Tuesday, June 29, 2010

First trip experience?

Hey...for those fellow bloggers out there, what was your first experience like with your child in Russia? We have a few questions that we wanted to gauge how your experiences were:
* Did your child make noises, or relatively quiet?
* Did your child reach for toys, grab things and move a lot, or remain mostly still?
* Was your child able to crawl?
* Did your child laugh, try to communicate?
* Did your child smile?

Our first day yesterday was interesting...she was very quiet, reserved and didnt really show a lot of emotion. We assume its from the delays of being at an orphanage, but wanted to gauge other people's experiences. We leave soon for our second trip. Thanks for your advice!

8 comments:

Jeanette said...

On our first visit with Grace she wouldn't make eye contact and made no sounds. She did reach for toys and seemed curious about the room we were in (she was only 8 months at this point). When we saw her at 9 1/2 months, she made eye contact and started to make some sounds. But she was more reserved with the toys....not as active. I have heard the babies are at times given "something" to help them sleep. One time we saw Grace after a nap and she was very reserved and quiet. Remember, you are a total stranger to her and she is probably in a room she has never seen before. She has also just been left with you by the only people she knows and is comfortable with. Clearly, you want to see her show some interest in toys and make some noise. I hope you get another visit and maybe she will be more comfortable. Good luck and can't wait to hear more.

Shelly and Steve said...

Our little one was 12 months and was very quiet the first day, but did make tons of eye contact. She was extremely interested in the stacking cups we brought and played with them almost the whole hour. She didn't really crawl, just kinda scooted, but could walk if we held her hands, could pull herself to a standing position, and could walk around an object holding on. Only on the second day did we get some babbling and giggles and smiles, which is funny because she was given shots right before she was brought out to us. Our second visit was the best and longest, our third visit she seemed tired and they brought her to us outside and there was nowhere to set her down to play. The toys we brought were always her main focus, much more so than us. I wish you the best and update as you can!

Wendi and Terry said...

Don't worry, your experience was very common. Our daughter did make eye contact with us but never said a word or made sounds aside from crying on all of our visits with her. This is very normal, as we were strangers. We did see her smile and speak with her caregivers and that gave us piece of mind. How did she interact with her caregivers? She didn't like any of the toys we brought and didn't want to play with toys. She did enjoy grabbing our fingers and walking around the room with us.

As soon as we got her out of the baby home she was a totally different child. And what a personality does she have!! And she also can't get enough of her mommy and daddy!!

Don't get discouraged.....she will eventually get comfortable with her but it will be on her time. Did you bring some snacks to share with her? That really seemed to work for us, it calmed her down and got us interacting with her.

Anonymous said...

Our son was very quiet (pretty much silent) he was shy and didn't really reach for toys but looked at them if given. On the second day after we picked him up he started to talk (he was just three) and he hasn't really stopped since. ALL of the shyness went within 24 hours.
Our daughter was 18months when we first met her and she also was very quiet and only took toys if they were given to her, this too lasted less than 24 hours after leaving the orphanage. Both of my children quickly became very active and inquisitive (more so than your average child) soon after we got them.
Good luck
Sarah

Steve and Stella said...

Don't worry I think it is normal. Ours also was very quiet on trip number one. We brought him outside and he played with the toys we gave him but also just wanted to stay in my arms. They told us he could walk (he was 14 months at the time) and he showed us only the last day of our visit he could walk. Also form the pictures of trip number one and trip number 2 his eyes were so empty and little by little as he was spending more time with us you could see the changes in his eyes. Now he is the happiest kid on earth. He sings all the time :-) So follow your gut feeling! (don't forget we also speak english to them instead of Russian. Dmitriy used to get so happy when teh Russian spoked with him while us he could not understand..so totally normal)

amy said...

At 8.5 months old, Clara Jane did not crawl, did not cry, and barely smiled, barely ever made a peep. She was a little lump! BUT, she had great eye contact and looked around/was very curious. She chewed on toys/teethers. She was just extremely content to be held by us ~ she would usually fall asleep in our arms. Don't worry... it sounds pretty normal for your first visit. Good luck!

Anonymous said...

Our daughter was very, very quiet and shy during all of our visits. But once out of the Baby Home, she was completely different. She was loud and laughing and very bossy. She was only 16 months old, but she knew we would finally do things she wanted, and so she loved all of our attention. I think they are very scared in the baby homes, not of the caretakers, but just in general. Best of luck -

Victoria

Craig & Kelly said...

Katerina was quiet the first visit but somewhat inquisitive. She could not crawl at 10 months old. BY the end of the three days there, she was making some sounds/cooing and trying to crawl. As she was teething she liked to chew on anything and everything she could get her hands on. She cried only once when she bumped her head.

As you guys will see on the 17th, now that she is home, she is incredibly inquisitive makes tons of noises. Says up all the time. It is her word for everything. She can be shy at times around others but that usually fades quickly.

Can;t wait to see your pictures guys.