JOY

I have really struggled with this blog post. If you don't already know, I don't update my blog very often. When I first started  a blog it was to keep people in the loop of what was going on in regards to the adoption journey. We have now been home for 1.5 years. There isn't much to update. While we are in the middle of the teenage years as well as the teenager in training ;) years, those days seem to be about the same day after day. While with the season of toddler hood things seem to change daily. I titled my blog entry "joy" b/c that is the best word to describe life with Kobe. He brings so much joy into our lives. There is never a dull moment in our house. I think it is safe to say that all of us are completely fascinated with Kobe. He always amazes us with how smart he is. It is fun to listen to him say new things or to do new dance moves. It is also fun to watch him play. The things he comes up with is unbelievable. I sort of feel a bit removed from friends of ours b/c we now have a little one at home again. Our lives truly do revolve around Kobe. The little things really are cherished so much. I don't know if that is b/c the girls have proven to us how fast they grow up. I don't know if it is b/c of all we went through to get him. I don't know if it is b/c we missed out on 7 months of his life. I honestly don't know what it is.  Everyone loves their kids. Everyone is proud of their kids. Everyone wants to tell stories about their kids. This is different though. I just can't put it into words. There are times where I feel as if I tell too many Kobe stories or share too many pictures. I just can't help it. There are so many miracles in regards to Kobe and him being placed in our family. Maybe that is why things seem to be a bit different than "normal" with him. Our love for Kobe seems to grow more and more each day. How is that possible when we love him so much already? I truly thought the newness would wear off especially with the girls. That is so not the case. It is obvious by watching the interaction b/t the kids that the girls love Kobe to pieces. They are sad if too many hours go by without seeing him. It is awesome to see. Of course Kobe feels the same way. He can't go too long in the house without wanting to be with his big sisters. JOY! Pure joy is brought to our house by this little boy. To God be the glory for all He has done to bring this sweet little boy into our lives. It is an honor that God chose us to be Kobe's parents. Words cannot describe the joy he brings to our lives. He truly is a blessing to all of us.

Happy Birthday, Little Buddy!

I apologize for not updating more often. I tried to keep people in the loop as we were in the actual adoption process. Now that we are home, there isn't that much to report. We are just a busy little family.

As I write this, it is actually September 12 in Ethiopia which means our little boy is 2!!! I can't believe it. Time just flies. When we were on the wait list, the days drug on and on. Now that we are home, time just flies. There are many bittersweet milestones when you have children. I believe the milestones are that much more bittersweet when you have an adopted child. The emotions are so overwhelming. We can't imagine our lives without our little man. We are so thankful we said "yes" to the call to adopt. We are so blessed that God chose Kobe to be our son. Then there are the thoughts/feelings dealing with Kobe's birth mom. Does she know how much he is loved? Does she know how happy we all are to have him in our lives? While we are so happy and so filled with joy, my heart breaks to think of what she is missing out on. My prayer has always been that God gives his birth mother PEACE.

There have been lots of changes in our lives in the past month. First of all, our dear friends/neighbors/Kobe's Godmother moved to a different state. It was very hard to see them leave. It was hard for me to know how to help Kobe deal with it because he didn't understand why he couldn't see them daily. Like with all changes, it takes time to adjust. We keep in touch via Skype. He still smiles so big when he sees their faces.

Days after this first big change in Kobe's life, another huge change came about when we welcome a foreign exchange student from Thailand into our house. Kobe seems to have adjusted well to that. He loves her just like his other sisters. My biggest concern is how he will be after she is here for 9 months and then just up and gone. Only time will tell. We felt called to the foreign exchange student opportunity also.

If those changes weren't big enough....school started meaning full time daycare. It didn't take long for Kobe to be adjusted to that new schedule. The first full week of school he was only at daycare half days due to the heat. Nothing like have your whole life really screwed up. We are finally back into a regular routine.

Kobe continues to bring us tremendous joy. He is quite the character. He is also showing his 2 year old temperament. I could really do without the temper tantrums, but I guess that comes with the territory. I'm impressed with his talking. I know other kids talk more than he does at his age. I also know how much the girls did/didn't talk before they were two. I think it is amazing to hear him talk, mimic, and try to say things. While it is a challenge at times, it is also so fun to see grow.

With being a teacher, I'm aware of the differences between boys and girls. Wow what a difference when it is in my house though! :) Kobe is such a boy! He can't use anything the way it is supposed to be used. He is really getting into the cars and trains. He loves watching the trains go through town. How lucky we are to live so close to the train tracks. He wants to catch the grasshoppers and just tonight his sister caught him a frog. He wants to play in the mud puddles. He can spot a cow from far away. It is so so different with a boy. I'm constantly in awe with the differences.

I think that brings you up to date on life here. We officially have a two year old in the house! My baby isn't much of a baby anymore. That certainly does make his mommy sad. Again I'm sorry I don't update this much. There just isn't much to tell. We are done with the ups and downs of the adoption journey and are full fledged into the ups and downs of parenting an adoptive child. Believe me, there are some differences in raising adopted vs biological. So much more "baggage" with an adopted child. Yet on the flip side, that same "baggage" is what makes our little boy who he is today. I have much appreciation in my heart as my baby turns two. Appreciation to his birth mom who gave us the best gift ever. Appreciation to God for all the blessings He has given us on this journey. Appreciation to all of our family/friends who have walked beside us on this amazing journey. (I'm posting a picture of the very first day we were able to hold our little boy)

A long overdue update

Sorry for not posting more often. We are just living the life. Our days are pretty busy chasing after our little man. It is unbelievable how much he has changed and grown. It makes me so sad to think he will be 2 in September already. It seems he learns new things every day. His talking is really coming a long. There are quite a few things he says that we actually understand. He is at the point where he will repeat what we say with prompting. It is crazy because he really does understand you when you tell him something. Also there are times when he will "tell" on what someone has done to him. Even though we can't understand him, we can tell that is what he is doing. It is a fun age!!! He loves to tickle people. He enjoys looking at the cows when we are traveling. He can spot them from far away. Music continues to be a big part of his days. He loves to sing and dance. He always amazes us at the dancing that he does. He is usually on beat which is impressive for a 1 year old as some adults can't do that. :) Kobe does all of his animal noises as well as pointing to body parts. He is starting to sing his ABCs. He counts things. He doesn't say the right number, but the tone of his voice and his actions shows us that he is counting. He loves, loves, loves to be outside. He will go to his bedroom door and want in. When we let him in, he goes and gets his shoes. Shoes on means outside. :) Well I think that brings you up to date. He continues to bring us tons of joy. He truly is a "Gift from God" (which is what his Ethiopian name means)

Yippee!!!

When Kobe first came home, he was lactose intolerant. The two times I tried to give him milk based products he threw up every 10 minutes for the first hour. I was scared to give him ANYTHING. He was slowly introduced to milk based products. I was excited beyond belief that he tolerated these things. Recently he started drinking regular milk at daycare. We were using the rest of the almond milk that we had on hand. As of today...Kobe is 100% on a regular diet with dairy!!! YIPPEE!! YIPPEE!! YIPPEE!!! :)

1 year later

The first full day home with Kobe we took some pictures of all three kids. A year later we did the same thing so we could compare. It is so hard to believe it has been home a year. A year since our family was complete and all under one roof. Like every parent we have our days. However I feel we are so lucky to have been given the three precious gifts that God has entrusted us with. There is never a dull moment in this house. Love all of these kiddos.

 

A special day

Today is the last of the "One year ago today."  After 2.5 years of waiting, 2 trips to Ethiopia, 22 hours of travel, and lots of heartache and tears, we landed in the US one year ago today. We had an emotional meeting with the girls. We were then able to have Kobe meet most of our families along with some special friends (including 2 little ones that lived with him in Ethiopia) What a special homecoming celebration it was! Tears still fill my eyes when I see pictures or video from that day. It will be forever etched in our memories. I can't believe a year has passed. It has been one year since Kobe was united with his FOREVER FAMILY! What a blessing he is to us. We love him so much. Thanks so much for walking this journey with us. It hasn't been easy, but the rewards are far greater than we could have ever imagined.

I do ask for your prayers once again. Kobe is having a hard time with his trauma anniversaries. He is very irritable at home. He "flips out" easily and cries way more than normal. He is not his happy self. Knowing what we do about trauma anniversaries we can tell that is what the trouble is. You can tell he feels out of control. It is hard to be patient with him as he seems as if he is just being naughty, but it is different. I think about how our lives changed a year ago. Think about what this little boy has been through this past week a year ago. He was plucked from everything he had ever known. He was put with these people that look different, smell different, and talk different. Then he was put on a plane for hours and hours. Then at the airport he had tons of people in his face. I can't imagine how scary all of this was for him. So if you could say a prayer to calm his heart and to give us patience as he works through all of this, I would appreciate it.

Thanks again for all. It is appreciated more than you will ever know.

Gotcha Day---1 year later

A year ago yesterday we boarded a plane to travel across an ocean, to a world away, to bring our son home. A year ago tomorrow our little boy was placed forever in our arms. The emotions that come with these anniversaries are very strong. I can't even begin to put those feelings into words. It seems as if it was just yesterday that this all happened. Yet it seems like Kobe has been in our family FOREVER! Again things are very bittersweet. We are so happy to have him here, yet it is so sad that time is going so fast. I think of all we have been through. The past year has been good, but very hard. There are lots of things with an adoption that are hard that you just never think about until you are put up against that challenge. While we were waiting, people told us it would be worth the wait. I knew it would be worth it, but I had no idea. It is true beyond words. The wait was incredibly hard, but the joy this little boy brings to our days is unbelievable.  Part of it is because of his personality. Part of it is because of the age difference between him and the girls. The girls love him so much and he loves the girls so much. They have a special relationship. It is awesome to see! The newness hasn't worn off. With all of us, the love we have for him grows more and more every day if that is even possible. Since the girls are so much older, I believe I cherish the things he does much more knowing it won't be long and he will be on to new things. I just never could imagine that one child could bring so much joy into the lives of our family as well as everyone he meets. With adoption, you hear about the child being a perfect fit for the family. I cannot believe how perfect he really is for our family. I still sit back in awe of God's amazing love for all of us. We feel so, so blessed.