Still Waiting, Jian Shan

Noah's best friend in China is now paperwork ready and listed for adoption with CCAI!  He is a waiting child with special needs like thousands of others and is is very much in need of a family of his own.  He and Noah entered the orphanage within 2 weeks of each other in January 2011 when they were each abandoned at approximately 3 months old.  I do not know the details of Jian Shan's life but what I do know is he is special.

He is sweet and obedient.  He is smart and active.  He is loved by the nannies and staff of Bethel, they have worked hard to prepare his file and that is because they believe adoption is what is best for him-not life at the orphanage.

We have many more photos and videos of Jian Shan with Noah and had the privilege to meet him briefly this past February.  Jian Shan has recently turned 4 and has visual impairments but can see.  His medical records can easily be obtained and reviewed for anyone that is interested.  We have prayed for his family to find him.  We continue to sponsor him while he waits and look forward to the day he is no longer an orphan.  Can you imagine the joy he would bring to a family?

More information on this precious child can be found here http://www.ccaifamily.org/WaitingChild/11706

Thankful

Noah has been learning all about the pilgrims, indians and being thankful the past few weeks.  His preschool class had a small feast today to celebrate; he wore his hat ALL afternoon and was very proud of the turkey he painted.  The teacher asked each child what they were thankful for and wrote it on the back of the handmade craft.  Noah said he was thankful for "my family.  They are special to me!".  I've told the story 3 times today and teared up every time.  It's his first Thanksgiving and what is he most thankful for-having a family!

1 Thessalonians 5:18Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will].

Preschool Pictures

These are some of the best preschool pictures I've ever seen!  (don't mind the green laminate countertop behind them as it's coming out tonight)  I was oh so skeptical about how the pictures would turn out-it's really hard to correctly photograph a child w/ albinism especially outside.  Noah was very proud of his pictures too.  Do you see how much taller he has grown?  This boy is lanky, he's almost as tall as Beckett now who is 40 inches and still 3 :)  They're still in the same 3k class and learning a lot.  This weekend Noah was reading the numbers off the aisles at Walmart!

Things Aren't Perfect (And Life Isn't Either)

I've been thinking about this post for awhile and haven't taken time to really write it down but lest anyone think things are perfect at our house, in our family of five now, let me start by saying they are not...and they won't really ever be.  You see we are now five separate individuals learning to love and live together as a family for only eight and a half months; and 8 years down the line we won't be perfect then either...because life isn't perfect.  It's not supposed to be.  These are human ideas that we cannot live up to.  Jesus was the only One who was and is perfect.

I hesitate to label Noah as a "broken child" but those of you that are not familiar with older child adoption (meaning 3 years or older) that is probably the best way to think of our situation.  You take a child who never had a real family, lived in an institution for more than 3 years and basically had to be a little adult for survival and put him in a mostly normal typical home setting and there is a period of adjustment.  I feel like we are out of that.  We have moved mostly through the testing stages and we are now attached and bonded-but he is still deep, down the same broken child.  He is happy, safe and loved but his issues are far from perfect.

Noah is attention-seeking.  Every single day, no matter how much attention he gets.  Our pediatrician says most 3 and 4 year old biological children she treats are too.  He does not want to cuddle.  He loves us but he does not want to love on us.  He never had that before.  Sidenoted-he probably doesn't want you to hold him or his hand unless he wants your attention.  Let me be clear though he is a wonderful child.  I've never expected him to be perfect but I get the feeling sometimes people (family, friends, neighbors) expect him to be just like our biological children.  He is not and will never be just like them.  He is Noah and we love him just the way he is.  Lately we are dealing with some food issues.  He has started to lie and hide food (saying he ate it but in actuality did not).  And he still needs to gain weight.  This is not the best combination.  He is on special vitamins and we are encouraging the eating but he just prefers rice, noodles and soup.  He will eat 2 bites of other things to make Mommy happy.  It's a work in progress.

Our biological children, Ella and Beckett have been amazing throughout our journey to meet Noah and the past months of getting to know him.  They aren't broken children and us adopting Noah did not break or take away from them-it added to their lives.  They love Noah and the bond the 3 of them share is one I have not witnessed before.  Of course there are arguments and an occasional fight (ok many each day between the boys), that's because no children are perfect.  They are learning and growing and I couldn't be more proud of how they accepted Noah and embraced his imperfections.

I'm not perfect either.  I have been pretty calm lately.  I think it's because I KNOW God is working through me and using me.  I have been stretched and grown so much through the adoption.  I know I am helping fix this broken child.  It's an awesome, imperfect thing to be a part of!

Pray for Ian

Tomorrow my dear friend Kristen's son, Ian is having surgery. He has a sensitive need that a team of doctors will be correcting-Ian was born with anal atresia and esophageal fistula.  You might remember from a past post that her youngest daughter, Jovie had open heart surgery this summer.

Please keep Ian and his precious family in your prayers.  He will be in surgery for at least 4 hours.  He is a perhaps the cutest little boy I've ever seen aside from my two.  Ian is a very strong little boy with an incredible medical team and I know God will be guiding them and ultimately correct his special needs as he sees fit.

If you want to read more about this inspiring family, Kristen's blog is: 

beloved-ones.com/

First Halloween

It didn't take long for Noah to realize he was going to love Halloween (the whole time I am thinking-oh buddy just wait until Christmas).  He picked his own costume out at Target a few weeks before when they were BOGO.  The Incredible Hulk!  It was kind of ironic since he is such a skinny, lanky thing to see him dressed up with "muscles".  He loved the whole ensemble and wore the mask most of Halloween day at preschool.  We stayed close to home and trick or treated in the neighborhood.  I gave in and let the kids eat 5 pieces of candy and stay up until 9:30 pm.  It was a fun night but took about 3 days for the family to detox and recover.

The boys really enjoy pretend play!

The Incredible Hulk

Our trio-Wolverine, A China Girl, and Hulk