Baby Sister

I should know to never underestimate a two-year old! In the car tonight, Justin was talking to himself. All of a sudden he started saying, "Baby sister, baby sister. Kathryn. Yea!" He said those same words over and over, sometimes changing the order. And in between the talking he would scrunch his face up into this cute cheesy smile! It was so adorable and just warmed my heart! The best part was that he says Kaf-ryn for Kathryn!

I hope he is this excited when she comes home!

New Photos!!!!!!!!

I was not expecting these at all today! I was so mad that they were in my inbox for over two hours before I checked mail! But what a wonderful surprise! Kathryn is getting so big and has changed so much! It is so nice to see what she looks like now! These photos were taken on September 10th at her well baby visit!

It is wonderful to see how happy and healthy she looks. I cannot wait to kiss those chubby cheeks! Good thing I didn't buy any hair bows yet - I was expecting her to have a lot of hair! But her fuzzy hair is adorable - and a lot less work! The last one is my favorite!

Baby Boy Clothes

Almost all of the boys' baby clothes have been given away. I have held onto a few things and I am having a really hard time parting with them. All three boys have worn most of these outfits and some bring back a special memories. I have no idea what I am going to do with them. So, I decided to take pictures. I know years down the road the material will yellow and the elastic will crumble.

I did save all the boys outfits that they came home from the hospital in. I might just narrow down the pile a bit and keep a few more. Or maybe I will keep it all! Then again I would rather someone got use out of them instead of just packing them in the attic. I guess I don't have to decide today!

Soccer or Rugby?

I am not going to mention the exact name of the town, in case someone is reading, but Brian had a rough soccer game today. The kids from the other team were pushing and hip checking. They were grabbing shirts and throwing kids to the ground! I was beyond outraged! And the referee really didn't do much to stop it. So, the parents on our team got, understandably, a bit vocal and the other team's parents got angry. Our team was yelling to watch how rough the kids were and the other team was calling us "stupid" and "ignorant".

I know neither side was completely right. But I did not hear our team's parents doing any name calling. As a parent, it is hard to keep your mouth shut when kids on your team are falling to the ground left and right. And the sad part is by the 2nd half, our kids were playing a bit rough too. They almost had no choice. It was a close game and I was going crazy the whole game! In the end we won 7-5, but it was back and forth the whole game!

Maybe the loss will teach them that you don't have to beat up the other team to win a game. Then again, maybe not. Especially if the parents and coaches see no problem with it! Ugg!

Rock Star Baby!

When no one was looking, Justin decided to try his hand at a little Rock Band Wii! He usually just pretends on the drums, but today he got a new song started and played all by himself! He grabbed the microphone and was singing his little heart out! I have no idea what he was saying, but he did pretty well for not knowing the words and not knowing how to read! I cannot believe he made it all the way through the song without failing. After singing, he tried the guitar a bit! That's my boy!

Super Size Him

Sean decided to make himself some cereal this morning. I thought he was really hungry because he chose a huge bowl and spoon for himself! When I asked him about it, he said, "All the other bowls and spoons were in the dishwasher!" Well, I guess that solves the mystery. He did have a lot of fun with his super sized breakfast!

Kathryn Update!!!!

I was so surprised this afternoon to find an e-mail with the title Medical Update in my inbox! Kathryn had her well baby check on September 10th! I thought it was going to be this week, and I still had about two weeks left to wait for the report!

Kathryn is doing very well! She weighs 17.6 lbs and is 26.2 in. long! She is getting so big! The report says she is "cute & fine", which I have recently found is the comment of choice for the doctors in Korea!

She is taking 170 ml (almost 6 oz) of formula every three hours - I really hope that is only daytime hours! It does not say she is eating any solid foods, but my boys didn't get solids until 6 months either!

The report says she is lifting her head from a prone position, can push up on her arms from her belly and support a moderate amount of weight on her legs. Her head doesn't lag when pulled to a sitting position from her back and it says she is beginning to creep.

She can track objects well, put her hands together in front of her, and reach for and grasp objects. It says she smiles responsively to others, knows faces, and knows her own hand. She coos and laughs and is even babbling umma and appa (mom and dad in Korean).

It is so wonderful to have and update and to read that she is doing so well. That just warms my heart! But it also makes me sad that she is growing up without me. I cannot wait to meet her!

Sports Craziness

I can now write this because I have had a few days to calm down. Sean had a soccer game on Monday night and event though they won and he scored the winning goal, it was a horrible game. There was a kid on our team and two on the other team that took rough to a whole new level. Soccer became a full contact sport.

They were pushing and tripping, and falling on the ball on purpose to steal it away from another player. Every time Sean, or any of the other kids, got the ball some one took them out. And if that were not bad enough, neither their parents nor their coaches did anything about it!

If the kid pusheds a bit once or twice, that is one thing. They are only in Kindergarten. I realize that soccer is more like a swarm of bees at this age, but it should at least be civil. And when the game crosses the line from civil to barbaric, then someone should do something.

If my kids ever act like that at any time, sports field or playground, you can bet they will be led off the field by their ears. Can't you just picture it, me with a forced smile and my kid screaming as I drag him through the parking lot!

Yes, that is what will get people to talk. Wow. A mom disciplining her child. What a concept! Can you believe she is taking him out of the game. And, gasp, punishing him for inappropriate behavior!

Kids will be kids, I understand that. And there is a lot of falling down when kids start to play soccer. But don't chalk a kid's rough behavior up to excitement or competitiveness. When they are purposely trying to hurt other kids, then that it when the line needs to be drawn.

Luckily, this time no one got hurt. And with the commotion of the game ending, I did not get to talk with the coach. But I will at the next practice. Kids should be allowed to play sports in a town setting without getting beat up. Right?

Favorite Adoption Quote

The Gift of Life

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.

For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
--- Unknown

Three Weeks and Six Months

Today we have been waiting for Kathryn to come home for 3 weeks! I cannot believe how quickly the time has passed! I have gotten some things done, but there is still so much to do!

And today Kathryn is 6 months old....it is so hard to know that each day she is getting bigger and learning new things, without us. I know she is loved and well cared for with her foster family, but I don't want to miss any more of her milestones than I have to!

Hurry up legals, so we can get the ball rolling here and be one step closer to having Kathryn home! Happy half-birthday baby girl!

Three Boys in a Room!

I cannot believe that I forgot to blog about this! Last Friday we moved Justin into the boys' room. We decided to make the change on a weekend so that if things went badly wrong, there would be no school the next day. Good thing we did this.

Well, the first night was, um, interesting to say the least. Brian and Sean thought it would be fun to throw stuffed animals at Justin. And of course, Justin had to return the favor. It only took about ten minutes for complete pandemonium to set in; from outside the door you would swear there were a bunch of monkeys gone wild in the room!

I stood outside and listened for a few minutes and then went into the room. Brian and Sean were out of their beds and running around the room. They froze and looked at me through frightened eyes. They both quickly scrambled to their beds. Justin, however, continued to laugh and jump in his crib. I guess I have not instilled the fear into him yet!

I got the boys all tucked in again and started down the steps. I hit step number three, from the top, and the wild animals were back. This time the older boys remained in their beds, but things were flying all around the room! It took about 10 times of Brian and I going into the room before they were quiet. The good news was that it was quiet for the rest of the night!

Then next night was a bit better, but not much. Each night we saw a bit of improvement. This Friday and Saturday were really great. Tonight was a different matter. We were back to step one. The monkeys were visiting again. I guess I left a window open?

Justin is definitely the instigator. We hear him yelling to Brian and Sean. He yells, "Wake up boys!" and "Hi boys!" He also asks them to get him out of the crib! I am pretty sure they would never do this, because they know the Wii and their Pokemon cards would all be on e-bay!

Part of the problem is that the latches on the crib are broken. My brother forgot to mention this when he said we could borrow the crib. So, when Justin holds onto the rail and jumps up and down, the upper part of the front side folds down. Wait, folds down sounds like he is opening a box. I should say, crashes open with such force that the windows crack. Yep, that is more like it.

The side crashed a few times tonight. I tried to tie the side up with socks - too stretchy. I tried to fix the latch - still broken. I ordered new ones - not here yet. Nothing seemed to be helping!

After Brian went up to put the side up for the third time, I told him to leave it down. Only about five minutes passed before we heard an even louder noise. A huge thud on the floor. It could only be one thing. Justin tried to climb out with the side down! Either that or the monkeys invited an elephant over.

Brian and Sean were in their beds scared. We picked up Justin and he was okay, just a little shaken, but not stirred! Then the light bulb above my head finally flickered on. I think I have one of those newer energy saving light bulbs - not instantly bright, but eventually it out-shines the rest!

The solution was in front of me all the time! Turn the crib around! I put the side that folds down against the wall! So, even if he jumps, has monkeys in the bed with him, and the latch releases, the wall will hold!At least I think it will.....

For Fun

Since I was thinking about Kathryn's Korean name yesterday, I thought I would look up how to write the boys' names in Korean!

브라이언 - Brian

션 - Sean

져스틴 - Justin

And here are some other family words:

오빠 - older brother from a girl, oppa

동생 - younger sister, dong-saeng

엄마 - Mom, um-ma

아빠 - Dad, ah-pah

할머니 - Grandmother, hal-muh-nee

할아버지 - Grandfather, hal-ah-puh-jee

개 - dog, gae

이슬

이슬 is Kathryn's Korean name. Is is romanized as Yi Seul. Most families get the meaning of their child's name in their referral paper work. We did not. So after some searching I learned that it means dew. According to Webster's dictionary - dew is "moisture condensed upon the surfaces of cool bodies, especially at night." But the second meaning is "something resembling dew in purity, freshness or power to refresh."

So, I guess her name means dew, but more like something fresh and pure, not a drop of water. I think that it is really beautiful. And even more so because Yi was from her birth father and Seul from he birth mother!

As far as I know, Yi is pronounced like Yee, and Seul is pronounced like Sool, you pronounce the "oo" like in book. I found out that many families who travel take video of the foster family saying their child's Korean name. I thought that was a wonderful idea!



To simplify things we have decided to put the two parts of her name together as one, so YiSeul. I think this will make things less confusing for her later in life. Kathryn Julia YiSeul has a nice ring to it!

Offical Stalker

It's happened. I am an official mail box stalker. I also jump to the window when I hear the FedEx truck on our street. I am so anxious to get Kathryn's legals! It is what we are waiting for to get the ball rolling here on the US side. I have the I-600 forms filled out and just need the legals to send it to USCIS. Our agency says they can arrive anywhere from 2 weeks after referral up to about 2 months! I think the average is about 4-5 weeks though. So, hopefully they will be here in the next week or two!

After that we will wait for the approval of our I-600 and I will again be stalking the mailbox. This approval should also take about 4 weeks, but sometimes it comes faster!

(if all this paper work mumbo jumbo is confusing you - go back to this post for further explanation.)

Care Package to Korea!

Well, all the searching paid off! I did find a soft doll with brown eyes and brown hair! So, I bought two! It was included in a care package I sent to Kathryn in Korea. I also included disposable cameras, a disposable video camera, and outfit, pjs, a blanket, a soft picture book with pictures of us in it, a few toys and a letter thanking the foster family. I also included a box of tea bags for the foster family too. The package will arrive Monday morning! Kathryn has a well visit some time the end of next week, so I really hope they can get it to her by then!

I am kicking myself for not taking a picture of the contents of the box before I sent it! I may have to go to the store and take a picture of the outfits! A lot of people get pictures of the baby with the care package and sometimes wearing the clothes! I cannot wait to see how she is doing and to get an updated height and weight for her! Hopefully we will get a photo too! I was told we will get the well baby report 1-2 weeks after her visit. I cannot wait!

Blue Eyed Blonds

I have to say I am surprised, outraged, and speechless all at the same time! I have been searching and searching for a soft doll for Kathryn. You probably think I am nuts because there are soft dolls all over the place. And you are right. The problem is that 95% of the ones that I have found have blond hair and blue eyes! Does 95% of the population really have blond hair and blue eyes? Darker hair and eyes are dominant, so I would think more people in the world would have darker eyes and hair.


My daughter is Korean - I cannot send her a blond haired, blue eyed doll! But it still really bugs me that they don't make more soft baby dolls with different eye and hair colors! Not to mention skin tone, I only found very fair skinned dolls, even with brown hair and brown eyes!

I guess this is just one more example of what I small world I have been living in. I have blue eyes and light brown hair (blond with the highlights to cover the grey!). When I was a kid, I picked out the dolls with blue eyes and blond hair. I never really thought about it before! Kathryn is teaching me things already, and she doesn't even know it!

More Soccer!

My last three posts have been about soccer. Well, the season in upon our family! I probably wouldn't have mentioned it today, but we had exciting news tonight! Sean scored his first ever goal in his soccer game! I have never seen him so proud and excited! He had a great game and I was surprised at his aggressiveness! He was also very competitive and was cheering on his teammates, encouraging them to pass the ball to him, and hurrying them back on the field after half time!

Now that Brian is three seasons removed from clinic soccer, I have to say I forgot how much fun it is. Brian's games are stressful for me, Sean's are now pure entertainment! It is a nice contrast!

Brian's First Soccer Game

Again more wet fields. Good thing I have tons of spray-n-wash at home! Brian's team played really well! They won 6-1. Brian didn't have any goals, but did have some great passes and a few assists! The team looks great and there is such a huge improvement from last year. It is like the concept of the game is really sinking in. There is more passing and communication. They are actually setting up plays - and then executing them! Go Super Boots!

Sean's First Soccer Game!

The rain finally stopped and Sean was happy to see the sun this morning! He was excited and nervous about his first soccer game! At his age, they practice for about 30 minutes and then play a game for another 30 minutes. Well, the practice was fine, but when it came time for the game, no one showed up. I guess they were scared off by the wet fields. And when I say wet, I mean swamp like.

All the kids were soaked. They were covered in mud and slime. Sean's cleats are still wet inside, even after being out in the sun for two days! Hopeful the sun will stay around and dry up the fields a bit for Monday's game!

Brian also had a scrimmage this afternoon. His team looked great and they tied 2-2. Brian had the first goal and was very excited!

Time to say goodbye to my life for a bit - Monday - Sean game, Tuesday - Brian practice, Friday - Brian practice, Saturday - Sean game, Sunday - Brian game! So, we have Wednesday and Thursday until about Thanksgiving!

No Words Needed....

Echo Location

I know I have said it before, but Sean never ceases to amaze. He was playing Mario Cart on Wii. There was a race where there were volcanoes all around in the background. He said, "Mom, hurry! Look at that volcano. It is about to erupt, but it also looks like it is using echo location to find something!" I was in the kitchen and all that came to mind was, huh?


So, I walked into the living room to see the volcano. And there it was. A huge volcano with rings of smoke puffing out from the top of it. Smoke can mean a volcano is about to erupt, and the rings did look like a simulation of echo location that you might see on TV or in a book! I should have know to trust that he knows what he is talking about by now!


Man this kid is smart!

Nesting in Overdrive

I have been cleaning and sorting like a crazy animal. You know you are seriously nesting when you are compelled to pull out the refrigerator and clean the dust from underneath it. And raisins, although they might have started their life cycle as grapes in our kitchen. I was actually surprised that I didn't find anything more interesting under there!

Then the boys helped me to move the couch and other living room furniture to vacuum and dust behind them. I cleaned the baseboards and some of the kitchen cabinets. I dusted the windowsills and even took the cushions off the couch and chair to vacuum under them. Under the cushions I found a ton of cracker and pretzel type crumbs, a spoon, two match box cars, a Lego guy, and an extra Lego guy's head, a few Cheerios, a paperclip and a pencil. Not too bad!

After the living room and kitchen were in order, I moved onto the boys' room. Brian Sr. and his friend got a crib and dresser from my brother on Monday. I have not put the crib together, because I wanted to clean the room, move some furniture around, and also shampoo the carpet. I did all that yesterday and still have not put the furniture together yet. (Um, did not accomplish very much today due to the fact that a certain Rock Band game came out today for Wii)

So, tomorrow will bring a lot of progress for the boys' room. I want to assemble the crib and hope to transition Justin into there this weekend. I ask him if he is excited to sleep with his brothers and he says no. So we will see! I did get him Lightning McQueen sheets, so maybe that will win him over. The crib converts to a toddler bed, so we have a few years until we need to think about rearranging things again!

After that it is onto Kathryn's room. I am so excited to really decorate a nursery. We didn't know the sexes of the boys, so all of them had a basic yellow and blue room. It had a starts and moons theme with some Winnie the Pooh thrown in. I have to finish organizing the clothes I have for her too. I have been given stuff up to size 6 and really need to get that stuff out of the room and into bins!

I have a lot of work ahead of me in the next few months, and I am so excited about it! It will definitely make the time go quicker when I am busy! I have actually had moments where I think about getting on a plane to Korea right now. I know I cannot, but just for a second it seems like such a great idea. To see her face for real. To hold her in my arms. To tell her how much she is loved. Sigh.....

First Full Day

Today was rough. Kids were grumpy and tired. The boys did not want to get up this morning. I think the newness of school was over on that first day. There is nothing exciting and fun about the second day of school. The reality of waking up early for another 179 day had set in.


When they finally got out of bed at about 7:50, they could not make up their minds about what they wanted for breakfast. Cereal, no. Toast, no. Pancakes, no. Waffles, no. PopTarts, no. I was about to lose it. I tried to lighten the mood and asked them if they wanted steak or potato salad. They stared at me through sleepy eyes as if I had grown an extra head. After threatening to take away Legos and Pokemon cards, they decide upon cereal and waffles.


They did get dressed without incident, although I was expecting a meltdown from Brian. Luckily, he was okay with the Phillies t-shirt! Sean wore is Empire Strikes Back t-shirt, I knew that one would be a hit!


When it was time to leave, they were both whiny again! It was a beautiful fall morning, so I thought that we should walk. We are talking a matter of blocks, maybe a ten minute walk. It was far from asking them to trudge through eight inches of snow. Uphill. Barefoot! Brian drug his feet the whole way to school and he was close to being late. I hope he learned his lesson!


Sean was happy to walk home to play. He is in afternoon Kindergarten and had about 4 hours until school. When it was time for us to walk him, he was pleasant and seemed happy to be going to school. He asked what I thought he would do to day and wondered which toys they would be allowed to play with.

All was well getting Sean to school and playing on the playground after school. The big problems started when Brian was told to do his home work before soccer practice. You would have thought I asked him to stab 456 needles into his arm. He threw himself on the floor and whined and cried! I could not believe him! He hasn't acted like this in so long.

After many more meltdowns, he finally finished his home work just in time to get to soccer practice. I really home tomorrow brings better behavior, I cannot take many more days like this! I know the first full day of school was stressful and they both have to adjust to a more strict routine. Wish us luck!

Facebook

Just read a post from a fellow blogger about facebook. She has many, many pet peeves about the site. One of which is those goofy quizzes. I have to admit that I like the quizzes, yet I really cannot explain why. I have no idea why I need to know which '80's cartoon character I am most like. I don't why I feel compelled to get all the questions right about sitcoms of the '90's. Or to see how fast I can match NFL helmets to their team city. And there is always which muppet are you, or what is your personality type. I guess it is just a goofy way to pass the time? Or my competitive nature taking over to try to get a high score? Who knows!

Super Justin!

Take a good look at this boy's face. You just may see it on TV one day. As a stunt man, or maybe in the X-games? Justin has no fear and no sense. A dangerous combination. I guess it doesn't help that his Mom said, "Wait. Let me the camera. Do it again!" Make sure you click on the photos to see the look on his face! Priceless!


*no toddlers were harmed during the shooting of these pictures.*

Last Bit of Paper Work!

Today, the rest of the documents from our referral came by regular mail. In the envelope were three copies of the Placement Agreement - all to be signed and notarized. One copy for us, one to be sent to Oregon, and one to the branch office in NJ. After these forms, all that will be left is the Statement of Adoption which cannot be signed and dated until after September 10th. This is because this form cannot be signed until the child has been in Holt's care for 5 months plus 7 days.

Since the Placement Agreement will not hold anything up, I will probably just wait until after the 10th, to send them all together on Friday. So, far the paper work has been pretty easy!

What Next?

So, what are the next steps needed to get Kathryn home?

First we have to sign and notarize the referral acceptance papers. Some will be e-mailed to us and others will be sent by regular mail. Then we have to send then to our agency, Holt, in Oregon to be approved. If all is well, they will then forward the necessary forms to our agency, Holt, in Korea. After Korea receives that paperwork, then they start things moving on their side. Holt in Korea will begin to get the Korean government's permission for Kathryn to leave Korea to be adopted by a family overseas.

To get this permission, Holt applies to the Ministry of Health and Welfare for an Emigration Permit (EP). Holt sends them the acceptance papers, a summary of our home study, and Kathryn's family register (which is explained below), and a document signed by the birth mother - the Korean government wants proof that there is no one in Korea to parent the child.

Our agency may take several week to several months to apply for EP. This is because the Korean government limits the number of EPs per year per agency and it limits the amount that each agency can apply for at one time. The Ministry of Healthy and Welfare meets about the EPs. They can approve (usually happens), deny (never heard of), or ask for more information (very rare). The whole process takes time and is not quick or automatic.

After Holt gets the EP, they then apply to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for her Travel Certificate (TC). The TC is like a passport, but it is only good one way and expires when the child arrives in the U.S. The time from EP to TC is usually about 3-5 days.

On the US side, we first need to get Kathryn's legals. This should take anywhere from 2-5 weeks after Korea gets our papers. Legals consist of four parts. One is the Affirmations and Oath Certificate. This certifies that the other legal documents and translations are correct. There is also the Certificate of the Guardian. This establishes Holt Korea as the legal guardian of Kathryn.

Then there is the Family Register. This documents Kathryn's lineage in Korea. Since she is an orphan, she will be the Family Chief. If she was not an orphan, it would document her family lineage, but since she is classified as an orphan, it will have no identifying information about her birth parents or their families. Her Family Register will just be proof that she was born. The last thing is the Statement of Guardianship. In this document Kathryn's legal guardian, Holt-Korea, agrees to her emigration to the U.S.

Once our agency receives Kathryn's legals from Korea, they will forward them to us. Then we have to submit them along with an I-600 form to USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). The I-600 is the Orphan Visa petition. Last July, we submitted the I-600a forms. This was for advance processing of the visa petition. We received approval in October, the I-171H. The I-171H basically cleared our side of the petition, so now we just have to have Kathryn's side approved. This step makes the I-600 approval faster.

Again, more waiting. When our I-600 has been approved we will receive a letter. This approval document is the I-171. It basically states that we are allowed to bring her into the U.S. Once your I600 is approved USCIS will also send everything to the National Visa Center (NVC) where it is logged in (about 1 week later), approved, and then logged out (2-3 days after log in). After it's logged in they will give us a case number so that we can follow the paperwork trail.

Once the paper work is logged out, everything is forwarded to the Embassy in Seoul. When the Embassy receives this, they then send packet 3 (P3) out to Holt in Korea. Holt completes the paperwork in the packet and then sends it back to the Embassy in Seoul. After Holt has the TC and Kathryn has had a a physical by Holt and also by one appointed by the US Embassy, Holt Korea can apply for Kathryn's visa. The visa physical is good for 6 months and can happen any time after referral. With our agency, it usually happens about two months after referral.

The Visa Interview (VI) is not really an interview, just an appointment to drop off Kathryn's visa paperwork. The agency sends the TC, the visa physical information, and the actual visa application. The Embassy approves us to adopt based on the I-864 (Affidavit of Support), and out tax forms, and they also check with USCIS to make sure the visa was approved on the US side. Getting the visa usually takes about 1-5 days. The next thing to come will be the travel call!

Confused yet? This process can take anywhere from 3-6 months. I have seen travel in about 2 1/2 months a few times! This would be the best case scenario. I don't want to have my expectations set too high, so I am shooting for her to be home before Christmas!

First Day of School 2009!

The boys were not very excited this morning. They really drug their feet in getting ready! I, on the other hand, was so happy! They really need to get back to school and into a structured routine. Brian is now in 3rd grade! How that happened I have no idea!!!! Sean is in Kindergarten and had an easy orientation day where the parents go into the classroom too. I know Justin is really going to miss them!