UPDATE!!!

This is around the same age Parker came home, she reminds me so much of him and the little faces he made. Jim made the same comment without me saying so.

She is not that big, children are dressed in 4 to 5 layers, as they are terrified they will get cold. I had people scold me that Parker was not warm enough! He came to us in 4 layers.

Look at those eyes!

After an emotional MOPS meeting this morning (we were watching these videos about Christmas, and one was how Mary would have documented her wait for Jesus, and before I knew it I was crying...unintentionally) I left to find an email from our agency, with an update. These are so much more than just sweet pictures.

This tells me she is sitting up and eating and many of those things that consume my thoughts. I may have said it before, but this is so much more difficult than my wait for Parker. With Parker, I had nothing to compare, I had no idea what I was missing. I had not seen her or had an update for three months.

We did not expect and update for months, so this was an amazing gift.

Countdown to Christmas: Days 1-6

My documentation is not off to the best start...

Day 1: Tree lighting and a visit with Santa. Parker told him he wanted "choochoos and Ernie and Bert" Not exactly sure about Ernie and Bert, he has not mentioned them in months.

Day 2: Jim and Parker toured a living nativity at a local church. Jim was just going to drive him through the town and talk about the birth of Jesus, but he saw a sheep and wanted to walk.

Day 3: Breakfast with Santa at the museum, he got to decorate a cookie and talk to Santa. He jumped up on Santa's lap and started naming trains and then added "Ernie and Bert"...

Don't mind me I worked until 2AM

At the MOMS club holiday party, he just finished a relay race where you had to put on a Santa hat.

Three legged race with Dad. Parker did a great job of playing games, made reindeer food, ornaments, and decorated more cookies.

Day 4: Polar Express-He could barely sit through the story and kept jumping up yelling "Choochoo"

When I told him we had to leave to catch the train he said "No, it comes to our house". If only it was like the movie!

Cookies and hot chocolate...

and Santa!

Day 5: We learned about St. Nicholas and put out our shoes. Even Evelyn had a tiny shoe out.

He was thrilled to find the "troublesome trucks" Thomas cars he has been talking about.

Day 6: Brought the flu! We had plans to attend a holiday party at the library but decided to stay home. I assume it was a 24 hour virus, as he kept telling me he "had an owie tummy" yesterday. He has said this before and laughed so I ignored him and drug him in Target and then Meijer...where our trip was cut short. As I carried him out of the store he was yelling "Call Dr. Rob". In the car he said "No eat, just medicine". He was back to throwing tantrums this evening..back to himself!

And it's Advent!

Which means the countdown is on, here is a few ways we are going to welcome the season...

"Ted", our elf is back from the North Pole and Parker seems to value his magic. I almost brushed the elf and Parker yelled "No Mommy, no touch the elf" As the story goes, he will lose his magic.

I made an Advent calendar and each day involves a holiday activity. I have the best intentions of documenting them all here....

We get to unwrap one holiday book each evening, Jim was thrilled to wrap them.

Parker is thrilled about Christmas, and has been talking about Santa for months and making a mental list. We were in the car today and he was having a "conversation" with Santa, he said "Go pick up my sister, Evie" What a sweet boy, hoping for that wish too!

Thanksgiving

It is hard to believe Thanksgiving has come and gone...

We ran the Wishbone 5K in our town, I pushed Parker in the stroller. He looked for dogs and would yell.."Hi woof woof...woof, woof, woof"

We visited Jim's family for dinner, which is an hour away. The day did not seem like a holiday, for a few reasons. None which I care to get into.

Saturday we drove to my parent's house to surprise my Mom for her birthday. Her birthday is not until December but we were successful at surprising her. My parent's had so many thanksgiving leftovers, we had a second meal...this time with sauerkraut.

We put up both of our trees and Parker had a great time playing in the boxes. We haven't finished decorating but it amazes me how much Parker remembers from last Christmas!

I hope it goes without saying that I am thankful for all of the wonderful people in my life. I have more in this life than most people could imagine. I never dreamed that I would have a daughter at this time and for that I should be thankful!

Another two weeks lost...

I am such a downer lately....

Had a great day before Christmas shopping with my Mom. She stayed extra on Monday and played with Parker. Which meant I got to workout and run errands childless. I came home to find our I800a returned from USCIS for another signature...

This means two weeks lost...sigh

There must be end in sight, maybe the wait will shorted in some other areas while we wait.

Right?

Timeline

I just got done with an extra ten hour shift and need to vent...yes, there are probably more pressing things going on in the world...but as one of my graduate school profs used to say "All man's suffering is relative" mind you, he would talk about oppression and Tibet as he passed out an exam...He was the world leader of the Free Tibet movement, he always talked about how the Chinese government took pictures of him. Did I digress?

Most likely we will now travel in July...unless our government speeds through our paperwork. Our social worker took a month and a half to update our homestudy! It should have taken two weeks, at the most. So an extra month or two, so what?

Our baby girl, will be two months older...that is two months where she is in an institution, two months where she is not receiving the stimulation she needs. I pray her and the other girls are getting their needs met, that they are being attended to when they cry, that they get held.

Trust me, I am busy...our household is non stop. My plan was to work extra, save for the adoption but I think we're fine. I think Evelyn has most of what she will need (sorry want, my shopping borderlines on sinful). Extra work takes me from Jim and Parker and I would rather be with them...or seeing girlfriends I rarely see!

We have travel planned, the holidays are coming, I am making it a point to help others in need...I guess I wait. Her room needs painted and we have some house projects (but Jim and I need to be home together, with Parker entertained!)

Venting over, going to make my brunch dishes for MOPS and watch some RHWOA (talk about mindless!)

No more trick or treat...

Last week Parker looked like he was going to cry, when I asked him what was wrong he said "Parker sad, trick or treat over!" Thought I should share all of our Halloween events before it got too late! I felt like we celebrate all month...

Trick or treating in our neighborhood, we found some of my MOPS friends and Parker had a monster join him in his wagon. Parker was much more interested in pulling his friend, he actually did a good job!

We visited the Children's Museum Haunted House (lights on, of course) He went through with Grandma.

We visited Zooboo, he refused to wear the costume, he said it was too hot!

On of the high schools in our town held a fundraiser Halloween party. As we walked into the school he said "I love this place" Even the football players commented on how cute he was!

Octoboo at the library

He also went to a Halloween party at the YMCA and got to join in on the fun of trick or treating when we visited our homestudy agency.

No, we still don't have our homestudy in hand...that is for another post! Hoping for Monday so we can get our immigration paperwork filed.

FINALLY...PA

After almost 2 months of waiting on our PA from China (the official word that China will allow us to proceed with her adoption) it has arrived! Which means I can share her beautiful pictures. She was 7 months old in the photos. Here is our Evelyn...

I was so impressed that the SWI put her in a little dress for her referral photos, then I find out each baby has worn this dress for referral pictures for years. Sad, right? Well trust me when I say my shopping has more than made up for it...I am trying to take a break from shopping but girl clothes are too cute. Her SWI is in a climate similar to Florida, so we expect it to be warm in the spring.

Let me be honest, I am not doing well with the wait...in fact much worse than waiting for Parker. I think the difference is I know what I am missing, I had no concept with Parker. Also, this process is more complex and longer.

I do know time will speed up with the holiday season and we have a vacation to Mexico planned right after, so at least there are exciting times during the wait.

After 6 days of work and still being a SAHM I am ready for the weekend, we have lots of Halloween fun planned.

My new mantra

I could go on and on about my worries...but I am going to leave it at:

Next year, at this time, all of this will be insignificant and a distant memory...

Give me a P.....Give me a

I bet you thought I was going to say A...no not yet! It was an R I was looking for. That stand s for PR (personal record in running terms) My Dad and I ran the Ft. Benjamin Harrison half-marathon and I finally got the time I was looking for...1:59!

My Dad had a huge accomplishment as well, he improved his first time by 20 mins. We are gearing up for the Indy 500 mini in May. I was debating about signing up, hoping we would be in China (or home, fingers crossed) but as my Dad said I need that motivation and a goal to work towards.

A few pictures from the weekend....

Time to get out the Halloween pajamas

He joined in the post race fuel

My Dad and I

Finish line...telling Jim "I think I did it" I forgot my garmin watch that tracks my pace and time.

It's Fall

It is officially fall and we are enjoying all of the activities that come with the season...

Apple picking with my MOPS group

He loved looking for red and yellow apples

He ate at least three as we picked...

The orchard had all kinds of fun (that seems typical at these places anymore...)

Jim and I took him to a pumpkin farm and he seemed to think most of the pumpkins were "too heavy"

He liked the hayride to and from the patch...

I am sure there is more fall fun scheduled!

Updates on Adoption

I do not have much to report...we have requested updates from her SWI in China (this oculd take over a month) We do not have our PA yet, my hope is that we do have it and have not been notified yet.

I'll break down the process....

Dossier needs logged into China (this means home study needs updated, then and only then an we file our immigration paperwork) Home study should be in our hands in the next two to three weeks. The immigration process involves fingerprints and may take 2-3 months. We are going to attempt to speed this up by getting finger printed earlier. Then the dossier needs "authenticated" by the secretary of state, DC, and then China. Whew...we then will begin our 4-6 month wait until travel approval.

This paperchase is keeping me busy, and when I get sad I remind myself...I have a daughter and it will be less than one year until she comes home. That being said, I worry about the time she is spending in an orphanage. I have found other families who have babies from Ev's SWI. they have said the babies tend to be well cared. Regardless, the babies tend to be one month behind for every three months they spend in an orphanage. Also, I worry so much about her lack of stimulation the lack of holding, feeding, eye contact etc. The only thing I can control is making sure we get our documents together as fast as we can, and trust me we have been working!

As for Parker...this week he randomly said "Mommy, Parker misses Evie" I told him I missed her too, he then said "Megan misses Evie" (our lab)...I proceeded to tell him she is waiting at her orphanage in China. I explained that an orphanage is a place for children without Moms and Dads. As soon as that was out of my mouth I said "Actually, it is a place where babies wait for their Moms and Dads, just like you waited with Omma." He said "Oh, yes Omma"

Hoping for the PA soon, to share our sweet girl's picture!

WE HAVE A DAUGHTER!

It has been an intense two weeks around our household! Two weeks ago we forwarded our Letter of Intent (LOI) to China for a darling 8 month old baby girl. We have named her Evelyn Ying and are still in shock that she is ours! I have told Jim for the past 5 years that I have a daughter in China, turns out I was right.

The FAQ's

How did this happen? Weren't you adopting from Korea?

Yes, we were planning to adopt from Korea a second time. Here is the amazing story: I am part of a face book group for adoptive Mother's. Lately people have been posting children that are available for adoption. It is pretty common to see children from China photo listed, as the "non-special needs" China adoptions are taking 5 years for those who started in 2006. On labor day, a member (I am so thankful our paths crossed, she is such a sweet woman!) posted a tiny sweet baby girl...we were all chatting back and forth and I made the comment that we planned to wait for Korea but she looked perfect for our family. The conversation prompted me to e-mail about her file. The agency emailed me the file at 10:30 that night. Needless to say, I was so interested. The next day the agency told me we were not the first (second though) and there were many people in line for her file. Well the other family declined, and I had Jim review with an International Doctor. (it is common to have files reviewed by a doctor who specializes in adoption and is familiar with Chinese files.) I went off to work that night and allowed Jim to make his own decision, when I woke up the next morning he said "Yes"!

What does she look like?

I promise you she is darling, we cannot share her picture in the blog world until we receive our pre-approval (PA) from China. We are expecting it this week.

When will she come home?

It is going to be a long road, filled with paperwork, and more paperwork. The easiest way to sum it up is our government and the Chinese government have numerous steps we must complete. We are hoping it will be 7 months but the reality is it could be 10 months. However, Korean adoptions are taking just as long to travel and the babies are arriving around the same age or older. Jim and I will travel alone to China for two weeks to pick her up. It is much different than Korean adoption, as we will travel as part of a group. Yes, we have a lot to accomplish in the next months but I would hop a plane tonight to pick her up. When I get sad about the wait I remind myself every day is the "last" without her. Last Halloween, last Christmas, Last September 21st etc...

Where is she?

She is in an orphanage, thanks to social media I have found a face book group of families who have daughter's from her SWI. Amazing! There are pictures of the facility, families who have been there as recently since Evie was born!

and the most important...What was Parker's reaction?

When Jim showed Parker her picture he said "Oh, okay..play choochoos". When we asked him what he thought her name should be he said "Island of Sodor" (Thomas the train reference for those of you not tortured by those trains). This week he randomly told me "Mommy is only Parker's Mommy" and 'Mommy and Daddy go on airplane and pick up Parker's Evie". They are 22 months apart, we had hoped our children would be close in age, so this is wonderful!

Are you shopping constantly?

After the news set in, I thought...I can cross the line at Janie and J*ack and Baby G*ap, tutus, bows, dollhouses...wow is Jim in trouble. However, I do need to wait on clothes until we get a better idea of seasons and current size.

I will post pictures as soon as I can!

Culture Camp

This weekend we had Culture camp put on by Korean Focus Indiana and the local Korean Presbyterian Church. To say that the members of the church are wonderful is an understatement. You can tell that the church members care about passing on the Korean heritage to our children. Last year and this year brought tears to my eyes seeing the how genuine and gracious these people have been. The children of the church also attend, which is so important for Parker. He followed around some teenage girls and kept saying they were his girlfriends (he did hear me tell Jim that).

Playing a drum in music class

Crafting Korean Pinata

Did you know that for a Korean pinata you throw bean bags at it to open? It was MADNESS watching the children attempt!

Eating Korean lunch catered by the women of the church. Fresh kimchi,mandu, rice cakes, jap chae, and two types of meat. Of course I did not eat the meat, but the kimchi was SO good, and I love the rice cakes.

Fan dancing

There were some good from Korea for sale, and I got these cell phone charms, which are very popular in Korea. I do not have any Korean Christmas ornaments, so these should work.

There was also a Tae Kwon Do demo, cooking class (mandu), language, and acupuncture.

Since I sit on the board for KFI, out family was invited to dinner at the home of one of the church members. The board and church members gathered to recap the day and socialize.

Hearing their commitment to educating our children and personally inviting us to celebrate Korean holidays at the church means so much. There was an elder of the church, who spoke of her time working at HOLT orphanage in the 1950's; because of this she has always felt connected to adoption. HOLT is Parker's agency and it means so much to us to hear her stories.

I am so grateful that we live in an area where Parker has these type of opportunities.

Zoo Trip

We had not been to the zoo in a few months, last time Parker shouted at each animal..."eat, penguin eat" or "Lions eating!" This time he was able to talk about each animal in a bit more detail. I made the mistake of talking about snakes biting, and he clung to me in the exhibit. I made sure he knew there was glass between us and the snakes...or else I would not have been in there.

Waiting to pet a shark

No more need for a stroller! For the moment anyways...

The new tiger exhibit is really neat, just a piece of glass between you and the tigers.

He kept saying "two tigers swim and drink"

It was one of the those 100 degree days so we did not last too long!

Traders Point Creamery

We have never need an excuse for ice cream in this house, for Jim it's a shake or a smoothie, me I tend to think frozen yogurt is healthy (I tend to pile the topping on the build your own that are not so healthy) and Parker loves it all.

So when my friend Jen suggest a trip to Traders Point Creamery, an organic dairy farm in Zionsville, we need no convincing.

Parker, Olivia, and Miles near the outdoor barn
Gazing at the herd

Watching yogurt being bottled

On the walking tour, we were reminded that the bulls may show aggression and charge as well as keeping our distance from the electric fencing. Things that 2 years olds may not understand...thank goodness for strollers.

Blackberry ice cream, Parker repeated "Share with Mommy" after I told him it was not just his. He's getting better...

Last night at Yogi (yes, frozen yogurt is a weekly outing) He gave me his dish and said "Here Mommy try Parker's" So sweet, after a few month's of "No, Mine"

Just cute...