Celebrating 30 and 4

October 6 was a special day around our household, if I do say so myself. It was my 30th birthday! Paul let me sleep in and took Kenyon Belachew for the morning. They came home with flowers and sang "Happy Birthday" to me. Throughout the day, Kenyon would look at me and say, "Happy birthday to youuuuuuu, mama!" Paul treated me to some of my favorite foods for lunch and dinner. My parents sent me some beautiful flowers, and I got several nice notes and emails from friends and family.

October 5 was also our 4 month anniversary of being home with our little guy. We had some rough days in the past month. Kenyon was in a few different care centers before joining our family, the longest place he stayed was 3 months. As he approached being with us longer than he had been at the care center, I think it brought out some anxiety about his future and sadness about his past. Most people comment on how happy and sweet he is, but at home more of his true emotions come out. Without going into too much detail, he had some days of really testing boundaries with us and trying to make sure we would still be around for him. I know testing of boundaries is typical of all toddlers, but this was different. We tried to be sensitive to his past and reassure him of our love with patience and consistency. In the past couple weeks, I have seen some tremendous growth in him. He is more secure and confident. He gives us more hugs and kisses, and wants to cuddle more. While I don't like being woken up in the middle of the night (as he has been doing recently for cuddling), he can crawl in my arms for hugs anytime. I think we still have a ways to go for him to feel fully secure and bonded with us, but I am celebrating each small step.

In four months that Kenyon has been home with us, he has brought so much joy and happiness into our lives. I am thankful for the gift of his life and for the privilege of being his mother.