There are so many things we love about him. His personality is sweet, caring, and funny, and he can also be a little bit of a stinker sometimes. He's the first to console you if you're hurt (unless he does something to you, like pulls your hair-- then it's funny). :) He loves after-nap snuggles-- craves them, actually-- absolutely has to have them, and we are happy to comply. He loves being chased and tickled. He is a gymnast during diaper changes-- pulling the light-weight diaper mat over his body, running around to the very small space behind the crib, playfully kicking the wall, pulling the clean diaper out from under him and throwing it behind his head, doing all kinds of little boy things (you can use your imagination), and then pulling my hair with those same hands. Sometimes I just laugh at the antics he pulls during diaper changes. Other times, I am exasperated and firmly tell him no. Yes, I know I'm being inconsistent. More often lately, I tell him no. However, sometimes when I say that, he'll sternly look at me, shake his index finger at me and say, "No! No! No, no, no!" Ha, ha! He is ALWAYS, always moving and is not happy if he can't move. He has the attention span of a gnat. He loves talking on the phone to people and to no one in particular. One day, I called weather phone (a recording) just so he would have someone to talk to other than me on the pretend other line. He's more interested in junk mail, magazines, boxes, phones, and reshelving books than playing with all the toys that Gabriel had at age two.
I've learned his likes and dislikes pretty well as far as food goes, too. He dislikes bread and peanut butter and jelly (which is Gabriel's favorite lunch), so Mama has to get creative on what I can feed him. Yes, sometimes, that means I resort to Spaghetti O's. He doesn't like cheese at all, except on pizza. He loves most fruits, most veggies (yay!), and almost anything else. All in all, he is not a picky eater, which is great. He's also persuaded Gabriel to try some foods that he previously disliked.
He loves and adores his brother, Gabriel and wants to do everything he does, which sometimes drives Gabriel crazy. Other times, Gabriel is fine with that, and the transition to being a big brother has gone fairly smoothly with Gabriel. I think he likes to have another kid to play with and hang around, despite having to play in the living room with "baby toys" since Andrew will still occasionally put small things in his mouth.
Most importantly, he is attached to us all. He uses eye contact, engages with us, and always wants to be with us. Attachment is a process, so we continue to use attachment techniques, but this has been a pretty smooth transition and bonding process so far. We attribute this to his placement in a foster home on orphanage grounds for the first year of his life (before being moved back to the orphanage).
I think we did a pretty good job of making him feel special on his special day. Sure, he liked the presents, but he also liked the balloons, the lunch at Chick-Fil-A, and the chicken and rice for dinner. Most of all, he enjoyed being celebrated on his special day with the people he loves, including his Grandma and Granddad.
I think of this day and thank God, literally, for his life. He could have died rather than being found and cared for two years ago today. The circumstances of his birth will be his story to tell or not tell someday, and we will not share it with anyone except him. It brings us too much pain to think about. Adoption is a blessing to those families who are able to care for, love, protect, and raise their children, but for the children, it's also about loss. He lost this biological mother, then his foster parents, and then his orphanage. He probably wonders still if he will lose us. He's scared of losing us. He cries when I leave to go out to the car to carry in groceries. He shies away from strangers, likely wondering if they are going to be the next ones he'll be handed over to.
He'll soon learn that he's not going to be handed over to anyone else. His is ours, and we are his. Forever. And we are so happy to call him our son. We love you, Andrew Yang Fischer, and hope that this next year of your life is a wonderful one!
