Harry's first "Gotcha day"

One year ago today (well yes, today - since it's already Saturday in Russia) we sat in a tiny courtroom in Irkutsk, Russia, and for the fifth time in four months we petitioned the court to grant our adoption of the little boy we first held in our arms four years earlier. Four times she had already denied our petition - but on this date, our prayers were answered, and four-year old old Vitaliy Scobstov officially became Harry Oscar Holmes III.

Though much relieved, and utterly thrilled, we feared it would take quite along time before our Harry would bond with the family who had prayed for him for so long. Harry was not thrilled with us yet, and often cried when we showed up at the orphanage. He was not at all comfortable with physical contact, had a need to be in charge, and viewed our mere existence as a threat to anything he knew as "normal".

The day we arrived at the orphanage to bring him home, for the first time since we reappeared in his life months earlier, he did not run the other way, but came to us, however timidly. Irina must have read our minds as she explained that it appeared Harry was finally ready to come home. How right she was. All the little issues we had experienced to that point (like insisting on wears tights, and refusing to wear jeans instead of tights!) suddenly became non-issues and this little boy was embracing his new life. It took a few weeks for him to give us kisses or let us kiss him (without wiping it off that is), but with each new day, there was new hope, new progress. In a very short time, he weaved his way into our family - and we forgot what life without him was like. By the time we arrived home with him a month later, the difference in his was already remarkable. He bonded with his brother almost instantly, and the two became quick friends, confidants, playmates, and on occasion, partners in crime.

During the months that followed, Harry explored his new world with little fear, and lots of enthusiasm. Whatever his poppa & brothers did, he did. The pain that accompanies four years of waiting evaporated as our family was finally able to just enjoy life and look forward. Our first summer together was memorable, yet passed in a blur and before we knew it, Harry officially became a Pre-K student - learning along with his brother as we began our second year of homeschool. He fought all aspects of school at first, but slowly came to understand that school was indeed around to stay, and finally he began to fall into a routine. Soon he was whizzing through his math, and even completed the entire Pre-K math curriculum by Christmas break. Almost overnight a light when off inside his head and he began to enjoy phonics. He started to put all his effort into it, and even began to sound words out on his own. He now proudly reads small words, and takes much delight in sharing his accomplishments with everyone he meets. A year ago he could count only to 3...today his best subject is math and counts to 100 with ease.

One year later, our reluctant little boy is confident and outgoing. He loves music - singing in the Children's choir and learning to play guitar. He learned to ride a two-wheel bike before his fifth birthday, and is in perpetual motion - physically & vocally. Having lost his Russian, he now speaks English NON-STOP, and is referred to as "the Narrator" around our house. While the first several months he found it difficult to contain himself whenevcr he visited someplace or when visitors came to the house, but has made HUGE strides in that area. He still thrives on routine and without it, unravel slowly. The key has been recognizing the signs, and when needed, regrouping.

In a year, milk has gone from being something he refused to drink, to his favorite drink. He still loves bananas, though these days, it's not always his first choice for a snack. He does eat just about everything and anything, and is growing at a steady pace. He is still quite the clown, and loves to entertain - and divert the attention of his parents if he fears he's about to be reprimanded - and comes out with some pretty funny antics. He absolutely loves the dog, and loves all kinds of critters like his brother Skip. Like Skip, he's fantastic at memory games and puzzles, and is also a huge fan of Wii. When he plays, it's not the controller that moves - it's his whole body - and it's pretty funny to watch him. His body moves, he moves from side to side, back and forth, and his tongue does a bunch of the work too!

In a year he has learned to hold his own in the water, and loves to swim with the aid of a flotation device. Having no fear, he will jump into the water, go under, come back up, swim to the side, then do it all over again. He loves boating, fishing, the outdoors, cars, and books. If you sit to read with him he snuggles right up to you, and stays there until the book is done. He is now quite the lovable little boy - not going more than an hour or so without giving us hugs and kisses - just because.

I think Harry's biggest struggle has been with telling the truth. We can only surmise that living in an orphanage for his first four years had taught him some survival tactics that are less than desirable - and as a result, he learned to lie or blame someone else - at all costs. We've slowly broken down that barrier, and while he has occasional bouts with regression, he is learning that virtue of being truthful. He did recently blame his brother for writing "Harry" on his place mat at at the table - but for the most part now, when facing a situation where telling the truth is likely going to result in loss of privileges, he's stop and think before answering - but then timidly tell the truth. Huge, steady progress there - and we can't ask for more!

Over the year he has warmed up to the idea of returning to Russia "just to visit" and now enjoys talking about his life there. Whenever he tries something new he'll ask, "Did I do this in the Baby Home?". Maybe one of his funniest lines was the morning of the first snow in early December. He woke up, looked out the window, and came down the hall exclaiming, "SNOW! I never saw snow before in my whole life". We did convince him that spending four years in Siberia did give him a good introduction to the white stuff, but at that moment, he was convinced it was his first experience with it EVER!

And so, one year later, Harry is without a doubt, a very different little boy. As for our family - it has been changed forever. We are complete (we think :) and completely convinced that our four year wait for this child was part of God's plan to teach us that we can do nothing without Him, and with Him, all things are possible!

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