6 months later...

It's hard to believe that 6 months ago we were in Zhengzhou, China meeting Kai for the very first time and welcoming him into our family. In some ways it feel like so long ago that we were walking into the registration building and seeing his sweet face.  In other ways it feels like the time has absolutely flown by so fast and has been a blur. Either way, we just can't imagine life without him in it. 

Here he was on October 20, 2014:

Six months, 8 pounds, and 2 surgeries later, here he is now:

To say these 6 months have been a whirlwind would be an understatement!  It's been a whirlwind of doctor appointments, hospitalizations, physical therapy, occupational therapy, surgery. It's been a whirlwind of learning how to walk in grass, learning English, playing in snow, riding a bike, making puzzles, jumping in puddles, exploring at the beach.  With all of these experiences, it's tough to articulate in words how much, and in what ways, he has changed. How we have changed. So, to be honest, I don't know, right now, that I'm even going to try! Instead, I just want to give you a glimpse into this charismatic and stubborn (good grief is he stubborn!) little fighter.

In his words, here are a few of his "favorites" (as of this morning, anyway!)...

Favorite color: um, red or purple
Favorite food: noodles, Cheerios with milk, cheese, and water. I like water. 
Favorite animal: Ellie and Oatmeal and Argyle (translation: our dog and Uncle Mike/Aunt Stef's cats)
Favorite song: Jesus Love Me - the part that Jesus loves me he who prays.
Favorite book: Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See? 
Favorite thing to do: go down the slide with Aunt Stef, play cats with Uncle Mike, ride my bike, go on the potty at Ms. Cheryl's house
What don't you like to do: get pokes and ladybugs. Ladybugs are scary.


We know that he will continue to grow and change, especially as we have some big "events" coming up...baptism in May and open heart surgery in June.  We should also find out more details about his "wish" through Make-a-Wish soon. Until then, here is a video of our journey these past 6 months: