Friday, February 26, 2010

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day!

It's hard to believe that we've had our Guapo (handsome) Kenan for two years! He has changed so much. Here is a reminder of his first year we spent waiting for him, watching him grow up without us. Getting these every six weeks helped us make it through, and only increased the ache to hold him even more.
Then that long anticipated moment arrived. Rex was busy video taping and didn't get a photo of me so I had to take a picture from the video.

It was almost the exact opposite of what I had dreamed that time to be. I thought his foster mom would walk into the room and place him into my arms, but she was there before us sitting on a couch with him sitting in her lap. Madeline was actually the first person to touch him, then Rex held him, and finally I got my turn. I think they felt more comfortable. I, on the other hand, was very nervous around his foster mom, almost as if I was invading her territory. She had a strong attatchment to him and it was obvious he felt the same towards her. I'm so thankful she loved him though and took such good care of him.

This was my moment.


We had set the camera down shortly after we walked in and were picking it up so that's why it's so shakey. And in case you didn't catch that, Madeline says, "Oh gosh, Mom's gonna cry." I started to.

If you've found your way here from Jeanette's, welcome! Would you like to see our first few seconds of seeing him in person for the first time? click here. Thanks so much for stopping by! Leave a comment and let me know you were here. I hope you'll come back.

If you're already a follower and would like to read a summary about our journey to Kenan, please visit her blog where I've written our story to participate in Project Chosen.


I started out by saying how much he's changed in the two short years we've been a forever family. He was off formula and on whole milk within a month of coming home. He was used to getting a bottle every 2 hours, even throughout the night, and co-sleeping with his foster mom. He only needed that bottle for the first couple of weeks and never complained about being in a crib, soon to be toddler bed. It didn't take him long to learn how to use a sippy cup or climb stairs. He was mostly crawling when he came home but that quickly turned to walking and now he's running non-stop everywhere. His speech was delayed but this past May things started to click and he's making up for lost time. He speaks in complete sentences and believe it or not, is very articulate. He's learning to use the potty, dress himself - from 9-12 months to size 2T, feed himself with a fork, and use the computer and play the W*ii.

He's also been introduced this past year with the fact that he's adopted from Guatemala. I understand he doesn't fully grasp what that means but we want him to know how God brought him to our family; that he was chosen, wanted, and will be loved foever. I'm so thankful for the blessing of Kenan Marco Wesley and how it has changed me.

Happy 2nd Gotcha Day! Te Amo Hijo Mio. I love you my son. You're a miraculous answer to prayer.