Dinner with Cookie Monster

I have a great group of mom friends who have coined the term "new normal." This is the period of time where you make all the adjustments that come with adding a new child to your family. Obviously, I'm now home full time with my two children and I'm definitely figuring out our new normal. To be sure, things have gone better than I could have hoped for. However, that doesn't mean that there are some challenges in figuring out our "new normal." I firmly believe that during this transition, we must celebrate our victories because they are hard won. By small victories, I mean things like getting everyone fed, bathed and dressed that day before 10:30 a.m. It could also mean occupying baby while you get the dishwasher unloaded. I'm personally striving for calm, occupied children *while* I get a dinner prepared. These may sound like small feats, but ask any new mom and she'll let you how significant these things are.

So, I now must share some of my recent victories. Despite being told by the occupational therapist from the International Adoption Clinic that walkers, exersaucers and jumpers were bad (apparently they promote toe walking), the Johny-Jump Up door jumper is my best friend. Every morning after both children are bathed and dressed, I need about 15 minutes to finish throwing myself together. Good old Johny Jump-Up never lets me down and for some reason, it entertains both my kids. Andrew will laugh his head off while Lily sings her heart out to him. While I don't want Andrew to be a toe walker and I'm sure I'll feel guilt if he becomes one, I have to admit it makes my day to go out in the community somewhat put together. Here's a picture of our jump-up fans.




One thing I was really missing in our new normal, was the ability to eat my dinner without bouncing a baby on my lap or shoulder. Well, the nutritionist from the International Adoption clinic was really concerned about Andrew's size. I wasn't as concerned, but I listened to her advice to introduce cereal, baby foods and some solids quickly. Frankly, I'm not sure how you could look at either my husband or myself and be concerned that our children won't be well fed :) Anyway, I've learned that Andrew will sit at the table with us and happily "eat" a gerber cookie or a graham cracker for 20 minutes. It's one part cute and one part gnarly to see what he does to a cookie. Yet, I still consider it a victory to have us all sitting together and being able to talk to Bill and Lily at dinner. So, I do celebrate these small steps and I imagine I'll be having dinner with the "Cookie Monster" for quite some time. Honestly, he's pretty stinking cute and after about 5 minutes with a warm wash cloth



So to all my mom friends who read this blog, be sure to celebrate your victories too!

Take care,
Melissa

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Can you all believe that life is somehow much busier with two children? It's a good busy, but I am definitely wondering what I used to do with all my free time. You'll all notice there hasn't been a new blog design in a while :)

Andrew is settling in and remains a sweet little guy. He's a snuggly little baby with a great laugh. He's curious about everything and loves to explore. He's doing that classic baby thing where he fights sleep. That's such a mystery to me. The moment he starts to rub his eyes and get a little fussy, I'll start to rock him. Initially he'll relax and snuggle in. Then it's like he processes "Oh no! I'm going to miss something!" and he stiffens up and all the drama begins. I swear he would tap dance if he could just so he wouldn't have to fall asleep.

We had the chance to take Andrew to meet his Great-Grandma. Just as we predicted, they got along fabulously. Great-Grandma thinks he's perfection and I suspect the feelings are mutual. In fact during the visit, it was time for a little nap and he settled right into Great Grandma's lap and the magic, comfy chair. Now that I think of it....he didnt' fight her for sleep. Hmmmm, there must be something special about Great Grandma's arms. Oh and on a side note, Great Grandma is 92 and Andrew is 6 months. When Andrew is Great Grandma's age, it'll be the year 2100! Here's a picture of the two.




We've been so proud of Lily as she goes through this transition. To be honest, we knew jealousy would be an issue when we added a sibling. After almost 4 years of being the center of attention, it'd be hard for any child to share the spotlight. The jealousy has come out mainly in the form of tears. Sometimes, she runs to her room, shuts the door, throws herself on the bed and sobs. Definitely a preview of what the teen years are going to look like. Anyway, all the grown ups have made a big effort to make sure Lily gets some special attention. It appears to be working and we are seeing Lily be more of herself. Throughout the whole transition, it's been amazing to see how sweet and nuturing she is to Andrew. Sure, she doesn't want to share her Mommy with him. But, she loves being a little mommy to him. In fact, she double checks that I'm doing everything correctly. I'll often get "reminded" to feed, bathe, burp Andrew. It'd be a little annoying if I didn't know how sincere she was in her concern. Here are some pictures of her taking care of Andrew.




As I've said in previous posts, we are very lucky to have such a smooth transition. This week has been extremely busy with finishing up our International Adoption clinic evaluations and some work commitments that I made back in April. I'm so looking forward to the weeks ahead of settling in and enjoying my life with my two precious children. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the past week. Enjoy!

Almost 1 Week Home

I can't believe Andrew has been home almost one week. When we were waiting for Bill and Andrew to arrive from Taipei, time moved so slowly. Now, it's going by so quickly.

We continue to get to know Andrew and his personality. He's a pretty happy baby unless you make the error of giving him a luke warm bottle. Then he'll let you know what he thinks. He's pretty content in the tub, loves to watch Lily and is ok with the whole carseat/stroller thing as long as it's moving. We're happy to report he sleeps through the night but he is a classic baby as he'll fight going to sleep.

Tomorrow we go in for his International Adoption Clinic appointment. I'm interested to hear where they think he is developmentally as I no longer think he has any delays from the orphanage. It's a pretty thorough evaluation and we had the same thing done for Lilianna. In fact, she was featured in the local paper and news. I don't think we'll have any press for Andrew's evaluation though :) I do dread tomorrow for one reason......the blood draw. They'll want to do some screenings and test his immunity levels on vacinations. I know it's a necessity, but I hate to see my children strapped in that chair so they can draw blood....it's the worst.

On another note, I finally had a little time to play "photographer" today. I draped the trusty white throw over the couch and snapped away. I think I got some cute photos! Enjoy.

Settling In

We've been home now for 3 days and are settling into our new routine as a family of 4. Lily has done an amazing job of being a big sister and she's very kind to Andrew. Honestly, she's such the little mommy. In fact, if she leaves the room she'll often say things like "Mommy, if Andrew cries, come and get me." I believe the feelings are mutual as Andrew lights up when he sees Lily. He had a foster sister who was approximately 5, so perhaps Lily feels familiar to him. He vocalizes and smiles so much the moment he sees Lily.

Amazingly, we've been able to get Andrew on a schedule pretty quickly. He's a good sleeper (and yes, I thank my lucky stars for that daily) and we are very well rested for parents of a newly adopted child. He's definitely teething and has an inner ear infection in both ears. Yet, he remains in pretty good spirits. He's becoming more comfortable and I see less wiggling during diapering, clothes changes and baths. Andrew is very interested in moving and I believe once he gets mobile, we are in for it. Sometimes the speech therapist comes out in me when I'm in mommy-mode. I never heard him vocalize on any of his videos and I was always curious about what he did. Well, since he's been home, we're hearing him "talk" a fair amount. Andrew will often greet us with a happy "ahhhhhhh!" and will really vocalize when he sees our cat. He gets a huge kick if I imitate his sounds and we can go back and forth many times. We had some alone mommy & son time today and we stretched out on a blanket. I started making some "ohhhhhhh" sounds and he stared and stared at my mouth. Then he started repeating me and looked so proud. When we progressed to "mummm mumm mummm", it was my turn to be proud. Perhaps it sounds lame, but to a speech therapist, it's music to my ears.

Overall, things are going really well and I'm extremely gratefull. I think being 2nd times parents has helped. Things aren't flawless by any means as we've had some challenges. Yet we know that it's normal for us all to be in our p.j's at noon, the house to be a disaster and to eat take-out many nights in a row. Slowly but surely, we'll get these things conquered. Right now, it's just fun time getting to know this new little person in our family.

Finally a Family of Four!

Boy, I kept you all in suspense, didn't I? I really did mean to post yesterday. Unfortunately, it was such an incredibly busy and exhausting day, I didn't have the chance.

We are a united family! At 7:01 a.m. July 11Th, Bill and Andrew crossed through the Delta gates at the Cincinnati Airport. Honestly, I can not come up with one analogy to explain the anticipation we felt as we watched the passengers file past. Many seemed to look at us and with a knowing smile. One gentleman even said to us "He's coming! He's on his way......By the way, your husband is a saint."

Then we saw what we have been waiting for......Bill carrying Andrew! They both looked good and reasonably well rested for traveling almost 22 hours straight. Here are a few photos of the first moments together








Do you ever wonder what would happen if you would take an infant from his foster home, spend 3 busy days in Taipei, fly 11.5 hours to California, have a 3 hour layover, travel 4.5 hours to Ohio and then meet 5 new people at the airport??? Well, you can all believe me when I tell you that it'll result in a 3.5 hour, very understandable, inconsolable meltdown. As we loaded up for the 2 hour drive home, I honestly thought we were in for more of the meltdown. I'm thrilled to tell you it was a much calmer drive home and once home I got the chance to see some different sides of Andrew's personality. Don't get me wrong, we still have had some fussing. However in the calmer moments, I've learned the following:
*he's very curious, alert and observant
*he can eat 8 oz of formula very quickly
*he is small, but he is mighty. When he arches his back or pushes with his legs, I must really work on holding onto him *he rolls over with some serious force.
* Along those lines, we had to run out quickly and get those crib bumper thingies. Never needed them with Lily.
*he's a wiggle worm when being changed. Now I know why they have buckles on changing pads.
*he makes that open "Oooh" mouth face when he's happy and continues to do that for Bill
*he thinks tummy time is the best. He can spend a long time on the floor exploring toys and his environment
*he thinks baths, changing his clothes or getting a new diaper is the worst.
*he's really, really close to crawling. Which means, I'm really,really close to being even more busy. *he finds the pacifier very, very soothing.
*he appears to be a good sleeper. I fear that posting this will some how jinx us. However, I am very pleasantly surprised that we were able to get Andrew to sleep last night at 8:45 p.m--7:00 a.m. with only waking once for a change and a feeding and a tiny bit of effort to get him back to sleep. For a little guy who's been through a million changes including a major time change....that's a huge victory. Please keep good thoughts going that this will continue :)
*he's completely, utterly 100% precious! I can't believe he's our son!

I anticipate that the next few days will be filled with the discovery of getting to know our son, figuring out our new routines as a family of 4 and perhaps the challenges of sleeplessness. No matter what growing pains we may experience as a family, I know it'll all be worth it. Just check out this video of I took a few minutes after getting home.

Doesn't get much better than that, does it?

Take care,
Melissa, Bill, Lilianna and Andrew

One More Day

Bill picked up the Visa and is now heading out for the looooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggg journey home. He'll be heading out of Taiwan at Andrew's bedtime. Hopefully that will help Andrew sleep on the plane and allow Bill to get some rest. They do have a small layover at San Fransisco and then it's off to home. An old high school friend is meeting Bill at the San Fransisco airport and obviously lots of family will be greeting them at home. Hopefully having friendly faces at the end of leg of the journey will help them. Everyone keep Bill and Andrew in your thoughts and wish them a smooth journey.

On the homefront, there is both a sense of relief and excitement. It feels good to know that the majority of the wait is behind us and we are in the final stretch. The anticipation is for everyone is intense, but it's a good feeling. I would liken it to the the feelings you had as a child on Christmas Eve....but mulitplied by 10. In fact, if I slow down and allow myself to think about the fact that I'm less than 24 hours away from holding Andrew, I can tear up.

I know many are watching our journey and I hope to get pictures up of the whole family together as soon as possible!

More Good News from Taiwan

Bill and I had a chance to talk last night while both children were sleeping. It was good to get caught up on everything and I was very happy to hear that things continue to go well in Taiwan.

Yesterday, Bill went to the American Institute in Taiwan, AIT, for his first appointment. The AIT is like the US Consulate in Taiwan and this appointment is the last "big deal" in regards to paperwork. All the official forms are reviewed and a Visa is issued for Andrew. The paperwork glitches we had in June dealing with Andrew's passport and the U.S. National Visa center not forwarding our 171-h had to be resolved for us to get Andrew's Visa. Bill was very thorough and prior to travel he confirmed that AIT had everything they needed. Well, I'm happy to report that everything went just fine. Bill was there for about an hour, worked with a very nice gentleman and answered all the necessary questions. All the paperwork was accounted for and Bill will be picking up Andrew's passport on the 10th and then he'll start the long trip home. While I thought it was likely that the appointment would go well, it's still a relief to have it done.

Now here's the good part. Baby update time! Andrew slept very well his first night with Bill. He went to bed around 8ish and woke up at 6ish. He continues to eat very well when his bottle is nice and hot! The temperature thing doesn't surprise me because we were told that this may be the case when we adopted Lilianna. Bill was really pleased at how well Andrew did at the AIT appointment because it was exceptionally warm there. Overall, Andrew continues to have a pretty happy, easy going personality. Bill says he thrives on attention. This should be no problem to supply. Mommy, Big Sister, Grandma, Grandpa, Nana, Dandan, Uncle Matt, Mammaw and Uncle Bob are all very eager to lavish attention on our little guy. When Bill is holding him or giving him a bottle, Andrew makes great eye contact. Sometimes he likes to lean in and touch his forehead to his Daddy's forehead. Bill says he's ticklish and is soothed by a pacifier. Andrew is very curious about things and wants to look out the window when they get in the van. He likes being out and about and seeing the sites. Apparently he is quick to give that big, open mouth smile we've seen in all the recent photos.

Speaking of photos, Bill sent me a few more to share. The first photo is Bill and the other family from our agency as they were going out together. They have all become very close and it's been such a blessing for Bill to have people to spend some time with.


Bill tickling Andrew


Andrew exploring toys


Taking a nap *Note the pacifier


Finally, we know many people have been following our journey. Both Bill and I have received so many well wishes, thougthfull gifts and kind gestures. Everything from the congratulations email to our neighbor mowing the lawn has been greatly appreciated. This is definitely a special time in our lives and it means a lot to know we have so many folks cheering us on. Thank you so much!

Take care,
Melissa, Bill, Lilianna & Andrew

Bill has Andrew!!! (Updated)

** More pictures and information at the bottom of the post

Father and son have met and are doing beautifully! Bill had a very smooth trip down to the orphanage and met Andrew and his foster mother. Bill describes him as a very easy going, mellow, happy baby. Andrew didn't have difficulty going to Bill at all.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, take a look at this one.



I'll post more pictures and information later today.

Take care,
Melissa, Bill, Lily and Andrew!

** Update at 11:30 a.m.
Bill and I have been able to chat a few times since he has Andrew. Everything is going very well. Just to recap, Bill traveled 2.5 hours with the driver Mr. Yeh down to the orphanage. They went to Andrew's foster mother's house and picked up Andrew. Bill said that everyone was very sweet and it all went very well. Andrew's foster mother reported that Andrew is a easy going and happy baby. He eats well and sleeps well. He currently is on a schedule of going to bed at 11 pm and sleeps to 8 am with the occasional night time feeding. He enjoyed playing with his foster sister who is approximately Lilys age. At night time, they played Mozart CD's. (Guess what's on my shopping list now?)

After Bill signed the final few documents that confirmed Andrew is officially ours, they headed back to Taipei. Mr. Yeh is quite smitten with Andrew and was very helpfull. Apparently he doesn't like his picture taken, but we do have one with him in his trademark orange shirt.

Bill and Andrew relaxed in the room for a bit. Bill describes Andrew as sweet, happy and playfull. He's making good eyecontact and responsive to facial expressions etc. When Bill was chatting with me via Skype on the laptop, Andrew was reaching out and playing with keyboard.

Bill and the other family from our agency went out to a nice restaurant in Taipei 101 and had a fabulous time. Mr. Yeh held Andrew and helped Bill a lot. There's only been one bumpy moment and that was when it was time for Bill to make Andrew a bottle. Apparently, our son likes his bottles very hot. Once it was the right temperature, he ate well and settled down for some sleep. Considering all that Andrew's been through, 30 minutes of fussing isn't that bad :) Hopefully Dad and baby are currently getting a good night's sleep. I'll be in contact with them later tonight and keep you all updated.

I'll leave you all with the pictures Bill sent. Enjoy!

Bill is in Taiwan!!

Bill made it safe and sound to Taipei yesterday! He had a very smooth flight from San Fransisco and would highly recommend flying the Evergreen class on Eva Airlines. Once at the airport, he found it very easy to get his luggage and meet his driver, Mr. Yeh. After about a 45 minute ride they arrived at the Agora Gardens hotel. This is gorgeous facility where many of the parents who adopt stay. Bill found all the staff very helpfull and everyone speaks English.





After showering and resting a bit, he ventured off to the world's tallest building called Taipei 101. It's a huge complex filled with businesses, restaurants and shops. He did go to the top to enjoy the impressive view.





Bill meet another couple from our agency. They are adopting a daughter and will be picking her up one day before Bill gets Andrew. They also have the same AIT appointments as Bill so they all will be traveling together to those on Weds. and Thurs. After Mr. Yeh brought this family back to the hotel, he and his 15 year old son, Alex, took Bill out sight seeing. They visited the Grand Hotel which is designed to look like one of the famous temples in China



They also visited the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial. You'll notice that weather looks kind of cloudy here. Apparently the heat and humidity is pretty oppressive in Taiwan and the clouds brought about a 10 degree temperature drop which was greatly appreciated.



Overall, Bill is doing really well. He is very happy to be able to visit with the other family from our agency and he says the driver, Mr. Yeh and Alex are super nice. Taipei is a huge city and has the feel of New York City. He is having a wonderful time.

Internet connections have been very easy to access and we've done really well in keeping in touch with via Skype accounts. The whole family has benefited from this as it's such an easy, stress free way to communicate. Lily has really benefited from being able to chat with Daddy as much as she wants.



By this time tomorrow morning our time, Bill should have Andrew! It's so exciting to think that he'll finally be ours after all this time. Hopefully, we'll have more pictures to share! Thanks for following us along our journey,

take care
Bill, Melissa and Lily

1 Day Down!

Theres not tons of new information to report this morning. Bill had a smooth flight to San Fransisco and is currently on his 13 hour flight to Taipei. Once there, our agency's driver should be waiting to take him to the Agora hotel. I hope to be able to talk to him around 8-9 p.m. our time.

On a side note, we decided to explore a new method of staying in touch. We purchased some basic headsets for approximately 10.00 per set. Then we created 2 Skype accounts. I'm sure many people already know about many of the free internet phone type services, but this was new to us. When both of us are online, we can "call" eachother through the laptops and actually speak through the headsets. The great thing about this is that most hotels offer free wireless internet connections. So we can talk as much as we want for free. It's fabulous! Lilianna especially loves using this and I think it's a very good way for her to stay in touch with Daddy. I know there are multiple services like this available and lots of families invest in the webcameras for the same free service.

Bill's Off, Thanks You's and Happy 4th of July

Well folks, baby clothes have been washed, last minute errands have been completed and bags have been packed. At 4:30 A.M., Bill started his 2 day journey to Taiwan. Yep, that's right 2 days or nearly 30 hours of traveling. Sadly, with airline cuts, many connecting flights that were available just a year ago are now gone. While I don't think we live in a remote location or that Taiwan is an obscure place, getting from here to there is much more complicated than we had anticipated!

Saying good-bye this morning was my least favorite aspect of this trip. Even though we are very fortunate that this is such a short trip, it's still disorienting to be away from Bill. I'm spoiled by the fact that we have so much together time and I truly hate being apart. There are no words that express how much love and gratitude I feel for my husband and his willingness to bring our son home. I know you will be reading this later today Bill. Lily and I love you very much and miss you already. We are counting down the days/hours until we see you an Andrew at the airport!

There is some relief that the trip is finally here. Anticipating everything the last 48 hours was harder than I imagined. That is why I was so touched and moved when we received 3 gifts from our friends on Thursday! Sarah sent the most adorable onesies ever. In fact, I plan on using packing one for the trip to the airport. I can't wait to snap a photo of our little guy in these cute clothes. She also sent the sweetest little book and a charm bracelet meant for scrapbookers! How cool is that? I so am looking forward to making a custom bracelet this week as I wait for my guys to come home from Taiwan. Laurie sent me the most perfect humming bird card and a gorgeous pendant. The pendant is a heart and it represents a family of 4. I love it! Elaine sent the most thought full card and a gift certificate for Baby Gap. You all know I'll love getting some adorable baby clothes for Andrew. Apparently some of these gifts were actually delivered to our neighbor's houses and it was odd that they all came at the same time. However, it couldn't have been more perfect. Just as I was feeling true anxiety about saying good-bye to Bill and everything else, I was reminded by how much love and support we have in this journey. Thank you all so very, very much.

Lastly, related to nothing, I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th. In the middle of the packing rush, we took the evening and went to the fireworks downtown. This year Bill's office decided to let people view the fireworks from their building. I've always been a fan of fireworks and have many fond memories of watching them on the 4th. I can honestly say that the view from the 26th floor of Bill's building was spectacular! They were the most beautiful ever and it was a breath taking view. I've included a short video of my favorites. Take a moment and enjoy!

I look forward to keeping everyone informed about Bill's grand adventure and if the technology god's smile upon us, I'll be sharing pictures of them in Taiwan.

Take care,
Melissa

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Hi Everyone,

As the countdown continues, we find it an exceptionally busy time. Between getting the baby gear ready, washing the clothes, packing, shopping for travel necessities, figuring out gifts to bring to Taiwan and wondering how to get it all in a 2 suitcases, we are busy! Add in the fact that we plan to go see some fireworks tomorrow and we have very little time to get it all done. Yet, I keep saying to myself "It'll all work out. It'll all work out."

On another note, you may notice a new blog design. What can I tell you? I love the 4th of July and when I have a little insomnia, I find myself scrapbooking and blog designing. I thought the colors worked for both the USA and Taiwan and it sure feels like a time of celebration around our household. Hope you enjoy!

take care,
Melissa