Happy Adoption Day, Otto! 4 years!

My goofy nut!  And he totally is!  Otto loves to make people laugh and feel good.  At therapy today, there was a little boy crying and Otto walked over to the boy and offered him one of his pretzels.  So sweet.

As I reflect today on our precious boy, so many wonderful attributes come to mind.  And I think what makes it all that more amazing to me is that they exist despite the many trials Otto has faced in his short little life.  Despite it all, Otto is a very trusting, loving, little boy who lives for people!  He loves to be with people!  He is aware and concerned for your state of being as well.  Are you happy, sad, mad, etc?  He wants to know and also how he can help.  When we came home to visit in January, Otto was in social heaven!  Every single day was jammed packed with visits with friends and family.  He was so happy and living it up that week!!!!  One day right before going down for a nap that week, he asked me (with anticipation) who he would see after he woke up from his nap.  

As you can imagine, he loves school!  When he's home, he's always asking when he goes back and is always talking to his friends from his class while playing or is pretending he's his teacher.  He is such an inspiration to me.  What he's overcome and continues daily to overcome.  He is an example to me of God's compassion and love for people and also of God's strength and mercy.  Otto's perseverence to survive and thrive spur me on.

Please pray with us for God's absolute best for Otto and that Otto would reach the ultimate potential that God's already planned for him.

I'll share a poem I wrote for Otto before we had him that we recite often with him....

"Once upon a time, a long, long, time ago,

God thought of a little boy, his name was Otto.

He knew the place and time, when you would arrive,

He planned you all along, from the beginning of time.

On November 23rd,  a little cry was heard,

Otto Gabriel was born, and the world you did adorn!