So I guess I should start by telling you that math was never my favorite subject in school nor is it yours but I really do have a rationale explanation to this equation.
For all intensive purposes, with a little rounding, you were six the year I adopted you. You had spent almost all of the first six years of your life in the less the desirable conditions. And now, you have spent the last two years in my arms. So technically, yes, you turned a whopping 8 years old yesterday! I started to think that I could not believe you were eight and where has time gone....
Well, the truth is, in my eyes and in your own eyes you are not 8. Today, you are more of a happy go lucky three year old always looking for your next adventure and constantly finding new trouble to get into. As I have told you before, when you first arrived home even though you were almost six years old you really had the skills of a 10-11 month old baby. I had no idea what I was getting myself into and all the twists and turns our life would take. Today though, watching you bounce around me, your developmental age is more of a three year old and you are aging everyday.
So, in my world, in our world together, 6 years of life before you became my forever child plus two years of life with me equals an amazing three year old little boy! Which, lets be honest, means you are ahead of schedule developmentally!!! Since your life did not start until two years ago and the first time you experienced the world around you was just two years ago I am beyond pleased that you are overall on track with a typically developing three year old.
Now don't get me wrong baby you do have some skills that are well beyond those of your three year old peers and other skills that might be slightly lacking but what is most important is the little man I see today. You have a face of innocence but yet a look in your eyes well beyond your years. With everyone that works with you, you end up teaching them more about themselves and about the world they once thought they understood then they end up teaching you. What is amazing though is that you do this all without talking.
Some people may ask me how I know you have a sense of humor, how I know you are happy, or how I know that you are taking in the world everyday that you wake up and get out of bed. Simply put, once you see the look in your eyes how could someone not see all these things. You have discovered that it is hilarious to make animal noises at the most inappropriate times. That if you watch those around you long enough you can start to play games on them and just smile and walk away once you get their attention. That you pick people out of crowd who just need a smile to make their day.
The world has accepted you for who you are. People around us cannot help but smile when you bounce into a room and break it down with your beat boxing (against my better judgement), and more importantly people have started to see the spark right before you act upon a very thought-out high level of manipulation.
You have a giggle that echos and a smile that even you are in love with. You cannot get enough of watching yourself in mirrors and obtaining the attention of those around you. Your pretend play has exploded and your new best friend... yup, thats right, its Elmo!
Today I could not be more proud of the young man you becoming. Even though you fight the world on so many levels you have accepted and grown on so many others. I cannot wait to see what this year holds for us and how old you will be next year on your birthday.
Keep on Truckin
Love
Mom
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