A day in the life....

Once again, I find myself quite busy and not able to post as often as I would like.  I will leave you with some tidbits into our life.  Recently, I have commented that Toby is my little mystery man.  He is a mystery still to us in many ways and the world is a mystery to him. We are navigating this journey together.  Lots of joyous moments with some trauma and grief in the mix.

Yes, Toby has transitioned very fast from Oberson to Toby.  He responds and refers to himself as Toby.  I do find that when I really need his attention I call out Oberson.  He always responds but always refers to himself asa Toby.

Like every family that has a new child there are adjustments and joyous times.  I don't have a camera around during the 'adjustments' but want to make sure you understand life isnt always pretty.  We have tears and hurt feeling sometimes but mostly we are enjoying playing and getting to know each other.


During Travis's soccer game.

During Ashley's soccer game.

We did not go into this blindly but there are two areas where we are working through as a family.  First, I never realized how big of a deal 'ownership' would be for Toby.  Never having things of his own, he is constantly questioning who everything belongs to.  "For me?" is a very common question followed by the names of every other family member.  That some things belong to mulitple people seems crazy (such as our table or chairs).  Switching barstools is a crazy concept to a child used to everything being a routine.  Makes total sense but hard to watch him as he learns to process it all.

We expected there to be food issues but not like we are experiencing. I expected him to have distinct likes and dislikes as well as being uncomfortable with various textures.  He has totally surprised us by being open to all kinds of foods with very little being refused.  What he has trouble with is seeing food being preparend and eating until gone.  Life in his orpahange means when you sit down the food is either there or brought in right away.  He has never been in a kitchen to prepare food.  The wait is very hard to understand.  Equally difficult is only eating a little bit. For instance...if he sees me get a bag of pretzels or grapes for a snack then he expects us to finish that bag.  Eating only a little bit is hard to understand.  Now, let's be real....I can hear you now....just get a little out and don't let him see the whole bag...duh?  Yep.  That's great advice! I assume you have never had a child who follows you around or watches every move...out of the fact that they are a nosy toddler or maybe one still unsure of everything?  What sounds so easy is not always the case.  I will say we have been blessed with meals being delivered from our Sunday School class.  It has been a big blessing! Especially with 'preparation' issues.

All this to say.....Toby is a trooper!  He is the bravest little guy I know and has thrown himself into every opportunity.

What is to come......for Toby that is a birthday!  Yes, Toby will be 4 years old this Friday, October 21st!  Party!