Meet the REAL Alex!

 

 This is Alex, boy number 3 of 4!  Alex is 9 years old.  He was three years old when we adopted him and his brother.  He had been neglected and beaten.  He had no speech, no potty training and rarely fed.  He was also the caregiver to his brother who was 15 months younger.  He learned hyper-vigilance, stealing food and drinks, lying to prevent punishment and many more useless skills.

Alex is considered mentally-retarded and has ADHD.  He is a quandary of other conditions which we struggle with daily.  Both he and his brother suffer from Reactive Attachment Disorder from lack of contact with people in infancy.  We have been told not to expect Alex to be independent as an adult. 

Despite all the baggage he came to us with and the daily struggles, we could not imagine life without him.  He is EXTREMELY loving and always eager to please!  He loves sweeping and vacuuming and he even scrapbooks with mommy!  He tries very hard to be creative despite his limitations.

We love our trips to his doctor because it is a two-hour drive through the countryside.  We get to talk and have lunch together.  We love this special time for just him and me.  He looks forward to it and so do I.  We try to always get ice cream!  It makes him feel special to do this with just me.

We are working very hard to get answers for all of Alex's medical and emotional conditions.  I know I have learned a lot about the public school system while trying to make sure he has everything in place to help him be successful.  It's not always the answer I want, but that's because I want a miracle and they are not miracle-workers! 

I love this boy, without question.  He is my son and I rarely think of him as adopted.  Sometimes I find myself wondering why I can't remember how much he weighed when he was born.  And then I remember it is because I wasn't there!  Adopting Alex is by far, one of the best life decisions we have made, difficult or not.

We love you Alex!