Nathaniel's Six Month Anniversary

Technically our six month anniversary of Nate's gotcha day was June 21 as we signed all the paperwork and met him for the first time on December 21.
http://brentjodieadoption.blogspot.com/2007/12/beautiful-boy.html
However, today is the six month anniversary of Nate coming home.

I have been so full of emotion today as I think back to Nathaniel joining our family. He is such an incredible gift and fits into our family so well. The journey from the first phone call asking if we might be interested in adopting him to actually bringing him home was long, sometimes scary, and full of a lot of hope, tears and prayers.

The six months since Nate came home have been anything but easy. No one could have predicted that our lives would turn upside down just two months to the day of Nate's homecoming. Coping with Tyler's illness and lengthy hosptial stay was horrible. It was even worse knowing I had to leave my brand new baby. Thankfully that part of it is over.

I can't begin to describe how wonderful this little boy is. He is calm, happy, loving and just so incredibly sweet. He is the perfect addition to our family and I simply can't imagine not having him here. Sometimes I have to remind myself that he has only been here for six months since it seems we've always had him.

Nate has overcome so much in his almost ten months of life. He is a fighter, he is strong, he is amazing. He was born too early, too tiny and too sick to survive. But he did. Not only did he survive, he thrived. He fought, he grew, and he came home. And since coming home he has continued to fight. He has grown and changed so much. He is doing amazingly well, better than his first doctors predicted. I have no doubt that he will continue to do well, to grow, to learn, to fight. After all, he is a Gardner!

We love you, little man!

Our first picture of Nathaniel

Holding Nate for the first time.

Nate today, outside in the swing.