It's amazing to look back and see how he's grown. It's hard to remember what our life was like before he was in it. It's no secret, the kid is about as cute as they come. I don't know if I've ever met a more photogenic child. What you can't necessarily see in pictures are his sweet heart. his silly spirit, or his generosity. He has had to learn that adults are to be respected and obeyed. He's put in lots of work learning to respect boundaries and though he has so much yet to learn, it's really amazing to stop and celebrate how much he has grown internally as well as externally. The kid is WHIP smart. He has always stunned us with his ability to communicate. Even before he could speak English we were astounded at how well he could use motions to communicate his needs. Now he speaks English so well, sometimes he stuns me with how well he can articulate his needs, feelings, or the description of a situation. Sometimes I wonder if God hasn't gifted him specifically in this area to communicate God's love with others some day. Christian struggles to respect boundaries, but he also rarely draws his own. His is welcoming, affectionate, and seriously more generous than any kid I've ever known. He is loving. Anyone who knows him has been a recipient of his hugs. Few people leave our house without receiving one. Sure, sometimes he has trouble restraining himself when it isn't appropriate to express certain things and we are teaching him to reign in some of his emotions, but we pray we never stifle him; the way he lives life with fullness is inspiring. Every person in this family knows we are loved. He runs into my room every single morning before doing anything else and gives me a giant hug and tells me "I love you, Mama." He loves pizza so much that every time we have it delivered he hugs the unsuspecting delivery guy (sometimes I order pizza just to witness the hilarity of a 16 year old boy ringing our doorbell only to be immediately accosted by our little guy hugging him saying, "Pizza! Thank you!" It's a riot!)
Parenting him has stressed us beyond what I thought was possible. God has taught me much about surrender. Has taught me what it means to love even when it hurts. Has taught me to push through moments of Christian's rejection and keep loving until he learned I was safe. In the process I have learned more about the depth of God's unending, pursing, faithful love for me.
I am better for being Christian's mama. Our family is better because he is in it. Two years in, we are able to start seeing some of his healing. We have settled into normality. I feel like I am not just treading water, but on some days actually SWIMMING;) We are seeing more and more beauty arrive from the ashes of loss for him. He has some sensory issues and still has some anxiety that presents much like ADD in certain situations. He'll have much more growth in his little life and I feel so privileged to be called his mother and be able to hold his hand through the difficulties and witness success. He is just amazing.
Today we celebrated. We call this "Family Day" because it is the day our family was completed.
We had Haitian food. Rice and Beans, which are seriously amazing (that's what sautéing beans in bacon fat does to a recipe), Grilled Chicken, Plantains, and for dessert banana fritters (which aren't the prettiest, but they are AMAZING).
Yes, we are aware that the chicken is extra charred...we had a little fire in the grill and the sauce was fuel to the flame;)
Little man got to use a Haitian Map placemat and our "special day" plate.
Banana Fritters
Our sugar monster loved the Fritters best of all;P
What a difference two years makes!
2013 or 2015...the boy loves to look sharp;)
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Love him, love this post, love you all. Blessings!!
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