Joyfully Overloaded

 Happy One, What a year it's been. We had some epic snow storms, grew for 7 months to a family of 6 with our Little Miss moving in with us. You started Kindergarten. You learned to ride a bike, fell in love with camping, and we had some Epic Family Adventures that included visiting Niagara Falls, and Boldt Castle. We also had some hard times. I worked out of state quite a bit and we said goodbye to our Little Miss yet again. But you have grown in ways I could not imagine this year. You love with your whole self. You fell deeply and pray freely. One of my favorite things about you is how you will just spontaneously break out in prayer be it supplication or praise it does not matter, you bring all your thought to God. I hope you hold tightly to this habit. Your free giving prayers inspire me to be like you. I love you, and I am grateful to be your Mom. An Interview with your five year old self: What is your favorite color? Rainbow What is something special to you? My fox blanket What...

 To my Happy One, This year is a big year for me, for all of us. It's a year of transition. We've moved three states away on the map, 10.5 hours by car. You had a blast at Kindergarten orientation with your Dad. I was stuck working. I think it's been a little strange for all of us as we adjust from me being the primary parent to your Dad being your person. Despite all the change you have grown! When we left the goal in speech was for you to start saying four words sentences, and now despite not being in school since we moved you tell whole stories. You have a million words. You love to be helpful. You smile with your whole face, and you are learning that your words can be used as weapons or to build people up. While you still don't control them, I see you working to build people up. My favorite thing to watch grow in you is your relationship with Jesus. I love how you will randomly stop what you are doing and thank him for whatever brings you joy in that moment. I'm...

 My Happy One, I say it every year, but this year let me say it louder than the others, you have grown and matured beyond what I imagined would be possible a year ago. You've crossed so many mile stone. Words explode from your mouth sometimes just for fun. You sing all the time, and my heart explodes every single time I hear it. I love driving you to school in the mornings. It's your time to control the music, as we jam out to songs like, Wake Me Up, Not My Home, Happy Dance, Way Maker, and the list goes on. I trust you not to throw things in the toilet after a year or more of fishing things out that don't belong. In fact you regularly use the toilet these days, but sleep like a rock no matter how wet your bed gets at night. Ha! Every year gets better Crash-man. Honestly I don't know where to start as I think through this past year. You've started school and had your first run in with the police. Yep, there was this one time you decided to go for a walk, at night, i...

When I found this mug for my littlest I had no idea how much JOY it would bring me. Every time I open my cabinet door and see it I just think of how far he has come. This time last year his medical team was reminding me that even though he was two I needed to think of him as a 9 month old. He didn’t know how to play, he mostly just dumped things, even things he loved and was excited about-including drinks and meals. Accepting snuggles was hard for him. On December 17th, 2019 he fell earning himself a small concussion and processed pain for the first time. He had very few words, he mostly just screamed and grunted. I spent hours working with him, following the advice of his therapist, wondering if we would ever move forward... Ten months later I was buying this mug for him because I thought he was ready. It’s been a long time since he’s dumped his drinks, food, toys. He finds new words every single day. He’s learned to play, snuggle, and feel pain. He’s begun to learn cause and effect. ...

Sometimes I forget that my Happy One was born addicted to somewhere between four and seven different drugs coursing through his five-pound body. He suffered through withdrawals for a solid four months. He didn't learn to roll over until his first birthday. He didn't hold a bottle or feed himself until he was eighteen months old. He didn't know how to process pain until he was twenty-nine months old, just two months ago. He went through six months of feeding therapy and still struggles with gagging. He is two and a half and at times the specialist refers to his maturity as that of a nine month old. He takes everything in. He struggles to get thoughts out. He has impulse control issues. He has had all the therapies: occupational, speech, physical, and we're in the beginnings of behavioral. He has his very own case manager to help me navigate the world of special needs.   Sometimes I forget that he’s adopted and that his genetics are not mine. Sometimes I forget that even ...

Hey Baby! -- That's what I say to you all the time.  Last night when you on your way to bed you gave me a hug and said, "night baby"... Your words are such gifts to me.  This fall will mark two years of speech therapy.  You have come so far. I love the way you are beginning to play with words as you find new combinations to try out on us. My favorite thing about you is that when you smile your whole face lights up.  You truly are my Happy One. This past year you have grown up so much.  Physically you are a giant. My guess is that you will be the biggest brother when you reach adulthood. It has been a long time since we've had any feeding issues.  The only thing you have left to learn is that if your in the middle of chewing something and you see something better you can swallow what you are chewing, you do not have to spit it out to get the next thing. Your words are coming, mostly in nouns, but they are beginning to fall out of your mouth.  It's ...