Celebrating 6 months!!

Has it really been 6 months since EJ came home? It totally slipped my mind until the social worker said something yesterday (Monday Feb 17) at our post placement visit which marked exactly 6 months since we celebrated Forever Family Day. Despite the different trials and hard days, it has been a wonderful journey that we wouldn't trade for anything!!

2nd picture day of the school year

Snow fight with Daddy

Such much has transpire since my last post!! EJ has become very comfortable with his new life! School is going well; we've made adjustments and are providing him the additional support he needs to catch him up to his peers. 

At Washington Dulles Airport welcoming home some Kwahu friends.

EJ has experienced many firsts since being home!! A classmate's birthday party, Christmas, Hankukkah, spirit week, snow, sledding, Valentines day and many more!! EJ was able to welcome home some familiar faces to America! Meeting his extended family the Wolfenbargers. He begins his first soccer season in 2 weeks with a local team!

 EJ and his "cousin" Kofi

EJ and his other "cousin" Jake

Spirit week at school.

In a little over a week, it will be a year since we met in Kwahu! I remember like it was yesterday all the nerves and thoughts going through me! I still can't believe he has been home for 6 months!! 

God has time and time again showed us the picture of His love during this journey. Many moments of breakthroughs for all of us and some Aaahh hhaaaa moments for Ty and I. 

I can't end this post without talking about EJ's sisters....they have been amazing!! Even on the tough days, they roll with the punches!! They are very protective of their brother!! I love how they have caught on to the spirit of adoption and I long to see what it will look like in their life when they are older!

Early morning game of Sibling Uno

Oh and drumroll....one day out of nowhere, EJ asked us to adopt a specific little boy. Unfortunately we can't adopt him, however we are praying and listening for what God wants us to do next.

Until next time…..I will leave you with a video of EJ's first time sledding…….

First sledding experience

Thoughts and Emotions

Today is one of those days where I question..what in the world am I doing...lol!! I just want to cry and don't have a clear answer to why if you would ask me.

Adoption is hard. Many people think that the process is over because EJ is home. That is one of the biggest misconceptions of adoption. The process has now turned into a journey which is lifelong one! The real work started when we took him into our arms to never return him to his orphanage. Trust me, I'm not complaining but I think that people should be educated about the good and the hard of adoptions. We as adoptive families need not paint the picture that everything is all roses and ice cream. I'm not saying to expose your life or tell your child's story to the world, just be true!!

Some days are hard or maybe often frustrating. You feel like you take one step forward and two steps back in areas you are working on in this journey. Reality is that you have a stranger in your home who you are trying to learn and they are trying to learn you. Not only do they have to learn each of their new family members but our home, our culture, our procedures, our country.....the list goes on and on! So some days you will just feel like....what in the world is going on.

We don't retreat and run away....we push in harder to our love ones with time, communication and love. We seek encouragement and advice from Godly counsel. Everyone's story is different; every child's actions and reaction are different but people who have walked this road before you can be very valuable in helping you trod along this journey. Its not that one HAS to take the opinions of others but it would be beneficial to see what work and didn't work for others whose children had similar behaviors, hurts, or pasts.

Friends to adoptive families be a SUPPORT....not a naysayer!! We adoptive families aren't looking for pity however we don't need naysayers in our ears when we tell you the "truth" to the question "How's it going?"!!!

EJ is doing well...the girls are doing well. These last 2 weeks without our prompting they have really been intentional about including each other or showing concern about their siblings. He's opening up more to us which is bittersweet but it's apart of our journey. We love, press forward and make choices based on what we learn to help him heal and get adjusted to his forever family!! School is going well for him...he has his struggles but are facing them positively and eager to learn and catch up to his peers.

Ok that's enough for now...but I will leave you to ponder this verse....

"I have observed something else under the sun. The fastest runner doesn’t always win the race, and the strongest warrior doesn’t always win the battle. The wise sometimes go hungry, and the skillful are not necessarily wealthy. And those who are educated don’t always lead successful lives. But the race is one by those who endure to the END....those who take each obstacle one mountain at a time...by those who fall but stand back up, dust themselves. Off and keep running (Ecclesiastes 9:11 Jamallia's version with the NLT version).