I have a lot of things I want to remember about this time with Tate! So this post will be all about our precious boy.

We have been having a heat wave here.

It had the boys looking for ways to cool off and have some fun!

Tate doesn’t seem to be afraid of anything, and loved playing in the water on the slide with the middles! It wasn’t Tate being in the water or on the slide that surprised me that day, it was that I was out of his sight the whole time they played this way – which was over an hour – and he never came to make sure where I was! Usually, if I am even behind a closed door (umm, like the bathroom door!) it upsets Tate terribly.

A week ago Thursday, I sent Addie Mae up to the attics (which are really two large storage closets in the guest bedroom) to see if we had a second bed railing. We did, and so when she brought it down, I set it up on Tate’s bed. Tate saw me doing this and asked me something in Chinese. I don’t know what he said, but I pointed to him and told him that it was his bed. He was SO excited! He started jumping up and down! That night after baths and pjs, Tate took my hand, took me to his big bed and pointed to it and said “Tate, night, night!”

He hasn’t slept in our room ever since. Tate has been in his big bed, sleeping all night long, staying in his bed and calling for one of us when he wakes…….can you believe how easy this precious boy is????

I finally gave the boys haircuts this week. They were long overdue!

Tate had his first haircut by me! He gave me a talkin’ to the whole time in Chinese, but sat still and loved looking in the mirror when I was finished!

Tate fell in the bath tub Friday night, which split his lip and knocked his front tooth loose. There was SO much blood! His cute smile is a little crooked now.

Oh, buddy, I am so sorry!

I found this photo of Tate in the dresser next to my bed. I had printed it off our agency’s waiting children list way back in the spring of 2014 before we had headed to China to bring Eliza home. Blake and I were so taken by this little boy they had named “Benny”, and his smile pierced our hearts. We printed the photo to look at as we prayed for him! When I found this photo yesterday it just filled me with such awe. Tate, you were in our prayers and on our hearts a long time before we could even do anything about it. And now here you are! OUR SON! HOME AT LAST!!

Here are some facts about Tate:

*He is fearless.
*He is almost always smiling!
*He loves yogurt, milk, eggs, and fruit snacks. And soup!
*He loves to be held by his Mama (that’s me!)
*He can count to four (in English!) with finger motions.
*His favorite thing is to do chores on the farm feeding and watering the animals!
*He goes bonkers when his Baba comes home.
*He has a loving, sharing, sweet spirit about him.
*He is very calm.
*He is a good sleeper!
*He has a lot to overcome medically.
*He loves to sing!
*He loves to help.
*He is a precious gift from God.

Tate has been home for four weeks. FOUR weeks! Just in the last few days Blake and I have felt a “settling” of sorts in Tate’s spirit – and also in Eliza’s spirit as well. Tate’s arrival has been very, very hard for Eliza. I will not be sharing specifics about Eliza’s challenging struggles, but I will say that the Lord used an awesome gal at the hospital to show Blake and I that we need to get help with Eliza’s sensory issues and we are doing that. We are excited to continue to be used by the Lord to help our sweet baby girl heal.

Tate is being used by the Lord for Eliza’s sake too. He has taught her SO much….as she mimics him….and we are so thankful that Tate’s behavior is a good thing to mimic! Eliza and Tate’s relationship is SUCH a beautiful thing.

It was only a few years ago that Blake and I knew there was something more. Something more the Lord wanted us to do. So we sought the Lord. We heard His call, and we obeyed. We believe that we are living out His will for our lives!

I am here to tell you, there is no better place to be than in the middle of God’s will.

“Behold, children are a gift of the Lord…” Psalm 127:3

Praise the Lord for answered prayers!

Today could not have went ANY better than it did.

Hello Mr. Dimples in your cute pjs!!

Tate was a superhero – absolutely leaves my mouth hanging open.

We had to wake him while it was still dark and put him straight in the van.

He was not allowed to eat or drink.

He only asked twice, and we distracted him quickly and all was GOOD!

We also took along a little buddy and blessed distraction for Tate’s Mama and Baba.

The Child Life gal’s at our hospital (and at UW in Madison) are AMAZING.

She kept Tate distracted, happily playing with a new pile of loot.

Here he has numbing medication on three spots for IV insertion!

We used google translate, and a new stuffed lion to tell and show Tate what was going to happen to him to get an IV.

The Child Life gal also pulled out an Ipad for that time.

It went GREAT. Tate would look over at his hand they were messing with and say his famous “Awwww!” a couple of times, but he really could not feel too much because they had numbed it.

We watched him fall asleep and then headed out to wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Praise the Lord for Lane.

His child-like enthusiasm for life is contagious.

I hope other people at that hospital today caught some of it!

We wandered, ate our food from home in the cafeteria, played lots of cards, and read books.

Finally they came and said it was time to see Tate wake-up!

Tate ate a whole yogurt, a whole banana, and a cup of bunny crackers in about two minutes flat!

And just like that we were released to come home!!

Tate has had a great day since then!

Thank you all for your many prayers!!!

We will get the results of these four different scans today (ordered by three different doctors) throughout the month of September as we continue Tate’s medical appointments!

We learned a lot about our brave little man’s insides today.

Tate is being referred to UW Madison for orthopedic surgery.

He is so fearless, calm, and BRAVE!

Please pray with us for our day tomorrow, as Tate will be sedated for a complete brain and complete spine MRI, a complete spine CT, and also for that ultrasound imaging that we missed on Monday. He cannot eat or drink when he wakes up in the morning, and that will be very hard for Tate.

What peace we have in knowing AND believing that Tate was fearfully and wonderfully made!!!

You are our little superhero, Tate Owen!

*I am feeling a little better each day, and was pleased to know that I am not considered contagious anymore because I finished all of the antibiotics that were prescribed!