One Year Together

On May 31st we celebrated one year with K. One year ago we were introduced to this adorable little man in Ethiopia. He fell asleep in my arms before we even left the orphanage, and has been beautifully settling into our family ever since. We plan to celebrate this day with him at an Ethiopian restaurant on a yearly basis.

K's growth and development has amazed his doctors, and us. His doctor printed his growth charts for us to keep because it is so crazy how much he has spiked in so little time. He seems to grow before our very eyes. He is now wearing things his 4 year old brother only grew out of six months ago and is only 5 pounds behind him in weight. He is walking, talking, climbing, figuring, and understanding just as he should be. We are so proud!

We had K dedicated before our congregation at Colorado Community Church last month. We recognize that God has given K to us and we now give Him reign over K's life. We acknowledge that He is in control and that we cannot do this on our own. We commit to raising K to know Jesus and to guide him in his spiritual journey. What a meaningful way to end our year together! Both sets of grandparents, Great Grandma Alice, Uncle Nate, Aunt Brooke, and the Mercers, joined us for his day. It was very special to have them all there.

The last few months we have been working on the validation of his adoption for the State of Colorado. His adoption is official according to Ethiopian and US courts, but not Colorado courts. Not all states require this further step, but ours does. Adoption agencies do not help out with this process unless you pay them a great deal more money so we are doing it on our own. The process is also different for every county. We've had to be re-fingerprinted and get new background checks, now we are gathering all the forms and paperwork needed to go along with those for the court. I found step-by-step instructions for Denver and have followed them "to the T", only to realize half of what is needed is not in those instructions for some reason. We went and turned in most of it the other day but still need some things from our agency. When we get those, we will get a court date. And then we can get his US birth certificate and SSN. Yes, I realize that I have been slow in this process compared to most families but it was pretty difficult to be motivated when we already had our baby and I needed a break.

K has grown into our family so well. We so enjoy watching him learn, grow, and connect. The first few months he was home he was pretty scared of Z and would just yell anytime Z came near him. Now they play together really well. One of their favorite games is for Z to grab one end of a jump rope, K the other, and then Z leads him all around the house. Very fun! I love hearing them giggle together while I'm doing work around the house. The last few weeks there has been lots of arguing in between the fun so brotherhood has officially set in.

He loves going "bye-bye". It doesn't matter where to. If we are outside and he gets to go a little further than normal with Daddy, he turns around saucily, looks at me, and says very proudly "BYE!" He hates when others get to leave and he does not. Probably one of his saddest moments.

We are letting his hair grow out right now. It grows fast and is getting pretty long. He has a beautiful 'fro going. I can't stand combing his hair every morning and listening to him cry and say "owie". Don't know how long this will last but it is soooo cute!

He still loves cars. They have been one of his favorite things since we brought him home. He can still sit and roll a car back and forth for quite a while. He is very into Baby Einstein movies right now. He begs to watch it four or five times a day and really hates our one time a day rule. He likes to read books, take baths, and follow Mommy around. He loves to be outside and especially loves slides and swings. He has no fear when it comes to playground equipment. He will climb or slide down anything no matter how big or tall.

He is a very picky eater though he has come a long way. He cries when we put veggies or fruit on his spoon or plate. Weird textures really bother him. And if he really hates it he will just hold the food in his mouth for twenty minutes. Yum!

He is, however, a very good sleeper. Once we got him on his routine, he did very well and has very few issues. Yay!!!

He is stubborn and independent, he likes to escape when given the chance, and Mommy's "No!" means very little too him. But he is lovable, sweet, happy, and adorable which more than makes up for it. :) We love him dearly and are so so grateful to be his parents.