On Thursday this week Josiah will officially turn 5 years old. Where have the years gone? Just 4 1/2 short years ago we stepped off an airplane onto Korean soil. I remember the air had a very distinctive smell and the people were very helpful and friendly. I remember holding my baby for the first time and considering how much his Birth mother loved him, how sweet his little face was and how scared he seemed in these stranger's arms. I remember that he clung to his Foster Mother and wouldn't let her out of his sight. I remember travelling to the hospital where he was born and talking with the nurses that remembered him so well from the infant nursery.
Now that he has been with us for 5 years I think about how much he loves to snuggle with Mommy every morning after he wakes up, how he will give me a kiss anytime I ask and how he is still scared of new situations. He has grown so much. He is a really smart kid and reads to us every day. He is observant with everything around him and has a memory like no other.
On Saturday we had a birthday party for him at the YMCA. It was great since I didn't have to do anything. No preparation or cleanup and the kids that came seemed to have fun. Josiah was allowed to invite 8 friends, his sister and cousin. The party had a pirate theme. The kids got to dig for treasure, bomb a ship and play musical dots. We had ice cream cake from Dairy Queen and then they got to play in the adventure center. I think the maze in the adventure center was the most fun of all.
After the party we went to dinner with Grandma and Grandpa and then home just in time for bed. Greg and I agree that paying for someone else to do the party was well worth it. Josiah got to stay up a little later that evening so that he could play with his many new toys. Thanks everyone for coming and helping us celebrate with Josiah.
I will post pictures later.
On the picture of the
Her right thumb is stuck in this position. She is unable to straighten it and it is becoming increasingly difficult for me to use therapy techniques to get it straight either.
Last week my friend Amy gave us a toddler bed for Naomi. Greg had decided that we should wait to put her in it until she gets rid of her pacifier and then make a big deal of it. Naomi has been asking to sleep in a big bed for at least a month now, so when she saw the bed she thought we should put it in her room right away and let her take a nap in it. About a week went by and Greg all of a sudden decided it was time. He didn't care that she still has the pacie, but thought she would like the bed. On Sunday afternoon we took her crib apart and put the toddler bed in her room. She slept in it Sunday night for the first time. She loves her new bed.
It is a princess bed and that makes it even better. Naomi calls all the princesses Tinkerbell. It is fun to watch her climb into bed and be so proud of herself. So far she has not figured out that she can get out on her own during the night or when she wakes up. So now she is not only potty trained, but she also sleeps in a big girl bed. When did she grow up so fast from being my little baby girl?
Josiah started Tae Kwon Do today. He is in class with his friend Matthew. They both had a good time. some of the kids in his class have already tested for there yellow belt so they are able to spar. After class Josiah came out and said, "when those other kids came in with their sparring gear on they looked like giants, when can I do that?" He will be able to spar way sooner than I think I am ready. I am told that before the end of this session of classes (10 weeks) he will be able to test out for his yellow belt and along with that comes more gear and sparring - I can't wait.
Josiah had his first day in kindergarten yesterday. He seemed to have a good day, but he didn't talk very much about it. He left bright and early at 7:15 am with Daddy. I enjoyed driving to school with Daddy and said that they had a good time talking and listening to Rock and Roll. Because his school is close to Greg's office he goes early and spends an hour in the YMCA's child enrichment program (daycare). He gets to eat breakfast at school and play and be rowdy before having to go his classroom.
