The second our car backed out of the driveway at grandpa and grandma’s house in Peoria, we could hear snoring coming from the backseat. Alexander didn’t even wake up when we stopped at Sonic for a roadtrip cherry lime-ade, but he was all smiles and claps when we unbuckled him at home. As the number of yawns and whines increased throughout the night before bed, we knew this kid was exhausted. And true to our predictions, he was out the second his head hit the pillow. There’s really only one reasonable explanation for this:

He survived his first Kelly wedding extravaganza.

Before we met Alexander, we were a little concerned about how our son would handle social situations and large crowds– and we both come from extremely large extended families. We had read that it was fairly common for children in institutionalized care to have difficulty with this; sadly, we were prepared to have to slowly introduce Alexander to his new and incredibly large family. We wondered how long it would take for him to feel comfortable with such a loving, and to be frank– intensely loving– family.  After a few small gatherings close to home with friends, we realized that our little man was not only ready for social situations, but that he was ready to meet The Family.

This kid is ready to party, Kelly style.

Sadly, we weren’t able to attend the wedding proper because of logistics, but after a night of rest, Alexander got to meet some of his uncles and aunts (Brian’s siblings) and his cousin Will. We made a trip to visit Brian’s cousin Dianne, who hosted a lovely brunch for us, and Alexander got to meet yet more of his family.

If you’d ask Alexander what the highlight of his weekend was, he’d have one answer– the pool! We brought his tiny trunks to the post-wedding pool party, and after much glad-handing and clapping, Brian introduced our little fish to the water!

And into the pool!

He would have spent the entire afternoon in the pool if we let him. This kid LOVES the water!

After a wardrobe change (and surgical cuffs replaced) and yet more family greetings, Alexander decided it was time to get the real skinny on the family by catching up with his generation:

“Lou, help a cousin out and get these cuffs off me!”

Overall, our little man did wonderfully considering all the new faces and friendly cuddles.  We were truly overwhelmed by the excitement for our little man, and he shared their enthusiasm!

Though Alexander really enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the weekend, I think he enjoyed getting to meet his aunts and uncles the most.

Alexander with his Aunt Julia–both famous for their smile and laughter!

Uncle Jon teaching Alexander the fine art of stacking cups (I know the contrast isn’t great in this photo, but I love their silhouettes!)

This weekend was a great reminder of how great technology can be. We are grateful that so many friends and family continue to follow along with our adventures through our blogging; it was heartwarming to see so many people delight with us in how much our little man has changed since late June. Although we have a long road ahead of us (and many more trips to the hospital!), the joy of being surrounded by those who love us makes everything easier.