Christmas Lights!

Tonight we made our annual pilgrimage to a beautifully decorated neighborhood in our area. We bundled up, loaded Noah in the wagon, covered him with blankets and off we went! I wish we had remembered the camera to capture Noah's face as he experienced the wonder of lights, music, and moving characters. It truly was fun! We sang Christmas carols and played together, strolling along the streets. It felt good to enjoy being together - the five of us. Something we have not had enough of. Fa, la, la, la ..!

A side note: I had a biopsy done on my face today for basal cell carcinoma. Both my mom and my grandfather have been diagnosed with this at different times. Mom is currently being treated for it and has a minor surgery scheduled next week.

Re-assessment

Early Childhood Intervention did a formal re-assessment of Noah earlier this week. He has made tremendous progress in the past four months! In the areas of cognitive, communication, social emotional, physical and adaptive behaviors Noah scored between 20-27 months. Four months ago he placed in the 12-16 month old range. Praise God for answered prayers!

Our Christmas Tree

We drove out to a Christmas Tree farm in the country to cut down our own Christmas tree this year. It was a lot of fun! 

We put on our boots and jackets and went tromping through the carefully planted forrest, searching for the perfect tree. Finally, after forty minutes, we found it - a  nine and a half foot beauty. The kids and Mark cut it down with a hand saw and we hauled it home strapped to the roof of the car. Merry Christmas!

Meeting JingJing!

Where is she?

This hug is goin' down!

Let's play!

Noah was reunited with his first foster sister the day after Thanksgiving. He was happy to see her but she was a little shy at first. Noah wasted no time in being brotherly (i.e. taking her down with a hug, chasing her, and hitting her in the head with a block.) She took it all in stride as if to say "Hey, I'm used to this. We've done this before!"

It was wonderful to talk with her parents and compare notes. For instance, both kids love watermelon! Who would have thought that two beautiful, orphaned children would spend the first year of their lives together and then be adopted by parents who have ties in Texas. It is a miracle that only God could have orchestrated. What a blessing!

Family

Fun on the see saw

Dining al fresco (also saves on clean-up!)

A pre-dinner walk

A moment with Grandpa

Eating ice!

Look at me!

Grandma and Austin

A fun picture!

With Nana, Pop and "Unca"

Noah met his aunt, uncles, and cousins for the first time this Thanksgiving. He did very well given all the commotion and new faces. He even offered hugs and kisses to a few!

Above are some pictures from Thanksgiving Day. Enjoy!

Ho, ho, ho!

Noah had his first visit with Santa the day before Thanksgiving. He was so excited about seeing "HoHo." It was non-stop: "Mama, HoHo." "Yes, Noah. We're going to see HoHo." "Mama, HoHo." "Yep, we're going to see Santa." "Mama, HoHo..." And on it went.

When we arrived at Santa's abode Noah tried to break through the plastic chain to get in. He finally escaped and made a run for Santa. Now, our Santa is fabulous (and a child psychologist, at that!) As he was between visits he motioned for Noah to come over and say hi before his official visit. Noah had a positive encounter with "The Big Guy" and we went back to our place in line. 

As we waited for our "real" turn I had a sinking feeling that it might not go as well on our return visit. I was right. It started off okay and rapidly went downhill. Noah went into anxiety mode and instead of "flight" he choose "fight." He yanked Santa's whiskers in screaming anger several times and pulled my hair as I was trying to calmly remove him. It was quite traumatic.

I wish I knew what went through his little head. Was it fear? Anger? Confusion? A combination? Whatever it was, we worked through it and Noah was able to enjoy his post-Santa ice cream cone and say goodbye to Santa from a distance. Whew! I hope next year will be a more enjoyable experience for both of us.

Meeting Grandpa and Grandma

Wrestling with Grandpa

Hi Grandma!

A BIG hug for Grandpa!

Noah met Mark's parents for the first time on Sunday evening. He surprised us all by giving hugs and kisses and then asking for "more." He did really great!

We had been showing him their pictures all afternoon and going to the door to look for them. He was anticipating their arrival. "Gra-ma, Gra-pa," he said excitedly. When we got inside he pulled Grandpa and said "puh" meaning he wanted to push Grandpa down and wrestle on the floor. Grandpa willingly obliged. It was very cute!

Six months ago Noah had no family and now he has two sets of grandparents who think he is the greatest! It is true: "God sets the lonely in families" (Psalm 68:6.)