Home One Year!

* Actually he came home on 1.16.11 so it has been a bit more than a year, but it is still January :)

I almost can’t believe there was a time when I wasn’t M’s mom. That time seems so distant and blurry and surreal. Were Brandon and I really married for 6 years before we became parents? I just can’t believe it. The truth is we have been parents for just one year... but what a year it has been!

First, a little celebration! We made it! Through the days when we were so tried and weary and sad and it felt like we might not... God sustained us! Through all the bumps and bruises of learning to walk... God sustained us. Through 9.5 teeth popping through... God sustained us. Through several months of congestion and nasty diapers before learning of an intense dairy issue... God sustained us. Through the loss of independence... God sustained us. Through the transition my wardrobe, body, and hair went through as they were speared with all things nasty, yanked, pulled, pinched, bitten... God sustained us. Through the agony of the SLOW road to deep attachment... God sustained us. Through the loss of a country, culture, language, food, and home... God sustained my son. His mercies are new EVERY morning and never in my life have I clung to that hope like I have in the last year. Thanks be to our Powerful and Faithful Sustainer and Life Giver!!!

M is doing so well! When I think back to those early days and all he and we have overcome I am just blown away. M is growing in every way. We have seen significant height and weight change in recent months. His body shape is also changing and his baby/toddler look is changing to more of a preschooler look. Now that he is potty trained we have packed away the onesies which means that his clothes look much more grown up as well.

I have seen many glimpses of spiritual interest and understanding in his life. He is beginning to understand Bible stories and possibly their significance. He is learning to pray when he is sad, naughty, frustrated, and when he is happy as well. He initiates prayer quite frequently which warms my heart. He truly loves to worship the Lord through song. M seems to understand songs quite well. He raises his hands in worship at totally appropriate times and seems quite engaged. We pray that over the years he grows more and more in his love for God and for the Bible and that he authentically chooses to follow Jesus all his life!

M’s attachment blows me away. When I think about his night terrors of a year ago I am amazed by how well he has grafted into our family. The transitions have not been easy and we will no doubt experience many more stages of attachment in the coming months and years, but we are getting there. I am so shocked by my feelings towards him. I feel in my heart like I carried him in my womb, like I gave birth to him, like I have known him since his conception. This might sound like a slam to his birth family, country, culture etc. I do not mean it in that way. We love ET and we love adoption. We talk about both all the time. Confusing?? Sort of. I guess love is confusing. I just feel so very blessed and grateful to God to be M’s mom. God truly led us to our son. If your child is not home yet and you are reading this, hang in there! The wait is so hard and it often seems like others processes are going faster, but God’s timing is perfect. He knows everything and He will blow you away if you let Him!

At one year home (almost 2.5) here are some likes and dislikes:


M Likes:
~Treats: Zand cough drops, Larabars, black bean brownies, rice flour banana bread, rice cakes with peanut butter, sweet potato chips, Trader Joe’s veggie chips, freeze dried fruit, squeeze fruit and veggie pouches, Rice Chex, fruit leather, pecans, almonds, tortilla chips, popcorn, and hummus.

~General Food: oranges, apples, bananas, red grapes, apple sauce, raisins (sometimes), blended veggies, blended chickpeas, split pea soup, potatoes, hot rice cereal like I eat, and sweet potatoes.

~ Toys: Anything with wheels (buses, cars, trucks, emergency vehicles, trains, planes, tractors, construction equipment), his stuffed cat “Kitty Cat,” balls, (esp the see through blue one) puzzles are beginning to hold his attention as well. He loves pushing and running with carts/lawnmowers/walkers/anything that has wheels. He also enjoys playing with cups and bowls and water in the sink. He wishes he could play more with cords, computers, phones, and electronics in general.

~Books: Dr. Suess and Curious George are becoming favorites, animal books, rhyming books, books about things that have wheels. He really continues to love books and is read to at least an hour a day, but sometimes it could be closer to 3 hours a day.

~Music: Miss Patty Cake is his new favorite (I will be blogging more about her soon). He really likes Christmas music and we are still listening to it in the kitchen. He enjoys most songs on K-Love and sings along when he can. He continues to pick up song melodies after hearing them just once and then sings them throughout the week. He enjoying pretending to drum and has recently turned the cold air return vent into a guitar! Jesus has put music deep in this little guy’s soul!

~Activities/General personality: He really likes spending time with friends and doing some fun new activities that I will also be blogging about soon. He enjoys playing tickle games and make up games usually involving the cat or a ball with Daddy. He enjoys being out in the snow and really likes his sled. Our steep driveway has provided lots of fun and funny moments for M. He enjoys watching for big trucks that drive by. Of course the highlight of the week is garbage day on Friday! He likes to dance and sing and do all sorts of actions to songs. M likes us to copy him and is always saying, “Mommy, do iss (this).” He like to have a pulse on all activity in the house and he says, “Daddy ooing (What are you doing)?” all the time. He can say “what are you doing?” pretty well, but chooses to make his own slang version. He is saying longer sentences quite frequently. We have some written down that are about 7 words in length. He has 100’s of words and has a great gift for name memory. He knows almost every name of every person on our Christmas card door (photo in a future blog post). He knows many names of people he has never met and can recount them accurately without any help from us. He enjoying looking at photos on the computer, esp. those of his friends. He loves being held and “helping” with dinner, cooking, baking, emptying the dishwasher, sweeping, and cleaning.

M is not so much a fan of:

~Food: most normal toddler food. He is quite picky when it comes to textures and doesn’t like meat or pasta. He doesn’t like things which are too warm or too cold or too sour.

~Toys: He is still not a fan of most stuffed animals. The really large ones still give him quite a scare. He isn’t too into building towers or forts though we try. He is not at all into anything crafty or art like. I hope he likes to draw or sit at the table and do projects one day, but it isn’t today. He has far too much to do!

~Books: He has a pretty good attention span, but still doesn’t like books with few photos and many words (typical). He doesn’t seem to like books with real things (ex. a real dog or pig) in them. He prefers to see drawings of people and animals.

~Music: He actually likes most music that we have shared with him. He isn’t a super fan of music without words :)

~Activities/General stuff: He is still not a fan of sleeping in, sometimes he still isn’t a fan of sleep in general. He isn’t a fan of being set down and would rather be held while mommy is cooking and cleaning than do an independent activity. He doesn’t like the hairdryer, bathroom fans, sharing food (though he does), bright sun in his eyes, brushing his teeth (though he does), and so many other things on a daily basis that escape me now.

We love you so much M!!!!