Nine Months

Gavin will be a few days short of 9 months when we arrive in Guatemala (if plans go as expected). I have been trying to imagine some of the things he will be doing. The doctor's report says he is sitting up and crawling. He is making sounds and responds when talked to. The little guy will already have a personality, likes and dislikes. I can't wait to discover 'who' our little one is.

There has been alot of babies coming home recently around the same age as Gavin. The adoptive parents have been reporting some serious grieving at this age. Long bouts of wailing, screaming all night, anxious clinging, sensitivity to who and what is around them; all very typical behaviors.

My stomach is in knots worried about the inevitable disruption we will cause in his life. As far as Gavin is concerned, he is home with his mother and family NOW, as he has been for 98% of his life. He has no idea what is about to transpire. I am trying to stay focused on what our role is to ease the transition for him. We will answer every cry swiftly. There will be lots of face to face contact during playtime. There will be lots of holding; holding during naps, holding during feeding, holding during household chores. We will go on lock-down for a couple weeks before we begin visiting to further enforce the 'you are part of this family' reality. I expect our first couple of weeks home to be quite intense.

Here are pictures of Tristan at nine months. It feels like yesterday.