Boy does time fly!!! One minute you are writing a blog post about 2 months with the family and you blink and its already 3 months and that 2 month post never got out for all to read!! Yep, that's life right now! I feel like its finally starting to slow a bit as have gotten a lot of our medical appointments completed and we are now in a "maintenance" phase of thalassemia treatment for a bit. We have a few updates to tell ya'll about, but first I'd like to take a look back... Why? Because it helps me as a mom, still in the middle of transition & a few difficulties, to remember just how far our sweet boy has come. :)
On July 29th a very cute, small, & slightly hesitant boy walked out of the curtain in the Civil Affairs office and into our life!! He was beautiful & showed his mischievous side right away as he joked about whether he was going to come over to us or not.
We are so lucky that God led us to this little guy! Our son is perfect for us! Truly an amazing child with a heart full of love. It hasn't all been a fairy tale or easy because this is adoption. Adoption is choosing to love a child under less than the best circumstances. After all, the best circumstance would have been for his birth mother to keep loving & getting medical treatment for him. The best circumstance wouldn't involve us at all. But our little son never ceases to amaze me with his capacity to love and trust in spite of all he's been through.
In three months he has experienced so much! Here are a few highlights of the Chengbin firsts!
First trip to the beach! First time to feel sand under his feet and the rush of a wave crashing in! He had no sensory issues and loved every second of it!! Since this, beach days have become a regular part of life with his new family. :)
First time to have a transfusion & go home all in the same day! This is big- in China he had to stay in the hospital all alone for 3 days before the orphanage van came to pick him back up. He had very bad blood reactions. Since he's been home- NO blood reactions! :)
First trip to Disneyworld and first ride on Dumbo!! :) He was overwhelmed at our hotel, but did amazing with all the sensory overload of Disney!
First time to swim in a pool all by himself! He's gotten so good and so brave that I knew I could trust him!! :)
First ride on a train!! (A little kid train pulled by a lawnmower but STILL)
Yep, this little guy is having fun!! Can you tell?? We still have our moments... The times where he breaks down into a pool of tears for seemingly no reason whatsoever. He still has his moments of obstinance. All in all, those times are getting smaller & smaller. We expect them. He's a child who has gone through a lot of changes in his short life and he's just struggling to keep up. We joke that we have happy Chengbin & "Mr. Slumpie" :)
3 months of forever! I often wonder what he is thinking about all of this. His English is pretty amazing already, but its basic. There's no ability for deep conversation yet! ;) Maybe by 6 months??
November is National Adoption Month & tomorrow is Orphan Sunday. I would be remiss if I did not plead with anyone reading this who has ever considered adoption to take the leap of faith and DO it!! The faces we left behind in that orphanage haunt me and bring sadness to this mama every single day. The orphans of our world are not waiting for a perfect family, a perfect bedroom, a perfect house, or anything like that! They want love. They want a family. They want someone to kiss them goodnight. To hug them when they are hurting. They need someone to dig deep, take a risk, and change their life. Yes adoption is expensive, but there are so many ways to raise money and bring home a child in need of a family. If you don't feel led to adopt, I encourage you to find a way to help! Ask me about families who are currently fundraising to bring home a precious one & donate to them. Ask me about charities who are directly affecting the lives of orphans & sponsor a child or donate to them. Please find something you can do to help "the least of these"!!! The need is great!!! These children matter!!!! Imagine what God could do if the estimated 143 million orphans in our world knew the love of a family and the love of their savior!!!!
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." James 1:27
In three months he has experienced so much! Here are a few highlights of the Chengbin firsts!
First time to swim in a pool all by himself! He's gotten so good and so brave that I knew I could trust him!! :)
3 months of forever! I often wonder what he is thinking about all of this. His English is pretty amazing already, but its basic. There's no ability for deep conversation yet! ;) Maybe by 6 months??
November is National Adoption Month & tomorrow is Orphan Sunday. I would be remiss if I did not plead with anyone reading this who has ever considered adoption to take the leap of faith and DO it!! The faces we left behind in that orphanage haunt me and bring sadness to this mama every single day. The orphans of our world are not waiting for a perfect family, a perfect bedroom, a perfect house, or anything like that! They want love. They want a family. They want someone to kiss them goodnight. To hug them when they are hurting. They need someone to dig deep, take a risk, and change their life. Yes adoption is expensive, but there are so many ways to raise money and bring home a child in need of a family. If you don't feel led to adopt, I encourage you to find a way to help! Ask me about families who are currently fundraising to bring home a precious one & donate to them. Ask me about charities who are directly affecting the lives of orphans & sponsor a child or donate to them. Please find something you can do to help "the least of these"!!! The need is great!!! These children matter!!!! Imagine what God could do if the estimated 143 million orphans in our world knew the love of a family and the love of their savior!!!!
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." James 1:27
