9 Months Old!

Our newborn is nine months old. Hard to believe how fast time flies? Do you remember this?

It was nine months ago today that Simon was officially declared to be ours. We actually received him nine months ago yesterday, but we had a 24 hour waiting period in which we could change our minds. Yeah right.

Let me tell you about all the things that our newest member is doing these days. We are so proud!

He is such a helper. He is the first of our kids to clear his spot, put away his toys, get our shoes for us when it is time to go. . . sometimes he helps too much!

He took swimming lessons for the first time and really enjoyed the water, just as long as he didn't have to go under!

The boy loves to be tickled! He laughs and laughs and laughs. I can't stop laughing when I hear it. He continues to ask for more and we need to stop so that he can breathe.

He is such a great fit for our family. His personality is much more laid back than Garrison and Noel, but he is standing up for himself more and more. We love it! I was secretly pleased when he hit Garrison for the first time. He is an administrator though. He loves to tell others what and how to do things. This can be amusing, or maybe not. :)

He does the potty dance. He doesn't like to break from life to go to the bathroom, but he does let us know he has to go by doing this sweet little dance. Rather than wait (otherwise it gets to the point of him crying!) we ask him to go. "Why?" "You tell me Simon." "I was dancing."

He takes a long time to get up in the morning, but when he finally arises, he runs out of the room and comes and finds either his mom and dad, ready for a big hug and kiss. He is a cuddler and gives great kisses. There will be some lucky lady someday, if she can get his butt out of bed on time!

When we go to one of his many doctor's appointments, he gets very nervous. He recently received five shots in one visit, so of course, this is at the forefront of his mind. We need to patiently answer his "Am I going to get shots?" questions every time he asks. The doctor, the nurses, the receptionist, the stranger on the stairs. . . they all need to answer it as well.

He is adjusting quite well to "American" food. His favorites are fruits and veggies. We have to limit the amount that he can have, otherwise he gets a little. . . gassy. There are very few things that he doesn't like: cheese and yogurt to name a couple. Dairy isn't his favorite.

Books books books. He doesn't know his letters yet, but boy does he love to have books read to him. He is constantly making comments about each page and asking questions.

He always wants to know all the details, wants to get a closer look, asks "why", and wants to try it by himself. He is a very curious boy.

He is getting taller in two ways. First, though he hasn't gained but one pound, he has grown about three inches. The other way in which he is taller is that he likes to announce it, as in "When I get taller I will get to chew gum." Yup. He is also planning on driving a truck, sleeping in the top bunk, getting the juice himself, going off the diving board, driving a dune buggy and a host of other things. It is his "go-to" phrase. He uses "When I am taller. . . " to either allow himself a privilege that he wants to do now but can't (ride a bike) or to excuse himself from doing something that he doesn't want to do (help set the table). I love it.

Sing sing sing. I could listen to him sing for a long time. When he came to us, he often sang, but sadly, we couldn't join in. His Chinese is gone now (oh how this is hard for me!), but his tune is the same, just with different words. When he sings his songs to Jesus. . . oh how my heart just wants to burst. He seems to really like music and do well. A few months ago, all the kids were called up to the front in church to sing a song. They clapped at various times during the song. One of our musicians came and found me after the service to tell me that Simon kept perfect time. We will certainly encourage him if this is his gift. He must take after me.

I could go on and on, but let me say that this is one very special boy. I bless God that he has been with us for nine months already. I look forward to many more "nine months" with him. Yup, there are challenges, both because he is adopted and because he is THREE. (Don't get me started!) We love our son and are so thankful that his birth parents decided to spare his life. I've given a couple of presentations in the past couple of months about our adoption experience. Each time I'm more amazed at how God worked in our lives. . . and in His. Thanks for your continued walk with us on this path.