Control Issue or Biological Issue?

On one of the yahoo boards today one of the subjects really caught my attention.  It was a discussion about kids with swallowing issues.  Ding-Ding-Ding, we have that in our home!  In fact, we've dealt with that each of the last two nights.
 
Is it a control issue?  Judah will chew and chew on food meanwhile acting spacy and removed.  He doesn't spit the food out and he doesn't swallow it, he just chews it forever.  Eventually I get tired of him doing this and remove the wad of mush from his mouth and then remove him from the table.  Sometimes though we'll be done with supper, cleaned up and heading out the door to church and while I'm putting him in the van I notice he still has food in his mouth.  Seriously, son?!?!  Not sure if he doesn't like hamburger or chicken breast so he just chews on it forever.  If it were me, I think I'd want to get it out of my mouth ASAP.  However, he also came home spitting food out of his mouth and we worked on that right away. 
 
Well, today, what I read made me wonder if it's a control/dislike/stubborness issue or if it's biological.
 
The mom shared that her son was able to verbalize that he "couldn't swallow" and that the food was "coming back up".  After many
tests and doctor visits, they discovered that he had eosinophilic esophagitis.  After I read her post about her son's biological issue and then did some quick research and read the above link of it, I'm still not sure.  I also read another mom's comment that she had this "problem" when she was a kid and wasn't adopted nor did she have traumatic issues.  She just liked control.  Her parents "fixed" her by leaving her at the table and moving to a nearby room to play games.  Since she loved games and could hear them playing, it didn't take her long to figure out to chew her food.  I've done this a few times with Judah.  Several times I've left him at the table while everyone else gets up and I begin dishes.  When I'm done with dishes, then I let him up from the table whether he's finished or not.  One time I left him at the table while the other kids went upstairs and played and we moved to the living room (it's an open space and he could see us) for bible study.  He sat quietly while we studied with our group of friends.  They thought he was so cute and well behaved.  I thought he was super stubborn. 
 
I guess it's something I should pay closer attention to, and then ask the doctor to research a little more if it continues.  In the meantime, I'll try to be more patient when he's chewing on his food forever.  Aren't there some moments as a parent that you wish your kids (adopted or otherwise) came with instruction books?

More American & Less Ethiopian

I think I finally grasp the point of the court date. Judah came home as a legal immigrant. He was not automatically considered a citizen. Judah’s court date, as I understand it, is what legally changes his name to Judah and what makes him eligible for a US birth certificate. After we get his BC in his new name, then we can apply for a US passport and US citizenship. These are things I thought he was already eligible for, but apparently court is the process that makes it all legal. [someone who knows way more than me can educate me where I’m wrong in this].

Though the emotion of becoming an American occurred when we landed in Detroit and heard “welcome to America” in customs, this is now the legal process of him becoming an American. It also symbolizes, sadly, another loss of his Ethiopian-ness. Sure, he still has those beautiful Ethiopian eyes and his Ethiopian middle name. But, our sweet little Judah is becoming more and more American and less Ethiopian each day.
In other news, in August we were spending time with one of the UIU international students. Sydni is from Angola but lived some of his childhood in Addis. Sydni loved seeing Judah and Judah counted right along with Sydni in Amharic. Yesterday we saw Sydni again. This time Judah hardly even acknowledge the familiar language and didn’t count one single number with him. While I’m thankful that my son is fitting in his new environment so well, I would also love to see him maintain some connection to his roots.

Cheese Heads

Don’t be confused. I’m no Green Bay fan. In fact, it’s been several years since I’ve paid any attention to NFL football. Quite honestly, the last Super Bowl that I even paid attention to was when Janet Jackson had her wardrobe malfunction. What year was that? Not to mislead you, I should share that I’ve been to and hosted several super bowl parties. I usually spend more time chatting and watching the commercials than I do the game. I’m actually a bit opinionated regarding the super bowl and pro sports in general, but I’ll keep that to myself for now. All that to say, I did show up at a Super Bowl party yesterday where most the people there were wearing Packer gear. It was a great game. Not because I watched it, but because I watched a friend who was so excited and texting while the Packers were stomping the Steelers. Then her fingers took a rest and her friend began texting back when the Steelers started making a come-back. Eventually the Packers made another run and the house shook with excitement as the fans were jumping around and yelling for their favorite football team.

Though I may have spent my evening hanging out with friends at a Super Bowl party, you wouldn’t catch me in a cheese Head. The kids had a blast with Troy’s cheese head:

Thanks to the Bishop Family for inviting us out. It’s been way to long since we’ve hung out with you. While our little ones are growing a little bigger, your kiddos are tall, handsome and a joy to be around! Hopefully we can get together again in the near future and catch up again.

Cool T-shirts for Sale

Check out this cool t-shirt. My friends, the Fraziers, are starting the adoption process from the Congo. They're planning to adopt two children. This t-shirt fundraiser will get them started on their adventure.

Gotta say, I love the message of the shirt:

So, if you're interested in buying one, let me know, or stop over to Sarah's blog where they are taking pre-orders for $20 per shirt (plus $2 shipping): http://prayingfortwomore.blogspot.com/2011/01/pre-order-your-im-adopted-t-shirt.html

Busy Weekend

On Friday, we'll be in court to re-adopt Judah. I can't wait.

On Saturday, Judah turns 3.

On Sunday, we're having Judah dedicated at church.