That's 1,242 bedtimes. All done without mama's kisses.
That's 3 birthdays. All gone un-celebrated.
That's countless milestones. All met without being cheered on.
But today.
Today, Carter has been a son for 1,243 days.
He's been a son longer than he's been an orphan.
He's been loved longer than he's been neglected.
This life of Carter's is pretty perfect. He's growing and changing in new ways each day.
He has an amazing team of professionals at school who celebrate his many abilities.
As I type this, I'm watching him work with our team of at-home therapists who are so patient with our busy boy.
He has grandparents and aunts and uncles and cousins who love him for who God created him to be.
He has parents who think he is the most amazing, incredible, beautiful kid.
We see you, Carter. One thousand, two hundred and forty two days of being seen.
No longer an invisible orphan, but a cherished son.
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I'm reminded of the lyrics to one of your favorite songs. Let's sing them, shall we?
"If what I am is what's in me
Then I'll stay strong, that's who I'll be!
I will always be the best me that I can be!
There's only one me - I am it
I have a dream, I'll follow it
It's up to me to try
I'm gonna keep my head up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit!
I'll keep getting stronger!"
So much good stuff ahead, little boy.
One Thing I Know For Sure: We see you, Carter.
No longer an invisible orphan, but a cherished son.
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We will always be in awe of how God put together the pieces of your life, Carter.
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| Treasured baby photo, given to us at our SDA appointment |
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| The first time we met |
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| Your first goofy smiles during our first orphanage visit |
We'll never forget the look on your face the first time we met, or the way you smiled so cautiously on our first visit. Once you learned that laughing was encouraged, we couldn't keep you quiet.
You've been our sweet sunshine-y boy ever since.
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1,243 days of being kissed up by your mama. Wrestled up by your daddy. Hugged and squeezed and loved like crazy.
(60 days of being tolerated by your sister. It's okay, she'll come around.)
It will only get better from here, sweet boy.
I'm reminded of the lyrics to one of your favorite songs. Let's sing them, shall we?
"If what I am is what's in me
Then I'll stay strong, that's who I'll be!
I will always be the best me that I can be!
There's only one me - I am it
I have a dream, I'll follow it
It's up to me to try
I'm gonna keep my head up high
Keep on reaching high
Never gonna quit!
I'll keep getting stronger!"
So much good stuff ahead, little boy.
One Thing I Know For Sure: We see you, Carter.
So beautiful. I love watching Carter grow.
ReplyDeletewhat a beautiful post. I love seeing how your sweet boy has changed and grown.
ReplyDeletethe love of family=perfection