Finalization Update!

We have finalized our adoption of our little pumpkin as of 10/01/10! We are forever named his parents!!! I am so happy to be blessed with such an amazing son!

Enjoy our "Yeah for USA" chant!

Almost 14 Months!!! Home for 5 Months Already

Our beautiful baby boy has been home for almost 5 months and he has adjusted so beautifully!

I am back to work full-time and Joseph goes to daycare for three days a week. Leaving mommy in the morning is hard on both of us, but I am able to watch him on a TV monitor and see that he is playing so well with all his new friends. He's in a room with kids that are all his age and lead by teachers that have degrees in Early Childhood Education. Of course I would much rather be home with him but I must admit that when I pick him up and he runs into my arms with his beautiful smile and lays his head on my shoulders...I fall in love all over again.

It is amazing these last 5 months have brought me the most joy and fulfillment that I could ever ask for. I can honestly say that all the waiting was so so so so worth it and it's a distant memory from the past. God answered my prayers and the prayers of Joseph's birth family as they prayed he would go to a loving family and that he would adjust well. I am forever grateful to them and their unconditional love....

Just the Four of Us

It feels like it's been forever since I've blogged. Life with a new baby has made us more busy then ever and we have always been a family on the go. Baseball has started for C and softball for me. It takes us literally two hours to get everyone ready and out the door.

I'm enjoying my time off work and can't believe the last month has just flown by. I dread the day I have to leave the baby at daycare. I'm thankful that he will only have to go two days a week but still it breaks my heart knowing that I will be working full time again. That's what happens when you carry the medical benefits for your family. I love working for a university, as I've had so many doors opened. It's just that I have waited 5 years for my baby.

Joseph is adjusting so well. I believe in my heart that he knows he is with his forever family. He is slowly sleeping better and has reduced his bottles as he is now eating solid foods. He is a BIG co-sleeper and it's likely that he will never sleep the night through in a crib. We are working on getting him to feel more secure and last night I was able to get him to sleep without a bottle. The ergo has been a life Savior.

For now here are some new pictures.

Picture Sunday.....

We are home and.....

Joseph is adjusting well. He even has a sweet cry! He has taken to me quite well and is even begun to sleep in his crib for small amounts of time. He still wakes at 4am and wants to play but we have plenty of time to get him adjusted. I won't sugar coat things and tell you that is has been easy because it really has been an adjustment for both of us. I'm not used to waking up before the sun comes up and I still have my 11 year old that I have to get on the bus and do homework with. Soon though our routine will become our new normal. I know that my dream has come true, Joseph is a perfect addition to our family and I can't wait to watch him grow into a fine young man. He wasn't too fond of our dog at first but T-bone won him over and is so protective our our little boy! He even chased a lurking cat off our property..it was so funny.

For now enjoy some pics of our boy....

All we need is you....

TC TC TC...for me

HE IS COMING!!! APRIL 9th is the day!!!

We are finally going to be a family of FOUR!!!


OMG, I am so EXCITED!!!!

Do you believe in DESTINY?

It's amazing to reflect back on the past five years and really see what lead my family on this journey from God to our son. He was chosen for us long before we knew he was to be our son. I see the signs, early in this journey I had a dream about a little boy and a flash in my dream went to a calender on a wall with the date November 21st circled. I saw it plain as day and I didn't know what that date meant..it was July of 08. On November 21, 2009 we were notified that we were put on the list in Korea waiting for our match. This date became an important marker for us. Fate? Destiny? or just craziness? I'll never really understand but I've had several visions in my life that have proved to be true..I won't bore you with those only to say that my family believes I have a "sixth" sense. It's wierd but I have known since I was six years old that I wanted to adopted an Asian baby. God gave me the tools, and the timeline and told me when I was to embark on this journey~I just had to clear my head and listen.

So we received the referral of our son, and I was so lucky last week as we wait to get the travel call to see a video that showed his personality. Our boy loves music and to "Bang" on things. Pretty typical of 9 month old behavior but he is a ham! In the video you can hear the escorts say over and over, you are such a little musician and you are a little drummer, you need a drum kit for your b-day. The escorts have no idea who this little boy is going to..our social worker told us he is certianly going to the right family. Why? Well my dh is a musician and he plays the guitar and right now is in a band as the drummer. He never had formal lessons and he is AMAZING. It's fate? or am I reading too much into it? Then I was telling my SW about a Korean song I am teaching myself from YouTube, I started to sing it to her and told her that I felt drawn to this song about a month ago. She stopped and looked at me with a strange look and said WHOA.. you gotta see this? We continued watching the video and all of a suddend ds's foster mother began to sing a song and ds started dancing to it....IT'S THE SAME SONG! There are hundreds and thousands of Korean nursery songs out there and we just happen to choose the ONE that his foster mother sings to him? DESTINY? He was chosen for our family, I couldn't have picked him out, God Chose him for us. His initials are the same as dh's dad's, we did not change his name as he was given a Christian name...my oldests son's name is Christian. There are so many reasons why I believe he was chosen for our family, it's amazing. I believe in destiny, fate and that he was meant for us. I am so thankful for his birth mothers strength, courage and love. We are forever linked!

Baby Update

He has three teeth!
21 pounds
Does not like solid food
Loves Music, Dances when sung to. (Daddy loves this, perhaps he got the little musician he always wanted)
Easy going
Sleeps in a crib and sometimes with Foster Mom and Dad
He is crawling and pulling up now...


Please hurry home, it's amazing that in three months you are now so independant little man. Mommy loves you and can't wait to see you!

We are close.....

I can feel it! I just sense that we are close.

WE GOT IT!!! Updated!!

I-171 Approval!!


WOO HOO! One step closer to TC!!

NVC OUT TODAY! 3/11/2010 Have no idea when we were NVC in but out is most important! I have a feeling that ds has already received his EP since the agency wanted me to get some materials to them ASAP because the Korean agency wanted to apply for his visa under the 2009 figures and not the 2010..since their is a quota! I'm so happy that we didn't have any quota issues. So...is praying for him to be home before Easter too much to ask:) I can't believe this is REALLY happening!

The "Baby" Bucket List

So since the waiting is getting to me, I came up with an idea of things to do or things I would like to do before he comes home. I have to remember that it has been 11 years since I had a baby in the house and A LOT of that me time I am use to will be gone very soon...so I pledge to do atleast one of these things a week or more if I get the chance before the baby arrives. Atleast, this should keep me busy!

1. Take a mini trip, not planned just go.
2. Take an hour spa bath with my favorite magazine (accomplished)
3. Sleep in until 10am
4. Take a mid afternoon nap (accomplished)
5. Go to the casino (accomplished)
6. Get my hair cut, highlighted and styled (accomplished)
7. Get my eyebrows waxed and shaped and lash tinted
8. Get a manicure and pedicure (accomplished)
9. Go dancing with my girls!
10 Watch a scary movie (accomplished)
11 Go out to dinner with just dh
12 Spend all day at the mall, by myself.
13 Talk on the phone with a friend for 2 hours
14 Play Mario Brothers with "C" until our fingers hurt..LOL (accomplished)
15 Go watch dh play a gig
16 Play volleyball and raquetball weekly (accomplished)
17 Drink a cup of coffee in the morning sunshine (accomplished)
18 Prepare and cook a fancy meal
19 Take a long walk in the woods
20 Spend an afternoon with just ds doing just what he wants

This should help pass the time!

Thanks Natalie!

Way to Go South Korea

It brought tears to my eyes. Her performace was emotional and mesmorizing. I was secretly rooting for you! You did it! You brought home the Gold! Kim Yu-Na you were graceful and I somehow felt more connected to my son by watching you. I could only imagine his foster family gathered around to watch this amazing event.

Have you heard anything yet?

NO! I want to scream that answer to everyone that asks me..some ask me daily and I am so annoyed with the question. My gosh if I heard something I would SCREAM it to everyone. I hate this part-I'm so annoyed with this process right now and waiting for my I600 to be processed. Why does it take so long? We have I600A approval and now we are going on 7 weeks since we had our I600 submitted. It's annoying that it took 15 days to get it to the USCIS office and then it takes two weeks to send a receipt and another 2 weeks to send the acknowledgement letter. Why? It's paperwork that is all! You have everything you need and I have been very diligent about doing my part..why can't I be shown the same respect? Today he is 8 months and 5 days old and now it's been two weeks since my last "letter" from USCIS. How long will it take to process? I was hoping he would be home end of March but at this rate there is NO way. I wanted to meet him when he was 9 months but now it's probably closer to 11 months..I am so grouchy that I can't be fun to be around right now. So honey, I apologize in advance. I can't focus and I stalk my mailbox. I even get mad a dh for checking it before I get home. Crazy! I somehow think that if I check it the approval notice will be in there. I can only pray that he has everything he needs on the Korean side since the US side is so unbelievable slow...I've said it all along, once I get through this process I am writing letters to the USCIS Director and to the President offering suggestion of how to streamline the process and a way to save the American Government hundreds of thousands of dollars at the same time.

So, for today. Have you heard anything yet I know is not a cruel way to rub it in that I haven't heard anything, I know you genuinly care, but I am so sad inside that this question forces me to think about my son, my son who is doing amazing things that I will never see in Korea. My son who I yearn for and who I love so deeply it pains me. I only pray that this process moves quickly..we get that I-171 and our son comes home..sometime very soon.

Love to all-and sorry for being so grumpy.

To My Valentine Babies

I've never written my birth story before...so I feel compelled to write it.

Almost 11 years ago I was induced to give birth to my oldest son. I remember it like it was yesterday. We arrived at the hospital at 8:00am, I had been up since 5:00 that morning. I was excited and scared at the same time. I was so ready to have my baby considering he was already 10 days overdue. I was asked to pick what day I wanted to be induced and it was to be Friday or Monday. I chose Friday considering I thought I'd have him in less than 24hrs and the 12th seemed like a good day.

My doctor checked me at 10pm on the 12th and indicated I was only dialated to a 4. I was crushed. My spirit was broken not to mention I was tired and hungry. We asked when we might be ready and she (my doctor) replied by 3:00am. OH MAN! That seemed so far away. I couldn't do it anymore, my mind felt broken and my body was exhausted and so at this point I asked for an epidural. Once receiving the epidural I was able to fall asleep and before I knew it it was time to push. It took me an hour of solid pushing to get the little guy out but he was born on Feb 13, 1999 at 3:00am on the dot. Weighing in at 7 pounds 12 oz with a 13 inch head. Imagine my surprise when 3 has become his lucky number. He was also born with a unique birthmark on his chest. It's a small upside down heart..so he was and truly is my Valentine Baby. The minute he was born he could lift his head and he turned to look right at my dh. This is a moment that we will always treasure as a family. I was a young mom, only 20 at the time, however I can say that this blessed event was more powerful then anything I have ever experienced.

Today, I reflect on his birth story, realizing that it will probably be my only birth story and I feel saddened because I don't and can't share this story with Joseph. I am hoping that his arrival story will be one magical moment and a moment that only I can have with my son. This moment with and is his "birth" story. The love I feel in my heart is so similar to the love I felt when C was born. I long for him to be home, I hurt wondering if he is okay I pray that his foster family is loving him as much as I already love him. I lay in bed at night dreaming of what he might be doing, how his voice sounds. Does he have his first tooth yet? Will he be home in time for his first Easter? Mothers Day? Fathers Day? I feel empty not having my family complete and I can only hope that our paperwork gets processed quickly. Come on USCIS, process his Visa and get my son home.

Update~

We got an update with some new pictures!! Can I say I'm in love!
Joseph is 20lbs and sits up assisted. He's 6 months old in WBC. Also, he has grown so much since his picture! He has a full head of black hair and this boy sleeps from 10pm to 7am! I can so live with that! Let's hope we can keep that schedule!

I've also been told that our I-600 has been sent! Woo hoo! This is so exciting!!!

We still think he will be home end of March early April as the gotcha day!

More to come! I'll post pictures when I can scan them!

On 12/22 He weighed 20.9lbs and was 27.6 inches!

PLESAE USCIS PROCESS THAT PAPERWORK QUICKLY!!!!