Christmas Joy

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here. I'm so happy to be staying home now, and my time has been pretty much taken over with winter and Christmas stuff.

We've had a lot of snow and cold temperatures. Last week, school was cancelled for 3 days and since Caleb's preschool is part of the public school system, he was home, too. Day one was fun--we baked bread and watched a Christmas movie. Day two--starting to get a little antsy by the end of the day. I gratefully headed to the grocery store after supper as a reason to leave the house. Day three--cabin fever. It wasn't the being home part, it was the fact that we couldn't leave even if we wanted to. 

We did have a lot of fun in the snow, beyond shoveling the driveway and having to push our car out of a snowbank. We attempted to take Caleb sledding, but I think he was a little scared and not too sure how he felt about the whole thing. Snow angels and scooping with his "shovel" (a leftover from the sandbox) were alot more interesting. It's been fun..I love winter and having a white Christmas.

Before the snow we managed to catch the Star City parade downtown. I think its the first time I've been there in about 25 years, until my mom reminded me that I marched in it in the high school band. Maybe I just blocked out that memory, I don't know. We got our Christmas tree, too, and found this great little place where you cut your own and they have hot cider and chocolate while you wait for them wrap it. I guess I really do get into all of this holiday stuff.

On the Asher front, there isn't much new to say. Our visas are currently being processed at the consulate in Chicago and we should have them before Christmas. At this point, we are waiting for that blessed email that tells us of our approval to travel and when we need to be in Beijing. We have been hoping it will come soon and maybe we can travel in January. The problem (isn't there usually some kind of problem?) is that Chinese New Year falls in mid-February, closing travel for the better part of a month. So, when people ask when we are going, I say either the end of January or early March. And I won't know until approximately the day before we leave, so when I find out I'll let you know. Note: sarcasm. 

I actually feel so blessed this holiday season for our two boys. One here who is so much fun: he gives us plenty of joy, he's bright and funny and just simply a great kid. And our other one: our precious guy spending Christmas in China this year. But next year....we'll all be together. I'm thankful for that.

The Next Chapter

This morning, I came home from work at my job in the NICU for the last time. I have been thinking for a while about the future of our family and where my purpose is managing work and stuff at home. I decided that it was time to leave my job at the hospital and stay home with my growing family to be a full time mom. I did shed a few tears on my drive home from work this morning. While I seem to have been somewhat professionally confused in recent years, working in different areas and trying to find a good fit, the NICU has been a stable presence for the last seven years. I had moments of feeling so challenged at that job, doing things I never imagined. When I graduated from nursing school, I wanted to be a flight nurse but I never thought it would happen. I didn't ever plan or even wish to work  with babies when I first started out and yet I had a successful career of doing just that for 10 years. I even spent some of that time as a flight nurse for the babies...long after I thought that dream had died. It's all been very cool, and I leave with great memories:

--being new to the job and feeling like a total dope who didn't know a thing about what I was doing

--our brand new unit and the first days of caring for babies in private rooms

--when I got married and my friends from work gave me a wedding shower and came to our wedding

--going out for transports in the ambulance and flights, and attending all those C-sections 

--making pancakes in the employee lounge in the early morning

--many, many kids who spent time there---some home with families and some to heaven--some of the most memorable: Payton, Theresa, Alla, Gavin, Brock, Tanner

--spending my first Christmas there, alone in the back room with baby Maria (anyone from work reading this will understand how that was not an ideal Christmas!)

--watching Napoleon Dynamite in the middle of the night

--working all those nights with a fun crew of people who made it easier to be there 

--all of the awful, mean, embarrassing, exhausting, but also challenging, fulfilling, rewarding, proud, wonderful moments

Ok, so a few tears are back again. It's ok, it was a significant place and I had to give it a little tribute.

So now, it's on to the next chapter--potentially even more scary--being a full time mother to two Chinese boys, one here, and one on the way. Yikes! But, of course I mean that in a good way....

Amazing!

Ok, didn't I just write here yesterday, saying we were waiting for our Letter of Approval (LOA) and asking people to pray???!!!  How does this all happen? I don't know, but if you did pray, thank you!

Today, our agency called and told me they received the LOA!  They are Fedexing it to us and we should have it tomorrow.  We sign it and make copies and then send it back so they can return it to China.  Then, we file a few more things and we can apply for our visas.  Hopefully, we may see travel after the holidays.  Hooray!  We're getting there--one big step closer today!

We had a great Halloween this year.  Caleb couldn't decide what he wanted to be, and then finally settled on being a doctor.  He's been really into ambulances and emergency vehicles lately.  Hmm...

In keeping with tradition (well, for the 2nd year in a row, anyway), Russ and I also dressed up as part of the theme.  So, Caleb was our doctor, Russ was a patient, and I was a nurse.  I dug out my old nursing dress that I wore at graduation 10 years ago--still fits!!

We went to the Shriner's Halloween party on Friday night: great for food and games and a little haunted walk-through area that was just spooky enough for Caleb without going overboard.  Then, Saturday night, we went trick-or-treating with my sister and my niece, Maesa.  My sister lives in a small town nearby our city, in one of the newly developed areas of town.  Believe me when I say that it was the place for trick-or-treating.  I have never had so many kids come to our house for Halloween as what went on in this neighborhood.  We showed up and there was candy on hand, then my mom and I made a run to the store for 4 more bags, and then we finally had to shut the door and turn off the light because we ran out of everything.  I guess I know where we are going next year!

Tomorrow is Russ' birthday.  He has mentioned that he pretty much just wants news of Asher as a gift--and I can't give it to him.  Without going into a long and confusing explanation of the situation, we sent our papers to China in August and are currently waiting to hear back (our LOA for those reading this who are familiar with it all).  It is taking longer this time than it did with Caleb, and lately we have been hearing rumors that it is going long for many families--for various reasons out of our control.  I'm having a bit harder time of it this time around.  I think with Caleb, I had never been a parent before, so I worried a little, but I just didn't know much of anything anyway.  Now that I am a parent, I'm aware of all these things that could happen.  H1N1, lead poisoning, bad weather, earthquakes, and any number of things.  Call me crazy, I know it will be fine.  But for anyone out there who prays.....we could use some right now.  Thanks!

Octoberfest

Despite our early snow for the season, followed by way too much rain, we otherwise have been having a beautiful fall season.  This is absolutely my favorite time of year.  It's why we got married in October and why we went to Banff in Canada for our honeymoon instead of Jamaica (Ok, so Russ had a lot of say in those things, too).

Last night, we went to my parents to celebrate my sister's birthday.  The theme was Octoberfest.  Our family Irish Stew consists of Russ' Irish background, Caleb and Asher's Chinese background, then me, who is German-and-a-couple-other-things background.  So, last night we celebrated a birthday with bratwurst, German potato salad, spaetzle, and sauerkraut.  Yum! I guess when it comes down to it, my family really is just a bunch of foodies. My sister is a fabulous cook, and she and my mom prepared much of the food. 

 

I wish I could take credit for this apple dessert.

 Russ and I had brewed some homemade beer for the occasion.

  

Caleb has been working very hard on his speech at school, and we are definitely seeing progress.  We have made a book at home of pictures of things he likes so he can practice the words.  Then, when we work on a new word, we add the picture to the book.  This week, we added pictures of 'waffles' and 'water', since we have been practicing saying W's.  It's slowly coming along, almost like learning to say every word as if it is brand new.  Many of the pictures we started with were of family.  For a long time, Caleb has talked mostly with vowels, so we have needed to work on the consonants.  For instance, my brother Matt would be called "aa", and my neice Maesa was referred to as "ay-ah".  My family is one of those whose names all start with the same letter: M.  So, we have had great practice with our M's.  Anyway, my birthday sister's name is Martha, but for years, we have called her by her nickname, Marf (don't even ask how this started, I have no idea).  Caleb would always call her "ar".  Since practicing his letters, though, the other day we were looking at pictures and he was sounding something out:  Mmm-aarr-fff.  Marf!  We were so happy to hear a full and complete word, very clearly.  So now, it's Marf-this and Marf-that all day, since he loves to say the name.  And, I'm pretty sure he loves her quite a bit, too. 

It's officially been fall for only about 18 days and it's supposed to snow here tomorrow. So much for that lovely autumn weather, I guess. I've been trying to do some of these seasonal things but apparently we are running out of time. Even the stores have almost moved beyond Halloween to Christmas. I just can't keep up. But I really do love this time of year. Caleb and I made caramel apples yesterday and we're getting ready for Halloween costumes. He has told us that he wants to be a puppy this year, but I don't know if that is a definite thing. Being 3 years old means that you change your mind every 5 minutes (or less) so we'll actually commit to something for a costume in a couple more weeks.

I received a couple of emails from people who had information for me about the Shantou orphanage where Asher is currently living. I guess the group Love Without Boundaries has done a lot of work there, as well as other orphanages in China. They have a nutrition program that our son is most likely a part of, and I'm told that we could maybe get some pictures of him, but not until after we have adopted him. Still, it would be nice to have pictures of this time when we are not able to see him.

Today is also Russ' and my 5th wedding anniversary. Wow, that has gone fast. I was thinking that 5 years ago today I was up very early and running errands before getting ready. I remember thinking that it was so weird that it was my wedding day--a day that I had pictured and dreamed of since I was a little girl, and I wanted it to be very special. I thought about all of this as I was sitting at the kitchen table this morning, seeing toys strewn all over the floor, dishes in the sink, and my reading material was an ad for a sale at Ace Hardware. Hmm. Things really do change in 5 years. Of course, I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I managed to dig up this picture that my sister sent me, a photo taken in our little dressing area of the church on our wedding day. I was waiting around in my huge, fluffy dress for the big moment when I was going to see my Groom:

That's a keeper, isn't it?

Tonight, Caleb is staying at Grandma's and Russ and I are going out to celebrate our years that we have built together. Here's to many more!

Birthday Wishes

Our little boy in China, Asher, turns one today. I've been a little sad about this for the past week. I remember celebrating Caleb Wu's first birthday and we felt so excited. But today, it's different. Our papers have been sitting in China for over a month and we still have a long way to go. I hope that someone gave him a hug today.
We chose the name "Asher" because part of his Chinese name, Ji, means happy. When we found out that we were getting another little boy, I was beyond happy. I love boys. They make up the majority of my family, between my husband, son, and dog. I'm the only female around here. But it's kind of nice. I get to be the yin for everyone else's yang. I get to have my own stuff that I don't have to share with anyone else.
So, we were extremely happy to find out that we would have another boy in our family. We wanted to use a name that meant "happy" or "blessed" and that is the meaning of Asher. His middle name is Shan (pronounced "Shawn"), based on the city of his birth, Shantou, in Guangdong province. For anyone who remembers when Caleb was still just "Wu", he was so named by the Chinese because the hometown of his birth was Wuwei City. So, we decided to keep the Wu part, to remember.
So, Asher Shan, happy birthday.
I wish that you will have happiness today. I wish that you will be growing and healthy and strong. I wish that you will be safe and content. I wish that you will slowly be turning into the little guy who will be prepared to join our family. And, these aren't just my wishes, they are my prayers.
We'll see you soon.

Happy Birthday!

Three years ago today, a woman in China was headed off to work in the morning.  She took the road that leads up to the back of the orphanage where she worked.  There along the road, placed so he would be seen, was a small Bundle of Joy who was 1 day old.  He was wrapped in a red cotton jacket and swaddled in a quilt.  The woman picked him up and took him with her to her job at the orphanage, where she knew he would be well cared for.

The woman's name is Zhao Shu Ping, and the little package she found was our little Caleb at one day old, waiting there to be found.

Caleb turned three yesterday.  He is currently playing with a new toy rescue station that he got as a gift, and he and his dad are putting it together.  He's been going to preschool for the last week and it's been going very well (although just today I learned that he had to sit in the Safe Chair because he was hitting other students....).  I'm still amazed all the time at what a great kid he is.  We couldn't have known what we were in for....yet he is so happy and thriving now.

I'm so thankful for that Hand that stayed with him while he sat there on that road 3 years ago.  A vulnerable newborn that could have been found by anyone, but he went to the right place.  

It may have been his birthday yesterday, but Russ and I are the ones who got the best gift.

We are DTC

There has been an amazing turn of events in the last few days regarding our paperwork.  Let me pose a question here: does anyone believe that acting faithfully toward something ends up producing positive results?  For instance, I was debating my post about our new son, Li.  Specifically, I was wondering whether I should post at all or wait longer, say, closer to the time that our paperwork got to China.  At least I could say that we were that much closer to this little boy.  But, I didn't wait.  Even as I wrote it, our paperwork sat in Washington DC (or so I believed), but I assumed it would move.  I told our news anyway, hoping that said paperwork would be moving soon.  I published the post, went to a birthday party, and didn't think about it for several hours.  At 10pm, I decided to check Fedex (not obsessively at all) to see if it was all still sitting at the Chinese embassy in Washington DC.  Before my eyes....I saw, no it was not! It was being sent back to Oregon where our agency is located.  The next day, Oregon notified us that our paperwork would be on it's way to China on Friday, August 14th.  Yesterday.  We are DTC.

DTC stands for "Dossier to China", the "dossier" being another fancy word for paperwork.  Stuff we have gathered for 6 months.  Stuff that was signed, notarized, copied, certified, authenticated, etc, etc, etc.  Replaceable, yes, but not without another significant amount of work.  Not without making our new son wait even further while we fixed things.  So, thankfully, thankfully, we can say we are DTC!  Now what?  Oh yeah, we continue to wait.  More news will be added when it comes, I guess.

On another note, I found myself in a situation a couple of days ago where I had to stop and consider my own behavior.  I don't mind doing this, except sometimes it makes me feel bad because I realize that I was probably not acting the best.  Anyway, Caleb and I went to the bank to deposit some money and it was a different branch than I had been to before, as we were on the other side of town.  While the woman behind the counter was processing the transaction, she said to me, "do you mind if I ask you something?  Is he yours?"  (Referring to Caleb).  For anyone who has read past posts-- I  have mentioned situations about people putting their feet in their mouths, or maybe just being plain rude about this.  There have been multiple interactions that I have never mentioned at all.  So, politely or not, when someone asks me such a question, it gets my hackles raised.  I can't help it.  So, I answered "uh, yeah," in a semi-snotty/not that friendly of a way.  Already defensive.  And she answered, "oh!  I was just wondering because I have 4 adopted children from Korea!"  And then she proceeded to ask me about our agency, gave me information about a local group specifically for adopted kids and their families, etc, etc, while I halfway hung my head in shame.  The truth is, sometimes, I am simply a big, fat jerk. Sometimes, people just ask because they care or they have something in common.  Sometimes, people are just being NICE.  Quite a concept, I know.  

So, from now on, I'm going to be trying a little harder to give the benefit of the doubt.  Get over my extra sensitivity to a subject that isn't always a big deal.  Remember that many people are very nice.  (But still keep my handy comebacks, just in case).

And, speaking of nice, we are so appreciative of all the kind words and good wishes received from everyone about this process and our boys.  Thank you!  It means a lot to us that so many people care and are there to show their support in this.  And I will be happy to respond in a very positive way back by showing pictures and continuing to write about it all.  All in a very nice way.

 But, of course, you already knew that.

It's A...

At what stage of gestation does a person announce a pregnancy?

I think it varies depending on whose opinion you are seeking. I have known people who have told me they were expecting almost immediately after finding out themselves. Others wait a while before saying anything. I even once worked with someone who hid her pregnancy so well that when she finally told me, she said something like, "by the way, I'm pregnant and my due date is this Sunday."

So, there are all kinds. I'm sure that people tell or do not tell based on their experience and maybe some fears. A new child joining a family must be announced in its own way. I do not share in the pregnancy issue. But, I have wondered when it is "safe" to announce our new child and who they are. When we were matched with Caleb, we basically hung up the phone from talking to our agency, spent a few minutes jumping up and down, and then picked up the phone again and started calling people to tell them about our son (see post from July 27, 2007). We were so ecstatic that we could not wait to start telling people. We finally had a person to tell about! Fast forward eight months to March 11, 2008. The day we actually left for China to get Caleb. The process is so long. Different from a pregnancy at least in the fact that most people can assume it will be about 9 months. Adoption varies. Referral times vary. Travel approval, paperwork, everything can take it's own sweet time regardless of if there is a child waiting on the other side or not. Waiting definitely isn't my strong suit. I really struggled last time because, many times I doubted the process and how long it was all taking. Additionally, it was difficult to also have to defend that same process for those who didn't understand and wanted to complain about it. But I can't overlook those who celebrated with us in our wait and helped us along every step of the way.

So, here it is. I face the same struggle. I have good news. I am announcing it today, but I still don't know how long it will be until we see China again. Our paperwork is still in Washington DC, for Pete's sake. But, we have news all the same that I'm ready to announce and face the wait again.

It's a boy!

We've been matched with a little boy who is waiting for us in China as we speak! His Chinese name is Li Ji De and he is almost 11 months old. He has a cleft lip and palate that have been repaired. We had told our agency that we would interested in adopting another child with the same condition as Caleb, since we have the experience already. We had also said we would be open to either a boy or a girl, and this is our boy! He is currently living in an orphanage in Shantou City in Guangdong, China. We are so excited to meet him and ready for him to join our family!

Meet Caleb's little brother...

6 months (March 2009)

9 months (June 2009)

I'm coming to the USA !

Ok, so I haven't been the greatest at keeping up with this blog lately.  And I won't make excuses for being so busy because I know that everyone has that same excuse.  That being said, I am finally trying to update and post a few things about what's been happening around here this summer.

Caleb has 2 more weeks at his current daycare before being home for a couple weeks with Mom, before starting preschool at the end of August.  He will be going half days to preschool, allowing me to sleep after coming home from work in the morning.  At least, that's our theory.  We'll see how it all goes.  I'm sad to see him leave his current daycare, in some ways, because our provider, Tina, has been absolutely wonderful.  For the past year, he has gone to her house on many days and happily played with the other kids who attend.  He has learned so many social skills, language, numbers, letters, and songs, among many other things.  And during our first year as brand new parents to our "instant toddler" family, Tina has given us a lot of help along the way with stuff that we simply just haven't known how to do.  So, we're thankful for her help this past year.

Now, being the seasoned parents that we are (that's a joke, folks), we are moving on and our little guy is growing. Soon to be a big brother, and he's excited about it so far.  We'll see what really happens when the new baby actually appears.  I think Caleb is more excited about flying in an airplane at this point--more than having a new baby in the house.  Every time we see a plane, he gets very excited and says, "mine!", as in, "that's going to be me up there someday!"  

A couple of weeks ago, we attended a picnic that was hosted by our agency, Holt International.  It was a great time to meet some other adoptive parents in our area and it was for anyone in any stage of adoption: just starting out all the way to families who had adult children that had been adopted through Holt.  We saw our social worker again and a local Korean church cooked all the food as a Korean BBQ.  We really enjoyed ourselves and continue to be excited for our future plans for China.

On a final note, the other thing that has been keeping me busy this summer has been cakes.  What I once started out doing as a teenager in a local bakery turned to decorating that I did for several years before quitting to become a nurse.  Recently, I have been doing a few more cakes again on the side for weddings and birthdays, and it's been a lot of fun.  So, I have decided to start doing this more often and get a small business going.  Check out my new blog MegBakesCakes for some pictures and updates.

That's all for now!  I hoping to post again soon when I actually have news about some movement of paperwork in the general direction of China.  Could it be?  It's currently stuck in Washington DC, but we'll keep praying.

I see the first official day of summer coming quickly and the hot weather is now here as well. It's supposed to be 92 today. Yuck. Time to settle in for some air conditioning.
Since life is in fast forward these days, I can see how almost a month can go by without having time to post anything. There's been a lot to do. We've had family visiting, a wedding, barbeques, graduations, and birthday parties. At least, that's been our weekend activities when I haven't been working, and some of it when I have been, too.
We have decided that our Caleb Wu is going to be starting preschool this fall. The main reason is that he will receive a lot more speech therapy than he is getting now. We took him to Boystown for another follow up appointment--we usually go about every 6 months--and they checked his hearing and we talked with the pediatrician there and the speech therapist. Both were a little concerned about his lack of language. Obviously, being 2-3 years old, he's not going to be a linguist right now. I've had many people say things to try and explain it away, trying to be nice, and say things like, "he's probably still speaking Chinese!" Ok, no. Actually, Caleb has been in the US almost as long as he lived in China. And, he was never babbling "in Chinese" at all. I know that he heard a different language for the first 18 months, but he completely understands English. He just can't say the words. I thought it was maybe related to the cleft, but the craniofacial team didn't seem to think so. Without a lot of extensive testing, it's hard to diagnose exactly what is going on. So, we'll just bump up the speech therapy for a while and go from there.
The process for Baby 2 is coming along also. A month ago, we mailed our immigration paperwork, and two weeks later received a letter confirming that it had been received. The letter basically said something like: thanks for applying, your application has been received. It hasn't been approved and it hasn't been denied. We're just telling you that we got it (so, I'm paraphrasing a little here). Please wait some more and, if we do approve it, we'll let you know when you can go to be fingerprinted. The next day, we received another letter from immigration: your application has been accepted. That's quite a turn around! Our fingerprint appointment at the Department of Homeland Security is a week from today.
Someone recently complained to me that "they make it so difficult for anyone to adopt! Why do you have to do all that stuff again!?" I find myself having to defend the process. We get fingerprinted again in case we decided to commit a felony since the last time we did it. We know we haven't, but the US government does not. Also, I know the whole thing sounds drawn out and frustrating, but obviously, it's worth it. We get to see this smiling face daily:

So, I will keep defending the process, although I wish I didn't have to. And we'll keep going, because it's not too bad, and some day it will be done.
Finally, my niece, Maesa turns 4 today. We went to my sister's new house last night for her birthday party. They had a great turnout and my other sister made all the very tasty food. I got to make her cake and I had fun putting it together:

Maesa was very excited and, since it wasn't her birthday yet, still telling people she was 3. ("I'm not 4 until tomorrow!") I will reminisce here for a minute and say that I remember very well the night she was born. My sister was in labor at our hospital and she had a small complication that required a NICU nurse to be present at the delivery. I was still working on the transport team then, and, it was my sister, so I went to stand by at the delivery. It seemed that there were a thousand staff people in the room, between the doctor, labor nurses, nursery nurses, and NICU nurses. A little overkill in my opinion. But she was great, and a cutie from the first moment:



And still a cutie today. Happy Birthday kiddo!

We've had a couple of full weeks around here lately, I guess it's that time of year.  In the next 3 weeks alone, we have 3 graduations, a wedding, and a milestone birthday to celebrate.   Some day, I will look back and wonder where all of these days have gone.

This past Saturday, we attended the wedding of a co-worker (mine);  traveling west to be there.  I also did the wedding cake, which was a lot of fun and maybe a little stress, but that's part of the job.  Driving with several sheet cakes and a large table cake in the back of your car for several hours made me a little nervous, but we made it all intact.  It turned out well and everyone seemed to have a great time.  

We also recently visited a new school for Caleb.  He has been in speech therapy for almost a year now and has been making a lot of progress.  But the past couple of months, I have been a little concerned that maybe he doesn't have as many consonants as he did.  It almost seems like he has regressed a little: words he tried to say months ago, I cannot get him to even acknowledge anymore.  I voiced these concerns to his speech therapist who agreed with me and said she was glad I noticed because she has been a little concerned, too.  Now, taking into account that my son came to the US at 18 months of age and didn't speak a word of English anyway, plus having a mouth full of scar tissue from a repaired cleft palate--it's enough to set anyone back some.  But we also can't sit back and say, oh well, that's just how he is.  So, we visited a preschool that he could possibly attend next fall.  It's through the public school system and he can receive speech therapy several times a week instead of twice a month as he is currently getting.  The program is for kids age 3-5, so we went to see a classroom.  My first thought when we walked in the door was, "oh my gosh, all these kids are so big!"  Caleb did not seem big enough or old enough to be anywhere near that classroom.  But the teacher explained that half the class is 5 and attending kindergarten next year, and Caleb won't be starting (at the earliest) for a few months anyway.  He just seemed so small.  I know, I know, I'm just being some kind of overprotective parent.  I don't care.  

But I am interested in this program and we sat through some of their activities and classes.  Russ is going to go and visit next week to see what he thinks.  We don't even have to make a decision right away, but we are thinking ahead depending on how things go with the speech.

On a further note, we also recently filed immigration paperwork for baby 2.  I'm not sure how to refer to this child.  We do not have a match yet, so there is no name or identity to think of yet.  I guess I'll have to be vague for a while.  Anyway, before traveling for an international adoption, for many countries (including China), you must file immigration paperwork.  It's a pre-approval of sorts.  This way, when we return to the US, our new baby will automatically be a citizen when we arrive.  To file this for this status requires filling out a 10 page application and sending a copy of our homestudy.  This was recently delayed because our final copy had a typo that needed to be corrected and it took several more days to finish and remail.  As I've said a million times before, such is life in the adoption world.  We're hoping to hear that it's been approved and receive an appointment to be fingerprinted at the Dept of Homeland Security.  Of course, there is always a chance that it will not be approved--well, just need to be changed--so we will have to make the changes to the application and/or homestudy and then send it back again.  And it keeps going from there.....

On a final note, in the midst of all of our traveling, Owen lived with my parents for a while.  He loves being at the farm and they, too, seem to enjoy his presence (at least more than I do at times).  So, he got to stay at his favorite place for several days and to repay my generous parents for that: he ate my dad's hearing aids.  Anyone who criticizes a beagle owner for having a fat dog doesn't understand that beagles will eat anything.  This proves my point.  Apparently, my dad thought it was safe to leave them out of his ears and on a coffee table.  Obviously not.  He left the room briefly and returned to find Owen sitting on the floor, chewing them up.  How's that for gratitude?  

Ok, I'm off to call the insurance company.......

Seating for 7

I recently had a conversation with someone about how I have a list of blogs that I follow, and, while I check them periodically, no one seems to want to update them as much anymore. I'm blaming this on Facebook. I actually do like Facebook: it has allowed me to learn about new babies, engagements, new jobs, gives birthday reminders, and just keeps me up with what is going on with most of my friends. I even recently was able to connect with a dear friend from high school, whom I haven't seen in several years, through Facebook. It was wonderful to catch up. So, Facebook is not my enemy. I just think it has replaced a lot of blogging that normally goes on, and I kind of miss it all. I was explaining this to someone, and they responded, "you're right, Meg. I check your blog all the time and you don't seem to update yours much either." Ok. Point taken.
As I write this, in a couple of hours, I will be leaving for the west to attend a graduation for a friend of mine. We're going to be carpooling with another couple and their daughter. We recently bought an SUV. We traded in my pickup that only had a small jump-seat and is not conducive to carrying toddler(s) around. So, we upgraded. Our new (to us) vehicle is touted as being able to seat 7 comfortably. Seven? Do I need to fit that many? When we were buying it, I was sweating. I thought, seven. That's a lot of children. Visions of the future were running through my brain of it being full of nothing but children. The screaming, arguing, DVD's playing, etc. I almost turned back. I mean, we're only working on our 2nd child here. But, we went for it, and now that we are transporting adults in it this weekend, I can definitely see the advantages of it. So, it was a good idea. And, I like to drive it.
Our 2nd adoption continues and we have finished our home study. I really like our social worker. I mean, she's very efficient anyway, but I also just like her as a person. We are currently trying to file an application for citizenship for our new child, so that when we go to China to bring them back, they will become a US citizen when we arrive. It has to be done before paperwork can be sent overseas, and is also almost always done even before you can be matched with a child. So, as always, there are snags. Communication problems, mail delivery issues, etc. I forgot how frustrating it can be. I imagine it is like what people say when they deliver a baby: you forget about the pain after the child has arrived. I've (sort of) forgotten how difficult it is to adopt because we have Caleb now and I haven't thought of it anymore. Until we are faced with these delays for our new one. I'm trying to be upbeat about it and do other things that are fun (or at least distracting). For instance, recently Phil Keoghan of the Amazing Race was in town, as he was riding his bike across America to raise money for MS. We're big fans of the show, so my sister and I found out where he would be and went to see him. No, we did not stalk his hotel room. He was signing books at a store nearby, so we met him and got his autograph, and he was a very nice guy. Not that I encounter celebrities all that much anyway, so what do I know? He took a picture with us, and we did not make him re-enact a scene of running up to the mat at the Pit Stop (if you watch the show, you know what I mean), but a woman and her husband who were in front of us did just that. He graciously went along with it and said his part so they could get the whole thing on film. Hmm. And I thought we were the big fans.
I'm off to go pack and get ready for the weekend. This post has been sort of a ramble because so much goes on in between the times that I actually do post on here. Then it becomes sort of disorganized, so please forgive my blathering on about the mundane. Wait. That's all of life. This is the same as Facebook; it just takes longer to read.

Newness

Spring can not come soon enough. That is all I have to say.
Ok, maybe a little more. We were lucky this week when the "blizzard" that was supposed to arrive ended up being simply cold weather and a bit of snow with hardly any accumulation. The flowers that have started to come up in our front yard have not known what to think. Our grass even needs to be mowed already. Now we just need some consistently warmer temperatures to go with it.
I love spring. It doesn't get enough credit from me, I think. I mostly really like fall because of the changing leaves, crisp air, etc, and that it is a prelude to the holidays. Spring is a prelude to summer, which I don't care for at all. But for those few weeks in late April through May, things can be quite nice.
This spring, we have much to be happy about and new things are going on all around. With Easter being only a few more days away, we decided to try and color eggs with Caleb and his cousin, Maesa.

This was actually not as much fun as I expected, probably because, when you are 2 years old, you are more interested in sticking your hands in the colored vinegar/mixture and eating the Rice Krispie bar shaped eggs that grandma made. The "fun" is really only what your mom and grandma think it should be. Such a time it was: we had the colors, eggs, stickers, the whole Paas kit laid out, but sometimes the fun comes when the kids are just a little older. Although, my niece, who is almost 4, did a great job with the coloring and the finished product turned out pretty great.

Caleb and I did enjoy one of our new Easter traditions, which is making Smeeps. We had the much simpler version where we heated the Peep in the microwave instead of delicately browning it over open flame as some would suggest, but it really did taste delicious. Since we are big fans of Peeps around here, this was a tasty new way to eat them. And the look on Caleb's face when I sandwiched it all together was pretty funny. Oh, and he enjoyed eating them as well.


There is one more thing that we are happy about that is new these days: our social worker will be coming for a visit for our homestudy next week. We will have two visits, and then we will be done! The part that I didn't say before all of this was that the reason we are doing a homestudy is because we are processing a 2nd adoption. After a year of being home from China, our family is "expecting" again. We hope to go back to China and go through the same program as we did for Caleb. Actually, we'll just have to see how that goes because in the adoption world, planning anything can actually be quite a downfall (see previous posts from about 18 months ago). Anyway, we are looking forward to a possible new brother or sister for our guy in the (relatively) near future. I'll keep posting as our process moves along.
Happy spring!

Gotcha! One year later

One year ago, we were in China and we met our Caleb for the first time. The next day (a year ago today), we headed to the civil affairs office to adopt him in China. As I look back over pictures of that time, I'm amazed at how fast it all has gone. The changes in him have been so subtle, to me, because I see him every day. But looking back at those pictures, I think, "wow! where's his hair? He's so skinny!" etc., and I know that things are definitely not the same.
I remember the day we met: we actually started out in Beijing, trying to figure out how to repack everything for another flight. We went to the airport and flew to Lanzhou. I remember thinking that once we got there, we could just go to our hotel and settle in for one last night and meet Caleb the next day (as planned). When we landed, we were met by Xixi, our guide and we loaded our stuff on the bus for the hour drive to the hotel. The first thing Xixi said as we settled into our seats was that the babies were going to be at the hotel that day when we arrived! Yikes! For the next hour, our guides talked about such things as the landscape around the Lanzhou area, what the Chinese names of our children meant, etc., but I barely listened. I was too distracted by thinking that we were going to meet Caleb, and very soon. What would he be like? What if he looked so different that I didn't recognize him? I don't know how to be a parent! What do I do??!!
We got to the hotel and nearly destroyed our lovely room by trying to put gifts together. We met in a conference room. After a few minutes of waiting, a man walked in and said, "excuse me, but the babies are here." And, one by one, they each came in, carried by their nanny/foster mother. I remember when the first child came in. It wasn't Caleb, but for a second, I feared that it was and that maybe I just didn't recognize him. But then, he came into the room, and I knew right away. I remember saying to Russ, "that's him! Look at those eyes!" And they were those same big brown eyes from all of his pictures. Those same ones he has today. The same face--he was smaller in real life. But real.
Soon, he was running around the conference room. In an effort to not totally overwhelm him, I did not attempt to pick him up at first. In fact, the first time I remember holding him was when he made a dash out the door and I grabbed him. Not exactly the tender moment that I imagined the first time I picked him up was going to be.
When his foster mother left, he cried. I actually didn't find out until later that she was his foster mother, having been told that she was his "nanny". Had I known, I would have tried to allow for more of a good-bye for them if I could. He came with us, though. Maybe he felt like he had no where else to go at that point.
After that, we either carried him or he ran. It was one of 2 things only. By that evening, we realized just how small he was--he had been bundled so much and was a skinny little guy underneath. We took him for dinner to KFC and he fell asleep in our hotel room. Day one.
Fast forward 365 days. He's asleep now, only it's in his crib in his room with his blankets and stuffed animals. He's now 2 1/2 and still running. Working on potty training. Wearing some of the same clothes as a year ago. He knows some numbers and letters, and chatters on about everything. He has friends at daycare and is taking speech therapy. He loves macaroni and cheese and pickles. His favorite song is "wheels on the bus" and his favorite movie is "Cars". He loves trains, cars, tractors, buses, trucks, and semi-trailers. And we love him.
The perfect addition to our family. Introduced to us one year ago. Amazing! One year and we're here where I never imagined it would be. We love you Caleb.

Winter isn't over yet

We received 4-5 more inches of snow last week and it's supposed to be 60 degrees on Thursday. Hmm. Welcome to Nebraska.

January

What to say?  It's January, and around these parts that means cold weather and post-holiday attitudes.  Maybe not so much at our house.  We were just watching a recap of the Presidential inauguration on CNN.  What a proud day for our country!  We are still basking in the joy of our recent adoption, and Russ is happy in his new job and thankful to be working.  These are some good times.

Last week, we had Owen farmed out (literally) to live with my parents for a while.  He has been so out of control lately and I know he needs more exercise than he has been getting here.  It's been a quiet week here with Zeus, who is the non-barker/obedient dog of the two.  But because Owen has some sort of tenure in our household, he will never completely go away.  Just for short periods of time now and again. My feelings for him did actually waver a little after seeing Marley and Me.  It made me want to go home immediately and hug him, which I did.  But the next day, things were back to normal, and the feelings were short-lived.  My parents report he is happy with them, so I'm not in a huge hurry to bring him back--yet I do not want to take advantage of their generosity--any day, they could call up in an angry state demanding that he has to leave.  Ok, I doubt that will happen, but you can't underestimate the power Owen has to annoy people.

I worked this weekend and actually had to float to pediatrics on Sunday night.  I don't think I've been there for over a year.  It was similar to the clinic stuff as far as the age of the kids I cared for, but in a much more acute setting.  I had a great conversation with a co-worker (also a nurse floating from another unit) who I hadn't seen in a while.  She was asking a lot of questions about China, the process of adoption, etc. and I was happy to give her the information.  Hey, you never know when you may talk to someone who could be interested in going through it themselves.  In the middle of our conversation, the nurse who normally worked on the unit approached us and entered the conversation.  She was more than a little pregnant.  When my other co-worker excitedly told her, "Meg went to China this year and adopted a little boy!", she responded with, "oh, that's so nice! But....don't you ever a child of your own?"

Sigh.

During our homestudy, we took classes to prepare for stupid comments such as these.  In my head, I've always had some sort of a comeback, like, "nope! We thought we would just rent Caleb for a while."  And yet, I never think of those things in the moment, when someone asks such a question (and it isn't the first time it's been asked).  How to respond?  My irritation aside, I actually felt sorry for this woman, who, by taking such an attitude, has missed out on one of the greatest joys I never imagined I would have.  And that's what this blog is about anyway, right?

In short, this has been a small rant.  But it's not to say that others don't deal with dumb people in other areas of life.  Or that I never thought I would hear such  comments.  Oh well, this kid is mine.

Adopted!

After spending nearly 10 months together (already!) we had a milestone within our family yesterday: we went to court and officially adopted Caleb. It's final! In our hearts and minds and, according to the Peoples Republic of China, he is already a member of our family. But the state of Nebraska requires a 6 month waiting period before a legal adoption takes place. We started preparing for this in September, but after processing paperwork and trying to get a court date around the holidays, we were able to do it yesterday. Our friend Karen graciously represented us as our attorney. We were sort of expecting something relatively laid back, but I was a little intimidated being in the courtroom before a judge on a bench, who was actually a little stern. I think it was more of an act, like he really had a sense of humor under it all (he even joked with my parents, who also attended), but I was too nervous the appreciate the humor. But we got through it and we are so happy to be finalized!
We had a great holiday season, very busy with all kinds of things. We held our annual New Year's Eve party here with several friends that we don't always get to see throughout the year, so it was nice to celebrate with them.
Our 2009 is getting off to a great start! Happy New Year!


Our little guy getting ready for his big day.


Caleb and Mommy before we leave for the courthouse. Many early pictures of Caleb have him simply staring into the camera, without a smile. Despite our attempts to say "cheese!" or "smile!" he would never do it. One day, it occurred to me that maybe he didn't know what "smile" meant, so I showed him. Now he understands a little more what to do when the camera is ready.


Right after the court proceeding has finished. We only took one picture, and I decided to close my eyes at the precise moment.

Our happy family