!PUSH PAUSE ON MY MUSIC ON THE BOTTOM TO HEAR VIDEO!
Let It Snow,Let It Snow,Let it Snow!
"When days or moments get you down,there is always that one glance at a truly happy child have a first time experience that will make you stop,smile, and know in your heart you made the right choice,even though the journey has been a difficult one" - Leah
You know the holiday season is arriving when...you flip through the radio and a Christmas song comes on. Bryce's first Christmas in the USA, so his first time listening to our great Christmas songs. When I glanced in the mirror of the car and saw him jamming out, I had to grab my camera and turn around to capture his reaction while stopped at a stop light..only me right? It was great to see some emotion in him,smiles and stimulation. (he also love Beatles music and had some great laughs and spirit when I play The Beatles for him,interesting what music can "awaken" in you). He is slowly growing,coming in and out of his "coma state". We pray daily that he can grow up and live a regular life, grow to his age and size, and can be a normal child. He has grown 2 inches since he came in August,we have taught him to sit up,crawl,hold things,he now is babbling, and started this past week repeating to the best his speech can pronounce, words you say to him, he is pulling himself up and holding onto things as he walks. Still a tiny little guy,failure to thrive,and sad enough in infant shoes still,not even a size one fits him, too big. BUT we keep trucking along and hope for the best with all the conditions,issues,etc we are dealing with, we keep hoping we will beat the odds and he will be able to be a "real boy" and fit in this crazy world around us. We have hope..faith..and either way, he is our son and we love him no matter what disabilities,problems or what he can or cant do. He is unconditionally loved by us all,and you can see him daily trying so hard to catch up,be like the other kids,you can see it in his eyes,and you cant wonder what is going through that mind of his. He has been through so much,and yes the bone density tests (2) and teeth test show him at almost 4 years old,just so malnourished and starved at the orphanage the doctors say,his growth and development stopped. He is the size and mental state of a 6-9 month old, but we are going to go by the age on his birth certificate which makes him 22 months old. He is too tiny to go by his real age the doctors tests have determined. It is funny in a way, I see him do things, have that look, etc that my 4 year old son has. If you just looked at his head, you can see his age and the mouth full of teeth. Its the tiny body,not walking and some words that are trying to come out it throw people off at first glance. BUT my little man will beat the odds and amaze everyone..I know it! If not, he is stuck hanging on Mama and chilling in a stroller, right? :) Much Love to Everyone that goes through times that were untold,unknown and still push through daily knowing there is light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for your love and emails with your adoption shock stories and encouragement to go back to Ethiopia and get Bryce, and keep up spirits and hope during such difficult moments and days. Its nice to know there are people out there that can relate and give me advice. I appreciate you all..keep writing. Much Love,Leah
