Blake and I are headed to UW Madison this morning with Tate.
It was a very early (4 a.m.) start today!
We were told to have an open mind, and to pack a suitcase assuming Tate might be admitted.
We would covet any and all prayers for our little miracle boy!!!
Blake and Tate slept till 11 a.m. this morning, and Grant until noon. That was a good, solid 14 hours for our new little man! It was very hard to wait for our three guys to wake up today!
Tate plays so nicely! You can tell he has had lots of opportunity for playing! He also is so kind to Eliza and shares anything and everything with her! They are doing so well together and really enjoy each other. Tate is such a well behaved little boy. He says “Thank you, Mama” every time I hand him something. He has such a smart, calm, joyful spirit about him. He is afraid of the dogs and cats, but will not scream or freak out when they come near him, he will just look to Blake or I for reassurance that they will not bother him and he will be ok. He is very social, likes to be around all the kiddos, and likes to be busy. We have plenty to keep him busy, and he really has enjoyed exploring all the spots where things are that he is allowed to have!
After lunch today, we had a little birthday celebration for Tate! He understood what to do when I showed him his presents! It was such a sweet time to watch him open his gifts and hear him say “WOW” before he even had the tissue paper off the top!
This celebration was a potential for disaster for Eliza, as Tate and all that has gone on to get him home has already rocked her world. I am happy to say that she was amazing! She was really focused on Tate and very excited for him!
Addie Mae quickly made a cake this morning when we decided to have Tate open his gifts today! Vanilla with chocolate frosting! Tate totally knew what this part was all about! He was licking his lips as he looked at that cake!
Here is some sweetness to end this post…..and I am not talking about that cake! Pay attention to Tate’s sweet spirit, and just ignore his Mama who can’t get through singing Happy Birthday without crying!
Happy Birthday, Tate Owen!!!
We love you SO much!!
After our fantastic reunion yesterday morning, we headed inside to show Tate around.
Once we got inside, Eliza hollered, “Daddy, put the baby down!”
Tate LOVED the sunroom full of toy bins, and certainly knows how to play!
Tate had a snack…
We looked at all that was sent with Tate from his orphanage (more on that later)…
There was a pillow throwing contest….
Some musical entertainment….
Which included a dynamic duet!
Of course I had to try to get them to stand still….
We had a big lunch of soup, salad and bread (thanks David, Kayla, and Addie!).
Then we put our three guys to bed for a nap!
I only let them sleep for two hours.
We headed outside to spend some time in the sunshine to help their bodies get back on Wisconsin time!
Tate squealed when he saw the swing set!
He ran over to it on his own, and went up and down the slide!
We got the stroller out and went for a stroll!
We also played with some ride on toys on the side walk!
Tate loved the three wheeled scooter.
It took a little longer, by about two hours, to wake Grant from his afternoon coma nap. We encouraged him to get in the daylight too!
Tate is already good at snitching while you are cooking!
He knows the signs his Baba taught him very well!
We had a yummy dinner, and I was teary eyed (again) as I made TWO little plates of food.
Pretty soon it was time for baths and to head to bed for the night.
First, a bedtime banana snack!
Tate got sad right before bedtime, but that was literally the first time ALL day that he was not SMILING. This child was fiercely loved his whole life – that much we are very sure of.
Tate slept all night, only waking once where he stood up in his crib and said in Chinese, “Baba, I need to go potty!” He went right back to sleep and is still sleeping as I type this. Blake and Grant slept all night too, and are still sleeping as well!
Once the house was all quiet last night, Blake and I sat together choking back the sobs, but letting the tears flow……we just cannot believe Tate is home.
We did it. WE DID IT!!! We got our sweet cheerful little boy home.
Tate is HOME!
*Thank you for the overwhelming response of comments, texts and e-mails….we cannot thank you enough for sharing in our joy!!
I do not have the words right now to convey the powerful emotions of this day….so I will let Kayla’s beautiful photos tell our story.
“For this child I prayed; and the Lord hath given me my petition which I asked of him:” 1 Samuel 1:27
*More later, I promise!
