Three

     Three years ago, Dalton and I became parents. We weren't married yet (and we weren't even engaged until 2 weeks later). Three years ago, our lives changed forever, and we had no idea. On May 28, 2015, our little boy was born. On the other side of the world, in a country we knew very little about, a baby boy made his arrival about 14 weeks early weighing only 1 pound 8 ounces. He was a fighter from the beginning, and spent a few months in the hospital before entering the foster system. He spent the next two and a half years in two different foster homes waiting on his forever family (us!) to come and bring him home.

     Three months ago (from this exact day) we met our son for the first time. Norbert, or "Norbika", which is what his foster family called him, means "bright" and "Elliot" means "God on high". The morning we met him, I remember both of us nervously sitting in the van on the way to his house. We held hands tightly and prayed because we had been waiting for this moment for so long. I remember walking into his foster home and seeing him standing in the living room. There wasn't a big moment like "here's your son!" or "that's your Mama and Daddy!", but it was more of "here are new people for you to meet." That first day we bonded over Hungarian music on the phone and eating peanuts together. Oh what a sweet first day it was! 

     Over the next week, we gradually saw our little boy's personality grow. He became more comfortable with us and wanted us to hold him, and he chose to sit with us. We took some day-trips into town and played and played until it was nap time. In all honesty, Dalton and I were always thankful for nap time because we were pretty exhausted too. We weren't quite used to keeping up with a toddler (and now we really appreciate nap time). Over the course of a week, we felt more and more like his parents and were ready for our 30-day bonding time. 

     The day we met Elliot's foster family to take him into our full-time care goes down as one of the hardest days of my life. His foster family loved him so much, and it was evident in the way that morning went. Elliot was eating cheese puffs and had no idea what was about to happen. Oh my heart just aches when I think of this moment and what must have been going through his little mind. His foster mom handed us a bag of a few more things she had not given us the day before and then handed him over to us with tears in all of our eyes. Ever since we started the adoption process, I prayed that our child would be loved deeply where he/she was before becoming ours, and Elliot truly was. There were many tears shed that day, but it was so comforting to know that all of this was God's plan from the beginning for our little man's life. He's loved by God, his foster parents, and Mama and Daddy (and lots of family and friends). 

     A week and half after we had met him, Elliot gave both of us kisses for the first time. That melted Mama and Daddy's hearts like nothing else! The next 30 days brought so much joy as well as learning experiences for all three of us. Dalton and I couldn't believe that he was finally with us! During those 30 days Elliot learned how to say "bye," ate lots of gelati, went swimming, learned how to count to 3, and became very sociable. His laugh became contagious and his big, brown eyes looking up at you would be almost unbearable. He felt more like our son with each new day. 

     It was tough though. Adoption comes from brokenness, and Elliot had not had a ton of consistency in his life prior to us. We were first-time parents trying to parent a strong-willed toddler. There were days (and still are) when he seemed to grieve his life before us. There were language barriers that made it difficult to understand each other. There were times (and still are) when we honestly had no idea what we were doing. As Elliot's Mama, I felt like I was failing him because there were times when he didn't really feel like he was mine (and that was a gut-wrenching feeling). But we got through it then and we get through it on the days here at home when it's hard. God's grace pours out on all three of us day in and day out. 

     On April 9th, Elliot officially became "Norbert Elliot Newell." Dalton and I still laugh about that day because in Hungary you don't go to a courtroom and sit in front of a judge or anything like that. We're pretty sure we initialed a piece of paper that signified that Elliot was officially our son while he sat in Dalton's lap. We had been prepared ahead of time, so we knew that the process was like that. We left the building that day with our little boy who was now forever ours. 

     Upon returning home, Elliot transitioned very well. He loved his new home, and the curiosity in his eyes for everything is so sweet to watch. Dalton went back to work a few days after we got home, and I went back to work two weeks later. Elliot did great with everyone who kept him while we were at work. We are so thankful that Elliot was ready to jump into life with us. If you know him, then you know he always wants to be on the go, whether it's outside, to town, or just in another room than the one he's in. He's grown up so much in the few short months that we've known him. He's funny, strong-willed, smart, loud, and super snuggly. We couldn't love him more! 

     Today is our sweet boy's third birthday. We would do anything to gain the past three years with him, but we are thankful that God knows his story from the beginning. Yesterday as we were getting ready for bed, I read the story On the Night You Were Born with tears in my eyes. At the end of the story, it says, "Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born." I know, without a doubt, that God was looking down on our sweet boy the night he was born and that he was looking down on Dalton and me with a big smile. 

To my baby boy, 
     I am so thankful and truly blessed to call you mine. I have wanted to be a Mama for a very long time, and you are the answer to my prayers. I pray that you will always be proud of where you came from and that you will cherish all of the things that make you special. I pray that one day you will come to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior and that He will direct each and every one of your steps. My prayer is that you are kind, gentle, loving, truthful, generous, faithful, joyful, respectful, and humble in everything that you do. Always know that your daddy and I love you more than you could ever imagine and that we will be your biggest fans through life. 
We love you, son. Happy third birthday!