Half his life...

So today marks the time when Boo has been home with us longer than he was half a world away.  He spent his first 13 1/2 months in Korea and we are now hitting just over 13 1/2 months home as a family of three.  It seems crazy that, when we started the whole adoption process, our friends hit this mark when their son was about 18 months old, and new friends who started the process since we brought Boo home are going to hit that mark when their child is about 3+ years old!  (meaning that it looks like the kids are now going to be coming home around 20 months)  I was telling the Hubs recently that, knowing how impatient he is (of course, I can be also!), I don't think we would have had the will to start the adoption process now, knowing how long the wait can be.  I know I complained and cried and got ticked off during our process because it seemed so slow and I knew that we were, obviously, the only ones stuck in that mess (yes, that is how my brain works when I'm stressed), but I can only imagine how those who are going through it now are feeling.  Honestly, it is not somewhere I would wish to be right now.  I admire the strength that they have going forward in their journey and just want to let them all know that, regardless of when your little one shows up in your life, that will be the perfect time for it to happen...and it is all definitely worth it when you hold him/her for the first time.

And back to having our little one home for over half his life...can I just say, a-ma-zing!  So, to honor the 27 months of his life, here are 27 things that we have learned about and love about our son:

1.    the boy absolutely adores choo-choo trains

2.    he also loves trucks and buses

3.    oh, and anything with buttons or wheels

4.    he loves to give "ugs" (hugs)

5.    when someone gets an "ow-ie," he is right there to comfort you with a kiss

6.    he makes up his own "ow-ie's" so that he gets kisses too

7.    he still loves his binky at bedtime

8.    he is a great traveler

9.    he is a daddy's boy

10.  he is a mommy's boy

11.  he likes to chase his "Yexi" (Lexi) around the house (poor puppy)

12.  he is stubborn, stubborn, stubborn

13.  he hates getting shampoo rinsed out of his hair

14.  did I mention he loves his binky??

15.  he can drink from a big boy cup without spilling, most of the time

16.  he loves ice cream (definitely our son!)

17.  he asks for his vitamin in the morning (seriously, what child likes vitamins?!?!)

18.  I swear he thinks our older dog's name is NoJinx, since that's what he says to her all the time!

19.  he loves to dance to music

20.  he likes to get in the driver's seat and pretend that he's driving Daddy's truck

21.  he loves to be outside, regardless of the weather

22.  he loves to eat with a fork, just like Mommy and Daddy

23.  he can count to 20

24.  he can sing his ABCs (although not too clearly, but I know that's what he's singing!)

25.  he loves to be read to before bedtime, especially "Pajamatime!"

26.  he can tell us when his diaper is dirty (potty training, here we come, uh, sometime this year, maybe)

27.  he loves to streak naked after his bath

...and one more for the next month he's with us...

28.  he loves M&M's (which are being used during the above-mentioned potty training)!!

There are soooo many other things we have learned about him, things that make him him.  If we had had to come up with a list of qualities for the perfect child for us, we could not have come even close to the perfection that makes up our little boy.  Everything about him is the right fit for the three of us and changing even one thing would change who he is.  We have been honored and blessed with the gift of getting to know our son over the past 13 1/2 months and we cannot wait to enjoy the rest of his life and watch him blossom and grow.

We love you, Boo, forever and ever and always.