Oh, This Is Too Much!!!!!

Oh, bestill my beating heart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! More pictures of sweet Jae-min arrived today. I can't stand it he is just soooooooooooo cute. And look at him, he's still wearing my hat!!!!! Oh, I can't wait to squeeze him and love him. This has been the best few days and I just can't believe it. How did we get so lucky? We've waited so long for this and those "in the know" always said that the heartbreak would melt away when you saw your sweet ones face and let me tell you it's totally melted. Every picture just solidifies that he is ours and we are his forever. No more tears of frustration, no more sleepless nights of worry. We have a peace in our hearts and someday soon we'll fly halfway around the world and become a family of three! How awesome is that?

In other news, we contacted the NVC today and they said we have been logged in and out of their system. In other words, our immigration stuff (I600) has been cabeled to South Korea!!!!!!!!!!!! Two more steps down. We think there are 3 more steps to be completed on the Korean side and then our phone will ring with TRAVEL CALL. This could still take some time, but wow, can you imagine, soon we'll get on a plane and our lives will never be the same again? It's all hitting me now. I know I keep saying its become so very real these last few days, but it really has. I have wanted to be a mom and see Joe as a dad for so long and its just inches away. Truly unbelievable!!!!

Our Heart's Have Fallen More In Love!!!!!

We arrived home tonight to the best picture ever!!! We have been wanting to see this image ever since the care package fiasco and have wondered frequently if Jae-min received it. Well, IT MADE IT and here he is:
I really didn't think he could get any cuter but again I was wrong. He is surrounded by all the stuff we sent him and look at that hat perched atop his cute little head. That's the hat I knitted myself and when I saw it on him I just bursted into tears!!! To think my hands made that and now its on his little head, well my heart just melted. Oh, this is too much. He's looking so healthy and strong, and chunky. We're still looking for his neck though Haha
This beautiful woman holding him so sweetly is his omma. Oh, she's gorgeous. Look at the love she has for him. You can just see it in her smile!! When I saw how she is looking at him I started to cry again. It's total proof that he's so well taken care of and loved. We are sooooooooooo grateful to this woman and now that we have a face to the word Omma it makes it ten times better. Thank you just doesn't seem enough.
We couldn't have asked for anything more today. To know his package made it there safely, to see him healthy, and to meet his omma is just more than we could wish for. This one little picture has made this very very real for me. I had dreamed of this picture and here it is!!! Jae-min, his omma, and this whole process really does exist, its not just a dream. WOW
I can't stop staring. We are truly lucky, blessed, and joyful that he was chosen as our son.
We love you sweet Jae-min!!!!!!!!

Happy Lunar New Year!!!

Tonight China and Korea are celebrating with their new years celebrations!!!! We hope Jae-min got to attend a party, maybe see some fireworks or a parade. Happy New Year buddy!!! We'll see you soon.

It's Snowing!!

IN KOREA!!!!! I was just reading on one of the forums that we belong to and a family is there picking up their daughter and they said Korea is covered in a blanket of fresh snow. How beautiful!!!!
I guess we're not that far away because our yard is covered in a blanket of snow too. Little things get me through the day :)

If I Could Make One Wish.....

....it would be to get on a jet plane and bring my baby home!!! I've been driving Joe crazy lately with random questions "Do you think Jae-min's omma is giving him tummy time?" "Do you think he has enough educational toys to play with?" "Do you think she sings to him?" His response has always been a very nice "I don't know", well until recently. Now he just says "why don't you call and ask?" Oh, believe me, if I could I would!! So I try to telepathically "talk" to his omma half a world away. I hope she can hear me. Please oh please be doing all the things I would be doing to help his development. And just love him to pieces until we can get there. Those are my wishes.
We got a well baby check today from January. He's still growing and now weighs 17 pounds and is about 24 inches tall. Still short and pudgy!!! He's starting to do more developmentally and is laughing, smiling more, and cooing. Oh, what a sweet sound that must be. He again appears on target for his adjusted age (had he been born on time). He's alittle behind in his gross motor (big muscles) skills and that's why I just need him home. It was a hard report for me to read today because I just want to hear that sweet laugh so bad, as well as just a hard day overall. Some days are better than others and this one had me missing him very much.
Please hurry home sweet Jae-min!!!!

We're getting closer!!!!

We got home tonight to find a great package in the mail. We got our I600 approval and legals!!!!! Yahooooooooooooo This is the immigration stuff that has to be done in the US which will allow Jae-min to come home. We are so thrilled to have two steps down. Oh, I have tears in my eyes. He really is going to come home, isn't he??? Please someone, pinch me!!!!
Now we wait for EP (we think) which is done in Korea. EP is the Korea equivalent to the I600 form which will allow Jae-min to leave the country when the time comes. Keep those positive thoughts going and send them all the way to Korea please :)
We love this little guy more and more every day. Two steps closer Jae-min, hang on a little longer, we're coming!!!!!

Happy 7 months Jae-min!!!

Oh, this is getting hard. Today Jae-min turned 7 months old. It's just a little reminder of how much he's growing and changing and we're missing it. We've been working hard on clearing out his room and tonight Joe put up a ceiling light for him. It looks great!!
We also got him an outfit and I made chocolate chip cookies to celebrate. We wish it could be different. We wish we had him in our arms tonight but we don't so we'll make the most of it. So we'll raise a cookie in honor of our sweet Jae-min!!! Oh, how badly do we want you home.
I'll leave you with a poem I found that I have on my nightstand and read before I fall asleep. Tonight is a great night to share it (and maybe you can say it too)

May you be safe while you are waiting

May you be safe and sleep soundly through the night
May you be safe as you wake in morning light
May you feel our love from so far away
May it comfort and protect you throughout the day

We will pray for you, our little one
Until our time of waiting is done
We will pray that the Lord will keep you safe from harm
Until the child of our hearts becomes the child in our arms.

A Fun Way To Spend A Saturday

Today Joe and I went to Babies R Us to register for things we'll need when Jae-min comes home. We had so much fun!!! We have wanted to do this forever and we really enjoyed ourselves. We had our camera and of course were the crazy couple taking pictures of the experience.
I was alittle nervous initially but was pleasantly surprised when one of the questions on the form was Are you adopting? yeah I thought they would get it...but Nope When it came to the due date we wrote Spring 09. The girl helping us told us we had to put a date. I said we're adopting so we don't know. She stared at us blankly and continued handing us the registering gun. When we looked at the form after scanning everything we noticed she had made up her own due date 4/20/09 What???? Well, I guess that's spring after all. So, no we don't have that date anywhere on any of our forms. Actually, we were alittle disappointed as we were hoping for a sooner "due date" Haha. When we got home last night we edited it from our computer to say 3/1/09, ah that feels so much better!!! But no, we still don't know exactly when Jae-min will be ready to come home.
We were there for 3 hours Yes I said 3 hours. We registered for many things older babies would use and really tried to keep Jae-min in mind. It was a blast!!!
While there we bought a comfy chair and ottoman for the nursery (seen in the photo) where Joe took a little break from all the baby looking. He was a trooper and actually had fun. He was actually really into it and we loved looking at all the baby stuff together.
Now all we need is the baby so hurry home Jae-min!!!

Guess Who's Growing?

......Jae-min!!!! We received well baby checks today from November and December and our little man is growing halfway around the world!! In Nov. he weighed 12 pounds and was 21 inches tall. In Dec he weighed 15 pounds and was 22 inches tall. So, it looks like we have a short pudgy one on our hands. Boy, did God put the right baby into our family or what? We also got a developmental report from Nov and Dec as well and he looks where he should be for his adjusted age. Remember, Jae-min was born early so all his development will be affected by this. From the report it looks like he's doing things he should be doing had he been born on time. All in all, nothing alarming was mentioned which makes us soooooooo happy.
It's bittersweet to read these reports. Happy that he's growing and doing well in his omma's care, but sad that we're missing it. How do you miss someone you don't even know? Looking forward to more well baby checks and to getting him home. Keep up the good work Jae-min. Mommy and Daddy love you!!!

What Is A Real Mom?

Since beginning our adoption journey we have received many comments from others, some of which are alittle hurtful. One in particular has been like a knife in my heart "what about Jae-min's REAL mother". Each and every time I hear those words I cringe. Jae-min is a very lucky boy to have been loved by three mothers...all of which are very REAL. His birthmother who gave him life and then courageously made an adoption plan, his foster mother "omma" who has loved and cared for him so deeply and will have a difficult time letting him go, and me his mom who can't wait to love him for the rest of my life. All of us will always be REAL in Jae-min's world and he will know just how much we each loved (and still love) him.
We are a REAL couple expecting a baby. We like to do all the same things other expecting couples like to do. We have been researching baby products, planning the nursery, and registering. We have all the same fears, questions, doubts, anticipation any REAL couple would have at this time. We have all the same dreams, happiness, and joy too. We welcome any questions or conversations you would have with a pregnant couple because we too are waiting for our baby to arrive!!! I was speaking to a coworker before the holidays and I made a comment about how forgetful I have been lately. She responded with two little words "pregnancy brain" I said I'm not pregnant and she said "close enough" I guess she got just how REAL of a mother I already am.
We ordered our baby crib today and dresser and boy did it feel very real... walking among many pregnant people I felt like I belonged, like I was a REAL mom too. Aside from the slip on the ice in the parking lot and a sore tushy it was an awesome experience.
I think my vivid dreams of holding my baby, my tummy aches, and my fears of not being a good mom make it very real already.
So, what is a REAL mom you ask? ME

2009!!!!

Happy New Year!!! Joe and I rang in the new year quietly at home due to the snow, but we had a great time. We talked about what a whirlwind year it has been. From the beginning of 2008 when we felt so defeated after seeing the writing on the wall about how long China was really going to take. To listening to our hearts in the spring and realizing maybe our first baby was somewhere else, Korea. To this summer finally being officially waiting. To the best ending ever imagined..... being matched with our beautiful baby boy!!!!! We realized that this year ,2009 ,is when we will hold our baby and become his parents forever. It's such a great feeling, not being certain of the month, yet to be so certain of the year. This is it. 2009 is our year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still can't believe it. I know what your thinking, believe it or your going to be so not prepared. From the preparations, to the trip of a lifetime, to becoming parents, to raising, loving, and getting to know our son, this will be a year to remember. Happy 2009 sweet Jae-min!!!

We would like to also say a happy new year to Ava, our daughter who grows in our hearts. China referrals came in this week and they referred through Feb 28, 2006. So, in all of 2008 they made referrals for just 2 months Jan and Feb of 2006. Doing the math we have 14 months to go to get to us as 5/25/07, and if they referred 2 months a year that would be another 7 years. No one knows what the future holds for any of us. For right now all we know is we have a son waiting for us in Korea and a daughter that we dream of in China.