.

In fact, as we drove home...Trey said the most impressive thing.... He laid out our itinerary for tomorrow. He said, "go to spot (which means sleep) and then sunshine and then go to Mama's work and then go to the magazine (which means the mall). It was awesome!!! Our conversations are getting more and more detailed. He is using more English words and really talking well. I actually welled up because he literally put together several sentences about what we will do tomorrow. How cute and wonderful and amazing is that? We've only been home a little more than a month! I am so impressed with his learning.

On Monday, Trey will start Pre-K. He is going to attend 3 days a week for the majority of the summer. I am actually really looking forward to it because I know that he will love playing with the kids. He will also really start excelling academically. I'm sure that he will be fairly quiet for the first few days...just taking everything in and gaining the confidence to talk (in English) to his classmates. Nonetheless, with his learning rate, it probably won't take too long for him to adjust. The thing that I'm most nervous about is that fact that he will be away from Shane and I during this time. To date, he has never been without one of us since April 3rd. I really hope that he does alright with this scenario. I'll keep you posted!

One Month At Home

Where do I begin? This past month has been amazing! Trey has completely changed our lives and we are having so much fun with this little guy. We are also completely amazed by how much he is changing. It seems as though new English words are just flying out of his mouth each day. Each time that he uses a new word, we get SO EXCITED! He is definitely a sponge....soaking up everything that he hears and sees. Some of his newest words include:

* Apple Juice
* Breakfast, Lunch, Supper
* Counting to 12
* Starting to learn his ABC's
* Come Here
* Turn it off
* Milk
* Volleyball
* My name is Trey

A funny story is that yesterday we pulled up to a drive-thru and from the backseat, I hear "macchiato". Hmmmm.....do you think that he's heard me order a Carmel Macchiato from Starbuck's before? How funny is that? What a big word for him to remember!

A couple highlights from this week include:

* A trip to Marshan's (Kathy's friend) kindergarten classroom. Unfortunately, we got there a little late, so Trey only met some of Marshan's students. Nonetheless, we were able to visit with Marshan and explore her classroom. (Please note the picture of Trey and Marshan above).

* Getting a bike. Trey has been talking about a bike for a while. We were planning to wait until his birthday....but then realized that he could use it all summer if we got it now. Trey LOVES his bike! He doesn't go very fast yet, but he's getting pretty good at riding it.

Again, we marvel at how much Trey is changing and GROWING. It's getting harder and harder to pick this little dude up. He is growing like a weed (of course, he eats all of the time too). Actually, I should note that Trey ate pizza this week! He turned up his nose at pizza the first couple times he saw it. However, on Tuesday night, he tried it and loved it! Obviously, his taste buds are changing too.

It's been a fun journey! We look forward to many more months and years together.

Love and God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey

Dentist, Driving Range, and Playing in the Park

1st Dentist Appointment

Trey's favorite stuffed animal--"Mishka"

This has been another fun week at the Gebhardt house. Mother's Day was a lot of fun! We went to the park in Peoria, IL and visited with most of Kathy's family. Trey was able to play with 7 of his cousins and he had a blast! He was literally running with the cousins from one animal to the next. I can't wait to take him to a bigger zoo with more animals (The Peoria Zoo is pretty small.)

On Tuesday, Trey had his first dentist appointment. He did soooo well! He just sat in the chair and smiled as his teeth were being cleaned. Of course, he asked if he was getting a shot when we walked into the dentist's office.... Fortunately for him, he didn't have any shots. Actually, the dentist was very impressed with his teeth. He got a good cleaning and a flouride treatment and we were on our way! Pretty painless... On Tuesday, we also had a visit with our social worker, Pam. Pam was able to meet Trey for the first time and our visit went well.

On Wednesday, Trey got to try out his tee ball set. He actually did pretty well! We have to remind ourselves that he has never seen organized sports...so we are literally teaching him EVERYTHING about how to play these games. Actually, on Thursday night, Trey watched Mama play volleyball and he REALLY enjoyed it! He kept demonstrating the serving technique. AHHHHH.....He is making his mama proud! And...of course, being the sports-minded people that we are.....Shane took Trey to the driving range today to hit some balls again. :o) He's definitely getting his exercise and being exposed to different sports.

During much of our free time this week, Trey has enjoyed some fun times at the park (near our home). He loves playing on the slide and swinging! He's becoming so active and also becoming much more coordinated. He seems to be changing every day!

Speaking of changing.....his latest infatuation has been with "musica" (music). He has always liked music....but recently, I gave him my old boom box. He plays music all of the time! He plays his "casettas" (CD's) quite often. We even have to take his "casettas" in the car with us everytime we go somewhere. :o)

Overall, it's been a really good week. Trey has been a really good boy and is adjusting well. One more thing.....Trey has also recently really been in love with his teddy bear (we have affectionately named him, "Mishka"). He sleeps with him and carries him around in the morning and at night. It's really adorable!

God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey (and Mishka!)

Happy Mother's Day!

Havin' Fun!

Trey has been doing soooo well this week. He is really settling in....and he's speaking English more and more. Some of his new words/phrases include:

"Let me see."
"I'm full"
"Go to...."
"This way"
"That way"
"All done"
"So beautiful"

Here are a few more pictures from this week!!!

Meetin' the Cousins

Trey with some of his "new" cousins!



Lately, Trey has been doing very well. Most often, he stays home with me (Kathy) and we try to keep things very simple. We usually stay at home for most of the day. We play games, play outside, watch videos, nap, etc. We typically venture out once during the day to run a few errands (such as: the bank, the post office, the store, etc.). However, for the most part, his days are pretty quiet.

Well, yesterday Trey's world was a little on the crazy side. We went to church in the morning (he's still adjusting the the church services). Then, my older brother Mike and his family came over to meet Trey. I have really been looking forward to this event because Mike and Sheri have 5 kids (1 girl and 4 boys). Trey really enjoyed meeting all of the kids, along with Aunt Sheri and Uncle Mike. He had a great time eating, playing, and hanging out. Later in the afternoon, my brother, Dave, and his family (wife and two kids) came over. Trey had already met them...so this was a nice 2nd visit with them. Everything was going well....until....the melt-down. Trey was very good with all of the activity for most of the day....but late in the day...he was ready to be done with this excitement. He ventured into one of the bedrooms and just needed some "alone time". All of this activity was starting to wear on him. We got him to come back out and he bounced back nicely. We went out to dinner with our relatives and then everyone went back to their respective homes. On our way home, Trey was asleep within 10 minutes. He was definitely exhausted.

It's funny because he has been doing so well. However, we were reminded yesterday that he still has a long way to go in his adjustments. Next week is Mother's Day and we will see all of these relatives (plus several more) for a family gathering. It's good that he has met them and we anticipate that the next gathering will go better (due to his familiarity with these people), however, we definitely need to be sensitive to his needs.

He has done so well...yet we know that he has a long way to go. It's hard for us to believe that we have only been home for 2 weeks. He has been getting along SO WELL, yet we can't push him too far. He's still getting to know us and he's still getting to know this place.

All in all, we have really praised Trey for his behavior. We can't even imagine being in his shoes. He's been through SO MUCH in the past month....he's quite a little trooper.

We love him so much and we just want to see him settling in and happy in his new environment. :o)

God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey

Adjusting Very Well

We've had some really great times recently. We haven't done anything exciting or gone anywhere interesting. We are just amazed at how well Trey is doing lately. He really has been a good boy. He behaves really well, even though a week ago...he was into EVERYTHING! He also has been eating better. Today, he just kept saying "koo-shot", which means "eat". I couldn't keep him full....so I think that he is feeling better and getting his appetite back. He also is doing so well with his English. It seems that everyday he surprises us with a new English word/phrase. For example:

After someone said, "thank you", he surprised us with "your welcome". This was not provoked. He just remembered hearing it before.

After belching, he just blurted out, "excuse me". Ahhh...manners! We love this!

This morning, he said, "Don't pick your nose." Hmmmmm....wonder when he heard this? (That was last night when he kept doing it!!)

Therefore, we can't wait to hear what he will say tomorrow. He is such a bright boy! We are so excited that he is picking up so much English. Did I mention that he can already count to 5??? We are hoping to get to 10 soon.

The photos above are from this week. We have been exploring our new neighborhood. We have two playgrounds...and we have enjoyed checking them out. Also, Trey got his first chance to vacuum. Actually, he loved it and was asking Papa if he could do it again today. We'll enjoy this enthusiasm as long as we can. ;)

Again, we are doing very well. We feel so blessed to have Trey in our lives. He is such a good boy and is such a happy person. He keeps us smiling all of the time!

God's Blessings,
Shane, Kathy, and Trey