My First Kiss

On July 2nd of 2004, nearly 3 years ago, one of the cutest kids in Guatemala moved into my home. In September of 2005, he became legally my son.

When we first met him at the orphanage he started his life in our family loving Bart, hanging on him, trusting him from the beginning. Affectionate, loving, attached. But always a little guarded with me. For three years, I've loved him from a bit of a distance. I've teased him, tossled his hair, hugged him even when he didn't hug back, kissed him, etc. Even though I was the only person who he could talk to when arrived speaking nothing but Spanish, he was Daddy's boy.

If he would have been my first adopted child, I would have been very impatient. I would have wanted him to love me faster. I would have been stressed because I didn't understand what was wrong with me. But because he is our 10th adopted child and we have learned a lot about attachment, i was able to stand back and simply let it happen.

Not until this Spring has he started to open up to me and as I've watched him do so, I've fallen in love with him Sure, he's been my son, and I've loved him for 3 years, but this year, watching him blossom as he has played competitive soccer, working hard at homeschooling him this summer so he can learn to read, and feeling my heart swell with pride as he becomes more secure, more attached, and more comfortable with who he is, I've fallen in love.

He has the most amazing face -- stern, Mayan, stoic. But when something makes him laugh -- which happens often because of his quick wit -- his face bursts into the most incredble smile.

Tonight he wanted to watch a movie and stay up late with Kyle -- even though those boys have only lived together for a couple summers (Kyle went away to college 6 weeks after Ricardo moved in) they really like each other. I told Ricardo he could if he'd give me a kiss on the cheek.

And so, 2 years and 360 days after he moved into my home, my 13 year old son gave me my first kiss. It was carefree, it was casual, and it was real. Atttachment came slowly, but it came.

and I wouldn't want it any other way.