He Is Our Son

Well, it's that time... we have made it to the one year anniversary of traveling to get the most wonderful little boy in the world!  I can hardly believe that it's been a year.  Time flies when you are having fun!  OK, well, let's get real, it hasn't all been sunshine and roses.  Adding a child to your family by adoption or by stork isn't easy.  Period.  There is always an adjustment period in which you have to find your new normal.  Thankfully, though, Griffin has been a dream come true as far as his temperament goes.  We truly did hit the adoption jackpot.

This move has been awesome for our bonding experience.  Like I said before, my routines have kept Griffin in a little bubble while we were in Germany...rarely letting him step outside of the bubble to show me what he can actually do.  Also, he's never actually had to choose me before because I've always just been there for him.  Since there are so many other people around us, he can actually choose to be with me... or with his aunt, uncle, grandma, etc... and most of the time, he chooses to be with me!  He will visit with everyone but he always makes his way back to me, and that does my heart so good!

Before, I thought Griffin was kind of indifferent with me.  I kind of felt that he would go with anyone, anywhere, without looking back.  Now, I truly feel that he wants to be with me and that makes this mamma's heart feel so good!  I have learned that he also knows what I expect of him and will test others to see what he can get away with.  My mother and sister babysat them the other night so that Chris and I could go out to dinner.  Well, that little boy got into everything and absolutely would not sit on the potty for them.  He never touches those blinds when I'm around and he will sit on the potty until I allow him to get up.  He knows where the boundaries are in the house but he tries to get away with adventuring out and he's pretty sly about it.  He grabbed my sister-in-law by the hand and pulled her into the foyer, which is a no-no place, and since he had an adult with him, he thought he wouldn't get in trouble!  ha ha.  Well, he didn't get in trouble because that's the first time that he has willingly grabbed an adults hand and pulled anyone anywhere.

If I'm holding Griffin or sitting closely to him, he will pull my head down to his and give me a kiss.  It's the most precious thing in the world!  He is learning to initiate affection and wants it in return.  If I scold him for doing something wrong, he reaches out for my hand and makes me rub his head.  Of course, I have to scoop him up and give him a ton of kisses.  He knows how to get to me.

On this day, one year ago, we were boarding a plane to head to our son's country... I remember as we were making our approach to land, looking out of the window, seeing the night sky with the beautiful city lights, and thinking that our son was so close to us...that we were finally in the same country.  He had no idea that we were coming for him and we had absolutely no idea what we were getting ourselves into...but we stepped out on faith, knowing that God had prepared us for this journey and was leading us to our son.  It would have been so easy to turn away and run back to the safety and comfort of what was known to us but we kept our eyes focused forward and on the path that God had set for us.

And I wouldn't change that for the world!

God doesn't make mistakes...

He is our son.

-More tomorrow!