I know it's been a while since I've last posted an update, but we've been just a teensy bit busy.
Lex has been home for 3 months now. We arrived in Atlanta on Oct 18th to see the one of the sweetest sights in the world...the American flag. I know we were only gone for 24 days, but coming up that escalator in the airport and seeing the flag almost brought me to tears. I have never appreciated my country, my freedom, my family, my friends so much. Every single blessing God has given me ran through my mind during that trip. I learned a lot about just how very much I take things for granted. Learn appreciation.....check!
The only thing better than seeing the flag was seeing my babies again. When we got to the top and Mayson, Micah, Colby, and Levi came running to meet us it was absolutely the most overwhelming moment I have ever experienced. It gave me a new perspective on our troops that stay gone for a year at a time. Mayson and Colby being the "live out loud" children that they are just ran immediately to us. My little obedient Micah stayed right behind the tape holding her sign until she was told she could join them, and Levi followed his sisters as usual. It was beautiful.
Our first week home with Lex was filled with lots of different emotions. We were so happy to be with our other children that part of me wanted to spend every minute with them....making up for the time I was away. At the same time, I knew I had to spend a great deal of time with Lex trying to get him adjusted to this crazy place that is our home. The kids loved him from the very beginning. They were so happy to see him at the airport and have doted on him every day since then. At first, he kept them at a distance. He wasn't quite sure what to make of all of these people that all of a sudden wanted to hug him and kiss him every second of the day. To see them now though is amazing. He gives them kisses, hugs them, and sits in their laps. He is beginning to share and play "with" them and not just "around" them. Beginning to share is a big deal. At first, he would never have willingly given anything to anyone, now he will at times hand a toy or a snack to Levi or one of the girls. I know it seems small, but it shows that he is learning that we can be trusted. We have truly become a family in just a short amount of time.
Adjusting to the time change was a little challenging for Lex. The first week he was awake every night from 1 to 4. Not lay on your shoulder and eat awake, but get up and run around and play with everything awake. I honestly didn't think I was going to survive, but exactly 1 week after coming home, he slept completely through the night and has ever since.
I guess if there's one plus to spending a year in an orphanage it's that you learn to sleep like a rock. Lex can go to sleep anywhere at anytime and will sleep through a hurricane. As long as he has his 2 middle fingers and a blanket...he's out! Eating is also NOT a problem. At 15 months, he weighs almost 28lbs and his height is off the charts. He has learned to sign about 5 words and can already speak about 8 words in English. In Russia he understood Russian completely, but seems to have lost that now. I do still say "thank you" and "bye-bye" to him in Russian, but if I play Russian for him on the computer he doesn't seem to recognize it anymore. Babies brains are so amazing!
Overall, he is going great. We still have a few behavior things to work on. He does everything any other 15 month old would do, he just does it to the millionth degree. He has no boundaries, NO fear (of anything or anyone), no real concern for the word "no", and on occasion will still bite, but he knows without a doubt that he has parents, sisters, and a brother. He does understand that we are a family...different from other people. It's hard to describe but I can see it in his behavior. I am learning who he is and what makes him tick. It is taking some time, but we are getting there. Keep praying for us, but God has already been so faithful. I know He will see us through.
