Our First Week as Mother and Son!

Selemani and I have now been together for just over a week and that week has been amazing. He is doing so surprisingly well, I expected many tantrums and tears and though we have had some we have had more smiles and laughter. The first full day we had together I had to run errands in town, not that I wanted too. We ended up stopping for lunch in town so were out much longer than expected, this boring day would have been too much for most two years olds but not Selemani, his behaviour was incredible, I was amazed. By the Tues he was calling me Mummy which is amazing. He follows me EVERYWHERE which I just adore, we cuddle, we play, he gives me kisses, I just adore being his mummy. We have had a few challenges this week, at first he didn't like cars, he screamed from the back of his throat when we were in one but now he asks to go in the car! He didn't and still doesn't like bedtime, the first night was terrible but things seem to be improving. At first he didn't eat very much, he just picked, a little bit here and a little bit there but hey my motto is that no child who has access to food has ever starved themselves!! He is doing better with that now though. At Cradle I haven't pushed him to play with the kids or sit with the nannies, he is free to do what he wants, as in stay with me or the kids. At first he wouldn't talk to the nannies or children but today he was running around playing and having so much fun with the toddlers, he only does this when I am in the room though. At first he may have thought he was back to stay at Cradle but I think he is slowly learning that in fact he is with me and not at Cradle, it will take him time to realise that I am NOT going anywhere.
I have been so amazed at how fast he is adapting, there is a bit of a language barrier and a couple of times both Selemani and myself have gotten frustrated because I couldn't understand him. He is a very smart boy though and already he copies EVRYTHING I say, I know it will not be long until he is talking English. I am encouraging the nannies to talk to him in Swahili then he will continue talking Swahili but also pick up English then I will have a bilingual little boy :-)



All in all it has been a great week, I know that things will take time, he has lived the past two years in an orphanage and probably doesn't remember the time before that when he had a family. He needs to learn that I am here to stay and that I will never let him down. He is an amazing son, I really couldn't ask for a better one, especially because he sleeps in in the mornings :-)!! I love him so much and look forward to the years we will share ahead of us.