Another Anniversary

Mr. T has been with us a year now.  

I can't even begin to tell you how much he has grown in that time.  How much we have all grown in this year.

Little Man has had some growing pains with having to learn to share, be kind and set a good example.  But I've noticed lately that the way he interacts with Mr. T has changed and it's been such a wonderful sight to see (and hear).

Mr. T has grown by learning to use words, walking, showing us how to laugh at everything, and being a complete joy to watch interact with the world.  We're working on potty training and speech.  

I will admit that I really held myself back from fully falling for him. I truly believe that reunification, when appropriate, works.  And I had a lot of hope that he would go home.  His momma truly does love him.  She just struggles to get her life in a place where the two of them (and even all the other children she has had removed) with her.  

But about 3 months ago, Mr. T started calling me Momma.  He was calling me mom but he also called the dog mom, he called the manfriend mom, etc.  But he started saying "momma" and I started to melt.  And now, at the year mark, Mr. T is my baby.  I'm mommy. I'm the one that he comes to when he bonks his head (which is regularly) when he finds something and is excited to show someone, and the one he comes to when he needs help.

A year.  He's had maybe 2 dozen visits in that time.  He's 27 months and has spent the second year of his life with me.  He has been with me longer than he has been with his own mother.

Now, it's much harder to hold him away from my heart and not completely smother him.  And while nothing is certain, it does seem that he will be joining Little Man and me in our forever.  It's weird but I'm fully content to have my boys.  I always said I wanted 6 boys and with the way things are going - 2 of mine and 2 of the manfriends gets me pretty darn close to 6.