A Brother or Sister

Jake may have a brother or sister sometime in 2011. On Thursday our social worker came to our house as part of our update for the China process. We completed our original China dossier in April of 2007, and now updates are needed to proceed. The wait continues to stretch out and they predict at least 2-3 years more for the traditional program (healthy children under 3). Meanwhile there are many children waiting with special needs. These children may be adopted sooner because they are outside of the traditional program. Well, we have made the huge decision to open our lives up to a special needs child. A child with minor, correctable health issues will be matched to us soon after we complete this round of updates. Then, it takes 3-5 months until they clear us to travel over and pick him/her up.

Jake's new sibling will likely be a boy. They agency says that there are many more boys with special needs waiting for families. We are excited about this next step in growing our family

Official in the US

On September 9th we completed Jake's adoption in the United States. It was an emotional day, full of ceremony and Jake's charm. Both Jim and I had to take the stand and swear that we would parent Jacob as if he were a child born to us. Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought of how much we both love him. We had to state his full legal name; Jacob Melkamu Tamene Dwight. Now he is a full United States citizen.

Empathy

My big kitty Lyle died on Labor Day Monday and I was able to witness Jake's compassion. He watched me carefully as I cared for Lyle over the long weekend. He asked a lot of questions. Why did Lyle go to the doctors? Would he be ok? I shared honestly with him. When Lyle finally died, Jake felt my pain. He touched my tears and cried himself. He kept hugging me and staying close by. As I comforted him, I felt my own sadness fade. Lyle was well loved and loved in return. RIP, Big Guy!

Starting School

Jake started school this week. He loves it already and asks every day if he is going to see friends at school. Unfortunately, he went for one day and now has 5 days off until he goes again. It was interesting that he did not sleep well after going. What I find with him is that he puts his best foot forward and rarely shows apprehension or fear. But, at night he shows some of his fears. All I can imagine is that the school might have reminded him of his stay in the orphanage. As time goes on and he realizes that we will always be there to pick him up, he will likely settle in and sleep more soundly.