Noah slept for two hours, allowing us ample time to get his room set up. Conner and my mother in law finally went home, leaving Colt and I alone. I considered going into the room and sleeping right next to him, but my excitement for him seeing that room was too much to handle.
I sat on his train bed, setting up his toys on the built in book shelves. Colt hung his curtains and was arranging them as Noah walked into room. He put his hands over his mouth and looked around.
Colt put his hands on his hips. “Hey Buddy. What do you think? Did we do good?”
He ran toward Colt and wrapped his arms around his legs. “WOW!” He shouted.
We ended up ordering pizza after spending the next hour playing with all of the cool new things in his room. For someone that had just came into our lives, it felt like he had always been there with us.
The next few months went by fast. We got Noah enrolled in a preschool program close to home. He was excited to wear a cute little uniform everyday like the bigger kids did. Of course, he wore a uniform because it was an elite private school, not that Noah cared anything about that. He made new friends and no longer got picked on by other children.
He and Colt spent a bunch of time together, in fact, he often went to work with his father. Colt had taught him all about the chickens and even some things about the cattle. He thoroughly enjoyed the tractors and riding them with Colt. Sam no longer slept on our bedroom floor. She found a new spot in bed with Noah. Noah couldn’t have been more happy about it, considering he didn’t like being alone very much.
I wasn’t going to therapy as much and I actually felt good every day I woke up. We planned a huge trip to Disney World with Miranda and Ty in the fall and Noah was so excited to be able to see Mickey Mouse.
He and Bella finally got to meet and they were the cutest little pair of cousins. While they visited we had a professional photographer come and take pictures of them together as well as family photos of both of our families. I bought every single pose and hung them all over the house.
Colt had finally got in touch with Krista’s father and visited him at the nursing home. He gave Colt lot’s of old photos of Noah that Krista had given him. We wanted Noah to always be able to remember his birth mother. She had brought him into the world and spent her last breath loving him. We hung her pictures in his room along with new ones.
Social services came out for one visit and never contacted us again. We had sole custody and nobody could ever take Noah away from Colt.
Noah saw a therapist for the first two months he lived with us. We did it as a precautionary measure, but were relieved when the doctor said he was coping with the loss of his mother and change in his life very well. Colt and I spent every single free moment making him feel like he belonged with us.
For the longest time Noah called me Van. He liked that I had such a funny name. One day we were at the park. Colt and I were sitting together on a bench watching him play with the other kids. This cute little girl came walking over to us to tell us she had a new baby brother. As we gave her our attention, a very jealous Noah came over and climbed onto my lap. He interrupted her and put his face in front of mine, taking away my view of the little girl. “I love you, Mommy.”
His words took my breath away. I forgot all about that little girl as I hugged that jealous little boy. “I love you too, Noah. So much.”
“Why are you crying?” He asked.
“You called me Mommy.”
“Are you sad now?”
“No Buddy. I am so happy. You make me so happy.” I squeezed that little kid so tight as Colt rubbed my shoulder.
I was wrong about not being able to be his mother. My life revolved around that child and it was wonderful. I would never forget the baby that I lost, but Noah made me treasure every single day of being his parent.
Chapter 17
Colt
With the addition of Noah to our family, Savanna and I didn’t exactly have a lot of alone time. She became so focused on being a mother that our time together just seemed to be put on the back burner. I wasn’t complaining, she was an awesome mother. Noah was crazy about her.
Aside from his three days a week in preschool, they spent all of their time together. Savanna was an only child and I could relate somewhat, but I also got to grow up with my younger cousins, where Savanna didn’t have that.
I think sometimes she enjoyed playing with toys and being his pal. I had come home several times to them playing army men, or building giant Lego towers. I think part of the reason he adored her so much was her ability to play like a four year old.
Savanna and I had decided to get him a pony and start teaching him how to ride horses. She wanted to be the one to show him everything about it. I remember the day that horse trailer pulled into the ranch. Noah went flying out of the house, just waiting to see what his horse looked like. He had spent an entire week trying to guess it’s color and height.