What a difference a year makes

As I sit writing this Friday night to post on Saturday morning I'm thinking about where my family was this time last year. Erich and I were in a hotel room in Russia, jet-lagged from recent travel halfway round the world and nervously awaiting our upcoming court session the next day to finalize Josh's adoption. Josh was asleep in an orphanage twenty minutes away with the only kids and caregivers he'd ever known, completely unaware of what was about to happen.

And this year, I sit in my family room which used to be neat and clean but is now covered in toys and the assorted debris left in the wake of my toddler. Cars is on the TV and Josh is leaning over the arm of my chair to look at the laptop screen. "Hey Momma, I see, I see! Wah-wah!" he says and points himself out in the pictures below. Now that he has the tubes he can actually say "Josh" but he still refers to himself as "Wah-wah" if asked his name. He's grown so much both in size and his abilities, it's hard to believe he's the same kid. Just look at him then...



And now...




Sometimes I forget how much he's grown until I look at those photos from last May. My baby is turning into such a big boy- he speaks in sentences, eats such a wide variety of food now (remember back when it was rice cereal and animal crackers only?), is half potty trained, loves anything with wheels and Mickey Mouse. I can't imagine what we did without him. What a difference a year makes.