Happy Birthday K.!

K. turns 3 years old today. (We celebrated his birthday this past weekend which is why I have birthday cake pictures.) It's hard to believe that he has yet to be home an entire year because he has integrated into our family so seamlessly. He has gone from a scared, undernourished, underdeveloped 2 year old baby to a self-assured, funny, competent 3 year old eating machine. During the never-ending wait to bring K. home, I was worried I was missing so much in his life. Little did I know that we would get to witness most of his 'firsts'. Other than your typical baby things...rolling over, sitting up, first tooth, first step, first surgery (OK, so maybe that one isn't typical)...we have witnessed the rest. Since he had no language when he came to us, we heard his first words (Ma and Da), first swim, first solid food, and now his first birthday celebration. Clearly, he had been paying attention to the 6 birthdays he witnessed before this, since he is a champion at blowing out candles. He enjoyed opening his presents, but the whole wrapping paper-thing is still a bit baffling to him. A. was helping him and was telling him to pull on the paper. When the paper ripped, K.'s first response was to look worried and say, "Oh oh!" It took a moment to convince him that this paper was OK to rip.

In honor of K.'s birthday, I will once more make a plea for all the little boys out there who still do not have a family to call their own or a Mommy and Daddy to love and care for them. In the adoption world, the preference is for girls. I've watched little girls, sometimes with significant special needs, move off waiting child lists, while healthy, slightly older boys wait and wait. Girls are wonderful, but so are little (and not so little) boys. They are different than girls, but different is not better or worse only different. I can't imagine my life without the four boys we have in our family. They are so filled with energy, joy, enthusiasm, humor, and love that our lives would be significantly poorer without their presence. If you are considering adoption, please consider a boy, consider special needs, consider expanding your boundaries of what is desirable. If you have never considered adoption, please consider it. Many, many children wait for families both here in the US and in other countries. Each child we have brought into our home has added a richness that we could not have imagined and brought us blessings without measure. Adoption is at God's heart...nothing else so clearly shows His relationship to us. Please prayerfully consider growing your family through adoption...who knows what blessings God has in store for you. Remember, there is always room for one more.