This is a story about a little boy who was abandoned as an infant and wasn't given much hope for survival. The thing that touches me the most about this is how the boy behaves, when, only being with his new family for a day, he thinks they are bringing him back to the orphanage. It really shows that even though these kids are loved by the nannies etc and are well taken care of they still have that desire and need for being in a family. Even though he knew the children and the nannies better he desperately didn't want to be separated from the people that had been loving on him for the last 24 hours.

One year ago today, I finally had my sweet boy in my arms for the first time.

We were in Ethiopia with friends and my Dad. We got up early, had breakfast at our hotel, and then waited out front for our ride to pick us up and take us to AHOPE to get S. I remember being so excited I could barely eat, and then when our ride pulled up and we climbed into the car for the short ride up the road to the orphanage my feelings were all over the place!

We pulled through that familiar, bright blue gate at AHOPE and didn't see any kids right away.

As we entered AHOPE, we quickly found all of the little kids in the "pink room", getting dressed and ready for the day. I spotted S. right away, and scooped him up. He was smaller than I expected, but looked pretty good overall. It felt completely surreal (and wonderful) to finally have him in my arms!

He did not resist me holding him, but he was very stiff in my arms and would not interact with me either. Several people who had visited AHOPE and met S. told us that he was very quiet, didn't interact with people, etc. so we were a little worried on how he would attach to us.

We had to rush out because we had to take him for his embassy medical appointment. I laid him down on the couch to change his clothes and put a diaper on him. The nannies laughed at me and tried to tell me he didn't need a diaper, but they had told me the same thing about B. but she had peed on me within 20 minutes. I had learned my lesson! :) (In S's defense though, he did keep that diaper dry and never did have any accident, even though he was only just over two years old).

As I laid him on that couch I got to really see him for the first time. I saw his beautiful soft skin, his fat thighs, his many scars... He still wouldn't look at me at that point, but he let me pick him up again when we were done and we got into the car to head to the doctor's office.

As he sat in my lap in the car, he slowly started to warm up to me. At first he was just sneaking quick looks at my face. Then I pulled out a little container of Cheerios and a sippee cup with juice in it, and those definitely impressed him. By the time we got to where we were going, he was smiling at me and playing.

And from that moment on, he has been my baby.

Here is a clip from my blog, from a couple of days after we got him.

"Today we got up and went over to little AHOPE to play. My Dad and my friends have favorite kids there now, and all of the kids adore them. When we got there I had S. in my sling, and when we walked up to the kids and nannies, his face stayed emotionless (and he wouldn't make eye contact with anyone), but tears started to fall down from his eyes in silent, steady streams. He was so sad thinking that we were bringing him back, and it literally hurt my heart. He wouldn't interact with the kids or the nannies and just clung to me with his sad eyes. After a while he finally seemed to understand that we were going to stay there with him and he started to warm up a bit (but would NOT go to any of the nannies or AHOPE staff). When we left together, he was absolutely giddy... laughing, kissing me, hugging me, etc. This poor baby has gone from his birth family, to the place he was abandoned, to a government orphanage to Layla House to AHOPE to us, and it makes me so sad to think that he thought he was being left again. I keep promising him that I will never, ever leave him."

There are people out there that don't believe that miracles still happen. Well I am here to tell you that they do. I know, because I have seen one. This little boy had been discarded by the world. He was found on the side of the road, alone and extremely sick. When I saw him shortly after that, it was one of the saddest things I have ever seen. He was extremely malnourished and sickly, he could barely sit up, his eyes were glazed over, and he had the look of one who has given up on this life. We were told they didn't think he'd survive.

I look at him now and it is hard to believe he was ever in such awful shape. He is in good overall health, he is growing, he is developmentally on target and he is super smart. And the most amazing thing is that despite all the loss he has suffered, despite being abandoned, despite suffering way more than anyone should have to, and despite "changing hands" at least five times in two years... despite all of that... he is the happiest little boy I have ever known. Despite all of that, he is loving and trusting. He brings an amazing amount of joy and love to our home and our family. I am grateful every day that he is here. I am grateful every day for our little miracle boy.

If you would like to see this boy, click on the "Full House, Full Hands, Full Hearts" blog link on the bottom right side of this page.  This family is amazing.  

Wendy