Random sunflower

Not much to report on the adoption front, we had a pretty uneventful week compared to the past few. I expect that's how things will be for a while. We did receive conformation that our agency submitted our I-600 form to USCIS, and we should hear back from them in about 4-6 weeks. I believe we've done all we can for now, we're pretty much at the mercy of two governments. We did paint Kai's dresser and toy chest this week, I'll post pics when we get all the finishing details done in his room. I think it's finally getting through my thick skull that we really have a baby! This is evident by the intense emotional moments (crying), I seem to be having for no good reason. OK, there is a good reason; our son is in Korea and needs to come home to his forever Mommy and Daddy!!
For your entertainment, I will leave you with a picture of our random sunflower. I think this is so ironic because a couple years ago I made an honest effort to grow some sunflowers and they did not turn out well. Earlier this summer, what I thought was a weed, started growing in our yard; turns out it is a sunflower, and a monster one at that. (I'm embarassed to say how big it got before I realized it was not a weed.) It is so heavy with flowers that it is now nearly touching the ground. I have done nothing as far as caring for it, and we don't even know how it got there. We did not plant it. Pretty amazing!!
RA

Girl Time!!

This weekend I got a special treat- a girl's weekend with one of my oldest, best buds!! Shelly came to visit me all the way from Scapoose! I know what you're thinking, but it really is a long way considering she is a busy, working mother of four active kids!! Her husband sent her down for her 30th birthday present. We had a blast; spent the whole time gabbing, eating, and shopping. We even found our way to the spa for a pedicure! Shel and I met our senior year of high school (introduced by our Army recruiter), we went through basic training and our LPN program together. Since we finished our Army enlistment, it's been hard to find time together between our families, jobs and the distance between us. In spite of that, we've managed to stay in touch and she's been such a supportive friend to me over the past several years. She even helped me with my baby registry at Target- who better to go with than an expert Mom?? It was such a fun time, although by last night, her kids were calling her- begging her to come home, so I know she was greatly missed at home!
RA

Legals!!

Today we received an unexpected email from Holt- saying they already have Kai's legals!! I thought for sure we'd be waiting for these for at least a few more weeks! This means we can apply for his I-600 (Orphan Visa petition), approval of this is one big step towards getting him home!
RA

Reality is setting in

So this is all starting to seem very real...we have a son, and he is in Korea- right now, this very minute! Wow!! I am happy to report that today we returned our acceptance paperwork to Holt, so now we are "officially" matched with Kai! Although it seems he should be coming home any minute, we still have some waiting and more paperwork before he can come home. Holt estimates it will take 3-5 months for him to be cleared to travel home to us. The next big things we'll be waiting for are his legal documents ("legals") and his Emigration Permit (EP). We need the legals to submit our I- 600 to the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services); this form will give us permission from CIS to bring Kai into the US for the purpose of adoption. At the same time, the Korean government will be working on giving him his EP, which gives him permission to leave Korea for the purpose of being adopted. It could take a couple months for these steps to be completed, so we will continue to have our patience tested!! The reality at home is that now we have lots of baby stuff!! Since our shower we have had such a blast sorting and organizing everything. Yesterday I had fun washing and folding all Kai's little laundry (you know something is wrong when I use the words "fun" and "laundry" in the same sentence!) Yesterday we also got paint to finish detailing his room- dark blue and bright green! Can't wait to see how it looks all put together!

Surprise Baby Shower!!!

Yesterday, my wonderful coworkers threw us a surprise baby shower! OK, so it wasn't much of a surprise because I found out about it a few months ago; but all I knew was the time, date, and place, so there was still an element of mystery involved. We had a wonderful time, and were overwhelmed with everybody's kindness and generosity towards us. In attendance were friends from work, friends from outside of work, and what a special treat to have Grandma Sue, Aunt Beth, Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave there!!

New Mom and Grandmas enjoying a snack

Joe's gotta get organized now that he's a Dad!

A million little essentials from Kim- thanks again!

Daddy inspecting Kai's new pirate PJ's

The Grandmas serving up some yummy cake!

Thanks again to everyone for such a special day. We feel so lucky to have such wonderful support from our friends and family! And a very big special thanks to the hostesses; Susan, Kathy G, and Kathy M. I could not ask for a better group of coworkers- you guys are the best!!
RA

Introducing...

Our son, Malakai Joseph!! We just feel so blessed that God has chosen us to be this sweet little boy's parents. We have mountains of paperwork to complete, but we just can't seem to get past this cute little face.

The call of a lifetime

Just when we thought it would never happen- yesterday we got "the call"!! We were just settling into the idea of several more weeks of waiting, then BAM! in less than a minute we found out our long wait finally over. Our social worker happily relayed the news that we have been matched with a baby boy born in February. We are absolutely thrilled, and so thankful that God has blessed us with this beautiful child. I can't stop staring at his picture! (Which, by the way, I will post ASAP, I just need to clear it with our worker first) We are already falling in love with him and cannot wait to get our little guy home!!
RA

Beach bums

This past weekend we got to take a weekend get-away. We were able to take a few days off work and headed over to the beautiful Oregon Coast. We headed north from Florence, hit Lincoln City, Tillamook, and finished up in Seaside. We went for a beach horseback ride in Florence, and stopped for a short walk around Depoe Bay. Lincoln City had fabulous weather- sunny and no wind! We, of course, gave ourselves a tour of the Tillamook cheese factory, and did a lot of beach and promenade walking in Seaside. After Seaside we headed east and met up with our friends The Rasmussens at the Hillsboro air show, then spent the night in Portland and had a short visit with each of our parents. It was a fun weekend, and just the get-away that we needed. Now, it's back to the grind, and being held hostage by our phone!! Check out pictures from our trip here.

Runner Chick

One of my personal "must do" before baby comes/waiting for baby goals was to complete my second marathon. When I learned last fall that Eugene was to hold it's inaugural "Eugene Marathon" on 4/29/07, my mind was made up that this would be the race. And boy was I thrilled when upon disclosing my plans to my running buddy, Robyn, she also said that this race was one of her choices for her next marathon!! We have known each other and ran together for several years, and always talked of one day training for and running a marathon together. Now, that day had arrived!! We began our training in early February, and over the next few months we spent hours on end, running countless miles together. Really, I don't want to count them... At the peak of our training, I was logging 40+ miles a week. During training, we encountered just about any kind of weather we could imagine- from freezing, to rain (big surprise!), to those occasional beautiful sunny early spring days. We knew that the conditions for race day could be any of those. Luckily, when race day finally arrived, it was one of those beautiful spring days. I was very happy with the race overall; I felt good and strong crossing the finish line, and completed the race about 30 minutes faster than my first marathon! Finish time was 4:28 (yes, that's 4 hours and 28 minutes- 26.2 miles is a long way!). Well, I guess I should say I felt good besides the nagging pain in my foot, which over 2 weeks later I discovered was a stress fracture. (Needless to say, I haven't been running much since.) Even though I sustained an injury, it was worth it. Training and anticipation of the race made the winter months fly by, and occupied my mind that would have otherwise been focused on "the wait". Thanks Robyn, for sticking in there with me and being such an encouraging and motivating friend!!
RA

We're not the only ones!!

Today was the Holt Family picnic in Eugene. One activity is a "waiting families gathering", it was so nice to be reminded that we're not the only ones waiting. The room was packed, and some families that have been waiting even longer than us! Most of the families were in the China program, which has been a very steady 20+ month wait for a match. One family we met at the picnic last year is also still waiting for their child to come home, but they are cleared for travel to Thailand in less than two weeks to get their daughter! It was such a great reminder that this is only a stage, and we will get through it! Our social worker introduced us to another Eugene family that has a daughter from Korea. They invited us to join their monthly gatherings. It was such an answer to my prayers- I've really been wanting a way to connect with other local adoptive families. It was a good time, and we even had bul-go-gi for lunch!! Yum! It is so awesome to see all those beautiful children from all over the world.
RA

Roller coaster

So, this week has been an emotional roller coaster on the adoption ride. Long story short, we still have no news. We've gotten reports this week (regarding our remaining wait time) ranging from several weeks to several days. Really, we don't know what to think, so we just have to put our trust in God and remind ourselves that everything happens in His perfect time. (Easier said than done!!) When we came home from work today, we did have two lovely surprises in our backyard. Our hibiscus got it's first bloom today, and we found a butterfly that has become quite smitten with our Rose of Sharon (also about to bloom). The butterfly let me get amazingly close to take a picture. I did use a little zoom power, but I was still only inches away from it!! Enjoy the pictures!



RA