Good Night... and Good Luck

This is indeed a bittersweet moment for me because as I write this post I am celebrating my parents' Gotcha Day. That's adoption-speak for the anniversary of the day that you get your parents. Yep. As hard as it is to believe it's been a whole year since I adopted my parents. It seems like only yesterday, I know, but it's actually been 365 days. People always say that time really flies once you have parents, and let me tell you... they're right. This year has gone by so incredibly fast. I can't believe how much they've grown, developed and matured as parents. I'll be talking in full sentences soon and I'll be ready for potty training this summer as well.

That's great news, I know... but as wonderful as this milestone is, it also marks a very sad ocassion for me. The reason being that this will be my final post and the end of this blog. Why? Well... the reasons will vary depending on the day of the week that you ask me and the mood that I happen to be in. But the long and short of it is... it just feels like the right time.

It's time for me to get on with the business of growing up and becoming a normal kid with parents who love him and friends who play with him and a huge extended family that spoils him. I will be turning 2 years old on the 4th of July and Daddy has, once again, promised to organize a nation-wide celebration for me. I don't know how he did it last year but people were setting off fireworks and celebrating with cookouts and picnics all over the country. Now... I agree with my parents when they say that I'm a great kid but for the entire country to react like that was really humbling and flattering. Once again, you Americans never cease to amaze me. So every year from now on I get to celebrate my birthday and my Gotcha Day. That's twice the presents and twice the attention and twice the love sports fans. It's not a bad deal if you can get it.

How did we celebrate? Well, in order to answer that we need to go back to the beginning. Mommy and Daddy were out camping when they got the phone call that they were waiting for letting them know that they had just been adopted. If you go back to my very first post you can actually see the phone call as it happens... well, that's not exactly accurate. The truth is that you will be able to listen to it happen because while Mommy had the turned on the video camera but it was 11 PM and the inside of the tent was too dark to see anything. So they decided that every year from now on we will all go camping on June 21st to celebrate Gotcha Day.

So off we went to the camp grounds in Disney World and roughed it. Well... if by roughing it you mean sleeping in a tent that sleeps ten people, a Queen-sized air mattress, running water, electricity and a portable air conditioner. Daddy's friends tease him about the way that he and Mommy like to go camping. They are of the opinion that it's called camping because you are supposed to actually camp out and become one with the elements. Daddy begs to differ. He says that the elements suck and that it's called camping not Oh my God this is horrible and I hate this get me out of here before I kill somebody!

The camping trip was awesome. We stayed up late and slept in. We ate hot dogs and hamburgers and we went swimming and I got to ride in a golf cart. I got to sleep in the same bed with Mommy and Daddy, which is the one thing that I love doing most in the world. The trip to the campgrounds lasted 4 hours and I slept most of the way so by the time that we got there I was full of energy and ready to go. I ran around the camp site while Mommy and Daddy were putting up the tent. Once the tent was up I ran inside of it and started playing with my toy cars while they un-packed the rest of the gear. Daddy eventually got around to starting a fire and cooking me up some hot dogs. We ate and then after the sun went down we just hung out around the fire and talked. Okay... truth be told, they talked while I sucked my thumb and farted every 9 minutes. Hey... you relax your way and I'll relax mine, okay? In the end, the camping trip was a huge success. So much so that I'm already looking forward to our next outing. Mommy says that we're going camping somewhere named Key Largo next time so that we can put our tent up right on the beach... nice.

Here are a few more pictures from our camping trip:

What's your handicap? Mine are my parents.

Another American concept that I love... Kiddy Pools.

Do you find me attractive? Am I seducing you with my body? I gotta be hinest with you... it happens a lot.

Yes, yes, yes Mother. I love you with all of my heart too... can I go back into the water now?

Okay, I've been informed that you are famous and there is nothing for me to be nervous about... however, and I'm just being honest with you here, I look at you and all I see is a 6 foot rat.


I want to apologize. It's not you, it's me. I have rodent issues and I realize that and It's something that I'm going to have to address with my therapist.... when I get one.

Can we put this tent up in my room when we get home... please?

So now I go about the business of growing up, falling down, getting back up again and doing all of those other things that normal little kids do every single day. Mommy says that I'm going to grow up to be a gentleman... Daddy says that I'm going to grow up to be a superhero. Either way, we'll all be together and that's all that matters. If the rest of the way with these two is going to be anything like this first year... It's going to be an interesting ride. I've come a long way since meeting my Parents. But anybody who's ever played sports will tell you that it isn't how you start, but how you finish that matters. And I gotta tell you, my start was a rough one.

There are those that would say that I was abandoned and forgotten in a hospital in Colombia... but Mommy and Daddy say that I was never abandoned; that my biological mother was simply looking for a better life for me and did the best possible thing she could do in order to help me. Some would say that I was completely alone for the first 10 months of my life... Mommy and Daddy say that I was never alone, and that I was guided right into their arms by a higher power. Most people believe that my Mommy and Daddy saved my life... But they will be the first to tell you that I was the one who saved theirs.

So It's time for me to leave you now and I wish you all the best. There are many opinions out there regarding adoption, and I'll be the first to tell you that everyone is entitled to their point of view. As for me? I think it's a life changer and definitely worth the wait, the money and the mental strain that it can sometimes induce. Believe me when I tell you that non of that will matter once you are united with your family. I can't even remember my life before meeting my parents. Daddy says that he feels like his entire life was a warm-up and a prelude for that exact moment when he first held me in his arms. Mommy says that she was born to be my Mother. I tend to agree with her... Because I know that I was born to be her son.