They say it's your birthday...

It's my birthday too :)  No, not really!

Today is Eli's Birthday (well, technically, it will be in one hour).  I feel....so many things.

 I am SO VERY excited to be celebrating this birthday, his first one since he joined our family, with him. 

I am SAD that we missed the last 5 birthdays.  I know they actually celebrated the kids birthday's in his orphanage, so i know he had a little celebration, just not with us.  We have pictures of him on his previous birthdays, and that is something awesome that i think most people don't get when they adopt an older child from an orphanage.

I wonder about his birth mother.  Is she thinking about him today, wondering how he is doing?  Is she remembering giving birth to him?  I wonder if there were happy feelings before they realized he had Down Syndrome.  I feel, sad that he was given up and left for 5 years in an orphanage, but at the same time, we wouldn't have him if that hadn't happened.  So, it's a mixture of feelings here :)

I hope, somehow, she knows he is loved, and wanted, and cherised.

We traveled around the world to bring this little guy home, safe and loved in our family, and he is worth every late night doing paperwork, fundraising, leaving the other children home, every doctor visit.  We would do it all over again for him.
 

I promise to love him every day for the rest of my life. 

I promise to do my absolute best to give him everything he needs, wants and desires.

 I promise to raise him the way we are raising our other children. 

I promise kiss his boo-boos, discipline him when needed, hug him daily and tickle him often.

Mostly, i promise to  keep this awe and joy i feel when i look at him, and realize he is ours, forever and always.

Happy Birthday baby boy, Mama loves you!

 



First Birthday

Second Birthday

Third Birthday



 

Fourth Birthday

 





We celebrated his 5th birthday without him

Big Man!

I'll let the pics speak for themselves :)

Joyful news!

Eli is becoming a big brother again!!!!!!  We are so pleased to announce that we have started the process to adopt another child with Down Syndrome.  Our new little one is two :)  She has Down Syndrome and a heart defect.  We are SO excited to be starting this journey again!!!!!! 



Feel free to take a peek at our new baby :)

http://reecesrainbow.org/53934/sponsorallison-2

Luci is two

Luci is two (as of January 3rd thank you very much).  I love and hate this age, the talking and the personality really come to life, along with the stubborness and determination!


"Me do it mama", she insists when it is time to get dressed.

"Me do it mama", she yells when i try and help her get unstuck.

"Mama no elp (help)", she screams when i try to assist.

"stop it Adelaide (eli)", she scold when she thinks Eli isn't listening or just not doing what she wants.

"Mama rub", she begs when she wants me to rub her back when she is laying down.

"Real real hot"  she exclaims when she tries our food.

"good girl?", she asks several times a day, beaming when we assure her that of course she is a good girl!

"Me go pee" she informs me (although this is often an announcement and not a request)

"Brush teeth"  she demands everytime we pass the bathroom.

"Milk baba, juice baba" she imperially demands, giving us her bottle.

She is our last "baby", and i am struck often about how fleeting this age is, not quite a baby anymore, but not really a big kid yet.  She still snuggles and wants to be held, but is fiercely independent and sassy.  When i rock her at night, i want to freeze her, keep her this little forever, but of course we can't.  I am proud to be her mother and excited to see what the next year holds for her, even as a tiny piece of me mourns the "baby" she is no longer.