Anybody Still Out There???

It's been far too long, I know! We've had an eventful few months, but I just haven't had the heart to share our journey. It's been hard, but we're starting to find our way out of the fog and see our direction more clearly!

After we lost the chance to adopt D & K, we spent some time thinking and praying about whether we wanted to continue the adoption process in Russia or if that would be too painful. In the end, we decided that our hearts were still with Russia, so we had our home study updated, and our dossier was registered last week in St. Petersburg. Within the next week, we hope to hear from the Committee with travel dates to go meet our little one!

We also received a diagnosis this summer that, although it was not a surprise, required some adjustment of our lives. Our little guy, Garin, has autism. It's amazing how the very thing we expected to hear the doctor say still threw us for a loop when the words were actually spoken. Suddenly, after seeing friends struggle with autism diagnoses for their children and watching countless television interviews during Autism Awareness Month, we were in the club. The club no one WANTS to be in, but at the same time, a club that we feel privileged to be part of. These are amazing people who learn to cope with the most overwhelming circumstances, and not only cope but thrive. These are kids and adults who fight hard for what most people completely take for granted. These folks may not behave in ways we consider acceptable, but they behave far better than the rest of us would, given their challenges. The more I understand about autism, the more I admire my son's abilities to adapt.

We have started ABA therapy twice a week and have seen him make incredible strides in the one month he has been doing it! His language development has taken off, and he is beginning to understand feelings that he couldn't identify before. We're also making rapid progress toward potty training, which previously was a source of terror and tears. There is great potential and great hope! Every day is a new awakening for us, and we are thankful for it. I wouldn't change who he is and what he is teaching us. He is a joy!

Matt is up to his eyeballs in senior-year fun! He went to State in cross country, which was a great way to finish his high-school career. His Hi-Q team goes to semi-finals and finals in a couple of weeks, and then the regular Scholar Bowl season starts. The last couple of months have provided precious little free time, as he has also been writing college application essays and getting them in. I must brag that he got a 33 on his ACT! I'm hoping for lots of scholarships!

So I'm back into the blog world to chronicle this newest leg of our adoption journey, as well as the events of our lives....if anybody's reading....