Oh my word.  I’m in disbelief that today is Zane’s 5th birthday!  It’s his second birthday with us, and his first birthday with an esophagus. His first birthday being able to ingest food.  Sometimes it’s still hard for me to wrap my head around it all.  2.5 years ago we first saw his face and fell in love with those chubby cheeks.  We knew without a doubt that God had called us to be his parents.  It’s been a whirlwind couple of years, and we’ve loved the ride! L Workman Photography perfectly captured his personality in these photos!  The one above shows his fun and hilarious side. He is truly my wild child.  And below is his inquisitive side.  He is always curious, and he was fascinated with her softbox lighting!But everyone wants to know how he’s doing, so I’ll do my best to update you!

Overall, we are in an entirely different place we were last year.  He’s stronger.  Last year he couldn’t walk up any steps without sitting down and crawling.  But now he can walk up small steps while holding a railing… and if it’s smaller than a curb, he can sometimes even walk up without holding a railing!  Don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t stop him from doing anything– it’s just the strength in which he does it these days.  🙂

He’s also on the growth chart now!  He’s at the bottom of the chart, but he’s on the chart for his age– he’s at 3% for weight and 1% for height!  He is learning how to eat better every day.  In fact, last night he had some ground beef in his taco, which is a pretty big deal for him!

In the fall, he’ll start Kindergarten.  He’s already got a year of pre-k under his belt, and has won the hearts of everyone at his school.  I know he’s going to do really well in kindergarten!

But most of all, we get to watch him grow and be a huge part of our family.  We really can’t imagine our lives without him.  He lights up our day and makes us laugh.  His bond with Hazel is unbreakable.  Those two are making their way through this life hand in hand, and it is the sweetest relationship to watch!

In honor of Zane’s birthday, I have a “choose your challenge” for you:

Easy/Free: Appreciate your food today.  Silly, I know!  But remember that there are kids all over the world with crazy medical needs that prevent them from doing normal daily activities.

Medium/$: Support an adoption!  $5, $500, $5,000— whatever works for you.  Last year we asked our friends to give towards William’s adoption (Zane’s roommate in the orphanage, who had the same medical need).  This year, William is a beloved son and just had his surgery in Boston to give him an esophagus!

Hard/$$$: Adopt a child! Hahaha- I know.  It’s a bit of a commitment, but when we saw Zane’s face it was a done deal for us.  Maybe you’ll see a child that speaks to you?  Here are some with similar medical conditions to Zane, and here is the website where we found Zane, that has tons of profiles.