Damien this month is 36 ½ “ tall , and weighed in at an even 35lbs. He continues to be in good health, with the usual energetic and active interest in everything around him. He continues his good track record with potty training, with a 99% success rate. His communication skills have also continued to grow, and we are very happy whenever he asks a full question or says “Please” and “Thank You” and “you’re welcome” without any prompting from us. He’s a very smart and polite little boy! He know most of his alphabet and recites them easily. He also sings songs that he learns at daycare, which he also continues to enjoy. He is very happy and comfortable around daycare and is quite at ease with the routine of going to and coming from daycare.
Nick this month measured 30 ½” and weighed 20lbs3 ½ oz. He is also in good health, with the usual expected stuffy noses and whatnot. He’s a great eater. He’s starting to transition from formula to mostly milk in his bottle, which he mainly only gets at bedtime at night and wakeup in the morning. The rest of the time, he pretty much eats whatever you put down in front of him, provided he’s able to grab it with his little fingers. His absolute favorite food of all time is carrots, followed closely by the old standby, Cheerios.
Both of the boys show good social skills, with each other and with everyone they come in contact with. They both will be very friendly after they are comfortable with the surroundings, which doesn’t take long at all. Example: visiting at Nana and Grandad’s with cousins from out-of-town, they behave and react and interact quite normally, and still respond to us as parental figures.
Both boys exhibit great affection for each other and for us. They play nicely together, though Damien sometimes needs to be reminded that Nicky is smaller and needs a chance on the big toys too. They also play nicely separately, demonstrating their own independence and interests. The most fun of all, though, is when Daddy and the boys are upstairs in the playroom, pretending to wrestle, Hide and Seek, and making as much noise as possible. At those times when Damien and Daddy are rough-housing, Nick does everything he can to jump in the middle. It’s big fun for the three boys on the big open carpeted floor!
This month was special for another reason. On Monday, we drove to Bethany offices to meet with Amanda and David, the birthparents. We weren’t sure what to expect, but were delighted with the outcome.
After moving into our new house, we put up pictures of both A&D in each of the boys rooms. We always took time to explain to Damien who the pictures were of. The day before the visit (almost exactly 6 months to the day from the day we brought them home) Laurie explained to Damien that we were going to visit Amanda and David. The boys knew it was a special trip because we got in the car to go for a drive. When we arrived Amanda and David were waiting for us, and Damien was able to name them from memory! (Studying the night before with Mommy really helps)
Both Amanda and David were excited and happy to see the boys, and the visit was a very pleasant time, lasting a full two hours. There was none of the tension that we had secretly feared. Instead, we played on the floor, laughed, and shared stories, all four of us enjoying the boys and marking the significant milestone in all of our lives.
Santa came early! Amanda and David had brought many Christmas presents for the boys and they had a great time opening each one up and then examining the empty boxes carefully.
Laurie and I are so impressed with Amanda, with her maturity and inner strength. It couldn’t have been easy for her to see the boys again, and say goodbye again. David as well, seemed very touched by how the boys have grown and appear to be doing quite well. We all hugged each other at the end, and in my mind we all felt the unspoken, that as Laurie said this was not “goodbye” but rather “See you later”, voicing our fervent desire and hope that this relationship will grow for a lifetime. As she hugged me, Amanda said, “Thank You..” and it occurred to me only as we were driving away that it is we that should be thanking her, for the greatest Christmas present we could’ve hoped for. She has given to us the most precious gift, the love of a mother and a father for their child, and so has God also demonstrated His divine Love for us, his children.
“For unto us a Child is born, unto a Son is given… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…”
