The First Month

Life as a Family of Four......

      It's so hard to believe that it has already been over a month since Noah came home. I want to be perfectly honest and say there have definitely been some difficult days. It's hard to really prepare yourself for what to expect when a toddler comes to live with you. Noah has already been bounced around from place to place, been with many care givers and really no structure at all. So, the first week was a complete blur with lots of tears from him and me. I definitely wasn't ready for the sleepless nights and temper tantrums. We were complete strangers and Noah definitely hadn't ever been told he couldn't do something.  But, then there were the sweet hugs and kisses and joyful laughter, and finally came the sleep. Sleep can make everything better for me.

Celebrating Valentine's Day

Playing in the water table for the first time

       Thankfully, I have a community of moms that have adopted so I had them to call and ask questions about what to do as far as disciplining, sleep training and eating. Then there are the questions that you are too embarrassed to ask anyone. Worries about connecting and bonding and attaching. Eventually I had to swallow my pride and ask, and amazingly it seems like these are common worries and that I am actually going through the normal, crazy adjustment period.  Then there are all of the beautiful firsts... the first bath, car seat ride, trip to the farm, first slide, first swim in a pool, first park, birthday party, first disney trip, first time at church, and first time sleeping in a crib by himself.  In the beginning I felt robbed because I had missed so much of his baby life, but it is a really amazing gift to be able to experience so many firsts with this sweet boy, and see the amazement in his eyes.

Noah instantly took to grandma

first day at pre-school, he is going one day a week

        Right now things are great! We are living our new normal for a few more months until baby Jackson arrives, that's when things are really going to get interesting:) Kadyn and Noah are adorable together. They fight and love each other just like all brothers and sisters do. She loves bossing him around, which is no surprise to anyone that knows her. He absolutely adores her and follows her around the house copying everything she does.

brother-sister love

      It's amazing what some nourishment can do for a kid. In the last five weeks, Noah has gotten 6 teeth, three haircuts and his overall appearance has just gotten so much better. His skin is glowing and tummy troubles are all gone. We feel like he was hand picked from God for our family. We love him so much and I am so grateful to have the opportunity to be his mommy. We praise God for his all His blessings!

Our visit to the farm

Uncle John

Aunt Erica

Avery loving on Noah