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

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