Summertime!

This is a shot of Noah doing one of his chores...watering the garden.  He always forgets to take off his waterwings...

We have officially started our second month of summer vacation...so far so good.  Noah has had some trouble with the lack of structure summer brings.  I think he and I both crave the school year schedule.  He's become a huge fan of the tv show Avitar...and that has been my bargaining chip when he is choosing make waves.  Overall he's not a behavior problem...he just lacks the long term focus my other kids have so he is in constant motion moving from one thing to another.  There's usually a trail of destruction in his wake as well. : >)

Now that the first part of vacation is over I can slow down and reflect on Noah...and his past 9 months with us.  The physical changes are very obvious.  He has grown 2 3/4 inches since he walked through our front door for the first time!  He's also put on about 15 lbs. Needless to say, he is growing like a summer weed.  We took him to the dentist and it appeared that his permanent teeth were having difficulty finding their way down because of the unusual spaces in his teeth.  So with a quick trip to the orthodontist Noah got 'braces' or 'grills' :  >) on just his two front teeth to pull them together and open up the spaces for his canines to drop down.  It's made a huge difference his teeth are shaping up. 

    

Noah's teacher has graciously offered to tutor Noah this summer.  He goes to her house every day for 45 minutes of one-on-one.  It has made such a huge difference and come fall he will be just about caught up with the rest of his classmates.  We are so grateful to her.  Noah is now reading solidly at a mid first grade level.  He's making great gains all the way around.

The biggest test of Noah's summer so far has been my absence for 10 days when my daughter Hannah and I went to Ireland the first part of July.  Since his placement with our family he has never had a day/night without me.  He did great, although when I talked to him on the phone he would just say, "I'm sorry mom, I don't know, I just love you so much."  Very sweet to hear.   I am also very grateful that he had the ability to handle this adversity with very little problems. By the way...Ireland...WOW!!  Very very fun!

  

Yesterday Noah went grocery shopping with me and I let him get some ice cream cones sans the ice cream as we had 5 gallons back at the house.  The box showed the cones with dripping, delicious (or de-liss-shus as Noah would say) vanilla ice cream.  So last night after dinner, Noah runs up to the house and gets the box of cones out of our pantry.  He was very excited to share the ice cream cones with the family.  He opened up the box, looked inside, and then had a very angry/puzzled look on his face.  He looks up at the family and says, "Stupids...they forgot to put the ice cream on the cones."  He hasn't quite figured out the magic of refrigeration...nor the need for it when it comes to frozen foods. :  >)

He has spent many hours in our swimming pool.  He doesn't fear water but he most certainly does not know how to swim.  He said he swam in Ethiopia but the way he moves in water it would seem more realistic to think he splashed in a waterhole...or stream.    Thank goodness for waterwings!  Next week he starts his first official swim lessons.  We will just have to  see how that goes. : >) 

Next month Noah will be reunited with a very special man from Ethiopia, Mr. Ato Teklu.  He is traveling to the states and will be at the WACAP picnic.  Noah can hardly wait and truth be told, neither can I.  My entire family is anxious to meet this wonderful man Noah and I talk about almost every day.  

This Friday is the one year anniversary of Noah's court date.  The date he officially became ours.  How fast time has flown.  Never in my imagination could I have guessed how this little guy has changed our world.  When you are in the waiting stages of adoptions you try to picture your life with that child.  Now, a year later my thoughts of a year ago seem so minor compared to the "real" life with Noah.  

We are blessed...we truly are.