This Just Happened

That title felt like a sentence out of a Tian Yo Pooh book when I wrote it.  You know, the sort of sentence where Piglet looks out of his tree at the rising waters and thinks I'm All Alone and I'm Going to Die Like This? What The Heck?  or Eeyore loses his tail and thinks Aftermarket Parts aren't All They're Cracked Up to Be.

But I Digress-and I hope you noticed that our book series is Tian Yo Pooh, not the inferior Winnie, because of course one of the ayis read Pooh to YoYo very often, each time pointing to ursa crocinus and calling him "Tian Yo."  That's going to be a letdown in a few years-I'm more worried about it than the "Talk About Santa" thing.

Anyway.

Here's the photo.  It looks innocent, to be sure, but it contains a meaning that has unraveled my life.  All the travel and prayer leading up to adoption, all the changes of heart, the struggles with the agency, the cliffhangers, the nights without sleep, the earthquakes (you knew I'd tag that again), the strategic appearances in government newspapers, it all was leading TO THIS. The moment when my son lines his letters up on the refrigerator, and in a make-two-syllables-from-one-syllable-words voice that's a dead giveaway for one of his preschool teachers, says, "Children, I have a surprise for you today.  Can you guess what it is?"  I turn from my laptop, filled with laughter (and terror), to see his head tilted JUST LIKE HIS TEACHER and his hands clasped in front of him JUST LIKE HIS TEACHER.  He is even mimicking her smile.  

I sneak the camera out, and he instantly has a dog "mask" on his head.  So Baba can see it in the picture.  He wants a costume, people.

Clearly I have underestimated this little bear.