Update!

We were so excited yesterday to receive an update on our little guy. We get these about once a month from our agency, and they always provide a little bit of comfort coupled with an urgency to get to him. This is what the text from this month's update said:

“N**** can walk! He took a few steps on his own while I was watching him, before falling into the arms of his caregiver. He's not a marathon runner, but it's a start. His confidence is very high, though he doesn't like being left alone on the floor for too long. With so much unknown, he seems much more comfortable in his bed, where he knows the surroundings, but rest assured that we make him get his exercise! His voice is coming along as well, and in addition to Mama and Dada, he can say "come" ("nay" in Amharic). He looks great, and seems to be really loving his environment. He has a huge room with only two other room-mates, so they have plenty of space to run around, that is when they start running!

Needless to say, we're excited to see that he's continuing to develop normally, though we are sad that we missed his first steps. I have to remind myself that there will be many steps that we'll be beside him, and that God's timing is perfect.

The biggest shocker was certainly the photo. They shaved his head. I don't mean they cut his hair, I mean they SHAVED his head. Slick bald, shiny, shaved! The kids and Ryan were so upset. I have to admit, I was a little taken aback, but I kept reassuring everyone that it would grow back and telling them to look at his cute cheeks instead. The kids were downright angry, but when I explained all the reasons why they might have decided to shave his head and I showed them our previous progression of photos and how quickly his hair had grown in each of those, they calmed down. They have decided that he will NEVER have his head shaved while in our care!

I wish I could share my photo of our HEALTHY (read chunky) boy here, but I suppose we'll just have to wait 8 more days for that, won't we? Have a great day!