Day 10 and Day 11 - He Likes Us, and We Love Him!

Each day "Robert" gets a little more comfortable being with us - and we are a little less nervous :) And that means we get to see more smiles!
Yesterday it was pretty sunny, so we got to take him outside for a stroller ride. I think he was a little uncomfortable with his coat snapped up to his chin because his little head was leaned back almost the entire time. I kept trying to prop his head with his hood. Grant kept inching down the zipper - pretending we weren't really unzipping his coat - don't want the caretakers to think we are neglectful parents!
He tried to blow some bubbles, but I think he mostly tasted the soap solution! He would pucker his lips, but doesn't quite have the hang of how to blow on the wand yet.
Today we spent the whole time in the big playroom at the orphanage, which is very nice. He is so lucky to have been so well taken care of here. He spotted a pen in Mom's purse and new exactly what it was for, so it was time to bust out the crayons. He picked the brown crayon out of the box first, but quickly traded that one for a red one! He is so cute, because he has to put everthing away when he is done. I think he had more fun dumping the crayons out and putting them back in the box vs. actually coloring. And he knows that there are fun things in the backpack (and cookies and juiceboxes!). Today he learned how to use a straw and thought he was hot stuff; drinking the whole thing right off the bat. Then he discovered a water bottle - the best toy yet! Especially when Mama lets him take a drink so he can dribble it down his chin - what fun! And then of course, after he was done, he put the water bottle right back in the backback!
His behavior with us has changed so much in the last couple of days. More smiles; more intiating interactions; more walking; and even some vocalizations today. Before today, Grant kept saying how quiet he was - ha ha, I think he opened a can of worms! No words yet (though we are told that he does say some), but we probably wouldn't understand if he did say any.
He also had a blast helping to build giant block towers and knocking them down - we even got to hear a belly laugh - can hardly wait to hear more of those. And then off to the piano. He's got Papa wrapped around his little finger already. "Robert" would point to one end of the piano and Grant would slide him to that end - big smiles. Then "Robert" would point to the other end, and Grant would slide him down that way - big smiles. Repeat, repeat, repeat, repeat! But then it was 11:30 and time for us to give him back - boo hoo. But we'll be back again tomorrow - 9:00 sharp! We don't have a court date yet for the adoption, but we are hoping early next week. Keep your fingers crossed! Ok, here's the good stuff: