Clap, Clap, Clap

Yesterday Mark was invited to speak at the Lutheran Family and Children's Services Mother's Day Brunch in Columbia, Mo. It was a wonderful event and we were very thankful to be able to help out with fund raising for the organization that helped us through all the ins and outs and difficulties of John's adoption. It was quite a big crowd, especially for John and he spent the first 20 minutes or so just listening to all the talking, laughing and such that was going on. He even let Janeene Foley hold him, Janeene is the lady who was in charge of his case at LFCS, a godsend to us and very sweet and nice. After he ate a few bites he decided that it was time for him to get involved in the action that was going on. As people would come over and introduce themselves and meet John he got more and more into it, and though he never really talked much to the ones that were talking to him, after they walked away he sure had a lot to say to the rest of the people at the table. When dad was done talking and after he watched everyone clap he got real excited and started clapping too. This is yet another John John milestone. His occupational therapist has been trying to get him to clap for over a year now, and he does put his hands together once, but only once for her and does the same stuff for us. I guess he just needed a bigger audience than the 3 of us because yesterday when the clapping was over he clapped repeatedly several times and in quick little motions, very appropriate looking clapping. This is also a big deal because of John's lack of stomach muscles and trunk strength he's not very stable in his motions, and up until yesterday we had never seen him do short quick motions, which take more coordination that slow motions. Not only were we thrilled with our little boy for behaving so well and not pulling out his hearing aids, or deciding he was done with the whole thing and throwing a fit, as he has done at some things in the past, we got clapping too! It was a fantastic day.

This morning he was reluctant to get up for church, kept grabbing his blanket and trying to stay in bed, but when we got him all ready and got him outside and he realized that we were going somewhere then he was excited. He did very well through church despite taking out his hearing aids a couple times and afterwards he enjoyed listening to the ladies visit while he played with a fork and cup. He has decided lately that he doesn't need spoons, he needs forks and knives. Yesterday at the brunch he kept waving a table knife around and every so often someone would come by and try to get him to take a spoon instead. He would take the spoon, lay it on the table and then grab a fork or another knife. As you can guess his daddy is way impressed with John's love of knives.

I'd like to put here a shameless plug for adoption and Lutheran Family and Children's Services. Having John in our lives is the most amazing, grace-filled, heart-filling, thing we've ever experienced. Life before John was good, life with John is good beyond words, beyond thoughts and beyond any hopes or dreams that we've ever had. God brought many people together to bring John into our lives, from birthmother to family, friends and church members, without which this miracle could not have taken place. God also brought together social services from the state and people who knew the law and how to work within it to make things happen. If you ever have a need, or just want to help someone else go through this process God Bless You and know that Lutheran Family and Children's Services will be there to help you too!