Long Overdue

I kind of just stared at the blinking line on the screen of this blank blog page for a while trying to think of how to sum up the past (almost) six months. I am just overwhelmed to look back at this whole process, from when we first laid eyes on a sweet little 10 month old boy with a smile that just melted my heart, to today as I watched my happy 2 1/2 year old son run at full force across the yard at Nana's house laughing and playing with the sweetest contentment while gathering leaves to add to his collection in his (and his cousin's) toy car. How we did get from there to here? By God's grace alone and by living one day at a time, thanking God for the little steps of bonding and for oh-so-patiently teaching us what it truly means to be an appa, umma, and son through His unfailing love and pursuance of us.

Now, I do not want to sound like adoption is glamerous and all roses and sunshine. I mention this only because it can be discouraging to other adoptive parents (especially those just getting home with their new child) when all they read on adoptive family blogs are how wonderful and carefree it all is. Adoption is HARD, and it is traumatic on many levels for all involved (at least for us it was). BUT, God is faithful, so faithful. If you are just getting home with your new child and feel like the whirlwind of grieving and push/pull feelings of your little one are about to send you over the emotional edge, hold on. It will get better. Words cannot express the love I have for this child. He is our son! Ha! We are so blessed! I am still kind of at a loss as to how to sum it all up but hope that these pictures and little random thoughts/comments can show some of the love and fun that we are having. (Some pictures are blurry because they are taken with my phone and because Taylor is a fast mover!) Enjoy.

This kid is not lacking in silliness and happiness...

 

 

Getting the hang of country living...

 

Yes, we are riding in the back of a pick-up truck, but we are on a family road driving a few miles per hour ;-)

Windows down, sunroof open!



Have I mentioned how much he loves his Appa?

 

First haircut since home...

 

 

When he learned how to work the pedals...

Favorite action character (red "go go power ranger")...

Taylor Won strong!

 

The next picture needs some explanation, so here goes...We were eating spaghetti for the first time one night (first time for Taylor) when he started getting upset because his nose hurt. Michael said, "I think he might have sucked a noodle up his nose when he went to take a bite." I said I didn't think so because I did not see a noodle up there. He was getting more upset, so I grabbed a kleenex and took this moment to try to explain how to blow air out of your nose (blew air on this hand, imitated, etc. etc.)...nope, he was trying to do what I was telling him but just kept sucking air in to try to get his nose to feel better. Finally, I gave up and just tried to soothe him...I did not see anything in there after all. WARNING: This next part is awfully gross (but funny), so reader beware. Okay, consider yourself warned. You know how, when kids get upset and start crying, their little noses start to run? Yes, I finally saw the end of a white noodle "playing hide-n-seek" as he was breathing in and out. I had to time it just right to grab that slippery little thing and avoid breaking it off and leaving a smaller piece in his nose, but we (I mean "I"...notice Michael is not mentioned in any part of this story after he makes his guess as to what he thinks he saw happened) got it out successfully...measuring at least 2" long! Ah, the joys of parenthood :-)

 

 

So, this is the crazy life we share as a family of three :-)

 

Amanda



Come home, Umma

This is the message I get from my little buddy while I am sitting in traffic on my way home from work...couldn't get home fast enough :-)

Dance King :-)

Our little dancer!

Housework, Playdates, and Outtings

Late in posting this blogpost...these happenings are from 3-4 weeks ago. I will have to do another post for the past couple of weeks. For now, here is a "late" glimpse into our lives...

Housework

Taylor loves to help Umma "cook." Muffins are the goal in this baking event :)

Kid loves his cozy coupe.

Nana gave Taylor Won a buggy that he loves to push all over the place. Here he is asking, "Where are the groceries that are supposed to be in here?"

...he even uses it to help out with the laundry.

His new word..."messy messy"

Playdates

Painting at Zoe's house with 'geen' and 'ellow' 

Painting partners...



Sweet lovin'

Lunch in their 'house' makes eating much more fun.

Fun at Cabella's Outdoor Store

Exercising his right to bear arms...

Kicking up his feet.

Riding the escalator was his favorite part of this outting...



Checking out the umma fish, the appa fish, and the taylor won fish :)

Did I mention he liked the escalators? Here is him saying, "Can we do it again?"



Kitchen Silliness

http://vimeo.com/45804173
Password: taylorboy

Bulgogi and Silly Fun

We recently took a trip to New Orleans to eat at the only Korean restaurant in the area and had some good bulgogi and bap and to let Taylor enjoy some birth country cuisine :) It was also our first attempt of dining out since we have been home, and he did pretty well (of course it was slow during lunchtime, and he did spend some time walking back and forth between the table and the fish tank to see the Umma fish, Appa fish, and Taylor Won fish...Appa/Michael introduced the concept of the "Taylor Won fish" lol).

He loved eating the bulgogi, bap, and a delicious soup that I do not know the name of.

Mmmm Mmmmm good! He did have to be a little patient with me as I am surely not as efficient with the chopsticks as his foster family was, but I am getting better.

"I want more of that, Umma." Side note: I sometimes find myself forgetting to offer him the foods I am not particularly fond of...in this case, giant cooked onions...he loved them!

We also spent a little time at the local Learning Express Toys store. Why would you need to buy these toys anyway when you can just visit the store and play with them. Price of that buggy to bring home = $69.99...Cost to play with it in the store before saying "bye bye buggy?" = priceless :) This store really was a lot of fun. They had a train station, grocery section, pretend play section with baby dolls and beds, little pianos, etc.

We couldn't pass up a chance to add a little McDonald's to our day, so Taylor and I went to enjoy a nice cold chocolate shake for dessert after our Korean BBQ lunch while Appa went into a computer store. The idea was to share, with one straw for me and one for him...that grin tells me he thought his plan was better!

Me and my little fella ;-)

Silliness!

And a few shots from another day at the park...

Hydrating with a little H20 while watching the fish...

It's not all fun and games...a little grocery shopping after the park.

We have been home 7 weeks today, and Taylor is really getting into the swing of things. He is mostly sleeping through the night with only an occasional waking up for a little chocolate milk every 3 nights or so. He now likes pizza, cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets, and brownies (oh yea!). He is getting better with hearing the word "awnyo" (i.e. 'no') but what 2 year old really likes that one anyway. He is saying/signing well over 60 words and understands so much more...such a sponge! He is putting together 3-word phrases and stays with the sitter for 3+ hours at a time. I have one more week off of work and then will be starting back....hopefully easing back in to seeing patients. Not sure I even remember what an occupational therapist does ;-) Grateful for prayers for a smooth transition and wisdom/discernment to balance mommyhood, being a wife, and being an OT. Of course, prayers for Taylor's attachment and for him to relax and enjoy his time with Umma away. Thanks for visiting!

5 Weeks Home

Has it really only been 5 weeks? Time has flown by so quickly these last few weeks. It is hard to believe I have only known this little guy for 6 weeks now and even harder to imagine my life without him. He is such a blessing. He seems to fit into our family so well with his witty and sweet personality. He loves to be outside and is learning that we cannot spend all day in the Louisiana heat. He fights taking a nap but cannot seem to stay awake when taken for a ride in his carseat :) He is getting much better about going to sleep and following our bedtime routine to prepare for settling down in the evenings. He loves his Appa (daddy) and asks about his all day when he is working. His favorite thing to do with Appa is wrestle and practice his Power Ranger moves where he uses his "powers" to make Michael fall on the floor over and over again :) We also spent some time at Michael's parents house a couple of weeks ago where he met his cousin, Lillian, and got a good taste of country living...

Tractor at Pa's (great grandfather) house

Our mode of transportation from Nana's house to Pa's house...

Took him a little time to learn that he cannot ALWAYS be the driver...learning.

Fishing for tadpoles (gross but the kid loves to scoop them up...with his hand...and put them back in the water after we catch them)

We also went to the zoo a couple of weeks ago...loves the tigers and ducks. Does not love so much activity around naptime and fell asleep about 30 minutes into the fun.

Fun at the local splash pad!

Our big boy on his bike wearing his watch like Umma...has not quite gotten the concept of pedels yet, but we are working on it ;-)

Appa and Taylor "fixing things"...darn toys kept "breaking" (as per Taylor) and needed to be fixed with Appa's tools

Cheesin during playtime :-)

Okay, so some of these are sideways because I could not get blogger to post them correctly :/ but wanted to get them on here for those special people half a world away that want to see how their sweet foster child is doing ;-) I was cleaning out his dresser drawers when Taylor spotted a choo choo train t-shirt like Umma's (that I wore during our trip to S Korea) and insisted on putting it on...still a little big, but that did not seem to phase this wild child from running around in it.

Painting on the porch...swiped that brush right across his face when wiping sweat and never knew (until we went to wash hands) that he has war paint on

Kid loves to swim!

Favorite lounging spot at home...his good ole bean bag with his pwee (blanket) to keep him comfy

Mornings with Appa looking for silly objects in his Look and Find book...introducing his "thinking finger" where he taps his lips and says "hmmm" when looking hard for something.

Well, I guess that is all for now. I have 3 more weeks off from work before I have to start back and Taylor starts spending some time with his babysitter. We would appreciate prayers for all (especially sweet Taylor's heart) as we get closer to yet another transition for our little guy. Prayers for a peaceful transition and a little one who knows when Umma leaves Umma ALWAYS comes back and that he has good laid back fun with his wonderful new babysitter and their woof woof and meows. Thanks for following. God bless!

P.S. Dear Foster Mom, Thank you so much for nurturing and loving this precious boy. He is doing so well and has such a happy and carefree personality. He is also super smart and knows 45+ English words. He still says the Korean words for 'no', 'do not', 'blanket', 'ouch', 'big', 'yes', 'it's okay', etc. He also still loves to watch Pororo, Tayo, and Chiro on the computer and phone. He is beginning to eat many different American foods but still loves our Korean food nights where he eats lots of noodles and meats. We have your picture from his Tol up in our living area, and talk about you often. He still knows you are his first Appa and Umma and obviously loves you dearly. We will continue to talk to him about his first years in Korea and how he was so very loved from the beginning. We hope you are doing well and settling in with your new addition. Blessings for the U.S.!