Happy Adoption Day, Christopher!

Eight years ago today, a judge made legal what David and I already felt in our hearts...the little boy we brought home from the hospital four months earlier was indeed our son!  I remember that day like it was yesterday...the drive back up to where our son had been born, sitting in the courthouse waiting our turn, even the warning the judge gave us before signing the paperwork!  He said, "You know, he's really cute right now...but there will come a day when he's not so cute and cuddly.  There will come a day when he will test you.  You can't bring him back when he's a teenager...if I sign this paper, he's yours forever!"  He was right on three things...he's really cute, he has tested us (on many occasions), and he's ours forever!!!  Not once in the eight years that I've had the pleasure of being his mommy have I wanted to take him back.  I fact, we are hoping that when it is time for Jayden's adoption finalization hearing, we'll be able to have the same judge so we can tell him that not only do we not want to bring Christopher back, we came back for another just like him!  :)

We are so blessed to have such a sweet, loving little boy!  As his Aunt Betsy said last night, he is wise beyond his years.  That has become even more evident since welcoming his little brother into our home!  Christopher absolutely LOVES his new role as big brother!  He's always thinking of Jayden and wants to make sure he is included as much as possible.  Every morning when Christopher wakes up, he seeks out Jayden and loves on him before doing anything else.  When we are at the table eating and Jayden (who has already eaten) is in his bouncy seat, Christopher says that Jayden is lonely and brings him close to the table
(right next to his own seat, I might add).

Since we first found out about Jayden, people have asked Christopher if he was going to help out with his baby brother...and Christopher would agree to anything EXCEPT changing the diaper...that's where he drew the line! Saturday night, a friend of our family had asked him the same question he's gotten so many times about changing diapers...and his response was, "NEVER!"  But, for whatever reason, he changed his mind yesterday and actually changed Jayden's diaper...and it wasn't just a wet one, either!  We have the video to prove it!  Daddy did have to help with the wiping part, but Big Brother Christopher did the rest!  I'm so proud of him!

I know it's been awhile since we've done a blog update (3+ weeks, to be exact)...but I've been a little busy (and sleep-deprived) since we got home from the hospital!  ;)  I'll do an update on Jayden soon...but in the meantime, I'll post some pictures of the brothers together!

The picture above was the first time Christopher got to meet Jayden.  On the way over to the hospital, he asked David, "I'm going to get to see my brother in REAL LIFE...not just pictures and videos?!?"  Yesterday, he made the comment that he had to wait a WHOLE DAY to meet Jayden!  He had been so good about waiting patiently at the hotel and hanging out with Daddy while I was at the hospital...but these two statements make it obvious he was as anxious as everyone else to meet his little brother!  :)

We had given Christopher his own camera as a Big Brother gift and he quickly put it to use when he met Jayden for the first time!  :)

The above picture is what Christopher often does first when he wakes up...he finds his little brother and talks lovingly to him for quite some time before moving on to other activities.  And the following pictures are just some great pictures of Christopher with his little brother!  Christopher loves Jayden so much, he's always asking me to take pictures of the two of them together...and of course, I'm happy to oblige!  ;)

If you are on Facebook, you likely have seen some of these pictures already.  But, I felt the were worth repeating!  :)  As much fun as it is to have a new baby in the house...it's every bit as much fun to know that for the last 8 years, 4 months, and 3 days, I've had the joy and the privilege of being Christopher's mommy!  He amazes me every day with his sweet spirit, his creativity, his tender compassionate heart, his enthusiasm, his stamina, his everything!  And because of that, I can't end this post without a special thanks to his birth mom...because without her, none of this would have been possible!  Because she made a decision to carry not one, but two little boys to full term and chose us to adopt both of them, I am one blessed woman today!

Happy Adoption Day, Christopher!  I love you with all my heart!!!!