Merry Christmas

We had a very fun filled Christmas as a family of five. Kobe started walking on the 23rd so he was a busy, busy boy. He was so proud of himself and enjoyed viewing the world from a different level. He knew how to tear into the presents so that made it even more fun. I think back to last year at Christmas time. We were sitting at the #1 spot for a boy. We longed for a Christmas miracle to see our son's face. God had different plans as we didn't get our referral until after our Christmas, but just in time for Ethiopia's Christmas. :) We feel extremely blessed as we celebrated our first Christmas together.

 

Baby steps

I know kids will do things when they are ready, but we have been unpatiently waiting for Kobe to take his first steps. He just about runs when he is walking along things. He needed to gain some confidence in the fact that he was okay and could actually do this. On December 12, he took his first real steps. (not accidental steps b/c he was falling...ha) He walked 4-6 steps in between Mom and Dad. We thought, "Look out now." He sit was quite reserved. He would walk between people but that was it. On the 18th, he finally walked 2-3 feet without anyone else in the room. Again we thought, "Look out now." He didn't really do much walking during the day at daycare. What in the world?! On the 20th, he walked the length of the living room. On the 21st, he was just starting to take a few steps at daycare. Last night we traveled for Christmas. We picked him up from daycare and put him in his carseat for the drive. When we got to our destination, this little boy walked...and walked...and walked. He walked more last night than we have ever seen. It is safe to say he is walking more than crawling. He is so funny to watch as he balances himself with his arms in the air. He is so proud and so happy with his new view. Now we have a new level of "trouble." :)

 

Adoption Day!

On December 11, we got in the car and drove 30 miles to the Courthouse in Ipswich. That is where we made our adoption FINAL and legal in South Dakota. Our little man's name was legally changed also. It was a big day that we had waited years for. Now the only thing left to do in regards to this adoption is to have one more home visit by our social worker once we have been home for a year. We will also have to submit yearly reports that get sent to Ethiopia every year until he is 18. After almost 3 years from starting the process, the adoption is 100% final!! What a great feeling!!! Happy Adoption Day!!!  Here is a picture of that day.

 

A big day is coming!!!

I wonder if the title of this blog post has anyone confused. What big day could possibly be coming? We have had lots of "big days" with Kobe. Tuesday is another big day in our lives. We will be going to court to readopt this little boy. He is legally our son right now. We will be legally changing his name. It is THE FINAL STEP in making this adoption 100% official. After almost three years in this process, we will be done!!! (With the exception of the yearly reports we must submit to Ethiopia) Kobe's adoption will be complete!!!! What a huge thing to celebrate!

Atlanta Bound

I recently booked tickets to Atlanta. There is an amazing adoption conference in January. The head of this conference is from our agency. I really wanted to go, but plane tickets from South Dakota to Georgia are not cheap. I accepted the fact I wouldn't get to go. I was very sad about it since so many of my adoptive mommy friends go and talk about it a lot. The registration was back in August. I believe it sold out in about 4 hours. The day of registration I was extremely sad. I got on Facebook and someone told me to go to my email. In my email was this message, "Your AGCI mama friends all love you SO much and we want you there! We all chipped in and I just registered you for January! I've got a check with YOUR name written on it for you to buy plane tickets and I know there are some moms who want to be your roomie! I can't wait to see you there and to give you a hug! :D" So amazing!!! It is still very overwhelming to know that these "strangers" pitched in to help out with my plane ticket. These ladies are some of my dearest friends even though we have never met. Due to the high cost of plane tickets, I know I won't be doing this again. I can't wait to go! I plan on making the most of this once in a lifetime experience. I am so thankful for these amazing friends that love me and care about me so much that they were willing to pitch in and help me to be able to to do something that I could have never done without them.