Since I found a little bit of time to write today I'd like to start out by giving a BIG congratulations to both of my wonderful sons! They competed in our district Junior Olympic Skills competition this past Saturday and did a wonderful job! Jacob got 4th place in the basketball tournament and David took 1st place in Track and Field. As most of you know, David went all the way to Nationals last year and brought home the bronze medal and is hoping to have the opportunity again this year. We'll keep you posted!
Also, I wanted to let you all know that Brian is being ordained as a Deacon of our church this Sunday evening. If you'd like to come call and we'll let you know what time it is.
Today I went to a Korean adoption fundraiser sale held at High Street Bapst Church. I got to see my friend Rachel and her newly adopted son, Ollie. Rachel got to meet Emalee for the first time. I also got to meet the couple that is in the adoption process that the proceeds will benefit. Brian and I had 2 garage sales to help with our finances, but how cool is it that all these friends pulled together to help bring another baby home!!! I can't wait to meet Sam when he gets home!
Friday, April 27, 2007
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Home 1 month!!!
Emalee will be home 1 month tomorrow. I won't have time to write tomorrow, so I thought I'd post this today! I can't believe it! One month ago (Korea time) we were at Eastern waiting in the lounge for Emalee and her foster mother. When they arrived her foster mother was crying and loving on Emalee as much as she could before she would hand her over to us. As heart breaking as it was, I couldn't help but be so thankful for the love that this very special woman had for my daughter. While we waited for Dr. Kim Sr. to arrive Emalee's foster mother held her and would turn around and walk to the other side of the room and talk to Emalee and pat her and hug her and mess with her clothes to assure herself that she would be warm, etc. I don't have words to express my gratefulness to this wonderful woman and unless you've been in my shoes you'll never fully understand how much she means to us. I tried as much as I could to let her know how much we love her, but because of the language barrier only our tears and hugs could show eachother how we felt. Brian and I decided that although we couldn't understand the Korean language the universal language that we did understand that day was the language of love.
Dr. Kim Sr. came to the lounge along with some other Eastern staff and he prayed over Emalee. I wish so much that I knew what he prayed. Our friends Charlie and Tricia were there adopting their daughter and video taped this special time for us. After the prayer our social worker asked me and Brian to go outside and get in the van. While we were in the van Emalee's foster mother had one more time alone with her to say her good bye's. Then she walked to the van and handed Emalee to Brian. The driver got in the van and we left.
The drive to the airport was about 45 minutes. Brian gave Emalee to me and I got to feed her the rest of her bottle and then she fell asleep in my arms for the first time. I think Brian and I cried all the way to the airport. There were so many emotions. We talked about how pretty she was and how little she was and how her hair was so long. Mostly, we sat in silence wiping our tears. One of the emotions that I didn't expect was a feeling of sadness. A sadness for my daughter for her losses. The loss of a language, culture, heritage, birth family. The loss of what could have been her future life. And although I knew in my heart that we were doing what the Lord asked us to do I couldn't help to feel this overwhelming sense of sadness right in the middle of my joy. It's another feeling that I can't explain and that you'll not understand unless you've been there.
Since we've had Emalee home she's gone from drinking a 4 oz. bottle to a 6-7 oz. bottle. She's turned over from her back to her tummy except she can't figure out how to get her arm out of the way yet and it makes her mad! She loves playing in her Exersaucer. She lays on her back on the floor and if her socks are off she likes to grab her feet and try to put them in her mouth! She doesn't care for the baby swing. She does still like mommy to carry her in the baby carrier. She's still in 3-6 month clothes and and size 2 diaper. She likes to laugh with daddy and is really starting to like her new brothers. She still sleep a lot! She goes to bed around 10 p.m. and wakes around 4 a.m. for a bottle, then sleeps until 8 a.m. stays awake until she has a bottle at 11 a.m. , wakes at 1 p.m. and stays awake until around 5 p.m., naps 1-2 hours and then stays awake until 10 p.m. She also takes little 30 minute cat naps in between some of that! At least it's a pretty consistent schedule.
Dr. Kim Sr. came to the lounge along with some other Eastern staff and he prayed over Emalee. I wish so much that I knew what he prayed. Our friends Charlie and Tricia were there adopting their daughter and video taped this special time for us. After the prayer our social worker asked me and Brian to go outside and get in the van. While we were in the van Emalee's foster mother had one more time alone with her to say her good bye's. Then she walked to the van and handed Emalee to Brian. The driver got in the van and we left.
The drive to the airport was about 45 minutes. Brian gave Emalee to me and I got to feed her the rest of her bottle and then she fell asleep in my arms for the first time. I think Brian and I cried all the way to the airport. There were so many emotions. We talked about how pretty she was and how little she was and how her hair was so long. Mostly, we sat in silence wiping our tears. One of the emotions that I didn't expect was a feeling of sadness. A sadness for my daughter for her losses. The loss of a language, culture, heritage, birth family. The loss of what could have been her future life. And although I knew in my heart that we were doing what the Lord asked us to do I couldn't help to feel this overwhelming sense of sadness right in the middle of my joy. It's another feeling that I can't explain and that you'll not understand unless you've been there.
Since we've had Emalee home she's gone from drinking a 4 oz. bottle to a 6-7 oz. bottle. She's turned over from her back to her tummy except she can't figure out how to get her arm out of the way yet and it makes her mad! She loves playing in her Exersaucer. She lays on her back on the floor and if her socks are off she likes to grab her feet and try to put them in her mouth! She doesn't care for the baby swing. She does still like mommy to carry her in the baby carrier. She's still in 3-6 month clothes and and size 2 diaper. She likes to laugh with daddy and is really starting to like her new brothers. She still sleep a lot! She goes to bed around 10 p.m. and wakes around 4 a.m. for a bottle, then sleeps until 8 a.m. stays awake until she has a bottle at 11 a.m. , wakes at 1 p.m. and stays awake until around 5 p.m., naps 1-2 hours and then stays awake until 10 p.m. She also takes little 30 minute cat naps in between some of that! At least it's a pretty consistent schedule.
Monday, April 16, 2007
I LOVE MY ERGO!!!
I just have to say that I love my Ergo baby carrier! Today I went to Walmart and put Emalee in the Ergo. She LOVES being in it. She went right to sleep and literally slept the whole entire time that I was shopping until I put her back in her car seat. Then she slept in her car seat until we got home. Also, every time she starts to get fussy all I have to do is "wear" her for a little while and she calms right down! I have to admit that I was a skeptic at first when a lot of my adoption friends said to get an Ergo. It's really pricey and you know me, I'm the Walmart Queen. I just don't buy things that cost $100.00!!! However, since sooooo many of my friends said that they had tried other carrier and they just didn't work I decided to risk it and got the Ergo. When we brought Emalee home from Korea we took it w/us. Brian said that it paid for itself just on our trip alone! We stood in line in Chicago's immigration line for 2+ hours and wore Emalee the whole time. It's comfy, my back didn't/doesn't hurt wearing it and she feels safe and secure. What more could a mom ask for?! If you have a baby or toddler you should really look into this thing. www.ergobabycarrier.com
Monday, April 9, 2007
What a day of rejoicing that will be...
"When we all get to heaven, what a day of rejoicing that will be.
When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
Do you all remember that hymn? That's the hymn that's been running through my head today. My sister-in-law's father stepped into heaven yesterday (Easter) morning after battling cancer for quite some time. My heart goes out to her and her family, but I rejoice knowing that her dad is in the presence of the King of King's! Entering heaven on Easter morning.....makes me wonder what kind of celebration he witnessed! Don't you know he shouted the victory! Thanks to my friends that have kept this family in your prayers!
I started off my Easter day by getting the kids up and ready for church. The boys wore new shirts their grandma got them and I dressed Emalee in her new dress that her uncle bought for her. About 2 minutes before we walked out the door she spit up all over her new dress! Not just a little spit up, but A LOT! I had to change her into another dress! She was beautiful anyway!
After church we went to grandma's house for lunch and then back home. While Emalee took a nap we had an Easter egg hunt w/David and Jacob. It was a fun day.
Today I took Emalee for her first Dr. visit. She's 25 inches long and weighs just shy of 14 pounds. She's long and skinny! Her head circ. is over the 95th percentile! Actually, on the Korean growth chart her head is just fine! Her Dr. was really impressed with her care and the quality of her records that her agency in Korea kept! He said she looked great! He also said that he wasn't too concerned with her heart murmur! He said that he could "faintly hear it!"
That's the praise for the day!
When we all see Jesus, we'll sing and shout the victory!"
Do you all remember that hymn? That's the hymn that's been running through my head today. My sister-in-law's father stepped into heaven yesterday (Easter) morning after battling cancer for quite some time. My heart goes out to her and her family, but I rejoice knowing that her dad is in the presence of the King of King's! Entering heaven on Easter morning.....makes me wonder what kind of celebration he witnessed! Don't you know he shouted the victory! Thanks to my friends that have kept this family in your prayers!
I started off my Easter day by getting the kids up and ready for church. The boys wore new shirts their grandma got them and I dressed Emalee in her new dress that her uncle bought for her. About 2 minutes before we walked out the door she spit up all over her new dress! Not just a little spit up, but A LOT! I had to change her into another dress! She was beautiful anyway!
After church we went to grandma's house for lunch and then back home. While Emalee took a nap we had an Easter egg hunt w/David and Jacob. It was a fun day.
Today I took Emalee for her first Dr. visit. She's 25 inches long and weighs just shy of 14 pounds. She's long and skinny! Her head circ. is over the 95th percentile! Actually, on the Korean growth chart her head is just fine! Her Dr. was really impressed with her care and the quality of her records that her agency in Korea kept! He said she looked great! He also said that he wasn't too concerned with her heart murmur! He said that he could "faintly hear it!"
That's the praise for the day!
Friday, April 6, 2007
From dawn to setting sun a mother's work is never done!
Those of you that know me well, know that I like my house to be clean, organized and de-cluttered. It's amazing how a person that only weighs roughly 15 pounds, can't roll over or sit up yet can change things so drastically!
I haven't dusted since Emalee's been home and there is the never ending pile of laundry that never seems to go away! Not only that, but somehow these little bitty clothes are adding up creating more laundry to be done!
Emalee's grieving quite a bit today. She grieved over 2 hours last night and today it was about 1 1/2 hours before she finally zonked out for a nap! I really thought she was getting a little more settled, but last night proved me to be wrong. On top of that the boys are starting to act out more than they ususally do. We're trying to spend as much quality time w/them as we can, but they are still a little stressed with the change our family is going through.
Tonight we're going to see "Bible Man" live at one of our local churches! The boys are really excited about that! If you don't know anything about Bible Man, he's kind of the Bat Man of Christian cartoons! I'm sure the boys will really enjoy this, but I worry about how Emalee will be. I don't think she's up for a baby sitter, but the boys are really needing me to go too. Nothing like feeling pulled in different directions, huh?
Since it's Easter weekend I probably won't write again until next week. We plan on coloring eggs tomorrow and making the Easter Story cookies tomorrow night. Sunday we'll go to church and after that I'm not sure what we'll do. We may go out to eat, but we're still just playing it by ear w/Emalee.
Hope you all have a great weekend celebrating our risen Savior!
I haven't dusted since Emalee's been home and there is the never ending pile of laundry that never seems to go away! Not only that, but somehow these little bitty clothes are adding up creating more laundry to be done!
Emalee's grieving quite a bit today. She grieved over 2 hours last night and today it was about 1 1/2 hours before she finally zonked out for a nap! I really thought she was getting a little more settled, but last night proved me to be wrong. On top of that the boys are starting to act out more than they ususally do. We're trying to spend as much quality time w/them as we can, but they are still a little stressed with the change our family is going through.
Tonight we're going to see "Bible Man" live at one of our local churches! The boys are really excited about that! If you don't know anything about Bible Man, he's kind of the Bat Man of Christian cartoons! I'm sure the boys will really enjoy this, but I worry about how Emalee will be. I don't think she's up for a baby sitter, but the boys are really needing me to go too. Nothing like feeling pulled in different directions, huh?
Since it's Easter weekend I probably won't write again until next week. We plan on coloring eggs tomorrow and making the Easter Story cookies tomorrow night. Sunday we'll go to church and after that I'm not sure what we'll do. We may go out to eat, but we're still just playing it by ear w/Emalee.
Hope you all have a great weekend celebrating our risen Savior!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Home 1 week today!!!
Can you believe it's already been a week since we've been home? We've been so busy settling in to our new "normal" that time has just flown by! I believe that I'm finally caught up with my sleep and Brian is too!
Emalee is adjusting really well now! She's sleeping in her crib instead of in our bed! : ) She sleeps through the night only waking once for a bottle and then goes right back to sleep! She's such a happy and sweet baby. We are very blessed! She still has some grieving time every day, but it it's slowly diminishing. She does seem to still get upset when we've had too much stimulation, so we're still limiting certain things for her. She's still fragile and needs to learn who her caregivers are and build a bond and trust with us. We're also not introducing very many new toys/rattles to her so that she has something consistent every day.
The boys are doing well with her too! They both love her very much and talk and play with her daily. They've told their classes about her and one of them has requested that I bring her for "show 'n' tell"! Isn't that funny! Maybe in a few weeks!
Brian and I look at Emalee every day and still cry! We're just so happy to have her home with us! We've notice that Emalee has my bow tie lips and Brian's crooked pinkie finger! She's a perfect fit! We're amazed that we've been praying for this child since before she was formed in the womb of her birth mother! That just goes to show that the Lord does have a perfect plan for us...a plan for a hope and a future! We're just blessed that her future includes us!
Here's a poem I found a few months ago:
Emalee is adjusting really well now! She's sleeping in her crib instead of in our bed! : ) She sleeps through the night only waking once for a bottle and then goes right back to sleep! She's such a happy and sweet baby. We are very blessed! She still has some grieving time every day, but it it's slowly diminishing. She does seem to still get upset when we've had too much stimulation, so we're still limiting certain things for her. She's still fragile and needs to learn who her caregivers are and build a bond and trust with us. We're also not introducing very many new toys/rattles to her so that she has something consistent every day.
The boys are doing well with her too! They both love her very much and talk and play with her daily. They've told their classes about her and one of them has requested that I bring her for "show 'n' tell"! Isn't that funny! Maybe in a few weeks!
Brian and I look at Emalee every day and still cry! We're just so happy to have her home with us! We've notice that Emalee has my bow tie lips and Brian's crooked pinkie finger! She's a perfect fit! We're amazed that we've been praying for this child since before she was formed in the womb of her birth mother! That just goes to show that the Lord does have a perfect plan for us...a plan for a hope and a future! We're just blessed that her future includes us!
Here's a poem I found a few months ago:
A Half A World Away~
A half a world away
Sometimes it seems we're so far apart.
but a half a world away,
Is not too far for a journey of the heart.
My little one, my precious joy,
I'm waiting for you.
My precious daughter, my little girl,
I know you're waiting too.
A half a world away,
A child waits for a family of her own.
While a half a world away,
A family waits to come bring her home.
My little one, my precious joy,
I'm whispering a prayer,
My precious daughter, my little girl,
I hope to soon be there.
A half a world away,
So many months of waiting are past.
A half a world away,
So many miles to bring you home at last.
My little one, my precious joy,
You're finally home to stay.
My precious daughter, my little girl,
We celebrate this day.
Knowing we
will no longer be
a half a world away.
~Jill Work
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