Truth

Here is a post adoption truth. I want to keep it real without scaring anyone away from wanting to adopt. Some things aren't going to be easy though. Here is what life has been like these first few days:

It's like having a baby around. You know when they first learn to crawl, and they are exploring. They are too young to really understand the dangers but they are everywhere all the time. They are across the room and into something at the blink of an eye, and nothing you say can distract them because they just don't understand. That's Patrick, only able to walk and run at full speed. Same mind set though, same goal. He wants to explore and learn, he just doens't know how to do that safely, and it's scary.

He doesn't understand and know not to touch, not to take his clothes off, not to do certain things that our homegrown children learn just from watching us. Some things I never had to teach my kids, they just learned by example. Patrick has never had an example to learn from. It is hard to discipline or correct him, he just laughs. He doesn't even understand simple discipline. I've had to stop cooking in the apartment, because it just isn't safe. The stove top here is very low and he can reach the back burner, and he wants to touch it when there is a pot there. No matter how many times I say no, no matter how harshly I say it, no matter how many times I try and redirect...he only wants the hot pot on the stove. So, we eat out. He actually does amazing eating out (thank God for that!).

But, it's hard. Truthfully, it's very hard. It's physically and emotionally draining to keep up with Patrick. Is it worth it, YES! Would I do it again tomorrow if I knew it would be this hard, YES! Sad, YES! But, I love him, and he is worth this little bit of hardship for me. To know that he will never see the inside of an institution and to know that he will go to sleep every night knowing he has a mommy and a daddy who forever will love him, it's worth it. I wouldn't change a thing about our decision to bring him into our family.

So, that's my truth for the day, and now, this tired momma is going to join my sleeping angel and go to sleep!