Korea Family Day!!!

On Saturday we attended our agencies Korea Family Day....a fun day full of presentations, fun activities, lots of chatting, and yummy Korean food. The entire group were families who have adopted from Korea. It was a bit of a surreal feeling to be among 200 families, all looking like your own. All with a similar story, all with a similar experience. They ALL went through what you went through. It was so nice to not have to explain the process, or your family, or how hard it is to wait and wait....each and every family just knew!!!!!!Jae-min had a blast with lots of Koran cuties, and we had a blast talking and meeting so many families, many of which we had met on line...it was fun to finally meet in person!!!
Jae-min loved the tae-kwon-do presentation, the korean drummers, and dancers. He was mesmerized. When all of a sudden he began rummaging in my bag and found the photo album with Jaelah's pictures. He opened it up and had her "watch" too!!! She was never far from our minds.....we were able to chat with our social worker and others who are helping us bring her home.

There were also 2 social workers from Holt and 2 foster mother's (omma's) that made the long journey from Korea. We honored them for their years of service and then they spoke through a translator. The omma's shared that each Monday the foster mom's and staff at Holt pray for the babies and their families waiting. I started to cry. Yup, big ole tears ran down my face. It's such a great comfort to know your baby is so loved and cared for. And it gives a small sense of peace to know that when she's not with you, she's loved beyond measure by these amazing people, many of who we'll never meet. But who love each and every baby who comes into Holt with such love and care. I am peaceful in the awesome Korean agency uniting us, in the awesome US agency who work tirelessly to unite us, and in our own hearts that these two children....born in Korea, were always destined to be ours!!!!

We had a wonderful day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

New WBC!!!!

I opened my email today to find a new well baby check for sweet Yun-jeong!!! She's doing great

~weighing 20pds and is 29 inches tall.

~has 4 teeth on top, 4 teeth on bottom.

~able to stack several blocks and use a pincer grasp for small objects.

~plays social games (pat a cake, waving)

~drinks from cup and bottle

~has more words....omma, appa, baba, and now mama (which means food/eat in Korean) and she uses them specifically.

~Can now walk alone!!!!!

~And throw and kick a ball!!! Wow our little princess is going to be a sports star haha

She's assessing right at age level...14 months!!!

These reports are always bitter sweet. It provides comfort to know that she's doing so well and thriving, yet makes me cry every time I read one to realize all we are missing. She's growing up very fast....ah I just need her home!!!

On a big brother note....our little man has been very very sick. Last week we went to the doctors and he was having a severe asthma attack. He was put on his neb every 4 hrs with an added oral steriod. They wanted to see him again yesterday and discovered that now he has bronchitis. They gave him an antibiotic and want to see him again tomorrow. With all this sickness has come absolutely NO sleep (naps and night) because of the coughing. Which makes for one cranky, clingy, whiny, non eating, glued to the hip mamma's boy. My poor poor baby boy. It's so sad to see him soooo sick. Although during the last few days he wants to hold my hand and tell me "momma I love you sooo much" over and over again. Gosh, I love this boy!!! Wish he was feeling better, but I am loving all the snuggle time with my sweet boy.

So....looks like we've got one sick little one on this side of the world....and one healthy little one on the other side of the world. This mamma's heart can't take much more.

Coincidence????

When your an adoptive family waiting (and waiting and waiting) your mind can tend to wander (and wander and wander) about the most random things. So I ask you this....

Is It A Coincidence or Meant To Be????

Yun-jeong was born on Feb 1, 2010. That day seemed so familiar to me and then I figured it out. I went back through our saved emails and found that on Feb 1, 2010 we received an email from our agency informing us that their Korea program was reopened. That night Joe and I had a conversation about starting the process again....and at 9pm Feb 1, 2010 we emailed our agency and started the initial application process for our second child. Little did we know that the very night we decided to expand our family, our daughter was born!!!! As we were filling out paperwork with hope and excitement, her birthmother was giving birth and saying goodbye. On Feb 1, 2010 we said yes to adding another child to our family, and she had just been born.

A Coincidence or Meant To Be????

Today Yun-jeong turns 14 months old. My heart aches for a child I have yet to meet. I love her so much already and I have never even touched her. The other night Joe and I were talking and I made a statement about "watching the KIDS play in the back yard" He got this funny look and said that sounds so weird KIDS...but we are the parents of 2....one is turning 14 months today and just a world away. And we know that she was truly Meant To Be!!!!

You Gotta Have FAITH....

In this roller coaster journey called adoption we have come to know that you gotta have faith....the kind of blind, raise your hands to the heavens and just submit to whatever comes, kind of faith. The kind that any normal human would find so so difficult....and yet when your adopting, that is exactly what you are asked to do. Let go of all control and have FAITH that it will all work out the way its supposed to in the end. That the timing you'd like is not always the timing that will come.......through it all FAITH will get you through.

Several weeks ago another batch of EP's were submitted........to our knowledge we were not among them. Initially we were sad, but taking a step back we realized that this entire wait is out of our control....we have done all we can do and now its up to others to do their part to unite us as a family. I have made a conscious effort to be a more graceful, patient waiter. And have FAITH that Jaelah Yun-jeong will come home when she's supposed to. Don't get me wrong....this wait is torturous, and is definately not easier the second time around. There are some good days and some really really tough days.

So....what's a girl to do when she's just relying on FAITH....well put her focus on more "important" things............

Like buying hairbows for Jaelah from another adoptive momma's store online....so so cute.

Like searching for the perfect gifts for the foster family that has taken care of your girlie for all this time.

Like shopping for gifts for all the staff that have worked endlessly in Korea to bring us together as a family.

Like picking up things here and there...like rice cereal, desatin, hand sanitizer, preemie clothes, baby clothes, baby cream etc to donate to Holt for all the other babies waiting on FAITH for their families to come for them.

(If any of you would like to pick up any of these items for donation feel free and we'll bring them along when we travel).

So...we're walking the end of this journey on FAITH alone............we may stumble a time or two, but we know in the end...when we become a family of 4....all of this...each and every tear, each and every sleepless night, each and every question will be answered....because it will turn out EXACTLY how its meant to be.......full of FAITH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What's She Doing????............

I find myself wondering this often throughout the day........

When I give Jae-min a tubby at night, she's just starting to wake up and start her day.

When I lay my head on my pillow, she's probably having breakfast.

When I'm seeing the sunset, she's seeing the sun rise.

When I'm waking up ready for the day, she's snuggling with her Omma before bed.

I can't stop wondering...what's she doing.....

When we went to the aquarium with some friends....what was she doing?

When we took the train into the city to celebrate Jae-min's family day....what was she doing?
When we talk about her, dream about her, and get ready for her....what's she doing?
What's she doing halfway around the world? We're getting ready (slowly), making lists....packing lists, sightseeing lists, trip lists, lists of what she'll need, lists of what we need, more lists of what she'll need (who knew the 2nd child needed so much stuff), lists, lists, lists.

We're just going about our daily lives, getting ready for the big change thats coming..............but we can't stop wondering through it all............what's she doing?????????????????

Surprise.........New Photos!!!!!

On Friday we opened up our email to a HUGE surprise!!!!!!!!!!!! Two new photos of our sweet girl!!!!!!!

Just look at her...she looks like she wants to get into some mischief. It looks like a very small smirky smile that was coming our way. She's just teasing us, she'll show us those pearly whites when we get her home!!!
She looks so much older in this second picture. She's still got those chubby cheeks and she's wearing her pink fashion pants again!!! She may have gotten a haircut, as it looks like its in a little bob now....not sure. Oh I could just EAT HER UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This was such a great surprise. We didn't think we'd get new pics so soon after our care package pic last month, but we'll take it.

We need her home like now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We love you Jaelah Yun-jeong. You keep getting cuter and sweeter each day....we'll be there as soon as we can.

Happy 2nd Family Day!!!!

Two years ago today we were handed a little 9 month old baby, in a land far away. We were complete strangers, but looking back there was a connection in our hearts already. Two years ago today, in an office and on a curb, I became a mother and Joe became a dad.
Two years ago today Jae-min's Omma said goodbye with such grace and tenderness. She was peaceful and knew we were his family, as she said numerous times when we sat with her. Her tender touch, her smile, and her embrace said it all. My heart still breaks remembering looking out of the back window of the cab, watching her waving, and then beginning to cry.

Two years ago today we wandered the streets of Seoul with our son to get pictures for him of him in his homeland. We were overwhelmed, ecstatic, scared, and full of hope. Hope for what the future would hold. We were thrown head first into this parenting thing. We were up all night with a grieving baby, and then were required to fly halfway back around the world with all eyes watching.
Jae-min has grown into a confident, happy, well adjusted little boy in these past two years. He is the light of our lives and definately a mamma's boy through and through. The past two years have all not been easy. But nothing in life that's worth it ever is
Happy 2nd Family Day Jae-min Francis!!!!!!!!!!!! You made me a mommy and I hope and pray every day that I make you proud. Can't wait to see you become a big brother. Love you with all my heart baby boy!!!!!!!!!!!