EATING OUR WAY THROUGH SAM'S CLUB

Today Miduk and I ran some errands - bank, haircut (me, not him), went to Sam's Club where he ate every bite of one of those giant hot dogs.  Then we proceeded to make our way through the store, sampling lots of goodies.  His favorite was the sausage rolls of course! 

I never realized there are so many Hummers on the roads of Flower Mound, but I am made completely aware of each and every one of them these days.  Usually a low, appreciative whistle followed by a head turn.  I'm thinking I might need to take Miduk to a Hummer dealer and see if they will take us for a ride sometime.  Wouldn't that make his day?

I took Miduk to the movie theater this afternoon to see "Dolphin Tale".  If I'm understanding him correctly he says he has been to the theater to see the movie "Cars" in Jakarta one time.  The movie was cute but maybe not the best selection for him, he probably would have preferred more action!  He went to the restroom at the theater and I stood right outside the door waiting for him.  I don't know why I was so worried about him going in by himself!  It reminded me of when my kids were young and I let Wes go in the mens room without me the first time.  I made a note for his pocket when he first got here that reads "My name is Miduk Lumbanraja.  I do not speak English.  Please call my host mother, Tracy Waychoff,  at 972-251-0070".  He likes to give me a hard time about that note and reads it aloud (in ENGLISH) "I do not speak English", hahaha! 

Well the OSU Cowboys are about to kick off and Miduk has his orange shirt on and is already on the sofa with Shelby.  GO POKES!!!!!!!!!!!

MIDUK WAYCHOFF LUMBANRAJA

Playing soccer with Ben

 



OK so nonstop whistling and popping bubble wrap is not so cute at 6:00am!!!  haha

you never know what you'll wake up to!  :)

Friday we made glazed pecans (Miduk likes pecans), ate lunch with Kasey at Chick-Fil-A,

and went on a wild goose chase at the DFW airport trying to locate Miduk's missing crutch.  AA confirmed they were holding the crutch but when I got there no one could put their hands on it!  So after about an hour we put in another request to find it and are crossing our fingers they can.....

Our neighbor Ben plays soccer on the Flower Mound High School soccer team.  He offered to let Miduk use his soccer goal which was so great.  He not only repaired it and carried it over to our backyard, but played a good game with Miduk which wore him out (Miduk, that is!)  then played with the bean bag toss.  I know Miduk gets tired of being with me all day - as fun as I am! haha I realize he needs to be with kids his own age.  While they were playing soccer I called out to Miduk,  "Miduk Lumbanraja!" just as I would say "Wesley Waychoff!" to get his attention, and he looked up and said "No, mom - Miduk WAYCHOFF!!!  HAHAHA  I reminded him he has parents and a family back home!  He is not an orphan and we are not adopting him! :)

Tonight while I was at bunco, Shelby took Miduk to Bass Pro Shop and met Kasey and her friend Peaches (Zach) there.  (His nickname is Peaches b/c he is from Georgia, but in front of Miduk we call him Zach so that Miduk doesn't wonder why we are calling him a fruit...)

Shelby said Miduk really enjoyed looking at the big aquariums and also the big stuffed animal "heads" hanging up.  There was no line to see Santa, so Kasey and Miduk had their photo made with him.  I'm not sure Miduk understands the "mall Santa" concept.  Kasey said he did not talk to Santa at all!

HELLO STARBUCKS!

 Miduk helped move all the bicycles from one room to another.  He told me he has a bike back home

 Stacking toys in the CCA warehouse

Miduk is learning to use the computer and loves playing computer games

This morning I took Miduk to the donut shop before bible study.  He loved the sausage rolls and also tasted some of my twist donut.  He is not afraid to try new foods!  He tasted peanut butter at home and did not like it, nor did he like a roasted peanut in the shell.  He liked chicken pot pie and spaghetti.  He drinks a lot of water and also likes milk, but only drinks pop occasionally.  Tonight Kasey took Miduk to Starbucks and got a hot chocolate with peppermint for him.  He loved it!  Then she took him to watch a girls soccer game outdoors and it was windy and cold.  He bundled up and wore his knit cap but she said he was still shivering!  And yesterday we were sweating!  Welcome to Texas!  :)  In bible study this morning he followed along in his Indonesian bible once I figured out which book it was in Indonesian.  I used the translator app on my phone to let him know what we were all discussing and he wrote some things down on paper.  I think he is writing his prayers down.  He also signed the prayer request paper today, and I think he was writing about Daddy Shelby (whose arm is still in a cast) and also perhaps his own parents.  I had to run some errands so he got to see the dry cleaners where Kasey works, and the bank drive-thru.  My guess is that he has not been through a drive-thru before.  You should have seen his face when the tube shot the money from the building to our car. :)  Priceless!  We got a delivery today that had bubble wrap in it, and that entertained him for a while just popping the bubble wrap.  It is kind of addictive, isn't it?  Who can pop just one bubble?   He played some computer games this afternoon and is really getting better at using the laptop.  Also did pretty well at CCA today, we were stocking the toy store for Christmas and he was all about the bicycles and lining them up. 

We also received a very nice invitation to join Muljaty and her group of Indonesian friends for a Thanksgiving luncheon at a Catholic Church in Irving. ( Muljaty is the woman who was kind enough to interpret for us while we were at the hospital last week).  I really wish we could go, but we already have plans to be in Tulsa for Thanksgiving.  Perhaps another time we could visit her church and let Miduk meet some of the local Indonesian community.

All in all, another good day!

HELPING OTHERS

This morning we walked for almost an hour!  Well, Sugar and I walked and Miduk rode happily along.  He really likes getting out on his scooter and having some independence.  We stopped and picked up some beautiful fall leaves.  I'm guessing the leaves don't change color and fall in Indonesia but I don't know that for sure.  I'm assuming they have mostly palm trees but again, just a guess!  I ironed the leaves between wax paper when we got home so he could keep them.  Haven't done that since my kiddos were young!  :)

 

 Best buddies hanging out together

 Watching the Disney channel

Today I turned the ping pong table so that Miduk could practice by himself while I folded laundry.  He is really getting good at ping pong!

 Tonight we sorted canned goods at CCA

Today was a good day!  Usually at breakfast or lunch I will take the laptop to the kitchen table so we can "talk".  Many times he understands the questions just by reading, but sometimes we use the google translator.  This morning I told him all about Thanksgiving and celebrating the harvest and having a big feast.  Of course he had never heard of Thanksgiving before, but liked hearing about all the food we are going to eat!  Our tradition is to travel to Tulsa and stay with Shelby's parents, visit my family also and make the rounds.  This year we plan to stop in Oklahoma City on the way so Miduk can meet our good friend Joan and her kids Evan and Kendall.  I'm looking forward to him playing with my two young nephews Ben and Jake, and meeting more aunts, uncles, cousins and both sets of grandparents!  We have so very much to be thankful for this year, and it will be so great to celebrate with our family!  I hate to jump the gun on Christmas when we haven't even celebrated Thanksgiving yet, but Miduk was whistling Jingle Bells this morning so I took the opportunity to ask him about Christmas in Indonesia. Miduk said that his family celebrates Christmas by going to church.  I asked him if he knows why we celebrate Christmas and he said yes, we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  He knows about Joseph and Mary and the story of baby Jesus being born in a manger.  I was really glad to hear that!  Indonesia is primarily a Muslim country, and only about 10 percent of Indonesians are Christian (mostly Catholic).  When asked if they share a special meal, he told me they eat cakes.  They do not put up a Christmas tree at his house but said there is one at church.  He knows what a candy cane is but has never tasted one.  He does not know what a gingerbread house is.  He also told me that Santa comes only to Jakarta and not to his village.  He does not hang a stocking.  I asked if he would like to help us decorate a Christmas tree inside our house and he got so excited!  I think I will even let him decorate a 4 ft tree to put in his bedroom if he wants to.  Miduk said "Selamat Hari Natal" is "Merry Christmas" in Bahasa.  :) 

This afternoon I taught Miduk how to play concentration with a deck of cards and he was quick to catch on.  His memory is way better than mine and he was matching cards in no time!  Our neighbor Ben came over and took Miduk down to the field to play some soccer. I don't know who was more excited, Miduk or myself! haha  Miduk likes to play soccer barefooted.  He said he had a lot of fun with Ben and was sweating bullets when he returned.

This evening Kasey and I took Miduk to CCA with us. (Christian Community Action for those of you who don't live here!) We had signed up a while back to fill Thanksgiving Baskets tonight and to help stock the CCA Toy Store tomorrow.  I told Miduk that we were going to help others who might need some food and asked him if he ever helped others back home.  He seemed to understand and said that yes, he lets people borrow things (again the translation - maybe he meant he shares things with other people? IDK)  It was a great opportunity to talk to Miduk about being a Christian and helping other people and explaining WHY we help others.  I told him that God wants us love one another and to help those in need. Simple as that. In my bible study class we are reading the book "The Good and Beautiful Community" by James Bryan Smith.  This week's chapter was about sharing our faith and it stated there are two ways to share our faith:  through our words and through our actions.  I find it difficult sometimes to talk about my faith; I'm more of an action gal myself.  But I will do whatever it takes to insure that Miduk knows God, even if I have to learn how to say it in Bahasa!    Miduk did great tonight at CCA helping to sort the canned goods.  We had a lively group and he seemed to enjoy it but tired pretty quickly.

I had a call from Dr. Sucato's nurse today and we have an appt scheduled with the doctors at Scottish Rite on Monday Nov 28th.  At that time we will learn more about the treatment plan they propose for Miduk, and it sounds like surgery but I don't know how soon.  Will keep you posted!

LUNCH WITH DADDY SHELBY TODAY!

The highlight of our day today was going to Shelby's office so that Miduk could see where Daddy Shelby works. He met a few people there, then we headed to Burger House for lunch and Simona joined us.  The moment we walked into Burger House Miduk covered up his nose with his jacket just like he did at Central Market!  It did smell kind of funny in there, not a burger or even a cheese smell, but rather a cleaning product kind of smell!  Once he let go of his nose, he enjoyed the burger and fries, and even tried some onion rings. 

This morning after our walk I sat down with Miduk and went over some picture cards with him.  My friend Angie is an ESL teacher and these are what they use in the classroom.  Miduk pretty much breezed through most of the cards, although he did not know the word for "refrigerator" (no surprise there!) and when he saw a picture of an alligator, he said "I no like alligator"!   We think his English is improving every day.  Even if he cannot verbalize what he is trying to say, his understanding of English words is definitely better.  He initiates conversation with us and likes to joke around.  He is probably so sick of hearing us say "Anda Lapar" (are you hungry?)  and "Anda Lelah?" (are you tired?) to him all the time. That's pretty much all we knew the first day or two that he was here!  He has very good manners and is always telling me "Thank you Mom!"  We also spent some time using the Google Translator on my laptop so that I could ask him some questions.  If he cannot answer my question verbally, he types it into the computer (hunt and peck method, as he has never used a computer before but he can spell) and it translates from Indonesian into English.  I have found that it's not always completely acurate though!  This morning I asked Miduk what he wants to be when he grows up and he said he wants to be a motorcycle racer.  His family has a motorcycle and his brother sometimes lets Miduk ride around with him.  I asked Miduk if he will go back to school and he said no!  When I asked him why, he said he is ashamed.  He is ashamed because he had to drop out of school after grade five.  He said he would probably go to work farming with his older brother.  I hope that maybe after his hip is repaired and he can walk and run again like his friends do, that he will change his mind and continue his education.  He has such a great personality I can picture him working with people someday.

Every time we drive somewhere in the car, Miduk points out all of his favorite cars.  His very favorite car is a Mustang.  Today I was driving along when suddenly he yelled "Ford Mustang!" and he also whistles when he sees a Hummer or a luxury sports car.  :)

Well tonight was the one week weigh-in and I am happy to report that Miduk has gained 2 pounds this past week!  He has a very healthy appetite and eats more than Kasey and I do! 
We introduced him to ice cream tonight.  We Waychoffs love our (almost) nightly bowl of ice cream, and he had some Blue Bell Moolenium Crunch.  After the first few bites he jumped up and started pounding his back with his fist.  He had spine freeze! hahaha  We always let Sugar lick the bowls clean and you should have seen the look on his face!  I pretended to put them back in the cabinet as if they were clean, haha  :)

JIB JAB CHRISTMAS VIDEO

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/vKUk5XXlQ2GnoWJdOPE7

CLICK ON THE ABOVE LINK!  KASEY ALWAYS MAKES THESE CHRISTMAS VIDEOS FOR US EVERY YEAR AND THIS YEAR SHE INCLUDED MIDUK.  WHEN WE SHOWED IT TO HIM HE WAS CRACKING UP!!!  :)

MIDUK SINGING HAPPY BIRTHDAY

Miduk singing Happy Birthday to our neighbor Ben in both English and Bahasa (you have to wait for the video to download all the way