One Year With Shane

Today marks an important anniversary that I can hardly believe is here.  One year with this son that God moved mountains to place in our family in the nick of time.  I hardly know how to put into words what I feel in my heart about the last two years of our life.  In one year Shane has grown 4 inches and gained 20 lbs.  No wonder food has been disappearing down the hatch so fast and pants are forever to short.  The first months with Shane was hard for him and us to find a common ground.  It felt like this delicate dance back and forth with a translator in the back pocket.  Then came summer when he realized that freedom from school was fun and we did do a lot of fun things together as a family along with that dreaded word called farm labor.  Fall brought the choice to keep him home for school which was the absolute best decision we have made so far.  He was relieved to know he didn't have to go to a big school with limited language.  Keeping him home was a huge step of faith for me since I hardly knew where to begin piecing together a program for him that wouldn't make him feel like a little kid.  Today I can say that the Holy Spirit showed me the perfect program for him and continues to tweak it here and there week by week.  In August he didn't have enough language to do any math but by November he was flying through it.  I can tell he's going to soon be beyond my teaching abilities in many subjects.  Thank goodness for computer programs!  He played flag football in August and learned about working together and good sportsmanship.  In November he finally found his spot in this family and starting asking questions.  The quiet boy that we knew left and we started seeing a new Shane who loves to have fun and has a real sense of humor.  About that time I felt like I should ask him if he still wanted to be called Lin or would he like to be Shane since I had been noticing that he would introduce himself as Shane.  Sure enough he wants to be called Shane.  I was excited that he wanted to embrace the name that God gave him plus its way easier for us Americans to pronounce and spell.  November also brought the start of basketball season  Then started the holidays with all the newness and lots of dysregulation and excitement.  I think one of the most shocking things has been when 7-8 year behaviors come out of a young man taller than myself.  He loved Christmas and his new gifts.  His favorite was a gray tie and fedora hat.  He wants to live in New York City, drive a Lamborghini, and be a boss man who wears a suit and tie.  He assures me he will come home to visit me.  In December was when I received the first kiss on the cheek from him.  He had been hugging Andrew and I both a night before for several months and then I started by kissing his ear during the hug finally moving to the cheek.  He knows how to receive and give love which is a total God thing.  Many things about his past have came out in the last months.  Some really activate the momma bear in me and others make me glad that someone did care enough to invest in him.  Having a biological dad for 8 years for sure makes a world of difference for these kids.  He doesn't even have to be a great dad either.  Just someone to call your own.   He has had lots of questions about all the different religions of the world and understands way more about God than I thought he might just by observing and listening.  God is doing an awesome work in his heart by healing past traumas, rejections, and fears and introducing him to his real Father who loves him so much.  The last few weeks he has been following me all around the house asking questions like a 4-5 year old would.  I have to admit to feeling the same way I did with toddlers asking endless questions but then I remind myself that he's never had to opportunity to ask.   Today we plan to tell him in more detail his adoption story and how God moved so many obstacles to bring him here.  I'm excited to share it with him. After today he's excited for his 15th birthday in three days which we did find out isn't his real birthday (no shock there).  What makes me a little upset is that he doesn't know when it is.  It was the only thing that was his and that was taken away.  But if it hadn't been moved then we would of never been able to call him our son either.  Later this month we are taking our first family vacation with him to the Oregon coast with hopes to stop in Chinatown Portland and maybe catch a tubing hill on the way home so he can enjoy snow.  I like to post all the positives about him because those are the things I like to remember.  Adoption will always be plan B but it can be made into something beautiful with God's healing touch and Him blending us together through His love.  This year has been one of the hardest yet the most amazing that I have been honored to live.  Thanks for your continued prayers and investing into Shane's life.  I'm excited to see what another year will bring with Shane!

Brother bonding time

Working on his New York City puzzle

This boy escapes most pictures because his hair has to be perfect

His longed for vest and tie

What little snow we had was greatly enjoyed by this southern China boy

Starting to see some of his personality

First Christmas

So hard to capture all his excitement with his new gifts but he was delighted

December 2015

I will leave you with a funny language thing that happened Monday.  Shane has been having back problems since starting basketball.  So I decided to take him to the chiropractor.  He's sitting beside me while I call and make an appointment.  Then he wants to know all the details and what will happen etc.  I say he will pop your back into place.  I go on teaching school and totally miss his nervousness.  About one hour before we leave he has more questions or should I say the same ones all over again to which I say the doctor will crack your back and then it will hopefully feel better.  He says CRACK MY BACK!  I don't want to go!  My back is fine!  Then I realized what the poor boy had been tormented with for an hour.  Well he did go get his back "cracked" and now he understands what that means.  Language barriers sure make you think more often before you speak!