Labour of Love

Introducing..... Levi Wogenay Achtem!
Levi means “joined” (English)
Wogenay means “family” (Amharic)

The first week with Levi has been amazing but challenging. Ripping this small child from everything he has ever known and attempting to assimmilate him into our world, has been exhausting. The transition was not smooth, but it has been steady. After spending the first couple of days staring at his new surroundings, throwing everything he could get this hands on and crying, he realized he had an ally in Luke. By the end of the second day, he was following his big brother everywhere. He was not as accepting of me and let me know it in a variety of ways.

Without going into too much detail about his history (because after all, it is HIS-story), it would be fair to say that this little guy is a survivor. He came full of scabies. His 20 teeth had never been brushed. His diet consisted of bread, soup and noodles. He was dehydrated and drank continuously for the first few days. It took six days to get him to sit down in the bath. He still cries when he wakes up because he forgets where he is. He is fiercely independent, thoughtful and methodical. Oh yeah, and he does not speak a word of English – yet.

He is, however, FULL of personality and has stolen our hearts a million times over. He has a wild sense of humour and mimics us constantly. He is cheeky and sneaky and in some ways is a typical two-year old. He puts his plate on his head when he is finished eating. He draws on himself with markers. He carries pencils behind both his ears (after watching Luke do it). He wears his underwear on his head. He is loud and messy and pretty much leaves a trail of destruction.

I got my first kiss on the fourth day. I was putting him to bed and gently stroking his head. He was holding my other hand, but studying it as if he was reading my palm. Our eyes met for a second and I puckered up, anxiously awaiting his reaction. He stared for a bit longer then leaned over until our lips met. It was soft, gentle and definitely tentative. But I took it. It counted. It WAS a kiss. He cracked a smile and closed his eyes. I wanted to stay in his bed and cuddle with him all night, but somebody was in the living room, patiently waiting for a game of “Go Fish”....

Luke continues to be my rock. His positive energy has helped me through the tough times this past week. He is, however, five years old. He has felt the shift in my attention and has been uncharacteristically clingy. I have made a conscious effort to never waste an opportunity to remind him how special he is. Sometimes he makes it easy. The other night he was playing in the living room. He came into the bedroom where I was dressing Levi and said “Mom, I wanted to come in here to play with my toy because then I can be with my family.”

Though not connected by blood, we ARE a family. Just as strong as any I know.