Gotcha Day Celebration!

I can not believe it was at the airport on June 4th that Tristan was handed to us. In the adoption world, this is known as a “Gotcha Day!” So… June 4th is special family day for us. Many years ago…We were about to embark on a parenting journey that we could have never imagined. Interesting. Lively. Heart-wrenching. Abounding in miracles. Empathy. Compassion.

This year we took Tristan on a day trip to Sandy Acres Clydesdales for a VIP Farm Tour. It was a lot of fun. Tristan got to feed the goats and the miniature donkeys slices of carrots. Tristan played on the goats’ toys! There was a toddler-sized slide that he kept eyeing. I told him he was too big. He still inched his body toward it and stood at the step. I told the owner, “Tristan thinks he is a toddler.” She gave him permission to slide down. However, his legs extended to the bottom. We all laughed. Down the slide, he went. (Don’t tell him he can’t do something! He will find a way.) Tristan seemed to enjoy petting the Clydesdale horses. In the end, we went into the barn and brushed a horse. Tristan was content with this activity. It was great to have a private VIP tour—lots of good family memories.

15 Years Ago…Our Journey Began

Today is the day our journey with Tristan began.  Finally, all the preparation had been done. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork!  Waiting, waiting, and more waiting! Of course, we had no idea how the road would bend and curve.  We would climb uphill and enjoy the glide down! We did not have much knowledge about autism.  In little ways, God had prepared our hearts.  Given the choice I would do it all over again.  We are blessed to have been gifted with Tristan.  I hope one day to write this all down.

Enjoy a glimpse into the early days of our new adventure!

 

Secret Code Part 2

When our 12-year-old son, A.T., joined our family in November, it was quite an adjustment.  A.T. was not familiar with autism.  We have tried our best in teaching him what autism is and who Tristan is as a person.  We know this has not been an easy adjustment.  However, the other day A.T. shared his views, and I was laughing so hard.  A.T. was sharing how he is trying hard to understand Tristan’s communications.  Here is A.T.’s insight:

While we were away…

A few nights ago, we went out to dinner with some friends.  They specifically asked to hear about our adoption journey.  So as we were sharing our experiences our little angel was up to no good.  The irony!  When we returned home our friend said it was hard work to keep up with him.  Also her pant legs were visibly wet.  She began to share…

Tristan decided to step outside into the backyard.  Normally that is OK.  It is a fenced in yard, a nice open space to explore.  This has helped to keep him safe.  There is always a risk of elopement–at any moment he could run away.  Since we recently got a LOT of snow and of course drifts, our backyard had one temptation for him.  Along the back of the yard the snow drifted up to the top of the fence.  Tristan decided to walk right up the hill to the top of the fence. Somehow he never sank into the deep snow…he could walk ON the snow without caving in.  As soon as he reached the drift up to the top of the fence our friend went into action.  She went after him. She began lookijng for her coat and realized Tristan had put on her coat!  It became crystal clear he was going to go OVER the fence!  She quickly ran to him trying to stop him. Over the fence they both went!  Now he began to get cold and wanted her to pick him up. NO WAY!  He is a BIG boy.  He was not going to get up on his own.  Panic set in.  There is NO convincing him.  If he doesn’t want to do something he won’t. She saw some car lights and said, “Tristan your mom and dad are home!”  Tristan got right up and walked to the back door!   Another dose of laughter from our home!