Happy 15th birthday to Thaddeus Merit!

Oh, this boy! He is equal parts sweet, cuddly teddy bear and fierce, ninja-dragon-robot! He loves to put on a tough guy act, but he is also the first to hop up and refill someone’s drink or soup bowl, and he gets Daddy’s cereal for him almost every morning. He is thoughtful and sweet, but with a definite dash of naughty!

Teddy joined our family four years ago at 10 years old. He was our 4th and final adoption, and came to us in the thick of a crazy season, during which it may not have seemed wise to add just one more. I remember sharing the secret fear of my heart with a dear adoptive Mama friend just before Teddy came home: “What if he’s hard?” And she replied, “He could be hard!”

Well it turns out, by the grace of God, he’s not! He still struggles with some of the effects of years of fending for himself (in particular, he still has a hard time not helping himself to other people’s possessions, sometimes even hiding them in his bed or backpack). But he is always so genuinely sorry and so endearing to all of us that no one seems to be able to stay mad at him for long. We say, “Teddy, have you seen Annis’s Legos?” and he immediately hops up and brings it to us, yelling “Sowwa (Sorry)!” all the way.

Teddy is an expert at occupying his time. He spends parts of every day building elaborate Lego structures (usually creatures), drawing increasingly detailed and diverse pictures, building with cardboard and tape and scissors, and rocking out to music on YouTube. He is always busy and never bored.

Today is very possibly the most anticipated birthday in the history of our family. Ever since Niko and Lewis had their birthdays back-to-back in March, Teddy has reminded me daily that he wanted “oh-shay fru-frot” (crochet robot) for his birthday. There have been many, many trips to the wall calendar to show him the weeks and months that he still had to wait. He even tried crossing out a sibling’s birthday and writing his own name in a month or two ago, to no avail (Again: so naughty, yet so endearing.) Today was finally the day, and it was filled to the brim with robots of all shapes and sizes, including a crocheted one. I think it was a good day. Let’s hope it lasts him till next year!

Teddy’s speech is improving all the time thanks to his hard work and that of his friends at Theraplay. He now often strings two or three clear words together to express himself, and his confidence is growing accordingly. His receptive language is through the roof, and he can pick out words he recognizes from three rooms away. (Indeed, many a night after we think he is asleep, he hears his name in conversation all the way from his room and yells, “me?!”)

Speaking of Theraplay, just about every time we go, Teddy makes a card for his lady love, Miss Alison. She isn’t usually the therapist who works with him anymore, but she holds a special place in his heart, and whenever he catches a glimpse of her he calls, “Alison! Miss you! Heart!” She is one of a very select group he refers to as his “new friends”. He has one at Awana and another at church, and he is fiercely loyal to them. It’s tough to convince him that some of them are already married 😉

Teddy keeps life interesting and adds so much fun to our home. I am so thankful we said yes!