2007 Report to Kaz Consulate

Time for another annual update:

Consulate of Kazakhstan

April 13, 2007
2006-2007

JR continues to be the light of our life.
His medical health is very good. He is still in the 90th percentile for height and weight (he is approximately 43” tall and weighs 45 lbs.) We continue to treat his mild asthma medically. He has not had any major asthma attacks, or any other medical issues that have required visits to the pediatrician. His pediatrician continues to be impressed by his obvious intelligence and his clear attachment to his parents.

He attends preschool 5 days a week. The teachers are very pleased with his behavior, and say that he is emotionally and developmentally right where he should be. He is always one of the first in his group to master new academic topics. They also regularly remark on how bright he is. He recognizes simple words (to, in, it, is, on, the, dad, mom, cat, dog) and is beginning to sound out words phonetically. He can count beyond 100 and does simple addition,. He can write his name and enjoys practicing writing. He is able to draw simple, recognizable figures and to cut with safety scissors. He is mastering coloring within the lines. The teachers say that he will be more than ready to start kindergarten in September.

He is still very interested in astronomy. He is also very interested in pirates and race cars. He has begun to use the computer (with assistance from his parents) and enjoys visiting websites designed for preschoolers. He also likes to visit astronomy and space exploration websites and GoogleEarth.

In September, he began a weekly music class. His music teacher has reported on his intelligence and his advanced reading ability. This class (and the addition of a new teacher at his preschool who is a musician) has sparked an interest in music that he had not previously exhibited. Music class is one of the highlights of his week. His preschool also takes monthly trips to the Art Museum and the Orchestra. He enjoys both trips immensely.

He still excels in athletic pursuits. He has excellent motor skills. He can throw balls (baseballs, footballs, tennis balls, etc.) for quite a distance, and with accurate aim. He can hit baseballs with a bat. In the fall, he played in a weekly soccer program for preschoolers and in the winter, he played in a basketball program. He was one of two children in the basketball program who could consistently throw the ball into the basket. He will again play in a tee-ball (baseball for very young children) league for 3 and 4 year olds. JR’s father will again be the assistant coach for the team. He swam regularly last summer and is already asking about when the pool will reopen for the summer.

He is a good eater (his favorite foods continue to be macaroni, olives, any type of fruit, and of course, ice cream). His favorite vegetable is asparagus. He will eat any type of fish. He likes to help in the kitchen with simple tasks (making salads, mixing cakes, putting toppings on homemade pizza).

We read to him several times a day, and he has many favorite books, some of which he has memorized. He can recognize some simple words in most books. He enjoys playing card games, board games, doing puzzles, constructing buildings and vehicles with Legos, and coloring. His favorite toys are cars and trucks and spaceships. He has a great imagination and tells fabulous, intricate stories. He is also very attached to a stuffed reindeer toy who accompanies him most places. He has many stories about this toy’s adventures.

We regularly take him on short trips to visit local museums, parks, zoos and other sights. The Academy of Natural Science, (or as JR calls it, “the Dinosaur Museum”) is still his favorite. He also enjoys traveling to Baltimore and to New York City to visit the science museums in those cities. In the fall, we also visited the Berkshire Mountains in Massachusetts for a few days, where he enjoyed mountain climbing and visiting the local art museums and art galleries.

He has many friends in the neighborhood and at school. He seems to be quite popular with his schoolmates and is showing some leadership potential. We continue to stay in touch with several families in the area who also adopted children from Delphin Baby House. In addition to his friends from Kazakhstan, he has good friends who were adopted from China, Viet Nam, the Ukraine and Guatemala. Several of the children at his preschool are adopted, so his school is very sensitive to the issues of adoptive children.

He remains very close with his first cousins on his father’s side. He is particularly close to his cousin who is now 9 years old. JR likes to do whatever his cousin is doing. We see his cousins several times a month and we will again spend a week vacationing with them in Ocean City, NJ (a beach resort) this coming August.

We feel privileged and blessed to have JR in our lives.