Three Months

At the cival affairs office.

On the way back to our apartment.

Three months ago today, our lives changed in a very dramatic way.

We woke up in a foreign country, went to the police station to register, and then went to the Civil Affairs office where we waited for our son to walk through the door. Thank you Lord!

It is hard to believe that it has been three months already. Sometimes I feel like we have just come home, and other times it is hard to imagine life without our middle child.

He brings such a new level of joy to our house. Have you ever heard him laugh? If you haven't you are missing out on one of the sounds from heaven. He has such a distinct laugh (kinda like his mother) that makes you laugh when you hear it. I was in the nursery Sunday morning and I could heard him laughing in the hallway. That is MY son.

He is stubborn. He must get that from his father. If you ask him to do something that was not on his agenda. . . oh are you in for an adventure. He might choose to be poky. How can it take you ten minutes to take your pants off? He can also take them off in four seconds if he has the mind to do it. He might also choose to give you a dirty look. I find myself smiling in return. He is after all rather cute when he pulls this face. He might whine (his personal favorite, not mine) or he might just be there. No reaction. No movement. Yes, he definantly got that from Gary.

He loves to care for others. He'll hug Noel, give a toy to Garrison that he remembers Garrison enjoys, and get Noel's shoes for her when it is time for us to go. Hugs and kisses come our way from this darling boy every day.

Eating! Oh, the issues with eating. He loves to eat. AMEN! He'll try anything. It is very rare that he'll try something and not like it. I secretly hope he might not like something because he does this great little shake with his head that we only see at these moments. It makes us both laugh. Other issues include eating with his mouth open, smacking (grrr) and eating so very fast. He seems to feel the need to get as much in his mouth as possible. We are making much progress with this last issue. He likes to show Gary his open mouth before he puts another bite in.

Simon is a great sleeper. We were anticipating so many problems and we haven't encountered them. He has woken up maybe five times with a bad dream, but snaps out of it after a trip to the bathroom. He loves laughing at his brother in the top bunk, which can be funny and exasperating depending on how late it is getting.

He loves to jump. He jumps off the curb, he jumps over toys, he jumps on the couch downstairs (it is allowed down there), he jumps off the stool in front of the toilet, he jumps before he can run out of his bedroom in the morning. . . do you get the picture? His vascular malformation doesn't seem to be hindering him in the least.

He is such a kind little boy who filled a missing spot in our family. He bridged the gap between Garrison and Noel. . . the gap of independent play and brought in sharing, fighting, and general merriment. He shoots hoops with Garrison and reads books with Noel. He chases Noel back and forth through the house and plays in the bathtub with her for thirty minutes. He shovels the driveway. He colors an octopus. He'll say whatever Garrison said that generated a laugh. He wrestles with his daddy and laughs with his mommy. He prays to Jesus with words we understand and with those that only the Lord does. What a gift. . . Lord help us to be worthy.

Thanks for continuing to follow along, for praying for us, for especially praying for Simon. Thankfully, I didn't have to experience abandonment by my birth parents. I didn't have to experience time in a hospital without my family. I didn't have to leave all that I knew and loved at 2 1/2 for a place that sounded, looked, smelled, and just felt different. We aren't out of the woods yet. We are waiting for the honeymoon to be over. After all, Simon will be three next month. We look forward to seeing him grow and learn and mostly, loving him more.