Noah has a complicated “family” day or Noahversary as we like to call it.  Hubs and I arrived in Ethiopia on August 20, 2006.  We met and held Noah for the first time on August 21st–for a total of about an hour.  He was then taken back to the hospital, where he stayed until August 23rd when we demanded to keep him with us.  So, we celebrate Noahversary on Aug 23, although it always seems a  little off but the 21st just doesn’t work, because he wasn’t ours yet–legally he was, but we weren’t caring for him. We keep the celebration of this day pretty simple. We talk about meeting for the first time, we look at pictures and talk about love and family.  I want it to be a sober day that reflects on how families are created and what family means to us.

I can’t believe how fast these four years have gone by.  My baby, who was so frail and sick, is now a whirlwind of energy, love, emotion, curiosity and did I say emotion?  He is amazing and wonderful.  He is insightful and thoughtful.  I can’t imagine life without him–let’s be honest I’m almost too old to remember what life was before him.  He is completely our son and so clearly the off spring of two amazing Ethiopian souls–I hope they can feel in their hearts that he is amazing and loved.

Being a parent is so much more than I ever realized–mostly much harder than I realized it, but I wouldn’t change our family for the world.  Love you Noah.

Aug 2006, Aug 2007, Aug 2008, Aug 2009, Aug 2010–how he has grown.