Christmas Care Package!

We are excited about the Christmas season and the opportunity to spend time with friends and family, but are also waiting in eager anticipation of the new year when the EP quota (i.e. passports given to children for international travel each year) is reset and children can again be approved to come home to their families. We now hope to travel some time from April - June and appreciate your prayers that the Korean Ministry would be generous and timely in approving more children to travel next year. It is crazy to think this will actually happen and that the sweet little boy in the pictures and videos we have treasured will actually be in our arms in a few months. It is exciting to think that all of the holidays we are celebrating now will be the last ones we experience

without Tay.

In the meantime, though, we have to love him from afar. Last week we shipped Taylor's second care package, his Christmas one, filled with some goodies for both Taylor and his foster mom.

We sent him a recordable book with us reading to him so that he is able to get more familiar with our voices. We plan to send him video of us talking to him, showing him his room, singing to him (maybe?) in the next package we will send (probably in January or February) so that we can best prepare him for the transition into our family. We tried to say "I love you" on the greeting page of the book with the hopes that that is what they hear when they open it. We sound really goofy to ourselves but I guess that is just preparing us for the crazy things we will find ourselves doing/saying when we become parents! We also got him a laugh-n-learn puppy, Thomas the Train toy, and light-up ball that were recommended by some ladies in my FB adoption group. Thanks ladies! We finished off his gifts with a couple of outfits and a book about monkeys. The outfits are usually more for the foster moms who have to recycle clothes with their foster children, and, because children are getting older in the foster homes with the new EP situation, we figure a couple more outfits would be nice.

I do not know how in the world you go about lavishing thanks and love on the woman who has sacrificially cared for your child during his first years of life, but this is where we will start. Apparently these Almond Roca chocolates are a great treat in South Korea but cost much more than they do here (Walmart $5). And what mom does not need energy, sleep, and stress relief? Hopefully this sugar scrub, body lotion, and bubble bath will allow some much earned pampering this Christmas ;)

"Itty bitty living space" - quote from Aladdin for all you Disney fans. That is what I think about every time I have to cram all of this love and fun into a small box to send halfway around the world. : ) Hoping it gets there in time for Christmas (they said it would) and that we get some cute pictures with him playing with his toys!

The train you see in this picture is different from the one above because the first one did not work, and we had to settle for a Percy train instead of Thomas because that is all they had left ;)

Also, we received 57 t-shirt orders, which will add up to about $700 that we can put towards our adoption fees and travel expenses! Yay! Thanks to all who have supported us in this way. We have also be selling all sorts of things on Craig's List and are able to raise that fundraiser thermometer just a little further towards our goal. Another praise is that Lifesong for Orphans, the ministry that awarding us an interest-free loan to help pay for the up-front adoption fees, is extending our deadline for repaying that money until June 2013 because our travel was delayed. This is an answer to prayer and will greatly reduce the immediate need for funds by travel. So, thank you all of your prayers and encouraging words. We are amazed at what God is doing in our lives and how much He has blessed us to even be on this journey to bring Taylor into our family.



Last call for adoption t-shirts!

Hello everyone! Just wanted to let you all know this is the last call for ordering adoption t-shirts to have them in time for Christmas. I am planning to send in the orders with sizes and types (short or long-sleeved) of shirts in tomorrow morning so that our t-shirt guy can go ahead and get started on them. They are very cute, and we are very excited about this cool way to raise money for the adoption.

Also, when you get your t-shirt we would love for you to send us a picture of you or your kids wearing the Seoul Train t-shirts (and let us know where you in the U.S.) so that we can show Taylor all of the support he had when he is older ;) Again, short-sleeved shirts are $20 and long-sleeved are $25. If you live outside the Birmingham, AL or Livingston, LA areas, select the option with $5 added for shipping so that can send them directly to you when they come in. Sizes range from youth medium to XXXL. Happy ordering!

Countdown for getting your t-shirts...

...in time for Christmas! We have sold about 32 t-shirts so far and are super excited about spreading our adoption cheer to Alabama, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. Thanks to everyone who has ordered a t-shirt to celebrate our adoption with us and to help us bring out little boy home next year. We are so grateful for your generousity and and willingness to help out during this crazy holiday season. Special thanks to my FB/bloggy adoption friends. You guys are a priceless source of support and encouragement as we go through this rollercoaster experience together and have kindly answered all of my random adoption process/travel questions and rejoiced with the little milestones achieved along the way. I thank God for this wonderful support group. Also, my coworkers at Comfort Care Home Health have stepped up big with this t-shirt fundraiser! 22 t-shirt orders! You guys are awesome...enough said. Thanks also to everyone who has sent us words of encouragement and prayed to God on our behalf and for Taylor as he grows and is prepared for his new family. I feel like I am giving a speech at the Oscar's. All that to say, we are very grateful for friends and family (and some kind strangers) who are in this with us.

We know it really does "take a village" for this thing to happen and are dependent upon God's grace and sovereignty to accomplish His purpose to care for the orphan.

I wanted to give everyone another chance to order t-shirts and have them in time for Christmas. For this to happen, I will need your orders (and money if possible) by next Thursday, December 8, so that the t-shirt guy can make and send them in time for me to get them to you guys. If you know want t-shirts but are not quite ready to pay for them, shoot me an email so we can work something out. For us to make the maximum amount of money, we will need to have 48 orders total.  See my last post for details on payment and pictures of the t-shirts. Thanks everyone! Merry Christmas!

P.S. If you are in Louisiana, we will be down for a few days during the holidays and can deliver the t-shirts to you when they come in so you can skip the shipping price if you like.

All Aboard the Seoul Train...Adoption T-shirts are Here!

Okay guys and gals, the t-shirts are ready for ordering!! We have teamed up with an organization geared towards helping individuals and groups to raise funds for mission trips, adoption, etc. They have designed a t-shirt specially for us and our little fella to raise money for adoption expenses (i.e. country fees, travel costs, post-placement fees, etc.). The theme is "Seoul Train," as in Seoul, South Korea. You can see what they will look like on the right-hand side of my blog. The short-sleeved tees are $20 and the long-sleeved ones are $25. These can make great Christmas gifts, stocking stuffers, or just a splurge to help us raise the money to travel next spring to bring Taylor home. You can order 1, 2, or 100 t-shirts...there is no limit! It is easy to order using the paypal button on the right. If you would prefer to mail the money, you can email me at amandamurry@bellsouth.net for the address to send the money to. Also, if you are not someone I may see in the next couple of months, you might want to pay the extra $5 to have the shirt(s) shipped to you.

We are going to try to gather as many orders as possible so that we can ship them quickly and have them arrive by Christmas, but we need at least 13 t-shirt orders to make up a full order and have our t-shirt start printing and shipping. So lets get going and buy those shirts so we can bring this kid home! Thanks again for all of your love and support. It means more than you know!

 

Religion that is pure and undefiled before, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world. James 1:27

Lesson of the Week...We Can't Do This Alone

This is what I am learning this week. I hate hate asking people for money. Even growing up when I was expected to sell candy bars, restaurant coupons, etc., I cringed at the thought of asking people for their money in exchange for overpriced candy/coupons/etc. But here we are...

Originally we had thought we would be traveling this October/November but found out the Korean government reached their passport quota early and that it would be 2012 before we would travel. We were awarded an interest-free loan from Lifesong (an orphan ministry that helps fund adoptions) that does not have to be paid until May 2012; however, we are no longer receiving the tax credit we would have received (because we are not traveling this year) that was going to be used to pay back the loan. In addition, we have not been able to raise/save enough to cover the remaining expenses needed for travel and program fees. The task for us now is to raise about $14,000 so that we can afford to travel to South Korea around April of next year to bring home our little boy. For us, this means we have a lot of working and praying to do. In addition, we have put our home on the market and decided to sell our car. We are also selling random things around the house to make some extra cash and prepare us for downsizing to apt living (i.e. tools, exercise equipment, movies, picture frames, entertainment center, etc.). Basically, ebay and craigslist are our new friends ;) We are going nuts with filling out adoption grants from agencies/ministries who lovingly give to adoptive parents for financial support to make adoption possible. This is the scripture that keeps replaying in my mind...

 

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and he will make straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away from evil. It will be healing to your flesh and refreshment to your bones. Proverbs 3:5-8

 

So this is where we request your help. I am opening a donation feature on the right-hand side of this blog for those who would like to give whatever amount they are able or feel led to give. We are so grateful for whatever you offer on ours’ and Taylor’s behalf so that he can be in our arms next spring/summer and promise to keep you updated along the way with lots of pictures during the journey ;)

 

More than financial support, we would greatly covet your prayers for Taylor and for us as we go through the next several months and are all being prepared for a HUGE transition us being parents and Tay having a new “omma and appa.” I am praying for his little heart to be at peace when we meet and during the times of attachment and bonding that will follow as we bring him home.

 

God has called us to adopt this sweet little boy from halfway around the world, and we have tried in vain to raise all of the funds on our own. We know that where God calls, He will provide, and we trust Him in this. But God has shown us that He is not calling us to do this alone. All throughout scripture, God clearly emphasizes the importance of community with brothers/sisters in Christ and how He has uniquely gifted us to support and encourage one another and to “carry each other’s burdens.”  I am starting to get it, like this week. And we are very humbled knowing we cannot do this on our own and grateful for our friends and family who love us and have a heart for the orphan.

 

Another opportunity to support our adoption will be coming up next week in the form of a t-shirt sale. Yay! I love t-shirts. We are having them specially designed for our little guy and are super excited about the idea of having people all over wearing a symbol of their love for our family. We are so blessed. Details to follow (probably next week)….

 

And here are a couple of pictures of the cutest little guy in all of Korea (sorry to any other adoptive moms reading this...This just happens to be my totally unbiased opinion ;)

Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common. And with great power the apostles were giving their testimony to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great grace was upon them all. There was not a needy person among them, for as many as were owners of lands or houses sold them and brought the proceeds of what was sold and laid it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to each as any had need. Acts 4:32-37

Nesting...

So what is the world do you do after all of the paperwork is done and everything else is outside of your control, when just waiting for 4-6 months to pass by quickly? Well, this is what we are doing...I say we...Michael and I worked together to sand and paint some shelves a hand-me-down toddler bed, but I was definitely the one organizing all of his toys with the greatest of precision ;) Sometimes Michael goes looking for me and just shakes his head when he finds me in Taylor's room playing/organizing his toys and clothes (almost all donated by wonderful family members). "I'm nesting" is always my response when I feel caught hanging out in his room again. So here is a glimpse into our lives of nesting and waiting for Taylor to come home.

And yes, I actually sat on the floor in his room and played with those mega legos. Michael even identified my masterpiece correctly...a dinosaur. This is probably the neatest his room will ever be!

And, as always, we appreciate your prayers for us as we wait longer than expected to travel to bring home our walking, talking, running, silly toddler! All in God's sovereignty and timing...

My Seoul at 20 Months

Guess who got the care package we sent?! Here is our sweet boy at 20 months with all of the things we sent to him a few weeks ago. (I cropped the picture to protect the privacy of his foster mom holding him.) All of his baby fat is disappearing before I even have a chance to kiss it! Oh well, he looks like he is growing into quite a handsome little fella. Love that little guy. Enjoy!

Waiting and Preparing the Adoption Lifebook

So I thought I was a fairly patient person...I am learning otherwise. The good news is that we have completed absolutely every piece of paperwork, participated in every homestudy meeting, even paid most expenses (minus travel expenses, and boy are they a wammy). The bad news....what on earth do we do now? Well, through reading others blogs and our adoption agency's Korea forum I have discovered the absolutely incredible adoption resource, the adoption lifebook.

It is basically (in the words of Beth O'Malley, creator of the lifebook), "a record of a foster/adoptee’s life that uses words, photos, graphics, the child’s artwork, and memorabilia. An Adoption Life Book includes information about the child’s birth parents and reason placing them for adoption...An Adoption Life Book is more than a life story. It is a unique opportunity for parents to honor every minute of their children’s lives."

It is an invaluable book that explains their lives before adoption. I have bought the book Beth O'Malley's book "Lifebook: Creating a Treasure for the Adopted Child" that gives wonderful tips for creating the lifebook, as well as great ideas for gathering useful information and items while traveling in S Korea that will Taylor can treasure for the rest of his life! The idea is that we will talk with Taylor about his life prior to Gotcha Day (adoption lingo for the day he will join our family) in age-appropriate ways so that he will never not know that he was adopted but that this lifebook can allow us an avenue for giving Taylor a complete personal history and is also a way to maintain completely open lines of communication so he always feels comfortable asking questions as he gets older. It is also a private book that only Taylor gets to decide who he wants to share it with outside Michael and me. Some of the cool ideas in the resources book are to gather special items from S Korea when we are there, including local newspaper on Gotcha Day, some Korean soil in a little ziplock, an outfit worn while with his foster family placed in an airtight bag to retain the smell, and, of course, tons of pictures, videos and documentation of his early life by his foster mom. I know some of these things may sound silly, but it will provide him with tangible items to represent life before adoption. I am so grateful that someone thought of this! So that is what I am looking to start now. I say 'looking to start' as in, I haven't yet. I have already bought the stuff I need to get started but will have to carve time out from work to make sure I get this book going so it does not get lost in the shuffle. Rumor has once we are parents we will now have time for anything else but being parents!

So that is what we are doing now. Not very interesting for the everyday reader but, well, that is what I am up to. Hope this post is helpful to any 'in process' adoptive families for ways to prepare for traveling and capturing memories that can be treasured forever by your family and, most importantly, your child. This is a picture of our lifebook materials...


Lifebook - Taylor's Story

And, of course we are getting ready to capture each step from travel and throughout Taylor's first year home. Below are the fun scrapbooking things to make sure we don't forget to take tons of pictures while we are in Korea and after getting home. Jungle animals is the theme!

Scrapbooking Taylor's 1st Year Home

Putting Love in a Box

There is something heart-warming and heart-aching about the thought that a box I am holding one day in Birmingham, AL, will be 12,450 miles, literally the other side of the world, in less than one week and given to our sweet little boy and his foster mom. It's not the quick transport of the U.S. Postal Service (in fact, I crossing my fingers and praying they successfully bring the box from point A to point B) but the idea that a boy in a picture who has captured our hearts will be holding a soft monkey blanket, a small fire truck, a snuggly stuffed monkey, a teddybear comfort blanket from his Nana and Poppy, and a photo album introducing his mom and dad (gasp! that's us) for the first time. I have to admit I had a moment in line at the post office. I just kept praying, "God, may our love for our sweet boy on the other side of the world be communicated in a small box of cuddly things and toddler toys. God, may his foster mom be blessed by the clothes and other items sent. May she feel an inner peace knowing this little guy she has been loving and caring for is and will be loved deeply by the couple she sees in the cheesy photographs." It seems so easy to send a cardboard box halfway around the world (well relatively easy...that darn form was way too long and required a list of every little thing in the box, it's weight, and approximate value...hmmm, playdoh? $0.25...but I digress), but why can't I just go with the box, bring it to him, and take him back home with me?
Please join us in prayer for our precious little boy as he grows and develops his own unique little personality in a healthy foster home environment.

As a side note, we also sent Taylor a couple of pictures of our dogs (two labs named Marley and Jake) to show him our pets. I almost sent a picture of us with the dogs but then just stuck one in there of the two of them sitting together. What I did not realize until listening to Rick & Bubba the next morning was that people in Korea do not typically view dogs as pets but as something entirely different! Not sure about the validity of this but will definitely be researching it in the future.

Amanda

Amazima Ministries: Katie is coming to the US!

Amazima Ministries: Katie is coming to the US!: Katie is coming to the United States!! Her book, Kisses from Katie , releases on October 4, and she'll be visiting several cities and churc...

Coming to our church (Church at Brookhills) October 16th!!!! How awesome! She will be at each of our services that Sunday. So exciting...an opportunity to meet an amazing girl who has shown us all what living radically for Christ looks like! Check out her blog (http://kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com/) and come listen to her incredible story of how God has used her to touch the lives of so many impoverished Ugandans for His glory.

Adoption Process Update

Now for the less interesting stuff...the process. Since my last blog, we have completed the homestudy (process where a local social worker evaluates the parents and home environment to be sure we are capable for being adoptive parents). The homestudy was notorized and sent to S Korea in June 2011, along with our acceptance paperwork that makes our match with Taylor official! This leads to another round of paperwork including submission of two documents known as the I-600 and I-600A. These were sent to the USCIS: Dept of Homeland Security so that Taylor can be issued an Emmigration Permit (EP...basically what we would consider a passport) when the time comes. These documents change Taylor's status from being classified as an 'orphan' to being an "immediate relative of the Murry family." Wow. What a picture of the gospel. I am so humbled to know that when I was an orphan, not seeking God, he pursued me, not only for justification to be made right before God, but for adoption into his household!

"12 Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ....19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household," (Ephesians 2:12-13, 19).

"How great is this love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be called children of God!" 1 John 3:1

As amazing as this concept is that Taylor's status will change from 'orphan' to 'son' and become part of our sinful, imperfect family, how we pray even more that he will be brought in as a member of His household by the blood of Christ.

All of that to say, homestudy complete, I-600 and I-600A submitted, waiting for second fingerprinting appt (not sure why the state and national government cannot share?). According to the typical timeline given by the Holt adoption program, which is made based on what has happened in the recent past, we should be looking for a travel call approximately 4-6 months from the time our acceptance paperwork is sent to Korea, June 18th in our case. This would place Taylor in our arms before Christmas. That was the timeframe we were looking at until we received an email from Holt on June 21 explaining basically the following (written concisely by Liz Barnett, who recently brought home her little girl from S Korea this past March http://lizbarnette.blogspot.com/; thanks Liz for the beautiful explanation; hope you don't mind me using it):

 "the adoption situation in S Korea has slowed to almost no approvals of children's visas in the last 3 months. So these are babies who have been matched with families but not approved to travel. The Ministry only allows so many visas per year which only increases the wait times for families and babies to be united. Thus creating a backlog each year that is growing larger and larger. It used to be a 4-6 month wait to travel. We waited 8 months and families are now waiting even longer. So instead of babies coming home these kids are now toddlers and the foster families are raising the children for much longer, which makes the separation even harder on the foster parents and the children. Plus if children used to stay in a foster family for 9 months and are now staying until 16-18 months it is preventing another baby from being in a foster home and therefore being placed in a group home setting."

Sooo, we are now adjusting and looking to travel some time early next year when the visa amount resets. We are devoting our time to saving money for the trip, soaking up the time with just the two of us, preparing his room, learning some words in Korean (slow with this one), reading about attachment and raising a 2 yr old adoptee, and spending time in the Word and prayer as only God is able to bring about His purposes. I was reading in Psalm last night and came across the following scripture that really hit home for me and where we are now. In verse 2, when "toiling" is mentioned, it refers to lengthening the day with anxious worry and stress when God provides "sleep" (literally and rest/peace of mind) to those he loves. In addition, it is the LORD's involvement that makes the effort worthwhile and successful. Please join us in prayer that we trust full on God's timing and sovereignty over even the Korea government. Thanks for reading!

¹Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. ²It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep. ³Behold, children are a heritage from the LORD, the fruit of the womb a reward. ⁴Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children^[a] of one’s youth.

⁵Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. Psalm 127

Taylor Update

So I have not updated this thing in a while. I refuse to be a blogster dropout, and a lot has happened since my last blog. First things first...Taylor. We are updated each month via what is called a Wellbaby Checkup (WBC in adoption lingo) where we learn how he is doing medically and developmentally. He is 18 months old now and has been walking since at least 12 months. We received some video from his 1st year birthday ceremony at the Holt clinic in Korea where he was tottering around, albeit in a somewhat uncoordinated manner). We can tell he is a happy baby with such a sweet personality and seems to have good attachment with his foster mother. Some pictures for your viewing pleasure...

Taylor in is hanbok to celebrate his 1st birthday

(Korea tradition; more info here if interested)

He doesn't know he is supposed to be sitting like a

gentleman in his Korean ensemble ;)

At his 17 month checkup, we know he is now 'running' around, healthy, saying some words, and getting into everything...right on track for an 18 month old. Receiving pictures of him at 17 months was bittersweet. Always sweet because we get to have small glimpses of him throughout the process, not just as the baby he was at referral but how he is now as we wait. No longer a baby, this set of pictures really showed what a little boy he is growing into. While exciting and heart-warming, it elicits a small ache in my heart as I realize all of those 1st moments we are missing out on, but it is so comforting to know he is in a stable home environment where he is able to experience all of these 'firsts' in a relatively normal, healthy environment. In the last video at 12 months, his foster mom was having him say "omma, appa" (mom and dad in Korean). My heart melts. Praying for a smooth transition for this sweet little boy as he leaves the family he knows to join his forever family. Here is Taylor at 17 months...


 Cute little fella

Michael is soo glad he likes noisy toys ;)

Pictures to send to Taylor (okay some won't make the trip). Just having a little fun!

Your mommy and daddy...or omma and appa in Korean. We are not crazy, I promise!

And some of his toys...

Welcome

Welcome to our blog! Thanks for joining and/or following along with us as we go through
this wonderful and scary journey of adoption to Taylor "Tay" Bryant
Murry. I guess the best place to start is from the beginning...
I am 25
years old (well, almost....June 4th), and my husband, Michael, is 27. We are
originally from south LA near Baton Rouge and moved to Birmingham, AL so I
could attend graduate school at UAB to become an occupational therapist. Long
story short, we fell in love with the area and stayed. Truth be told...we fell
in love with the Church at Brookhills and desired to become a part of this
faith family that treasures God's Word above all else and believes what it says
enough to forsake all else for the sake of Christ and the spread of His great
gospel to the ends of the earth. My husband and I are learning more and more
each week about the holy and wonderous character of Yahweh and long for our
hearts to reflect His in all aspects of our lives.
So, why
adoption? Oh, the many hurtful and frustrating questions/comments made by
well-meaning (and sometimes just downright nosey) people. Here are just a one
example:
"Why
didn't you just have children of your own?"
Answer:
Newsflash! God, by His great mercy and design, has chosen to place this
precious little boy in our family, and praise God he is ours! Fully Murry!
Small
tangent ;) I better just stick with the topic at hand and save that blog for
another date ;)
So,
anyway, here we are...midway through the adoption process of a little boy from
South Korea who is now nearing 16 months. He was born on the afternoon of
February 6, 2010 in a town in South Korea. We thank God he has had a healthy,
stable foster family throughout his short life since birth and are ready to
bring him to join his forever family.
Oh
yeah, a little about us. I am an occupational therapist who works with older
adults to regain independence after injury or debilitating illness. My husband
is sort of a renaissance man. He has been a fireman, a construction man, an
EMT, etc. etc. For now he is working some odds and ends jobs as we are
transitioning to prepare for what our lives will look like in a few months.
I guess
that is all the writing I need to do for one post. Feel free to ask questions.
Did not mean to scare anyone from asking adoption-related questions ;) Ask
away...
If
anyone is still reading at this point, thanks for hanging with me. You might be
the only follower I have so far! Till next time...
Amanda
"See
how great is the love the Father has lavished upon us that we should be called
children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us
is that it did not know Him." (1 John 3:1)

Umm...addendum?

Trouble figuring out this blogging stuff (seen by the horrible formatting, yikes). Wanted to add where we are in the adoption process:

We are near the end of homestudy (a long, tedious process of paperwork and interviews) and will be sending off all of the paperwork to South Korea in mid-late June with the hopes of having Taylor home before the end of the year. Prayers much appreciated and coveted. Prayers for patience, prayers for Taylor's physical/emotional health, and for overwhelming peace and joy that only comes from trusting completely in the one true God.

** I posted another picture of Taylor to make it worth all the reading ;) the one with him holding the noisy cylinder toy. He is 10 months old in these pictures by the way. This is his "concentration face" we see him making with those pucker lips in some of the pictures and videos when he is really focusing on something. Too cute!