Coming Home

Our time in China has come to an end.  Many of my posts have been about what we've done and who we've met.  I wanted to dedicate this post while here to the little boy we came to get....Jacob.  Each day, as we all get to know each other better, we are showing more of our "true colors."  Every day has been a whole new discovery in who he is, and how we fit together as a family.  Here's what I have learned in the 1 1/2 weeks about our newest family member......
 

• He communicates very well.  Almost from day one he has been a "talker" (Heather- not so sure I'm going to get the verbal child break we were anticipating!)   Between Chris and I working with him on some basic sign language (signs for bottle, more, Mommy, and Daddy) and learning Jacob's different sounds and schedule, we have started to communicate in a way I believe has exponentially allowed us to bond.   Language and the ability to understand each other is so powerful!  He imitates us and has picked up on much cueing with little difficulty.  I remember the first time Jacob looked at me, pointed at something that interested him, and then verbally made a noise to indicate his interest.  A huge wave of relief flooded through me and I thought, "Okay, we can do this."   
• He loves mirrors and books!  Between looking at pictures and just the amazement that flipping pages brings, books have brought us not only great bonding opportunities, but has let Chris and I eat our dinner while Jacob played in his highchair.  "Goodnight Moon" immediately became our favorite bedtime book!
• Jacob loves to explore!  I was expecting some sensory processing difficulties but he loves to play so much that he overcomes a lot of this through his curiosity.  He retreated his hands the first time I washed them but after setting him back on the ground, he wanted to try it again.  The bath was a breeze because splashing water is too much fun (of course stacking cups in the bath water were also a huge draw!)  His fingers go into everything and grab everything from knives off the table to outlets.  I have forgotten what it's like to have a 20 month old!
• Jacob has no sense of safety.  He'd plunge head first off the bed and down a set of stairs if we let him.  I think I remember this is normal for this age but I suspect there was little "danger" in the orphange environment so our boundaries are much different.
• He is a snuggler!  The child will not go to sleep if he is not on you.  Mind you, not just lying beside you.  He must be on your chest.  I'm certain I will pay for this later but it has been so wonderful to snuggle up with him during our time in China.  I am thankful that once asleep, we have been able to transfer him into his crib with relative ease.
• His cleft lip and palate can be very entertaining:  He can clean out the inside of his nose.  A rare talent!  Another thing we have fallen in love with and will miss after his surgeries are the way the sides of his upper lip wing out when he smiles.  It makes us laugh! We have been thankful to be able to bring him home presurgery and know him as he was created....our beautiful son! 
• The kid has perfected the "fake" whine!  I imagine that served him well in the orhpanage and after the passivity and complacency we experienced from him the first few days as a family, we are happy to have him ask us for things!  (At least right now!)

Tomorrow we will leave China and land on US soil.  Jacob will be a US citizen as soon as he steps foot off the plane at our connection in D.C.  Our road ahead promises to be rocky with surgeries, therapies, and a new home life for all of us to adapt to.  But it's like my sister always says when we hike, "Slow and steady climbs the mountain."  If we only focus on getting to the top, we will never get the meaning that God gives us in the journey.  Six years after starting our journey to Jacob, I know this is true.  Had I not learned, listened, worshiped, and loved, I would have sat right down on the valley floor and never seen what God had wanted to teach me.  He has given us so much meaning in this life and we are blessed to be able to share this with Jacob.  This is the best legacy we can give him. 

Our beautiful son!