Hey everybody! Just thought I'd post the pics I just gave to our social worker in preparation for our 6 mo. post-placement report. Can you guys believe it's almost been 6 months?! There are days it feels as if Yonas has been with us forvever and days of adjustment when I feel like we're still trying to figure this all out. In general, to sum up the past 5 months for us, the first 2-3 months were our "honeymoon" stage - Yonas was obedient, quiet, and observant, while his siblings were all about pleasing him. Months 3-4 were rockier for us. The honeymoon was over, Yonas started majorly coming out of his shell (which was mostly good but tough at times), and the newness of his presence had worn off of his siblings...ugh. Now at month 5 I can say we're finding more of a groove. Yoni is catching on to what is appropriate when, and he's totally jumping into the mix of the other kids - everyone is feeling so much more secure within our new family structure, and things are going smoother. I'm still a bit grossed out about the whole wiping constant boogers and giardia poop, but hey, builds character, right?! :)
Oh, and on another note, yesterday, as Yonas and I were cooking some Ethiopian food for friends coming for dinner, we really got talking about life in Ethiopia. I decided it would be a great opportunity to sit down and watch his birth history video with him for the first time. It was a beautiful thing. He would say, "I member dat!!!" And then when the narrator would say his name, Yoni would say, "MOM, he say YONAS!!!" all smiles. :) And he couldn't wait until his big sisters and brother came home from school to show them. It opened up such an amazing opportunity to talk about things and to just cuddle on the couch and pour love into him while sharing something so deeply personal. A neat moment.
Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are enjoying the Christmas season. I love seeing updates on all of your families - keep 'em coming! :) Love to all of you - Ross, Erin, and kids.
