I can remember so many firsts I had with my two oldest boys. First moment we heard “It’s a boy!” First sound of their cries. First diaper changes. First pediatrician appointments. First smiles. First words. First Christmases. First time we left them with babysitters.
I have the first outfit they both wore home from the hospital. I have their first favorite toys. I have locks of their hair from their first hair cuts and the first tooth each one lost. I have pictures of their first days of school.

I have memories of all those firsts, and more.Missed His Firsts

 

But when our third son come homes this summer, I’ll have missed so many of his firsts.

I’ll never know what his first word was (in his native language or in English). Or the sound of his first cry. I won’t know his first favorite toy. I wasn’t there for his first eye surgery. I wasn’t even the first person he’s called “momma.”

Our third son turns six years old this summer, and we’ve missed every moment that has happened in his life. All the firsts he’s had so far. But, we have so many firsts to look forward to …

  • The first time we see his face in person.
  • The first time we meet the teachers and staff who have been raising and loving him while he waits for us.
  • The first time he rides in an airplane.
  • The first time he meets his brothers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
  • The first time we take him to meet our church family, so many of whom helped us bring him home.
  • The first time he sleeps in his new room at his new house.
  • The first time he eats my home cooking.
  • The first time he runs around our backyard.
  • The first time we take him to the beach.
  • The first time he rides down our big hill on a sled.
  • The first time he cries and we’re there to comfort him.

We have missed so many firsts in his life, but there are so many more to look forward to!

Instead of feeling sad about the time we have spent apart, I can give thanks for the years we will have together, and trust that God brought our son to our family is His perfect timing.

–Sandra Peoples