"I'm Gonna Lock My Son Up in a Tower Till I Write My Whole Life Story On The Back of His Big Brown Eyes"

I guess this will always be a special, sentimental time of year for me. One year ago today, we got the call from the adoption agency, telling us we'd been cleared for travel to Korea, for to bring home our baby H. It set into motion a flurry of action and emotion, and Thanksgiving week will never be the same for me. This afternoon, I took some time to go back and read the posts from that week, and I sat crying in my office as I read.

There had been a lot of milestone days in our adoption process -- the day we decided, the day we told our families, our first homestudy meeting, the completion of the paperwork, the arrival of the "referral" with the first photos of H, etc. -- but they were all spread out over many months. There was time to take it all in, to process what was happening. But in those days immediately before and after Thanksgiving 2004, so much happened so fast. It was just a blitzkrieg of info and stimuli and emotions. I'm glad I wrote some things down here, because as I re-read them today, I realized how much I'd forgotten.

One thing that has never slipped my mind is how amazing it was to see my wife become a mother. It was incredible to watch her -- with her great warmth and enormous heart -- manifest a new kind of unconditional love for our son.

And what a year it's been, watching our boy learn and grow. He's the most beautiful boy in the world. A boy so gentle and loving that he repeatedly kisses his stuffed animals' noses, yet so rugged and playfully boyish he hurls his toys at our dog's head. When H finds a way to makes us laugh, by stomp-dancing or making funny sounds, he keeps at it -- what a great sense of humor for a 17-month old.

He's my perfect world.

I didn't intend for this to turn into a love letter to my family. It just did, I guess.

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Here are some links to the entries from those days.

Eleven Twenty-Three 0 Four

Eleven Twenty-Six 0 Four

Eleven Twenty-Eight 0 Four (From Seoul)

The Day We Met H (From Seoul)

Eleven Thirty 0 Four (From Seoul)

The Day H Made Us A Family (From Seoul)

Twelve 0 Nine 0 Four

Twelve Ten 0 Four

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Listening: "Blue Moon Baby" from Rockinnreelininaucklandnewzealand -- The Cramps.

Comments

[Frankie]

Honestly, I got all choked up reading those past entries, as well as the new one you wrote today.

Baby H is so lucky...he is so loved...and really, SO adorable!

[girlh]

ok now you went and made ME cry.

I can't believe it's been a year already. I still have H's referral pic on my wall at work, he had such awesome hair didn't he!?!

love to you and the whole Sticking Point fam. You've come so far in such a short time. And you give me hope that there is another side to all of this...one with smiles and laughter and poopy diapers.

xo

[the mrs.]

i'm so glad it's all here in writing. thank you.
xo

[Tim]

Beautiful post Tommy.
But I beg to differ with one thing-my boy is the most beautiful boy in the World.

Enjoy your family this Thanksgiving.

[chicagomama]

coming in a little late, but wow - what a great present to open this morning. I cried when I read this - it has already been a year! and I am sure H. just gets better and better. thanks for sharing. :)