AAAHHHH!!! (huge sigh of relief)

Yesterday we turned in a signed childcare contract for Kai's daycare when I return to work in 3(short) weeks. What a huge relief! We started the week with a few childcare leads, and a few interviews set up; we ended the week signing the contract with someone totally different! It's amazing how God uses people who have been in our lives to open doors when we need them opened! This is a great example of how our city really is a "big little town", one of the reasons I love it here! So this is what happened. Monday morning, I was continuing to search for daycare options, even though we had a few interviews set up. Joe calls me and says that a work acquaintance has given him the name of her childcare provider who is awesome, and happens to have a few openings right now. She says we better call FAST, because Melinda's openings fill quickly. So, I wasted no time and called her. We set up an interview with her for the following day. Later on Monday I was talking to my friend Brenda (who happens to be covering my leave at work), and told her we were interviewing a daycare that was right down the street from her house. She asked me what her name was, and I told her "Melinda". Brenda said, "Oh, she goes to my church, and she's awesome. I was going to take my boys there, but she didn't have openings on the right days when I was looking". Since I have gone to many women's gatherings at Brenda's church, I asked if I had met her, and we both decided that I probably had. Tuesday afternoon we go and visit Melinda's house (yes, it is the lady I was thinking of from Brenda's church). Right away, we love it, she's so easy-going yet has total control of the kids. Kai loved it and just wanted to walk around, explore her house, and play with the other kids. I tell her that I've met her at Brenda's church, and she says she thought I looked familiar. So, we're at her house, chatting about her daycare and such, and in walks a work acquaintance of mine, to pick up her daughter!  Wow! Who would have thought? We've heard nothing but great things about her. Oh, and in the course of chatting with her, she tells us that she's also an adoptive mother! I liked how she didn't make a huge point of bringing it up (like she had to prove something to us or like it would be a deal maker), but rather it just came up quite naturally in our conversation (her son was adopted domestically, so it's not as easy to see). So, we love that he will be in a Christian home and getting excellent care by someone who is sensitive to his needs as an adoptee. Yesterday when we stopped to drop off the contract, Kai had a chance to play with the other kids a bit (all boys right now), and he loved it! The only draw back is that her house is about 10 minutes out of our way to work. But we figured, it's only two days a week and for quality care, it's not a big deal! Knowing he will be in a good daycare has really eased my mind about returning to work, although I still can't believe my leave is almost over!

Proud, sleepy Mommy

Our day today started WAY TOO early! Little Kai woke up and started fussing around 3:45 am. We let him be for a few minutes, and it became quite clear that he was quite unhappy. So, I got up, made a bottle (just in case), and went into his room. Upon seeing me, he started giving me the "milk" sign, so I gave him his bottle. After the bottle he settled down, but still didn't want to be put down to go back to sleep...so the walking/carrying began. To make a long story short, we were still walking when Joe got up at 5. When Kai saw Daddy, he thought, "How fun, Daddy's up, now it's time to play". So I let him down and conceded that we were up for the day. After playing for a few minutes, Kai gave me the "eat/hungry" sign. I was very impressed as we've just started using this sign less than 2 weeks ago. So I put him in his chair and he ate some yogurt and toast (wonderful, breakfast at 5:30am...what time does that make lunch?). He really was hungry! He was hungry and he used his sign to tell me! (Can you see me smiling??) Around 7am, he started fussing again, so back in the Ergo he went. After about 10 minutes of unsuccessful cuddling in the carrier, he gave me the milk sign again (I wasn't happy that he wanted milk again so soon, but he was very upset from teething, and I knew he needed more sleep, so I gave in). About 3oz. into his bottle, he was out! Totally asleep...the bottle even fell out of his mouth! So, now I'm way tired, but probably up for the day, and so, so excited that Kai is using his signs meaningfully and appropriately! I am so proud of our boy! I just think it's amazing that through sign language, we can give him words before he's able to speak them! Now, I better go grab a shower while he's still sleeping...who knows what other adventures lie ahead of us today!

Home 2 Months!!

It's sunny...can we go out and play???

WOW!!  Yesterday marked 2 months since Kai came home to us! When we look at our little guy today, we see a much different person than the one we met in San Francisco 2 months ago. Today we have an outgoing, happy (usually), adventurous little boy; far from the scared little baby we first met.  "No fear" would be a great way to describe him. Of course, that's good and bad. The good: he's willing to face any challenge head on (unless it involves a sippy cup). The bad: he has no clue where his boundaries are (as in...the edge of the couch).  When we take him to a new place, he's shy for about 2 seconds before he wants to go off and play!

As the weather has been improving in our neck of the woods, we've been able to go on more walks and even stopped to swing a few times! At first, he was not so sure about it, but now he loves it. He also recently took his first trip to the dog park, and of course he loved it! He got such a kick out of watching the doggies run around and play.

Over the past week or so, he's been running to greet Daddy as he arrives home from work. He seems to know, if Daddy's not home and he hears the garage door open, it's him!  The first time it happened we were across the house, Kai heard the garage door, got a huge smile, and off he went...in search of Daddy! 

We're convinced that his first "real" English word is "yea". Great, slang. If you ask him a question, most times he'll answer with a very distinct "yea".  We weren't sure if we were imagining this, but grandparents have confirmed that they also heard it. As Joe said the other night...no more secrets! 

He was doing really well on his solid foods, but a rebound of his cold, and some major teething have set us back a little.  As for sleeping through the night, I'm happy to report good news! Well, I guess "sleeping" is not really the right term, he's still waking up, but probably 6 out of the last 8 nights, we have not had to get up with him or give him a bottle! WOO-HOO!! He's just woken up, maybe fussed a little but mostly babbled (most likely talking to his doggy), then gone back to sleep on his own.

Enjoying a banana.

I thought he didn't like bananas because he wouldn't eat the little bite-size pieces I was giving him, he'd just spit them out. But no, he just wanted a huge hunk to hold onto, and eventually smash into banana mush (and some actually made it in!). I restrained myself from taking a picture of that lovely mess.

So, there you go, a nice update on us. Thanks for checking in!

More new friends!!

Over the past several months we have had the pleasure of getting connected with some other families with children from Korea. We were connected the "R" family through a mutual friend, and they have been absolutely wonderful to us! They have two children, both from Korea, a 9 year old son (Sam) and a 5 year old daughter (Emma). We first started conversing through emails, then one Sunday, Holly (the mom) noticed me at church! Later that day I got an email asking if we went to their church. Over the next few weeks (I'm not kidding) she saw me a few other places around town, until finally we met face-to-face...at Costco!! (Not planned, of course) It's a little scary that we go to the same stores and restaurants, but that day at Costco, we even had the same dog bed in our shopping carts! Yikes! We feel so blessed to have been connected with this wonderful family, and really feel they'll be great mentors to us in the years to come. Last Sunday they invited us to dinner at their house, and another family joined us as well (also with a 5 year old Korean son, Zach). We had such a great time, and Kai had a blast playing with the big kids!  After looking for so long for other adoptive families, we feel so lucky that we're finally getting connected! Here are a few pictures of the kids, taken by Holly. Unfortunately, Sam was off doing his own thing, but here are some good ones of Kai, Emma and Zach!

Growin' like a weed!

We're starting to see just how true this old saying is! This is exactly what our little Kai has been doing. At his 12 month check-up last week, he weighed in at 24lbs 1oz, and measured 31 3/4" tall!! If anyone is keeping track, that means he's gained nearly 2lbs and grown nearly 2" taller in the 8 weeks he's been home!  His doctor said he's right on track for his age, and his height is 90th percentile and weight is about 75th, so no worries. His first "real" well baby check brought with it our first "real" homework as parents. Three major goals for us to work on over the next several weeks: increase solids and decrease formula (thereby transitioning to cow's milk), wean from bottle and encourage sippy cup drinking, and omit night time feeding. It seems to me they all go hand-in-hand, but she encouraged us to take them one at a time. So far, the increasing solids seems to be going well, and he's enjoyed his first few bottles of whole milk. It seems to me that as he starts eating more solid food, he won't need his night-time feeding, and this was proved correct last night. :-) So, we'll keep plugging along at those two...and save the doozy for later. We've tried the sippy cup a few times, and he just looks at it like, "OK, now what??" A few times, he's just started crying at the sight of it. Since we're still in the trust-building phase of our relationship, this is something I'm not willing to push just yet. Bottle feeding is great for bonding (although I also know you can hold a sippy cup like a bottle and feed...still great for bonding), but when he starts screaming at the sight of the cup...no thanks. So, wish us luck as we help our little baby turn into a little boy (already??). Here's a little video clip of Kai's latest moves!

Haircut!!

Last night, to celebrate Kai's first Valentine's Day with us, we took him for his first haircut!  It's not quite as short as we were planning, but we decided to leave it in the hands of the expert. The stylist was worried clippers would freak him out, so he did  some pretty decent chopping with his scissors. He looks very handsome, and still has a "baby style".  Maybe this summer we'll do something crazy!  He did about a good as a 1-year old can! After the first few minutes he decided he did not want to get a haircut and was pretty squirmy until they broke out the balloon! My biggest worry was that it would be too stressful and send him into grieving at bedtime, which it didn't! Here's the pictures of his big day!

Waiting patiently with Daddy 

(Don't be fooled, the "patient" part only lasted about 30 seconds!)

All ready! This is a good shot of how long and shaggy it looked!

Look at my big boy!

Thank goodness...here's Mr. Balloon!

"OK, I'm ready for my close-up!!"

Happy Birthday, Kai!!

One year ago today, our precious little boy was born in a town just outside Seoul, South Korea. I don't remember exactly what we were doing that day, but I'm pretty sure it didn't even dawn on us that our son could be entering the world. I do remember as we passed through Feb. 2007, I often hoped and prayed that our child had been born, but I had no way of knowing for sure. It amazes me that on that day, our lives changed forever, and we had didn't even know it!

As you can imagine, today is a bittersweet day for us, as I'm sure it will always be. We are overjoyed at this miraculous gift that God has given us, but can't help of thinking all that he left behind in Korea. Today I have been thinking about his three families. First, his birthmother, praying that she would have peace in her heart that the baby she relinquished is now part of a loving, forever family. Also in my thoughts is his foster mother, who cared for him with a mother's love from the time he was 2 weeks old, until he was ready to travel to us when he was 10 months old. I know he was deeply loved by her and her family. And lastly, our family, his forever family. We feel so blessed that our families have been so supportive of our adoption, and have welcomed Kai into our family as one of their own. 

Our family's love for our son was evident this past Sunday, as they joined in a celebration of his birthday. It was such a special day for us, one we will always remember; at church he was dedicated to the Lord, then after church we had his First Birthday and Dol (or Tol) party at our house. (Click here for more info about the Korean Dol) During his toljabee, he selected the jujube (not the candy, it was supposed to be a Korean dried date, but I couldn't find one, so we used a mini-bell pepper, since it was about the same shape and size), and the pencil. The jujube signifies that he will have many descendants, and the pencil means he will be a scholar. As you can see, he is quite handsome in the beautiful hanbok that his foster mother sent with him. And of course, he loved trying his first piece of cake!! 

Please enjoy the slideshow that Joe made for him!

Happy Birthday, Kai-Kai!! Mommy and Daddy love you lots!!

Kai's 1st Year

Is he talking to me??

Over the past few days, I've been starting to sense that when Kai says "Omma" (reminder: that's "Mom" in Korean), he's saying it to me. He's been saying it since he came home, and at first I knew he was calling for his foster Mom when he said it.  He's always said (or screamed) it when he was upset or said it in a non-specific, babbling type fashion.

It all started on Tuesday night, we were having a little snack of some chex mix. I was holding him at the kitchen counter and we were both munching away. I told him "All done" and set him down in front of me. Then, I proceeded to take one last bite. He looked up at me, straight in the eyes, and said (very deliberately) "OM-MA!" As if to say..."Hey, Mom, I want more, too!!" Since then, there have been several times where he has seemed to call me Omma very directly and deliberately.  

It feels great that he is starting to recognize that I am his Mom, but to me, his "Omma" will always be his foster Mom. Joe and I have never referred to ourselves as "Omma" or "Appa" ("Dad" in Korean), we've always been Mommy and Daddy. 

We've identified another Korean word he's been saying. We mentioned in a letter to his foster Mom that he was saying "dada". She wrote back and told us that in Korea, he would say "daetta" which in Korean means "enough, or done"... as in "that's enough of that!" I've been paying close attention to when he says it, and I do think he's saying the Korean word. He always says it when he is going through something he doesn't like: diaper change, getting into the car seat, etc. How lucky are we that we know what his Korean words mean??

This little boy never ceases to amaze me! 

And, since no post would be complete without a picture: here's a nice one of him trying to grab the camera from me!

See for Yourself!!

Here's our little walker in action!! He actually started from the chair that is in the background, but it took a moment to get the camera started. (Sorry about the grainy quality, it was taken from our digital camera, not a video camera)

Random Acts of Silliness

Now that Kai has been home for almost 6 weeks, we are really starting to see his personality shine. We've learned that we have one very silly little boy on our hands. Our days are now filled with little acts of silliness and random outbursts of laughter. Of course, it is hard to capture these moments, since we can't just watch life through the view-finder of our camera. Luckily, we're starting to identify when we see something silly starting, and know his "signs" of being in a silly mood. Over the past week or so, we've been able to catch a little silliness in pictures. 

Here is his first experience with spaghetti noodles. I'm not sure how many actually made it "down the hatch", but it sure was entertaining!

He's been very "into" his diaper bag lately (no pun intended!), on this day, he was attempting to carry it, but the strap is too long, and he couldn't get it off the ground. It was very funny watching him try to figure it out!

Empty box= Instant Fun

Need I say more?

This is what I found a few mornings last week when I got him up.

Kai-standing in his crib-a dog in each hand

What do you mean it's not bath time?

Since our little guy is now highly mobile, if we leave the bathroom door open, we are likely to see this sight at any time throughout the day. He loves his bath so much, he just can't wait for bath time!

Special Delivery

This past weekend, Kai got a huge surprise in the mail! A birthday present from his foster mom!! We thought about waiting until his birthday to open it, but we were all too excited and couldn't wait to see what was inside. We are so happy that we've been able to have some contact with her, and feel so blessed that she gave Kai such a great start to his life! When he came home, she sent a whole bunch of photos and videos from his time with her, and from those (and her letters we've gotten since) we can tell how very much she (and her family) loves him. The gift she sent was an adorable pair of boots, and a small army of toy cars! Kai loves it all! We are so thankful for all she has done and is doing for him!!

"Is this for me??"

This shoe lover approves!!

Inspection time

Waving the cars wildly in excitement!!

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