SNOW DAY!!!

Early this morning we woke up to a thin blanket of snow...

it steadily continued through the morning, and at 11 am we had:

Yes, 5 inches!! For anyone who knows about Oregon climate, you know this is highly unusual for those of us that live "on the valley floor".  Willie enjoyed himself, prancing and running all over the backyard, but Kai was not quite sure about this cold white stuff coming from the sky. I think this is my favorite picture of the day! It was clearly meant to be taken of Kai, but you can see Willie on the side, catching a snowball in his mouth!! 

Crazy puppy!!

He stood in it by himself for a bit...

then decided, "There must be an easier way"!

They say there's more on the way tonight and tomorrow, in fact many schools have already cancelled classes tomorrow. I'm so happy I don't have to worry about getting to work!!

Very cold, clear and sunny...

This has been our forecast all week. It makes for mixed emotions when it comes to outdoor activities.  A few days ago, we decided to brave the elements and get out for a walk. Mommy, baby, and puppy all needed some fresh air and exercise! So, we bundled up and hit the road. For Kai, "bundled" meant: three layers on top (including his red "puffy" coat), two layers on bottom, wool socks, chicken shoes, a cute fuzzy blue hat, and a cozy blanket over his lap! Poor thing, he could barely move! He was not too happy about me bundling him up, then strapping him down in the stroller. But, after we got moving, he was quite happy to be in the brisk air and I could see his arms waving in excitement the whole time. As was my goal, by the time he was comfy in his stroller, not much of him was visible... see for yourself. (The hat is actually a little big, so for most of our walk, it was down almost covering his eyes, all you could see was his cute little nose!)

By the time we got home, my fingers and toes were well on their way to numb,but by-golley, my baby was warm! Even his little nose!

See how happy his walk made him??

Now today, the clouds are rolling in and the temperature is rising just a bit...perfect for...dare I say it...SNOW!! Yep, it's in our forecast for tonight! Maybe tomorrow I'll be able to post snow pictures!!

Adoption Buddies!!

Some of you might remember back in early Dec., when I mentioned about our new friends traveling to Korea to get their son, who is only about 10 days older than Kai. Well, we finally got the boys together this weekend for their first play date! It was so fun, all the kids had a blast (our friends also have an older son from China)! Grandma and Grandpa C were so nice to loan us their house for the meeting.  It was so great to share our stories, and "compare notes", and hear her little guy saying the same Korean words Kai does! 

Here are a few pictures of our time together. We hope to get these guys together often, so they can be friends as they grow up!

Checking each other out!

And off he goes!! 

(Notice Kai watching in the background, I love it!)

New friends playing together.

A Day at the Beach

Today we took Kai for his first trip to the Oregon coast! Now, some of you might be thinking...the coast??...in January?? We are very lucky here in Oregon that our coast maintains a very moderate climate all year long, making it a great get-a-way just about all the time. Just one of the wonderful things about living in the NW!! Anyway, we enjoyed a beautifully sunny day, with only a slight breeze, although it wasa bit chilly at around 50 degrees. Luckily, with the lack of wind and a coat, it was just right! We drove over, had a nice lunch, then hit the beach for some walking. Kai enjoyed a ride on my back, and we hit the jackpot on whole sand dollars! Neither of us had ever seen so many in our lives! After walking for a while, we let Kai down to explore the sand. At first he wasn't so sure about it, then he dove right in and start digging like crazy! Doing the most natural thing to do in the sand- burying your feet! All in all, it was a fun day, and a great way to spend one of our last days together before Joe goes back to work next week.

Also, last weekend, Kai took his first steps!! Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave were down for a visit, so they got to witness this milestone! He had about 3 times where he took 3-4 steps! We haven't seen that feat repeated yet, but he's been doing lots of 1 or 2 step jobs! We imagine before too long, he'll be running all over the place!

And now, of course, some pictures from our day at the coast!

Lunch by the River

Cozy ride!!

Daddy and Kai

What is this stuff???

Oh, so this is what you do with it!! FUN!!!

Wonders of the Bathroom

Kai is discovering all the glorious, fun things that can be found in the bathroom. As if taking a bath was not fun enough, he has also learned that there is a big bowl-like thing that has a lid that goes up and down, and if you push on a special lever it makes a big fun sound! He has also discovered the fun roll of soft paper that is so easy for him to unroll and is kept right within his reach (well...not any more!).  Our bathroom officially looks like that of a toddler. We are seconds away from installing the toilet lock, our toilet paper roll now lives on the counter, and our tub is full of bath toys- and we love it!! 

Since no child's life would be complete without the ever-embarassing "bath tub" shots, here are a few we caught the other night during bath time. 

Home 2 weeks!

It's hard to believe that Kai has been home with us for 2 weeks now! He has been such a trooper, and such a brave boy. He is doing very well adjusting to life as an American.  He is having less and less grieving episodes, but still cries for "Om-ma" when he is upset, hungry or in pain (from teething :-( ).  He has been pretty much sleeping through the night, and if he wakes it's usually just once for a bottle then back to sleep. We are seeing lots of smiles and hearing lots of giggles, and he loves playing with Willie. He's started smiling in response to seeing us and others.  He loves bath time! Our first few bathing attempts were horrible, but after just letting him play in the tub once or twice, he is now a huge fan; he gets so excited with splashing all around and kicking his feet all over. Tonight, he heard me getting his bath ready, and he came into the bathroom, ready to jump right in!! He is such a joy, and he loves to make people laugh. He is definitely learning English, and is definitely learning his American name. He is having more and longer periods of standing without support, and goes all over the place crawling. We're sure he'll be taking his first steps before too long. As you can tell, we're quite smitten with our little miracle, and I could go on all night. But, I won't bore you with all the gorey details. Let me just share this one picture. I took it a few nights ago. I was bound and determined to catch his toothy grin on camera (something we've not been able to accomplish yet), and we were in his room just playing around. Every time I said "I love you", he would get this huge smile on his face, so I grabbed the camera, thinking I could get my shot. Well, he decided he was done playing that game, when suddenly, Daddy came down the hall and walked into his room. Luckily, my camera was ready, and I got the shot I've been looking for! 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

As most of you know, or can probably imagine, our Christmas celebrations this year were delayed. This was, of course, mostly due to Kai's arrival the day AFTER Christmas, and also that he had a new cousin due to be born a few days after Christmas pretty much put everything up in the air for a while. As of this past weekend, Kai has celebrated Christmas with both sides of his new family. He really enjoyed getting to spend some time with his new grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins! We were so happy that Christmas was delayed so that Kai, and his new cousin (Hayleigh Anna: born 12/30), could be there. Hope you enjoy the pictures!!

 Christmas Slideshow

Why go around it?

When you can just go through it?

A few nights ago, Kai discovered that if he wanted to get around the coffee table, he didn't have to go all the way around it, he can just go through the bottom of it!! Silly boy!

Life with Kai

Is simply wonderful! We are loving parenthood, and so in love with our sweet little guy. Well, not so little, at his first Dr. appointment yesterday he weighed in at 22 lbs 5 oz, and was 30 inches long! No wonder our bodies are aching. It is hard to believe he’s only been home one week. He has come so far so quickly. The first few days were really hard, he was grieving pretty hard, and would have intense episodes about 2-3 times a day. During a grieving episode, he cries for his Om-ma (his foster mom), screams and jerks his body around, and is inconsolable. We just have to hold him through it, until he will eventually fall asleep. We’ve seen a big change in the last few days. He’s started coming to us before he starts grieving, and asks us to pick him up. Yes, he actually asks. He can say the Korean word for “carry me”, which is “abuba”. When he says this we know he’s getting sad, and we put him in the carrier and carry him until he feels better. He is still grieving, but he is beginning to let us comfort him, and we are able to help him through it much better. We’ve also gotten a lot more smiles and giggles. And last night, we got sleep!! He slept in his crib all night long! We thought it was pretty ironic that on his loudest night home so far (with fireworks for New Year’s), he slept the best. Go figure! We’ve taken him out for a few outings, and he loves being out and seeing everything.
He and Willie became fast friends. From their first meeting, Kai has never shown any fear of him, and Willie is so gentle. In fact, one of the first smiles we got from Kai was when he met Willie! Kai has been chasing Willie around the house, and Willie has been right by Kai’s side while he’s in his high chair!
We are loving getting to know him, and are seeing his personality come out. He is such a snuggle bug, and quite the ham. We noticed while we were out with him that he’s also a big flirt. He loves music and loves to dance. He is so proud of himself while he’s cruising around the furniture.
I’ll leave with a few pictures from our first days together. Hope you all have a safe and Happy New Year!!

First walk with Daddy

Kai with his Pooh car from Grandma and Grandpa M.

Mommy's Little Snuggle Bug

Best Buds

Forever a Family!!!

Our sweet boy is finally in our arms! We had a wonderful family day, although it was a really long day for all of us. Our little trooper was in transit for over 24 hours when we finally reached PDX in the wee hours of 12/27! He endured 2 flight delays; his flight leaving Seoul was 4 hours delayed, and we were 4 hours delayed leaving SFO. He was such a good boy, took everything in stride, and *luckily* waited until we got to Grandma and Grandpa's in Portland before having his first major grieving episode. We were very thankful that we got to hang out in SFO most the day after he was placed in our arms, it was nice to have "get to know you" time before setting off on another flight. We even got to hang out with 2 of the other babies from his flight. When we finally arrived at PDX, we were greeted by all 4 grandparents, Uncle Dan, Aunt Joanna and the cousins, and Great-grandma Tee. We were surprised and grateful that they all waited and waited as our flight kept getting further delayed, until we finally arrived at nearly 1AM!

Hope you enjoy the slideshow of our family day!

Kai's Family Day 

Merry Christmas!!!

In just a few short hours, our sweet little boy will be waking up to his first Christmas morning. We, of course, wish he could be waking up in our house, but he will be in our arms in less than 48 hours. Today is a day of mixed emotions; we are so excited that our boy is so close to being home, but also our hearts are breaking for all the challenges he will be going through over the next few days. Please keep us in your holiday prayers; safe travels for all of us, continued health for Kai, and peace in his heart about the changes he's going through.

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY!!!

 We hope you have a safe and joyous holiday!!

More bonding talk

We have all been waiting a long time to hold and see our baby boy. We have already bonded with him through his photos and have grown to love him. It is hard for us to believe we are still strangers to him! While we are preparing a place for him in our home and hearts, he has not even thought of leaving where he is. He will be experiencing the loss of everything he has ever known in just a few days. A few months ago I wrote a post about bonding and attachment in adoption. Now, with Kai’s arrival approaching, I wanted to bring it to your attention again. We are thrilled that everyone is so excited to welcome our new son, however, we want to make our intentions and expectations clear from the start; we do not want there to be confusion, misunderstandings, or hurt feelings after his arrival. We have done a lot of reading about ways to make healthy attachments with adopted children, and many things we will do might seem odd or inappropriate, but we feel they are important to Kai’s adjustment with us.
As hard as it is to say, please awe at him from our arms for a while! He needs to recognize us as mom and dad before he is ready to be passed around. This is a small window of time we have to develop an appropriate bond. He will be a much happier baby if we give him time to grieve his loses and then form a forever bond. There is no set length of time for this, but we will be able to tell by his reactions whether or not he is ready to be held by others. We still invite you to touch him, hug him, kiss him, talk to him, and play with him. But, for a while, we need to be the only ones to feed, diaper, bathe, cuddle...you get the picture. He will be grieving the loss of his foster family, this usually lasts for at least a few weeks, but grieving episodes could occur for months after his arrival. Grieving episodes are intensified by over stimulation, so we need to keep his world quiet and small for his first weeks with us.
We have been so blessed by this gift. We want to make sure we are doing everything we can for Kai to feel the security his birth-mother wanted for him. We know many of you have bonded with him just as we have! So many of you have prayed daily for him and we do not underestimate the bond or love you feel for him. We hope you understand our need for this special time with our baby boy. If you have any questions, please call or email.

KAI IS COMING HOME!!!!

Some call it Boxing Day, some call it Kwanza, some call it "recovery" day, but from this year forward, we will call it FAMILY DAY!! Our precious little boy will be in our arms forever the DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS!!! We are absolutely thrilled beyond words, so relieved this journey is almost over, and so excited to start our life as a family. We will be leaving on Christmas Day, and will meet him in San Francisco early Wednesday morning! By that evening, we will all be home together. We are so thankful to all our friends and family who have been so supportive during this process; we will never be able to tell you or repay you for all your positive thoughts and prayers. We're almost there!!
RA

Conquering the Mountain

OK, so not really a "mountain", but it is a really big hill! Those of you that had the pleasure of visiting us at our previous house, the one on "the hill", know what I'm talking about. During the 3 years that we lived in that house, I became "one" with the hill. It was my biggest nemesis, and I took pleasure in conquering it on a nearly weekly basis. I overtook it mostly by foot (and a few times by bike while I was training for a duathalon), always with an overwhelming sense of accomplishment at the finish. The route is an almost 4 mile loop, half of which is straight up, the other half is straight down. This probably sounds crazy to most of you, but my running buddies can understand, that hill really helped me through some tough times; always leaving me with a clearer mind and an incredible feat achieved. After the rough time we had this week, waiting for the phone call that never came, I was left with feelings of anger, frustration and confusion. What better way to vent myself than by visiting my old friend, "the hill"? I'm not one to toot my own horn, but I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself. We moved from that house almost a year and a half ago (we now live in the flat lands- not a hill in sight), and I have had only a few hill workouts since, mostly during my marathon training last winter. Since recovering from my stress-fracture, I have done 1 or 2. What I'm trying to say, is that even with very little hill experience lately, I sailed up that thing, in about the same amount of time that it took me when we lived up there, not having to stop or walk at all! Today I clocked 42 minutes, for a very hilly, 4 mile run! More importantly, I was able to vent my frustrations, and now feel able to enjoy what very easily could be our last weekend before parenthood! We're going to try to get everything for Christmas finished up, and have a few holiday events to attend. I hope to return next week with some good news for all of you!!
RA

A lesson in patience

If you're reading this, and it's the most recent post in the blog...relax, you haven't missed "it". The "it" I'm referring to is our long awaited travel call. Here we are, over a week "post VISA", and still no word about our sweet little boy. This week has absolutely been the longest week of my life! Every second just ticks by at a snail's pace as we wait, wait, wait for the phone to ring. I feel like through this whole process I've been pretty patient. Waiting over 10 months for a match, waiting over 11 weeks for immigration clearance...I am starting to lose patience! Really, in terms of what we've gone through, waiting 1-2 weeks for travel notification should not really be a big deal. But, it SOOO is! Maybe it's because we're soo close, maybe it's because everyday is closer to Christmas...I don't know, but this is all really starting to get to me! I am so ready to be done with this, and have our little guy home to start our life as a family.
At least we've been in communication with our agency, and they assure us the Korean agency is "working on it". Not really what I wanted to hear, but much better than a response like, "VISA, what VISA??". They also said that travel is not being delayed due to Kai being ill, so that's good. We just have to pray it stays that way! (They won't let him travel if he gets sick at all, even a cold)
I am starting to lose hope that he'll be home for Christmas. If we don't hear anything this week, he probably won't be.
This is definitely not easy to go through...it's been said many times on my web forum..."Adoption is not for wimps." So true.
Also- happy 10 months to Kai today! We hope you're home very, very soon!!!
RA

Life Takes---VISA!!!!

Kai's VISA was issued TODAY!! Our agency has notified us that we should know his travel plans by early next week! WOW!! What more is there to say? Our prayers are being answered and our dreams are coming true! Now we just need to pray for quick travel arrangements and safe travels for our boy and his escort! This is just so amazing...I am speechless!
RA

In progress...

At this very moment, on the other side of the world, our sweet little boy is having his exit interview!! We have been waiting for this moment all weekend (yes, it's been a long weekend)! OK, so I found out it's not really an "interview". He doesn't even have to go to the embassy. It's more like an appointment that someone from Holt Korea goes to, and takes all his paperwork to get his VISA. I really did like the visions in my head of our little Kai, all dressed in his Sunday best, going down to the embassy to get cleared to come home. But, I am happy that his foster mother does not have to take him, since that would be a lot of trouble for her. This has certainly all become a lot more "real" over the past few days; I am having the sleepless nights and knots in my stomach to prove it.
RA

Kai's Exit Interview!!

WOW!! A few short weeks ago we felt like Kai would never get home, now things are moving WAY faster than we ever imagined!!! I just got off the phone with the VISA center in Wash., DC, and was informed that Kai has his EXIT interview on 12/3!!! To say we are in a total state of shock would be an understatement!! I was not even expecting his I-171 to reach Seoul until Monday, and now that's the day he has his exit interview! So, now you're probably wondering what happens next. After his exit interview on Monday, his VISA will probably be issued within a couple days. After that, Holt Korea will start working on travel arrangements to get him home. This usually takes about a week or so. When his travel is arranged, they will call us (the highly anticipated "travel call"), and notify us as to when he'll be HOME!! Yes, I said, home!!! (Can you tell I'm in shock?) Looks like all our prayers for a Christmas Miracle are working!!
RA

Great news for a new Friend!!

If you've talked to me in the past few months, you have undoubtedly heard about my new friend "H" (keeping details out to protect their privacy). We met on the Holt web forum, and have met in person a few times. She is also a waiting mom, her son is in Korea, and is just a few days older than Kai. Our "timelines" have been nearly identical since our referrals in Aug. We live in the same state, so they were stuck in the same CIS mess that we were. They pulled out ahead of us in late October when they got their immigration approval, and have been about 2 weeks ahead of us since then. Well...today they got their TRAVEL CALL!!! YAY! I am so excited for her and her family!! Sounds like on Monday, they will be Korea bound!! We have already decided that our sons will be friends, and hopefully they'll be able to come to the airport when Kai comes home (and vice versa)! I can't wait to see her cutie pie in her arms, and can't wait to see our boys together!!
RA

More to be thankful for...

After a very fun trip to see our friends and families for the Thanksgiving holiday, we are safely back at home, with more exciting news on our adoption. First of all, yesterday we got word, from the NVC, that Kai's immigration approval has been sent to Seoul! That means that everything that needs to happen in the US, has happened! As if this wasn't enough to shoot us off to Cloud 9, when we got home today we had another wonderful surprise. A well baby report!! So, here's the latest on Kai: he's now measuring 21.6 lbs and 28.75 inches tall. He has 4 teeth, and is pulling himself up. He's also saying "Mama" and "Dada" (it didn't specify, but I'm assuming he's saying these in Korean). His report said that he was "well cared for", and a "cute, alert and active boy". It was wonderful to hear that he's doing well, but also bittersweet to see what milestones he's passed. He's going to be such a "little man" when he comes home! We don't expect to hear anything further regarding his arrival, until his I-171 reaches Seoul, which will probably take 10-14 days. At that point, they will begin filing his VISA! :-)
RA

A Day for Giving Thanks

This year we have so much to be thankful for. We are thankful for each other; and the love, friendship and companionship that we share. We are thankful for our son who is waiting in Korea to come home to us. We are thankful that we both have secure jobs, and that we have food on our table and a roof over our heads. We are thankful that we live in a free country that allows us to build our family through international adoption. We are thankful for our social worker, and all the wonderful people at Holt International who have aided us thus far in our adoption. We are thankful for all the wonderful and caring people at Holt Korea who have been tending to Kai’s needs, and preparing everything in Korea for him to travel. We are thankful for his wonderful foster mother who has loved him and cared for him like one of her own. We are so very thankful to his birth mother, that she loved him so much that she gave him the gift of life. We are thankful for our wonderful families, who have been 100% supportive of our adoption, and are waiting, with arms open and ready, to receive our new son into our family. We are thankful for all our amazing friends, who have been so supportive over the past several years; always there, lending either a shoulder to cry on, or a smile to brighten our day, whichever it is we need. Above all, we give thanks to God, who has provided all these wonders in our life.
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Joe & Ruth Anne

Family Photo

Today we took our first family photo:



We took it to make a Thank You card for a group of Joe's wonderful co-workers who gave us the rocking chair at our shower (along with a basket brimming with other goodies). In the background you can see the banner that they also had at the shower, made by "Nana Hannah" (note: our name has been cropped to protect the innocent).
RA

I-171...

In our hot little hands!! (This document is the approval of our orphan petition) I am so happy, this means it is already well on it's way to New Hampshire! It brought tears to my eyes just to see our names on the form...with his name as the beneficiary...he's really ours!
RA

FINALLY...SOME GOOD NEWS!!

Today we received a phone call from our Senator's office, saying that our I-600 (orphan petition) was approved this morning!! This is what we've been waiting for! We don't know if it was approved as a result of our appointment with them last Friday, or if it's because the Senator's office called on our behalf, but we really don't care! It's approved! Now it must make a journey to New Hampshire (via snail mail, of all things), then it must be logged in and processed through the "National Visa Center" (NVC). From there it is sent to Korea. Once the hard copy arrives in Seoul, the embassy can start processing Kai's Visa! From this point, our agency is saying he should be home in 4-6 weeks. Yikes! That's cutting it awfully close to Christmas! We need lots of prayers that everything goes flawless from here, so we can be on the low end of that timeframe. We need to get our little boy home, so he can spend his first Christmas with his forever family!!
RA

Another month gone by...

Today our sweet Kai is 9 months old. Today I thought of him every time I saw the date (OK, who am I joking? I think of him all the time anyway...). Wondering what milestones he's met this month. Sitting up? Crawling? How we long for another update on him...or better yet to hold him in our arms. Hurry home baby boy!
RA

Ridin' the 'coaster

Yesterday was a roller coaster ride of a day if we've ever had one! We felt just about any emotion you can think of, all in one day...needless to say we're a little drained today!
We started the day out with butterflies in our tummies and high hopes as we had our appointment with the USCIS. Those high hopes quickly plummeted as we first found out that "the lady who deals with adoptions is off today", and then the news that our request to bring Kai into the US has not yet been approved. I tried to hold it together and stay composed, I really did. But, hearing those two things just sent me over the edge and I had a full-on breakdown right there in the CIS waiting room. I am so thankful that Joe was there and able to keep composure enough to speak with the supervisor and plead our case. We got the same story we've been hearing for the past 6 weeks- "the officer is new, having trouble getting them done, we hope to get to it in the next few weeks". We feel this is no excuse, it seems as if they have no idea that there is a real baby on the other side of the world who can't come home until they do their job. Needless to say, we left their office crushed, heart broken, devastated and hopeless. In the end, we left a message for the "adoption specialist" to call us next week with a status check (of course, we won't hear anything until Tues at the earliest since Mon is a holiday for them). We do know that our request is "on the officer's desk", but we also know it has been there for the past 6 weeks...
So, we headed home...and to a baby shower in our honor. After getting no info from CIS, I was crushed and really not feeling up to a baby shower. Luckily, we had a long drive to settle down, and thanks to the power of modern technology (cell phones), we actually made quite a few calls while driving home. By the time we reached our shower destination (LTD), we had contact information for one of our senators and placed a call to his office. We ended up leaving a message with an immigration specialist there who assured us she would inquire with CIS about our case (unfortunately she also needs to speak with the lady who was off yesterday, so we'll hear nothing from them until next week). After settling down, and beginning steps of getting local government involved, I was feeling better about the shower.
It was such a wonderful time, again blessed beyond belief by Joe's co-worker's and friends. We are truly overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and helping us prepare for our new arrival. After it was said and done, I was happy we had something fun to come home to and were surrounded by such supportive people after such a huge let-down. It was much better than if I had come home to sulk by myself.
Later in the day, I was able to speak with the head social worker for our branch office of Holt, and she was very encouraging. She said that even though we feel like our trip was a waste of time and nothing happened, something really did happen and it will bring our case to the fore-front in that office and hopefully speed things up for us.
We are still feeling very frustrated with the whole situation, but we're also feeling like we have more control if we get some local politicians involved. Or, at least we feel like we're "doing something".
We're looking forward to the weekend, relaxing, going through stuff from our shower yesterday, and perhaps a little retail therapy (with gift cards from showers- even better!!). Hope you all have a good weekend, and please continue to keep us in your prayers.
RA

Bunco Baby Shower

Last week at Bunco, the bunco babes threw me a baby shower. The bunco babes are absolutely the best, and are all so excited for our sweet baby boy to come home! I've been playing with this group of wonderful women for (I think) about 7 years now, and they've all been so supportive through our journey. It was so fun to celebrate our son with them, and they're all asking when he'll come play Bunco!! Thanks you guys- you're awesome!! (Be sure to take special note of the cake that Chris made herself- decorations and all!!) Click here to see the pictures!
RA

Party Time!!

As you can probably guess by now, we have no "adoption news" to share yet. We are still on pins and needles for our USCIS approval. Even though I am expecting through adoption (vs. pregnancy), I fully believe I am going through the same (or some) stages that occur in pregnancy. Right now, that would be nesting. I have been for a while now, but I am just really feeling the need to finish up projects and make things "homey". So, my weekend consisted of some major nesting activities yesterday, and a family birthday party at our house today.
Yesterday I spent cleaning, making a card collage for Kai's room, and working on sewing projects for Christmas. I made the card collage with ribbons from shower gifts (thanks, Kim), and cards from our showers and random baby cards from friends and family. Sorry, I cannot disclose more about the sewing projects since the recipients read this blog...
Here is a picture of my creation for Kai's room.Today, we had a birthday party for my Mom and Dad (Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave), our niece, Bea, and our nephew, Ryan. It was lots of fun, but we were all sad that Joanna (the kids' Mom, and our sister-in-law) was home sick. :-( (Hope you feel better soon- we're praying for you!) Here's a small slide show with pics from that event. Some of them came out dark, but were so darn cute I had to share...

At this point, I'm not planning to hear anything about out CIS approval until our appointment with them later in the week, but will definitely share when we hear something!!
RA

The wait continues

So, if anyone out there is keeping track, we are now at 11 weeks since our match, and 9 weeks waiting for US immigration approval. Do I need to say we're getting tired of waiting? (we won't even start on how long we've been waiting to have a child...) Everyday we're getting increasingly frustrated. For the last 18 months, I think I've been pretty good at just sitting back and letting everything work itself out, but I've decided it's time to "make waves". OK, don't think I'm going to do anything drastic, I've just decided it's time to start making more calls, more inquiries, and maybe having our name floating around the office will spark some interest in approving our request. I really don't know if this will do any good, but at least we'll feel like we're doing something. I realize that we really have NO control over this, and we're at the total mercy of our government-how scary is that??
As always, thanks for checking in- sorry I didn't have any good news to share...
RA

Perfectly said

This article was published today in the Boston Globe. It is about a family that was recently united through adoption. I know the Mom from the Korea family web forum, and have followed their journey since I joined the forum in May. Their home study went to Korea 4 days before ours, and they received their referral about 2 weeks before we did. A few weeks ago, their son came home. The writer of the article is a long time family friend, and very beautifully put into words the feelings behind stories like ours. It is so true and in fact, after reading it, I realized it could very easily be about us (with the exception, of course, that our miracle is not yet home). I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!
A free fall than a soft landing
RA

Straight to the source

Today was a BAD day! Today was probably one of the hardest days I've had on our adoption journey. Nothing really happened to make it that way (well, that in itself is the problem), it was just a rough emotional day. I think the only other day I've felt this low was the day (in early Aug.) when our social worker told us it might be another few months before getting our match. So, like any woman having a bad day, I tried all the normal "pick-me-ups": working out, talking to people who would make me laugh, retail therapy, treating myself to my favorite treat (carmel apple with M&M's from Rockie Mountain Chocolate Factory), and out to lunch with my hubby.
I am just so frustrated that we are still waiting for our USCIS approval...it's been over 8 weeks now! They keep saying we should get it "any day". I feel so out of control, there is nothing I can do to make this happen any faster! Or is there? I've seen on the board several families who have requested appointments with CIS in attempt to get resolution to their case. So, that's what I did, I made an appointment with CIS. Unfortunately, it's not for a few more weeks, and I don't really know if it will do any good, but for now it's made me feel a little better and like I've "done something about it". So, now we are still praying like crazy that we'll get this approval soon, and have to cancel our CIS appointment, but at least we have that to fall back on.
For now, I am feeling better, and looking forward to a beautiful fall weekend! Enjoy!
RA

Double Digits

Today marks the start of our 10th week of waiting for Kai to come home. It's starting to get a little old...Don't get me wrong, I'm much happier being 10 weeks into our 3-5 month wait, than just 1 or 2 weeks. But, at 1 or 2 weeks, it was still so new and exciting. Now we're just tired of waiting and want our little boy home! We're still waiting for our USCIS approval, so until we have that we're pretty much in a holding pattern.
RA

Baby Shower!!

Last Sunday, my sister-in-law, Joanna, and Joe's Aunt Linda hosted a wonderful baby shower for me (at Grandma Sue's house)!! It was such a fun time, getting together with family and friends, to celebrate our new son. Once again, we feel tremendously blessed by the generosity that was shown towards us, and were quite overwhelmed by it all. Please enjoy the pictures below, and to all who were there: "Thank you so much for making it such a fun and memorable day!!" And a special thanks to Joanna and Aunt Linda for making it possible! Love you guys!!

How WE Remember...

As most of you are aware, our journey to a family has included many pregnancy losses. This past Monday, October 15, was International Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. This is a subject that is not openly discussed in our society, but should be because it so deeply affects those who experience it. After losing my third pregnancy (which happened to be twins), I was having a discussion with a co-worker (who I did not know very well at the time), and felt compelled to share with her what I had gone through. By opening this door, I learned that she had also gone through infertility, and had a son from Korea. She reminded me that my miscarriages, and infertility, were part of "my story", and I should not feel ashamed to talk about it. By realizing this, and talking more about this "personal" subject, I have met (or rather, realized), that so many other people go through these same things, and I have gained so much support. If I had not been open to sharing my experiences, I may have never found out that my (now) close friend, Kim, was also going through this, and we have been able to lean on each other for support on multiple occasions during our journeys to our families. (By the way, Kim is now the proud mother of adorable boy/girl twins!) After that third miscarriage (which was not my last), I decided I needed to do something in remembrance of all our little angel babies. So, I started this cross stitch (only two and a half years ago), and when we were matched with Kai this summer, I made a goal of finishing it before he came home. Well, I did it! Take a look (just needs a frame now):

So, for any of you reading this that have gone through a pregnancy or infant loss, my heart and prayers are with you. I know it is one of the most painful losses to endure. God Bless You...
RA

NOW we're ready...

Since we got our match with Kai, whenever I talk to our social worker and mention how "unready" I feel, she always reminds me that all we really need is a car seat to bring him home from the airport. Now, thanks to Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Dave, we are ready! Even panda thinks it's pretty cozy ride! We got the seat while in Portland this past weekend for a baby shower (stay tuned for details from that wonderful event)!



On another note, after a pretty good Monday at work, we came home to a not so good situation. Three phrases describe it all...Willie...our bathroom...big mess. Not exactly what I was expecting. After dealing with that, I was thrilled to find a mailbox (and porch) full of surprises! (Sorry, no new pictures). I received a truly thoughtful birthday gift from one of my dearest friends, Kim (see Crocheron family blog); a jar of 100 wishes for Kai (I made it through about 10 before I was bawling), and a first year (at home) scrap booking calendar- can't wait to get started on that one!! We also received a shower gift from Uncle Josh and Aunt Candy, and my order from Cafe Press:


It was already dark outside, so I guess I'll have to wait until tomorrow to put it on my car. It's beginning to look like a real "mom-mobile"!
RA

Happy 8 months, Kai!!

Today our sweet little Kai is 8 months old! I was really hoping to come home from work to find a new picture as our gift, but alas, it did not happen. Well, I guess there's always tomorrow. I am starting to fear I may not recognize him when we meet. (Luckily, there will be someone to connect us!) How we wish he was home with us...

Baby steps

We're still waiting *patiently* for our USCIS approval. (Patiently is used very loosely here)
We did get a few tidbits of info today, and are hoping and praying this will be coming very soon! Stay tuned for further updates!!

The BIG 3-0!

Yesterday I did it- I became a full-fledged member of the "30's Club". It wasn't nearly as dreadful as I was expecting, and in fact I am now at peace with the whole thing. In talking with people at work yesterday, I realized that my 20's were not all that great- except, of course, for the wonderful, life changing events of becoming a wife and an aunt; and all the wonderful friends I made. My 20's were otherwise filled with heartbreak and questions, as we were struggling to start our family. So, now I'm ready for my third decade, and (almost) ready for all the changes, challenges, and amazement that it will bring! Here are some pictures of my birthday gathering with our family this past weekend. Hope you enjoy!

Dinner at Chang's- Yumm-o!

That's Grandma Anne- can you believe she's 95??

Bea's mesmerized by the fire- there were really 30 candles on it!!

Joe had me made into a bobble head!!

Now the whole world can know!

Kai has 2 teeth!!

You might be wondering how I know this- we got an updated well baby report (WBR) today!! We are so excited to get this update that we've been waiting sooo patiently for. After spending a fun weekend away in Portland, with lots of fun activities and family time, the mailman brought us this blessed gift! I'm sure he had no idea how much happiness this little envelope would bring us. OK, I know you're all anxious to hear the details, so without further ado... (his visit was done in early Sept., so he was nearly 7 months at the time) He weighed almost 21 lbs, and was almost 28 inches long. Yep, I better keep lifting those weights!! He was not yet sitting on his own, but has mastered creeping on the floor. And of course, has two bottom teeth!! The down side- no new picture, but we are thankful to have gotten the update on his growth and development. Also, it is much needed affirmation that he really is ours, and they are working to get him home to us.


As I mentioned, we were away for the weekend, it was such a fun time. I took Ryan, Bea and Peter (Kai's cousins), with their Mom's (Joanna) help, to Build-a-Bear. The three of them, together, made a bear for Kai. It was so sweet how they each got to put a heart in (yes- he has 3 hearts), after they had kissed it. We also ran into one of my friends from middle/high school, so that was a nice unexpected surprise. Saturday I had the pleasure of meeting another expecting (adoptive) Mom from the Holt board and we had a great time exchanging stories and having coffee- hoping to have many more get togethers with them (our sons were born 11 days apart!).
Then, Saturday night was my birthday party (I'm desperately hanging on to my last few days of my 20's). And Sunday, I took Bea to see Pollyanna, the play. It was our first auntie/niece outing and we both had a great time.

As always, thanks for checking in on us. Here's to more good news this week!!

EP!!!!

Today we received the wonderful news that Kai has his EP (emigration permit)!! This does not mean his travel is imminent, however, it is one BIG step towards getting him home. The last few weeks have been really difficult for us, we've anxiously been awaiting an updated well baby report, and checking the mail box daily for our I-600 approval (USCIS approval). So earlier today, in a desperate attempt for ANY information, I broke down and called our social worker. She called back saying she was just about to call us with this great news! (Must have been my mother's intuition kicking in) It was really something I was not expecting to hear, and so, so happy we can now check this off our list. Now we're just waiting on OUR government...

No girls allowed!

Kai's room is finally starting to take shape and look like a boy's room. Joe was a little concerned when we painted it pale yellow and white (stripes) how we were going to "boy it up", if we got matched with a boy. See for yourself, I think we've done a pretty good job. (FYI- the dresser and toy chest are a darker blue, but they appear black in some of the pictures.) We do need a little more decor on the walls, but here's what it looks like for now.

Home Sweet Home

Books desperately in need of a bookshelf!


View coming through the door

View through Kai's eyes

(Any excuse to show off my adorable puppy!) By the way, Willie already seems to be embracing his role as a big brother. We have found him a few times lying beside the crib, and this weekend, while we were working in there, he was lying under it! He's gonna be a good brother!

HEY EUGENE!!!

Last night we had the pleasure of enjoying an evening of music by Pink Martini. It was especially fun as they are on tour for their newest album, "Hey Eugene". Joe's parents came from Portland to attend the concert with us. If you've ever heard Pink Martini, you are no doubt a fan. It took us all of one song to fall in love with them (of course it helped that it was their title track from this album-Hey Eugene). A little over a year ago, we were flipping through TV channels, and came upon an OPB special they were doing. It just so happened that this was the exact moment they were talking about and performing "Hey Eugene" (see video clip below). Needless to say, when they performed this song last night, the crowd went wild! (By the way, we do realize this song is not about our city.) Their style is indescribable, but my best description would be jazz/latin/classical. Their lead singer is fluent in several languages, and most songs are sung in French, Spanish, Japanese or English. This was our second time seeing them perform live, and it never ceases to amaze me that they can totally captivate an audience, even when we have no idea what the song is about. They do, however, do a very good job of telling us the "plot" of songs they sing in other languages. They truly do have creativity and originality that is hard to find these days. I've found a couple of clips and posted them in below- hope you have a few minutes to watch!

Bonding & Attachment

I'm happy to report that we've come to the point in our adoption journey to begin thinking about bonding and attachment. From what I've learned, it's not much different than bonding with a biological child, except for the obvious fact that it's not happening at birth (at least not for us). Because of this, some things we do, or requests we have, may seem strange. For this reason, I wanted to share some information with our family and friends, to help you all understand the differences and know why we're doing what we're doing. I have been searching the internet for helpful resources, and stumbled across this page from Adoptive Parents magazine. I will also attach the link on our side bar for easy access in the future. (In case you're wondering, this does not mean we have "news")

Singing the blues...

So, we've got a major case of the "travel call blues" goin' on here. I am absolutely dying for an update on Kai! I can't believe that we've heard nothing since our referral. Holt always says "No news is good news", meaning if he were sick or something we would know immediately, so at least I have that reassurance. But still, even an updated well baby check or something!! I am really hoping we'll at least get a new picture after he gets our package (which should be sometime this week). Those who know me, know I try not to be the jealous type, but a few minutes ago on the Holt board I was reading a post about a family that received an update today, and it nearly brought me to tears! This poem was posted on the Holt board yesterday by another waiting Mom. I can identify with every single line...perhaps it can give some insight into how I'm feeling.

Oh Lord, all we need is our travel call,
This process has been such a long haul!

Our sweet little one is growing and changing,
While we have been at home rearranging.

We pray everyday that he is getting the best care,
While we search the internet for the cheapest air fare.

At this point I hope I recognize his sweet precious face,
I am sure that getting to the airport will be quite the race.

Please Korea call us this week with good news,
Otherwise this mom will continue to sing the blues.

I know, it's kinda silly, but so stinkin' true!
Well, thanks for letting me vent a little...hoping and praying for some good news this week!
RA

Then & Now

This month we come upon the 5 year anniversary of adopting Willie into our family. He has always been a Daddy's boy, from nearly the first moment of meeting us. (Although, he does know who to run to for protection...that would be me) I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. The first one is from (I'm pretty sure) Willie's first night at our house. The second one was just a couple days ago. Not much has changed, just the size of the dog!!
RA

7 months ago...4 weeks ago...

Seven months ago our lives were unknowingly changed forever when your sweet little boy was born, far away in South Korea. Four weeks ago our lives were knowingly changed forever when we were matched with him. I have to say, although all this waiting is thoroughly the pits, the last 4 weeks have gone by surprisingly fast! And, as I look at the calendar, and try to comprehend all that still needs to occur until we're ready for him, I think the next 6 weeks or so will fly by as well! I'm certain that we will come to a point, when all the preparations have been made, that time will start crawling by at a snail's pace. But, for now we're keeping quite busy, and it's flyin' by! Two praises for today: the first, a big one- I might have someone at work to cover my maternity leave! It's not totally official, but it's lookin' pretty darn good. The second (not quite so big), is that Kai's package is in the mail, and was about $15 less to send than I anticipated! Hopefully this means what started out as a crazy week, will end on a very good note! Oh, and only 10 days until Pink Martini!!

Care package

The box is sealed, the letter is translated, and tomorrow, Kai's care package will be on it's way to Korea!! We tried to keep it small, for customs it needs to be under a certain $ value or else Holt Korea or the foster family could have to pay (don't want that!!); but it certainly was hard. I just kept telling myself, "He will be home soon, then we can lavish him with gifts". I can already tell he's going to be one spoiled little boy! Gifts for Kai include a couple outfits, some socks (he didn't have any on in his referral photo, I want to be sure his little feet are warm), a blanket that we've slept with (I thought the airplane one was just perfect), and a "baby proof" photo album with pictures of us in it. Gifts for the foster Mom are a travel size lotion of my favorite scent, and a lip gloss. We also included a pocket calendar of OR, and some note cards that I made from photos we've taken. Oh, and we're sending a disposable camera in hopes it will be returned full of photos of Kai in Korea. We're not "technically" supposed to be sending him anything, so hopefully we won't get in trouble. How can we NOT send gifts to our son? We may never know whether or not he actually receives it, but just sending it makes it all seem more real. The ultimate pay-off would be updated pictures of him with our package!!
RA

Remembering Grandma Ruth

Last Sunday, Sept. 2, my family endured a great loss when my dear Grandma Ruth went to be with the Lord. She had been in a coma for a few days, and went peacefully in her sleep. On her last day on earth, my mom, dad, brother and I spent nearly the whole day by her bedside, along with visitations from Grandpa, my uncle and his family, and a few of her dearest friends. Although we were told she was totally unresponsive, we felt she knew we were there, and we all took comfort in that.
Yesterday there was a memorial service in her honor. It was a very nice service, with all of our family, and her life-long friends present.
I will always remember all the fun times Dan and I spent with Grandma and Grandpa while we were growing up. From simple over-nights at their house, to big holiday dinners, to many camping trips in their RV. Now that I am grown, I see how regular interaction with grandparents is not the norm in many families, but it always has been in ours. A tradition that I intend to pass along to the next generation.
So please, keep our family in your prayers over the coming months as we grieve our loss.
Thanks for checking in-
RA

Rose of Sharon

Thought I'd put up a few pictures of our Rose of Sharon (national flower of Korea), now that it's in bloom. Enjoy!
RA

Freaking out!!

(The following is a prime example of why my husband does not like me looking on the Holt Web Forum!)
There is a (Holt) family on the forum that posted today that they have received their travel call after 6 weeks! That is, they were matched with their baby 6 weeks ago, and now he is cleared to leave Korea! They are going to get him next week! Yikes! I know this is very out of the ordinary, and highly unlikely to happen again, but what if it does?? Are we ready for Kai to come home in as little as a month?? The obvious answer is: YES! But then the practical side of me takes over with all the reasons why we're not. The biggest one being, I have no coverage at work for my maternity leave (and for all those interested, yes, I get 12 weeks, just like I've given birth!). Guess we better get cracking on that one! (For all those anxiously waiting grandparents and aunts and uncles out there- I repeat, this is highly unlikely to happen again) Well, sorry no "real news" to report. Stay tuned, though...you never know when IT could happen!
RA