AJ news

two weeks and two days since AJ arrived home.  i'm so thankful to be marking these milestones on this little teeny corner of cyber world.  seriously, i never want to forget these moments, and i know i totally will, because i apparently have no memory left.  it's like with every kid we add to this family they suck a portion of my memory space, and it's at an all time low....i'm like an outdated computer that needs serious upgrading...my brain is full of things to remember~ spelling tests, dentists appts., speech dates, doctor's appts., pharmacy pick-ups, volunteer times, birthday presents to buy, social schedule of teenager and pre-teen to work around (just wait, i know...), little boots to find or replace, friends I want to meet, social worker visit for post-placement report, dress-up days, etc.....blah, blah, blah.....you get the idea....but i digress, really badly.........so sorry.
memory or not, i wouldn't trade this for anything...seeing my crew of six together, bonding and getting to know the little man, and he them~ well there are moments when it feels so heavenly.  before you think this is all "rose-coloured-glasses" type of blog nonsense, i'm totally real and saying there are also moments where the same lovey-doveiness (my new word) is lacking with the siblings that already know eachother...ahem.......all to be expected, and the same as when Hudson (who suddenly looks extra tall) came home.  there have been intimate and warm moments i've witnessed with all five one-on-one with their new brother, and all i can say is he is blessed to have them in his life.  i'm proud of each one of them for their individual creativity in reaching out to AJ.  at different levels and in very unique ways they've all invested in him, not showing any jealousy or holding back part of themselves.  they are good kids...learning and growing through this experience as are we, the parents.
AJ continues to be a little sponge.  today was our first day alone with no other kids home, just AJ and me...we had fun.  he follows me like a puppy, but is still ok if i leave the room or his line of sight.  he just generally likes to be near.  showing me every new car and saying "MAH-kee-nah" (just as it sounds) for "car" a hundred times a day.  it was and is adorable.  i think i know why mah-kee-nah is so common and exciting to him.  because literally, a car arriving and honking at the gate of the orphanage was probably the biggest excitement of his day for months.  the children didn't typically leave the confines of the orphanage, but when a car pulled in that might mean some new form of excitement.  either a new child arriving, strange white people visiting, an adult staff member coming that they were familiar with, or sometimes gifts and change in routine when a mah-kee-nah came to visit.  so, the fascination with all things mah-kee-nah continues, and we're all getting a kick out of it.  every white car or van on the road is loudly and excitedly declared as "Joe's mah-kee-nah!!!!!" because he is so used to staring at Uncle Joe's white work van out of our sunroom window.  he has also started saying the English word "car" as well, but it just doesn't have the same cute high-pitched ring to it in English.  other English words in his vocabulary now include all our names, grandma, grandpa (or sometimes just grandpa for both), doggie, cat, please, more, thank-you (which he says regularly, and we melt), all done, milk, bed, okay, bubbles, hot, cold, don't touch it, no (with finger waving, not in an angry way but more a warning of danger kind of way), counting part way to ten, bye, see-ya, hi, hello, yucky, money, and the list grows daily...i'll try to get a video of some of his words soon, but it seems whenever i try he responds in a barely audible whisper.  maybe not a big-screen kind of guy...such a shame with eyes like his...his kisses are delightful as he continues to insist on kissing both cheeks (must be both, and he takes his little hands and turns your head from side-to-side) rather than lips.  sticking with the Ethiopian tradition there, and it is such a warm gesture of greeting and affection that i don't blame him...he loves long bubble baths, stories, Mighty Machines, tickles, and balls.
life is busy. yet still my heart is bursting.  i randomly find tears right near the surface when i consider all we're experiencing.  our blessings are ridiculous.  we're trying to savour it consciously.  life naturally has storms, they will come.  i hope i always see the sunlight even through the rain.