milestones

A year has officially passed now since Fu Tian You became our very own Tian Yo Caudill.  May 12, 2008, will be remembered by hundreds of thousands as the day of the Sichuan earthquake, but for us, it is the day we were born as a family!

Last week, our caseworker dropped by for one last post-placement interview.  Now the process is officially wrapped-if you don't count the readoption or the TN birth certificate paper chases!

Having a caseworker who last saw YoYo last summer gave me the chance to see him through a different lens.  And I am so thankful and proud of all he has done since coming to us!

The little prince knows his alphabet & phonetics,  and in the last month he's started sounding out words to guess how to spell them-on his own!  He's learning to dress himself, and he can hop, skip, & jump.  He loves LOVES to work and play outside.  He likes to paint and loves to watch things grow.  He also really likes to watch the birds at his bird feeder, and has declared his favorite is the chickadee.  He sings all the time, and he says he wants to play the violin (who knows how long that will last).

Two weeks ago, we watched a production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at Christ Presbyterian Academy.  During the 3+ hours, YoYo was riveted.  He watched the whole show, and asked so many questions.  There was a small instrumental ensemble which provided beautiful music for the production, and he was mesmerized by the instruments.  He asked about each change in mood or tone in the music, and he talked about when it sounded sad and when it sounded fast.  

He amazes me.  And he asks SO MANY questions.  I can't keep up-I have to admit, I get impatient sometimes, because I'm not quick-witted enough to make it easier on myself or to anticipate him.  He claims he wants to know.  Nana told him Saturday, "You have so many questions!"  His reply?  "I know-there are all these questions in my head at the same time, and I have to ask all of them.  And God will give me even MORE questions, Nana!"

He's turned us upside-down.  

And we couldn't be happier.