Liam

“Chocala” he said, holding out his fist so Liam could fist bump him, which Liam very gently and happily proceeded to do. This is the way so many of the people on our street greet Liam each day, as he runs up and down, yelling with joy, petting their dogs, and splashing in puddles. One of his favorite stops is at the electric pole, where he mounts the cables and pretends he is riding a horse.

Liam is the first boy we have fostered; he is much busier, louder and not as great of a sleeper as the girls we had previously. Which is fine until you share the walls of your house with your neighbors and know they hear EVERYTHING. There have been MANY times where we have wished we had a bit more space, a yard and some insulation. There was the unforgettable night we were out walking and a neighbor walked right up to Liam and asked him why he yelled so loud ALL THE TIME. But that same neighbor runs to hug him, brings her dogs over to be pet, and gave him a Christmas gift, as did many other neighbors. We are constantly told how much they love to hear him yelling, that they miss the sounds of kids (he is the youngest on our street), and that he brings life to our neighborhood.

Because of this past year with Liam, we have grown closer to our neighbors and developed a greater appreciation for this community. Seeing them love Liam (in all his energetic, loud self) is beautiful. The retired guys who sit on their front step most days have made a space for Liam so now he runs down to join them. The guard has long “chats” with him in the garage. Carlos, across the street, always yells out to greet him and Liam yells and waves back. A truck cannot go by without him running to the door to see it and wave. The guy who sells eggs from his car stops every time to chat with Liam. They say raising kids takes a village. We’re so grateful for this village and their care for us and these kids in this process. What a gift.