Let's talk about Max
With so much time and energy going into the new addition…I
wonder how Max will take to a younger sibling.
Every older sibling knows the feelings of being “forgotton” when the
baby comes along… Being a middle child myself, I know the feeling of getting
lost in the shuffle of big personalites.
(Of course I adore my brother and sister and will admit to having a big
personality myself, but you know what I am getting at). I also know the reward and fullness that
comes with sibling relationships.
Max has a sweet heart.
This is something I noticed early on.
When reading books, he is always concerned for the character that is
afraid or small. He always points them
out with fervor. “Mommy that kitty is
scared of the doggy! He no like it. He need help mommy!” Whenever he sees me crying
he innately knows that I need comforting.
He wraps his arms around me or sits in my lap quietly saying, “mommy
cry, mommy’s sad.” He is sensitive towards
animals and people. (Although he has no
qualms about smashing a bug if it’s in the house shouting in victory “I killed
him!”)
I sometimes worry how the
adoption will affect Max. I obviously
believe in the long run the adoption is best for our family and best for max as
he grows into a man. I have no doubt this adoption will be a part of his testimony someday as he recounts the
trials and triumphs that came along with having a sibling from another country
join our family. What I worry about
for now is the attention number two will receive when they arrive and how that
will sit in little Max’s heart. I want
him to know he is just as special, just as loved, just as prayed for, just as
sought after by his loved ones. But I
also want him to be sensitive to the feelings of his little brother/sister as
they go through life dealing with the loss of their culture, the loss they may
feel over having a family that doesn’t look like them, the loss of blood
relatives. I want our kids to feel
they are special to us and special to God because of who God made them to
be…not because of their status in the family.
I want them to gain their confidence from that.
Some things I love about who Max is right now:
He is energetic
He loves his Buzz and Woody dolls
He loves broccoli and yogurt
He loves to be up high (and will climb on whatever will get
him there)
He loves to hit baseballs in the yard
He will repeat something a thousand times if people are
laughing at him
He would live at the zoo if I let him
He knows where Africa is on a map
He loves to sing and “dance” (mainly jump)
He’s afraid of bees
He’s attached to his mommy J
He thinks Tony gets to camp on an airplane ever since we
dropped him off at an airport
He can make just about as many faces as me
He closes his eyes real tight whenever we pray
He is best buds with his grandpa
He loves to play in the rain and screams at the top of his
lungs when he gets to
He loves to read by himself in his room (whenever he gets
quiet that’s what he’s doing)
He loves “helping” with laundry and vacuuming
He smiles really big when his daddy gets home (definitely a
smile reserved only for that occasion)
The other day, out of the blue, Max said, “They’re coming
mommy…” (I know creepy horror movie stuff right?) I said “who’s coming Max?” He
said, “Little brother sister coming!” (relieved) I said “yeah Max that’s right, your little brother or sister is coming!” He said, “from Africa!” Me, “Yeah from Africa buddy.” I can't believe he is already processing this in his
little mind and heart.
Here's a new video of our sweet little Max man:
And now a shameless attempt to get people to donate:
I want someone to play with!
Donate here: https://www.purecharity.com/tonyjenschmid-adoption