Happy 6 Month Anniversary!

Its common in the adoption community to say that you shouldn't really evaluate your new family until the kids have been home for six months. Well, I can hardly believe it but Des and Bri have been home for six months. In many ways it feels like they have always been a part of our family and other times it seems like yesterday that I was meeting them in Ethiopia.

In the beginning, I had a very rough time. And when Mama has a rough time, the rest of the family has rough time. Luckily, the post adoption depression is being held at bay and life is (mostly) good.

Jack has had major life changes in the past six months and he has struggled. That has been hard for this mama to watch. He started kindergarten which meant a few things...he was no longer a big fish in a small comfortable pond but a tiny fish in an unfamiliar huge pond. He no longer shared a classroom and friends with Logan and myself. Add to that a much longer school day, homework, making new friends, and a major change in his homelife and we've got one stressed out 5 year old on our hands.

As with Jack, this is Logan's first time being separated from his brother. But he still has me around a lot and his daily routine hasn't changed much. Plus he loves telling everyone that he is a big brother. He has really turned into the middle child...frequently forgotten to be fed breakfast but rarely complaining about it.

As for Des and Bri, I'm planning a separate post for the girls because their changes over the past six months have been profound.

Overall, our family definitely feels like it has jelled over the six months. Our routines have solidified. I can go out with all four kids without imagining the worst happening. We can finally all go out to eat again, something we did very frequently before the girls came home. We can co-exist within this house that is a bit too small for six people (and all their stuff). I have learned embrace the fact that having four kids is way different than having two kids. Jack and Logan help look out for their sisters. Des and Bri understand more and communicate better. Scott and I have a better idea of what to expect in most situations.

Over the course of these six months, we've always felt like a family. But now, we feel more like a unit, a team...working together and moving in the same direction. I'm looking forward to the next six months and the next and the next. But even more, I'm enjoying right now.