His Smile.

Lately I have been feeling like that new mom who wants to shout about every little thing their child does! Because my youngest son, three years old, has been working so very hard this last year and has over come so many obstacles. So, for those of you who might pass him in public or see him at a social event might think his smiles and conversations and spontaneous hugs are no big deal, because they are age appropriate.

But I want to shout for joy because it is so different from where he was, because I was once so scared about his future. 

The other night I was near tears when he ran up to me with his arms wide open and said in his best deep voice, "Give me a hug!"

Not only is his language improving but more importantly his whole communication is growing. He seeks me out. He shows me his favorite toy. He sings the ABC's and he smiles. 

Oh how I love his smile.

Every time my son does the opposite of what he once knew I want to praise the Lord for His blessings. And to be honest, I am thankful we aren't there, in that dreaded place, anymore. There is relief in my exhale.

What a difference a year makes!

After church yesterday, we went to the pumpkin patch with the kids. We had perfect weather. The fresh air felt so good, a little crisp, but not too cold. 

I was looking forward to this day for a while now but inside I was a little anxious about how it would go. Last year we had such a short and hard visit to this same place. Our youngest little guy was right in the thick of pushing me away and social outings were especially hard for him. 

What a difference a year can make. Last year at this time I was scared, exhausted, and I spent a lot of time trying to predict the future. I worried about every parenting decision I made, for fear that I was only adding to the problem and not fixing it. Attachment, or lack of it, had creeped into my home when I was unaware and unprepared. 

But on this day, we took our time visiting the "farm" and saw the chickens and horses and ponds covered in lily pads.  We were not rushed. We had no agenda. Robert would run up the hill and reach for my hand. The kids climbed on bales of hay, and I even found them laying down, relaxing, on the green grass.

Attachment

Sitting in the sun with Robert snuggling in my arms.
Oh it felt so good! 

I have been on cloud nine lately after realizing just how far my little Robert has come over the last year. Many of you may have read the article I recently wrote for the Fostering the Future campaign, if not, you can read it Here.

During our recent camping trip I was enjoying a good conversation with my mother-in-law, and she commented on how far Robert has come. It got me thinking...

The Best Day!

On our way to the bus stop. 

I just had to share that I had the best morning with my little handsome boy!

The rest of the kids were at school and the house was quiet, Robert was content and it would have been tempting for me to work on my book or do another load of dishes....but with only a few hours until the kids got home I found myself on the living room floor in a fort with my little man. We were silly and read books and chased each other upstairs into the play room and served each other tea in little plastic cups. He even gave me a fork to stir my tea. :)

Snuggles!

Cuddles with my sweet boy after his bath. 

I have been hoping to write sooner on this but I was struggling with how to share my excitement with you. I have been digesting a lot of our changes recently. With the year coming to a close and as I was reflecting on a lot that has happened I wanted to share the joy in my heart with you!

My sweet boy has slowly been making big changes these last few months. All of the sudden I realized I was able to connect with Robert more without him rejecting my contact or going into a frustrated fit.

Here are a handful of some of the wonderful moments I have been blessed with:

*Cuddling after his bath (as pictured above) while I rock him in his chair until he is ready to be done. These are such special moments for me because I have rarely had the chance to cuddle with him while sitting still. He has shown interest before but would usually get easily overwhelmed almost in a panic and want down.

Hard Feelings

This last month had built up into a swirl of emotions. I wasn't even aware of how much they piled on top of each other until finally I erupted through tears. 

My sweet boy, Robert, has been with us for a year now and once before just after he was born. In between our family he moved twice into other foster homes. When we got him back when he was a little over a year old I thought bonding would be easy. 

One Year Anniversary to my sweet boy!

Our youngest boy has officially been in our home (for the second time) one year as of yesterday. I picked him up from the hospital at 2 days old and we had him for a short two months. He came back into our family when he was 16 months old and has been with us ever since.