What have YOU done the the past 365 days?

 

 It has been a year of learning and growing for our Little Dude...

• He is a little boy who knows who his Daddy and Mommy are.  He is strongly attached and shows no fear of abandonment.  (This is HUGE for a child who spent his first 4+ years in an orphanage.)
• He's topping the scale at 34.5# (a gain of 11.5#) and now stands 37" (an EIGHT inch growth!).  He, most likely, will soon be our middle child in both age and  size.
• Needless to say, he came home in 18 month clothing and now fills out a 3T.
• His vision has been corrected with the addition of glasses. 
• He's lost his adenoids, but gained ear tubes. 
• The 4 teeth that were missing at homecoming have now appeared and it looks like at least 1/3 of our boys has braces in his future.
• This little one knows Mommy's kisses cure a multitude of injuries and willingly seeks them when bumps and bruises occur. (Again, this is especially important in a child who has been institutionalized.)
• He is the most enthusiastic waiver when Daddy leaves in the morning and returns in the evening.
• Spoken language is slowly progressing.  Immediate family best understands his combination of signs and words.
• He has an amazing comprehension of both verbal and non-verbal language.
• He's a typical American boy... he loves imitating someone if they burp, and just the other day laughed when his brother said "butt cheek".
• The boy has opinions and isn't afraid to express them.

On July 10, 2012, we walked out the Baby House doors.  An orphan's bed laid cold, while a son snuggled against his mother on a train bound for Moscow.  A journey that started just one year ago, yet seems as if it has always been...
... just as God planned.

Son. Brother. Friend. Loved.