You've come a long way, buddy!

For those of you familiar with Country music, you may have recently heard the song by Darius Rucker entitled, “It Won’t Be Like This For Long.” For those of you not familiar with the lyrics, he basically chronicles the challenges of raising a child and the fact that the phases that his daughter goes through seem challenging, but sums it up in the chorus:

It won’t be like this for long

One day we'll look back laughin’

At the week we brought her home

This phase is gonna fly by

So baby just hold on

‘Cause it won't be like this for long

The first time I heard it on the radio, if really made me reflect on the year that we have had Max in our lives and how far he (and us, as parents) has come in just this short amount of time.

While August 14th was technically the date we took custody of Max, August 21st was the date we actually started our lives together in the US. Looking back to that day (which, incidentally seems like light years ago), we faced a lot of challenges that we have long overcome. I’ll never forget sitting at the kitchen table watching the monitor glow bright red as Max cried at nap time. Sometimes, it lasted 30 minutes. Now? He points to his bed and asks to go to sleep. No crying at all! Just a phase.

Meal times were a challenge, too, a year ago. Given the diet Max was used to, we found it difficult to find foods that he was interested in trying. To say the least, he was a picky eater. Now? He will try just about anything, and loves foods that most almost-three-year olds would turn their noses up to. Spicy foods? Loves them! Beans? Might be his favorite. At the time, it was frustrating to get him to eat a balanced diet. Now, we can look back and laugh.

Language development has probably been the biggest change over this past year. Last August, we struggled to find a recognizable word. Most, we figured, were something that he heard in Russia. One of our favorites, and his too, was what sounded like “Oh, Donna.” To this day, we have no idea what he was trying to convey, but it must have been important as it came up on a regular basis. Just like his bedtime or eating habits, we look back and laugh because now his vocabulary contains an infinite number of words. Sometimes some we’d rather him not say...

Max continues to amaze us with his cognitive development as well. He has a keen sense of direction. He knows his way to Grandma and Grandpa’s house, and Heaven forbid if we turn the wrong way en route. We can’t even drive by a road that leads to any parks without him pointing it out to us. Much of that is due to his elephant-like memory. The kid doesn’t forget a thing, even months after the fact. He can tell you about every “boo-boo,” how it happened, where, and often what he was wearing. He remembers people and their names, and associates things with them, like “Bob has a red jet ski” or that the “ice cream man comes to Betsy’s house.” Without a doubt, he is smart little boy.

So what does Max do for fun? Well, whatever it is, it will have a button, or garage involved. He is captivated by both. He loves trucks, tractors, and cars. He can’t get enough of the park, or animals. He’s happy if he throwing something, whether he is supposed to or not. And, lately, light switches seem to be more fun that the room full of toys in which he is playing.

All in all, our first year as a family has been a smooth one. We really have enjoyed Max at this age. Naturally, we have our moments, but Darius Rucker nailed it, “baby hold on, cause it won’t be like this for long.”

Sad, but true.