Bringing Home Bryant: 3 Years Home

Wow. Another year home with my precious son. It seems like so long ago we stepped off the plane and greeted our family and friends with our new baby boy in our arms. Three years has flown by and so much life has happened in that time. The tiny, scared 13 month old is now a super loving and smart 4 year old. He is a beautiful child of God as are my three daughters. On this day as I reflect on his past, I am so proud of him and how far he has come. He amazes us daily with his overall capabilities, sense of humor and his compassion for others. Still need to work on a little bit of that 4 year old boy behavior!

I never truly think about where he was three years ago compared to where he is now until days like today when the images of Moscow, the orphanage, his frail little body with that unforgettable grin come flashing through my mind like a movie. It is then I realize that his development both socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually is astounding. Our family has very high expectations when it comes to independence and the ability to keep up with the pace of our household. We live a crazy fast paced life and are always going somewhere or doing something. I assume most big families are the same. Keeping that in mind, we along with the girls have always assumed that Bryant can do anything he puts his mind to. Generally we have been right and he rises to the challenge of doing it "by myself." If he can't meet the challenge, the girls will make sure he learns it quickly or else he will suffer the consequence of having to listen to them nag him about it. He usually steps up and figures it out. I would too if I were him.

Recently he has learned to button his shirts, put on his coat, zip, snap etc. and he is super proud of himself. He gets himself ready for school just like the older kids. He thinks he is so big. He goes to school 5 days a week and stays for lunch bunch. His school is awesome and they have really helped his attention span and behavior. Doesn't hurt that there are 10 little girls and only 4 boys in his class. The girls again make him walk a straight line. Poor guy never gets a break from the women. He has learned to write his name, knows all his letters and sounds and can do some simple addition and subtraction. He recently told us the story of the Mayflower, pilgrims and Indians at Thanksgiving. Pretty impressive. He is doing better with his eating but progress is slow. He has gotten bigger. He is around 30 lbs and a little over 37 inches. He is between the 2nd and 3rd percentile in growth. My pediatrician says he is doing great, growing on his curve and don't stress about it. Easier said than done but I am worrying a lot less than I used to about his size and eating. We still have some battles and issues over eating but overall much better than a year ago.

This past April, we were so fortunate to have a reunion trip with Bryant's orphanage buddy Maks and his awesome parents. Maks' mother Jen and I became fast friends the minute we met in Moscow. She is my dear friend and my personal psychologist when it comes to Russian boys who don't eat. Ha ha. So when I heard they were flying south, we packed up the SUV and met them for what turned out to be one of the most memorable weekends of my life. Bryant and Maks were together again but this time on U.S. soil and at the beach of all places. The boys had a ball and are seriously just alike. It is almost scary. We really think they may be related somehow. The Russian twins. The girls are in love with Maks and wanted to bring him home. They were upset when we had to leave. We all wish they lived closer. It might be dangerous though, Jen and I could talk for hours and hours especially if there is wine involved. We may never get anything done. Hoping we can make our reunion trip an annual one. We are so blessed to have such awesome friends and a special connection with our boys. Happy home forever day to Maks too!

It was a fun Summer. We took the kids on a two week trip to Disney over Jeff's 40th birthday. Lots of much needed family fun. This Fall all four kids played sports with SK and Macie playing competitive travel sports and Jeff coaching Amelia's soccer team. It was insane. We had multiple soccer games every weekend. Bryant started playing soccer and he was so fired up to wear his cleats. He even slept in them. He scored the first goal of the season and after that he became a lover boy and followed his girlfriend Avery around looking for hugs. Yesterday Avery came home from preschool for a play date and she said "Bryant I am your girlfriend." He said " I am gonna treat you like a princess." I died laughing. Then she locked him in the laundry room closet. He couldn't understand what happened. I told him don't even try to analyze it.Lol He does have some smooth moves though. He is learning some invaluable relationship skills from his sisters so he will make a great husband one day.

I have fallen off my blogging duties not only because I am so busy but because I really never think about Bryant and his adoption story much anymore. He is just one of my 4 children that I love. Him being adopted really isn't what defines him in my mind. What defines him is his determination, energetic personality, amazing compassion, and of course the unforgettable smile. He is my child not my adopted child. I sometimes feel that blogging about him singles him out to a degree. I really try hard as a mother to give all of my children equal love and nurturing. By saying this out loud, I realize how far our family dynamic has come in 3 years. Adopting Bryant has been the hardest yet most fulfilling thing I have ever done. The night we came home 3 years ago I never knew how hard the journey would be. Much harder than starting out from day one like the girls. It has not been easy but not many important things in life are. Adopting Bryant has taught me a lot about myself and has strengthened my relationship and trust in God. I have not been the perfect mother and have made lots of mistakes. I have learned to move on and that prayers work more than worrying. I know that God gave me Bryant as a precious gift. He knew I was meant to be his mother. He entrusted me to care for him. He didn't promise it would be easy but he did promise to stand by me at all times. God has given me the strength I needed the past three years to love and nurture my family. I thank him everyday for all of my blessings including the cute little one from Russia. Love you sweet monkey! Mommy

3 years ago tonight