Referralversary

Today is our 1 year referralversary. One year ago today we got the call that would change our lives forever. I get goosebumps thinking back to that day. To read more about it click here. It is amazing to think back on how God has blessed us this past year. Here are 2 of the pictures that we received of Joseph 1 year ago - the very first pictures we saw of him!




And here he is now 1 year later!!

Talking it up

One of the things that we have been very pleasantly surprised about with Joseph is how quickly he has caught on to the English language. When he came home with us at 21 months English was the third language that he had been exposed to. His birthmother spoke one language, then Amharic was spoken at the orphanage, and now English! We assumed that he would be delayed for the first year or so with language development. To our surprise, he has caught up very fast. In fact, he seems to be right on target with others his age. Joseph's doctor who is a specialist in international adoption actually told us that at his age the kids are usually caught up within about 6 months of being home. This seems quite incredible to me considering I took years of a foreign language and still couldn't carry on any sort of conversation in it. :)

As you can see in the video, flashcards have been a part of our routine at home. As an "independent" 2 year old, though, he now feels that he needs to quiz us on the flashcards instead of the reverse.