6 month as a family

Today marks the 6 month period of meeting Belay and becoming a forever family. In 6 months he has gained probably close to 4 pounds(I'm not entirely sure) and maybe 3 or 4 inches in height. He went from being a baby whom we cradled while feeding him a bottle, to a running, eating everything, has all my teeth kid, within weeks of being home.  He has been home with us longer than he was in the orphanage and in 2 months we will have had him home as long as his "Africa Mom" (as we call her in our house) had him. Tomorrow is our 6 month post placement home visit and November is Nation adoption month! Its another big month in our home.

Belay Andrew, you have changed the lives of 3 people. No, you've changed the lives of 17 and counting people (all you cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and the list goes on and on and on). We all love you so much.  We have all been opened to a new world of what adoption means, of the beauty of Africa and Ethiopia and Addis Ababa.  Although, when I look at you all I see is my son, my little boy who was always supposed to be my family.  Your exotic brown almond eyes and those gleaming white teeth don't strike me as exotic anymore. I forget that you and I don't share the same DNA and when I see pictures of you and your sister together I forget that all families don't look like ours. Belay, our little number one, our first, our boy above all others, we love you.