It was nearly two weeks ago that we celebrated ONE YEAR HOME with Sam! This post has been partially written since then, but due to brain exhaustion, I just have not been able to finish it. There are some days when I can barely string two sensible words together at the end of the day, and it seems like every day of the past two weeks has been like that. Those are the nights that I don't trust myself to talk, much less blog, because I don't know what will come out....a bunch of jibberish that makes sense only to my exhausted brain???
So, where are we today as we sit and look back the year it's been? We are so far from that first day!
*I've never shied away from how hard those first few days were--how the grief and trauma was raw and hard to bear. Now, one year later, we are free of all overt signs of grief and trauma! Our Heavenly Father has healed Sam's heart and bonded us together in a way that only He can.
*Does he speak English? How's his English? Those are two of the most common questions that we've heard since we brought him home. He picked up English very quickly; it's true that kids are like sponges! One year later, he's using too many words to count and repeating everything he hears. (I remember those early days when I would try and try to get him to repeat one word...now he's repeating whole sentences!) We are working on getting all the sounds to work out because some are still a little wonky.
*Feeling right at home---those first few days home found Sam exploring this new environment he'd been dropped into. Slowly, he became more comfortable, but he would still want to be in whatever room we were in. If I was in the kitchen, he would have to be in the kitchen. Now, one year, it is so apparent that Sam feels right at home here. He is comfortable playing in his room while I am doing dishes and does this from time to time. Just because he's comfortable doing this doesn't mean that he does ;). He prefers to be wherever we are though, even if it's the bathroom! The difference is that he's moved from having to be to preferring. Big difference.
*When the fur flies.....Sam has three 4-legged playmates, and for the most part, he plays well with them. But...there are days when he grabs onto the cat's tail and it takes a crowbar to get his hand loose! When we first came home, it took Sam some time to get used to his furry family members, especially the canine who weighs more than he does. One year later, Sam cries if we don't bring his 100 lb dog in for the night. (They get along so well because they having matching fur ;).
*Anxiety sometimes creeps in---the overt signs of grief and trauma are gone, but there are times when Sam becomes anxious and upset over a new situation or when there are a lot of people around, and he isn't sure what's going on. During these times, he gets a little clingy and wants to make sure he knows where we are. Some kids are this way by nature, and maybe that's part of it for Sam. But, it's also is a lasting effect of what he's been through. To help this, we try and prepare Sam for what's coming next or who we'll see when we'll go to a certain place. Cuddles and love from us help him the most though :).
*One year later, the amount of grace that God has shown us leaves me amazed at His goodness. May I never lose the wonder of all He's done to bring us to this point. To God be the glory!
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