Six Weeks Home

Six weeks ago today, we arrived home as a family of four. In some ways I can't believe how quickly the time went, and in other ways it feels like forever. It's remarkable how far we've all come in that time, most of all Eli. He is a completely different child than he was when he first joined our family. We are seeing all sorts of smiles and laughs, interactions with us, lots of love for our dog, and a spark in his eyes that wasn't there before. He is a funny little guy and tries to make all of us, especially Joel, laugh. He'll make faces, or blow raspberries, or fall down on the ground on purpose, or play peek-a-boo. We're also seeing very positive language signs. In fact, he said Mama, and we are pretty certain he meant it. He walked up to me with his arms held out and said it. He also said Dada when Travis got home the other day. If those words were meaningful and not just babble, that is pretty amazing! He also repeats a lot of sounds, babbles, and is starting to understand many English words. All in all, he's doing great! Not to say that there aren't still challenges (sleep being one of them), but the positives far outweighs the negatives at this point.

I took some photos of Eli at the park to send out as an announcement. Some of them turned out really cute!

Here are some other recent photos.

We're thankful for what he has brought to our family so far and look forward to many more memories as a family of four.

Hanging Out

For the last four weeks, we've been trying to "cocoon" Eli. We want him to acclimate to life here, adjust to his new surroundings, and attach to his new family. He's doing really well and showing lots of good attachment signs, so we are slowly introducing him to friends, family, and church. We still don't want to overwhelm yet, so we're doing lots of just hanging out. The boys are getting better about playing without too much upset, but there is still plenty of fighting, wrestling, biting, and hitting. :) I think this is normal with boys, though, right??

Even though the weather has been chilly, we try to get outside every day, either in the back yard or the park. The park is usually deserted, which is a plus. Eli loves to climb and tries to keep up with Joel, which usually results in lots of falls and owies.

 Lots of time is spent inside playing, playing, and playing. Oh, and fighting. Did I mention that? Eli also loves cars and trains, so they are usually both zooming vehicles up and down the coffee table.

Life with two boys is very exhausting, but fun too! They are keeping us on our toes and making life interesting. :)

Four!

Today our sweet boy turned four years old! We decided to forgo a large party this year and celebrated with the four of us. Joel enjoyed lots of his favorite things today: cinnamon rolls, time at Nana and Papa's, a trip to his favorite family fun place, ice cream, and a few presents.

Every day with Joel is a gift from God, and we love celebrating these special days with him! Happy 4th birthday, Joel Allen Hwan! We love you more than words can say.