My Little Buddy

He may be 6, but Owen still loves for us to hold him. I remember reading on a Russian adoptive mom's blog before we came home with Owen in 2007, that she still rocked her 8 year old at bedtime if she wanted her to. I was so surprised by that because I didn't have any experience yet with a child adopted from an orphanage, a child who had to learn to love me and love me to hold him. Once we were home and in the early stages of parenting our little guy, I started to realize this process could take a long time. It took Owen over a year to let me hold him against my chest like a baby without him pushing me away or putting an arm between us. It took even longer for him to actually look at me when I held him. It took so long for him to want to be held, to want to be close to us, that if he asks us to hold him, even at 6 years old, we scoop him right up. I understand now why the other adoptive mother rocked her daughter each night. I understand why she did it but also why it was and is important to our children with greater sensory needs and history of attachment disorder.


I've noticed the older Owen gets, the more he wants to do things and be with Jim. He used to always want for me to put him to bed, to read to him, to hold him, to do everything for him and with him. He would call me "Buddy" at times, and I loved it, but now I see he has a new "Buddy," his Daddy. He ADORES Jim. I love seeing the bond they developed when Owen was little growing even more as he gets older. Owen counts days, hours, and minutes to when Jim will be home again when he is away. He LOVES for us to all be together. Jim is so great about carving out special time with Owen, taking him outside to play basketball or swing, playing card games like Go Fish, practicing sight words and addition and subraction facts (yes, this is something Owen requests and thinks is fun ;o) ), or just reading some books together. Owen loves when we let him stay up late for extra time with just the 3 of us. We really enjoy that special time with him too.


I just loved this picture from today and thought I'd share. I can hardly believe how big Owen is getting and that he has been home for over 4 years now. He is such a tender-hearted child, so full of joy and passion for everything he does. He loves learning and asks to be quizzed all day long. He craves knowledge and is such a smart little boy. His sensory integration disorder and ADHD make it tough for him at times, but he is one of the sweetest little six year old boys I know. He melts my heart, reaching up to hold my hand when we go places, curling up on the couch with me asking me to play a game with him, asking me to hold him, read books, and sing together before he goes to sleep at night, and being such a wonderful big brother and friend to his siblings. I know he will keep growing and changing, and I can't stop time as much as I'd like to sometimes, but he will always be my little buddy.