One of the many joys of being Joshua's parents is celebrating his achievements. For Joshua, success comes little by little, and I believe that because his accomplishments are so hard fought, they are that much sweeter.
Two years ago, when Joshua and I were in the States going through his developmental assessments, he learned to walk from place to place (in public) holding my hand. You may be thinking that the age of 2 seems a little late for that to happen. But in Morocco, I didn't take my kids in public as much as I do here. The main places they frequented were friends' houses, church, and the embassy/American Club. I certainly didn't take them grocery shopping (can't remember if the carts even have child seats?? Anyone?) and when Khadija walked them to the bakery or butcher, they were in the stroller. But when we were at home in the States for a month we walked back and forth from parking lots to doctors and stores. We spent a lot of time walking down the hall to our hotel room. We were on the 4th floor at the very end of a long hallway. Joshua didn't have a very easy time complying with new things, but I remember him slowly learning, and a total champ by the time we went back to Morocco. It is such a sweet memory for me.
Last winter, Joshua learned to kiss. I'm not sure who was more excited about it: us or him! Of course we had been kissing on him for years, but he finally reciprocated and was thrilled to have a way to show his affection. He squealed, and clapped, and jumped around upon realizing it was something he could do. And it came about when I was in the trenches of trying to win him back after giving birth to Baby A, so it was extra special for him and me. Kissing continues to be the ultimate in showing his appreciation to anyone, but he also uses it in greeting Joe and I fairly regularly.
It's not lost on me that Joshua learns (big) new things during our really hard season each year: winter. I wholeheartedly believe it is God's kindness to let us see great progress when we are having a difficult time with Joshua. At the end of this winter Joshua started reciting his ABCs. He chose the most appropriate time, too. At our church the children stay in the main service for songs and prayers and then leave for their own classes before the sermon. Thankfully, there is a room off to the side of the main hall for families with new babies or a Joshua. He was talking during the prayer, saying something again and again, when Joe and I opened our eyes and looked at one another. Was he saying the ABCs??? My mom was there, and a few friends sitting around us, all turning their heads as Joshua finished up the entire alphabet. Sure, the pronunciation wasn't perfect, but it was close enough that EVERYONE recognized it. We were all so thrilled! And it was so fun to have some of our closest friends witness it with us. This past week, during the same prayer, Joshua was at it again, except this time counting to 20. In lots of different voices. He is especially a fan of "five" right now and he'll show you five fingers. He has randomly been repeating things we say much more often than usual, so we are hopeful this means he is closer to talking.
I'm so grateful that God continues to showme the little achievements along our journey as they are hugely encouraging. Because even though our days or months can be challenging, I treasure having happy memories of his childhood, just like our other 2.
On Friday I'm going to talk about how God has been just as faithful to G and Baby A. Because even though Joshua's 4 year old self would like to think so, it's actually not all about him.
Two years ago, when Joshua and I were in the States going through his developmental assessments, he learned to walk from place to place (in public) holding my hand. You may be thinking that the age of 2 seems a little late for that to happen. But in Morocco, I didn't take my kids in public as much as I do here. The main places they frequented were friends' houses, church, and the embassy/American Club. I certainly didn't take them grocery shopping (can't remember if the carts even have child seats?? Anyone?) and when Khadija walked them to the bakery or butcher, they were in the stroller. But when we were at home in the States for a month we walked back and forth from parking lots to doctors and stores. We spent a lot of time walking down the hall to our hotel room. We were on the 4th floor at the very end of a long hallway. Joshua didn't have a very easy time complying with new things, but I remember him slowly learning, and a total champ by the time we went back to Morocco. It is such a sweet memory for me.
Last winter, Joshua learned to kiss. I'm not sure who was more excited about it: us or him! Of course we had been kissing on him for years, but he finally reciprocated and was thrilled to have a way to show his affection. He squealed, and clapped, and jumped around upon realizing it was something he could do. And it came about when I was in the trenches of trying to win him back after giving birth to Baby A, so it was extra special for him and me. Kissing continues to be the ultimate in showing his appreciation to anyone, but he also uses it in greeting Joe and I fairly regularly.
It's not lost on me that Joshua learns (big) new things during our really hard season each year: winter. I wholeheartedly believe it is God's kindness to let us see great progress when we are having a difficult time with Joshua. At the end of this winter Joshua started reciting his ABCs. He chose the most appropriate time, too. At our church the children stay in the main service for songs and prayers and then leave for their own classes before the sermon. Thankfully, there is a room off to the side of the main hall for families with new babies or a Joshua. He was talking during the prayer, saying something again and again, when Joe and I opened our eyes and looked at one another. Was he saying the ABCs??? My mom was there, and a few friends sitting around us, all turning their heads as Joshua finished up the entire alphabet. Sure, the pronunciation wasn't perfect, but it was close enough that EVERYONE recognized it. We were all so thrilled! And it was so fun to have some of our closest friends witness it with us. This past week, during the same prayer, Joshua was at it again, except this time counting to 20. In lots of different voices. He is especially a fan of "five" right now and he'll show you five fingers. He has randomly been repeating things we say much more often than usual, so we are hopeful this means he is closer to talking.
I'm so grateful that God continues to showme the little achievements along our journey as they are hugely encouraging. Because even though our days or months can be challenging, I treasure having happy memories of his childhood, just like our other 2.
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| With my boy during our accidental Four Seasons stay. |
Wow! I cannot BELIEVE he is doing this! That is so huge! The ABCs and counting are great accomplishments for any four-year-old. It is really impressive to me that Joshua has mastered them in the face of so many other challenges as well. That is really awesome!
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