Luka's visit

I feel terrible that we didn’t blog once during Luka’s visit with us, but we’ve been so busy that even the snatches of internet time we DO get aren’t enough to update our blogs.

We had SUCH a fantastic time with Luka. I have been asked a number of times whether or not Luka recognized us when he saw us again—it’s hard to tell. It certainly didn’t take him long to warm up to us! It is both encouraging and heart breaking to see how quickly Luka is able to adjust to new surroundings. We know he benefits from being the recipient of so much love from so many people, but we do with that he could have a permanent family to call his own.

It was such a joy to see Luka WALKING! He was toddling more than walking at first, but even in the two weeks he was with us we could see huge improvements. He LOVES to walk, often refusing to be carried even after the end of a long day. His confidence and balance have improved a lot, too.

We were warned that Luka has gotten “fat and sassy” and it is true, although not to the extent we feared! He IS nice and round, but is also taller, so he doesn’t look TOO fat to me. ☺ You can judge for yourself as you look at pictures. He definitely is much more outspoken (whiney) when he doesn’t get his way, but again, we saw a lot of improvement as we continually insisted that he refrain from whining.

He can say “please” (“plesh”), which is adorable! He knows that saying please is a more effective way to get what he wants than whining, although even “please” sometimes fails to get him what he wants, when what he wants is to climb the ladder up to our loft!

The Houghton students loved him, of course. It was just a joy to have a child amidst all the college students.

We dropped Luka off with the Bentons (in the same mission as the Caraways, who have been taking care of him) in the Rukwa Valley. The Bentons have a lovely house with a kitchen separated from the living area by a “ramped” hallway. Luka immediately discovered the excitement of toddling down (and up) the ramp and, after taking a few tumbles, became a pro at “running” back and forth. He especially loves to play with his cars, having someone roll one towards him as he frantically tries to outrun it.

We miss him!

(Check back for pictures)