I Got You, Babe!

Today is Gotcha Day. It's celebrated by many adoptive families as the day the adopted child becomes part of the family. It's hard to say exactly when that happens. Is it the data you first meet the child? Is it when you appear in the Russian court? Is it when the judge signs the order? For us, it was all of these, even from the first of all the stacks of paperwork, this child was FAMILY. I guess if you have to put a date on it, it would be August 24, 2008. This is the day Brack & I got physical custody of Alex. On that day he said good-bye to all his caregivers and friends at the orphanage to take a journey with a forever family. (I regress here to mention the day Brack & I physically got custody of John Robert. That would be the day the hospital told us we finally had to leave and attempt this parenting thing on our own. I think we'd been there about 3 nights and 4 days at that point.) I remember on the flight over, Brack & I had it all planned out. We figured we'd have a day to rest, then on the following day, go to get Alex, rested and settled into the apartment. Rule of thumb: things don't always go as planned. When we arrived at the airport, Katia was there waiting to take us immediately to the orphanage. We did make one stop at the grocery to pick up some diapers and formula. Our adrenaline picked up and with God's help we made it through that initial transition.

Over the past year so many things have changed in our home. It's definitely gotten a lot louder. There is never a dull moment. Someone is usually screaming, crying, bouncing a ball or riding a scooter through the house! John Robert is a pretty great big brother. Alex does everything he does, or will die trying. In this one year, knock on wood, we've sustained no broken bones (all due to a very perceptive guardian angel), been to the ER only once with pneumonia and have surpassed the growth curve (Alex was below 10% when he arrived here)!

Alex is the happiest child I've ever seen. He's only recently learned about the terrible two's. (Is there a fairy that comes during the night & explains this to our children?). Alex has the greatest smile. I think he has double the number of teeth he's suppose to, or it could just be that he uses them so much. He's so easy going, which is a good thing. Despite all the adoption literature, Brack & I immersed Alex in our lifestyle, fast and furious. He hasn't missed a beat!

Alex's favorite thing right now is Barney. When he wakes up in the mornings he comes to our room and says "BARNEY", indicating he wants to watch it. Alex has a slight speech delay,we think. Funny thing is he can clearly say "BARNEY". I think it's selective.

There have been so many pleasant surprises in this process. We've met new friends who share the common bond of adoption. We've seen inside a culture like we never could with normal travel. We've tested our faith in God's plan for our family. We've been able to share our stories with PAPs. I don't worry about tomorrow and what it holds, but I know God will take care of whatever awaits us on this journey. Looking back over the entire process, I would definitely do it again! Thank you God for loaning us Alex!