Or as Emma said today, "No, Mom, you took him...there was no waiting on your part for them to hand him to you!"
Quite true!
I remember anxiously and tearfully waiting for Joshua to arrive and then seeing a van pull up, a door open, and a man place Joshua on the ground next to the van.
The mama instinct in me wanted to run out and grab him or at least yell at the man to hold his hand so he wouldn't run out into the parking lot and get hit by a car!
But decorum kept me in line and I waited until he had crossed the threshold...
to scoop him away from his orphan-life into one of forever and always.
Can it really be a year already?
In some ways it does seem like a year...2 surgeries, 5 months of castings, the rough several months of adjusting to life in our home.
But in other ways, I feel like I've barely blinked.
We've watched a transformation happen in this last year.
The pudgy cheeked angry and confused toddler has blossomed into a smiley, silly, friendly, cuddly tall boy. He's gone from chucking toys at me or hitting me when he was angry to simply boo-hooing when upset, sad, or angry. He's gone from being unsure of my touch to being one of our 2 snuggliest kiddos. He gives the greatest hugs.Not only has he grown and become more secure, but so has Lily as a result of his presence.
She has a comrade, a buddy, a "twin" brother. The two are rarely apart and consider themselves inseparable, I believe. After two and a half years of not being able to leave Lily with anyone without Kevin, I, or Emma present, Lily (thanks to Joshua's presence) now consistently and joyfully goes to Sunday School (with him, of course)!
Can I get a Hallelujah?!
We couldn't be more thankful for the transformations we have seen take place in our home and in our boy!
Today we celebrated Joshua's Forever Family Day with waffles for breakfast and lunch at Chick-fil-A!
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| Joshua with Lily and Ally |
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Joshua, we love you...to forever and back!
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| His first scooter attempt! |
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| Playing on the playground before the 4h of July |
In Him,
I can't believe it's been a year! I followed your story to Joshua so closely as I longed for my own daughter (from the same foster home with same special need!) to be in my arms.
ReplyDeleteHe is amazing. I loved reading how he has changed over the year and grown in his forever family. Such a special bond btw him and Lily too!!! Wow! Praise the Lord, great things He has done!!!
(and this is not an important comment, but it made me smile to see him wearing such cute shoes over his AFOs. We are waiting for Katee's to come in this week and I was wondering about what kind of shoes would work over them)
ReplyDeleteHe is positively ADORABLE!!!! So glad to read this post right now as it is a gentle reminder that soon I may be seeing some behaviors that I am not expecting, but knowing that over time Laney will heal too!!!
ReplyDeleteYou really need to read my personal blog post today. Read it when you have longer than a minute. It truly is amazing!!