Going Out

Saturday night a group of us went to see the documentary Going Home. The movie follows the director, an adult adoptee, as he goes back to Korea to meet his birth mother.
The 5 of us went through quite a bit of tissue during the 73 minute film. Though the movie is pretty emotional and heavy, there are light moments as well. We all felt that the movie struck a nice balance between his life with his very supportive parents and friends along with meeting his birth mother. The movie doesn't minimize or glorify either piece of his life. There were certain moments in the film that really spoke to us as moms to Korean adopted children and we hope that we learned a little something to tuck away if/when our sons decide to search for their birth families. We all agreed that it was a must watch for parents through adoption. I don't want to say too much about the film, in case you are lucky enough to see it.
Afterward, the director and producer were there for a Q & A session. They hope to find a distributor to release it on DVD. We went up to tell them how much we appreciated their film and what a great job they did. They were both very gracious.

Here we are with the director and the producer:

We then headed for drinks and a nice dinner at Atwood Cafe. And as we are accustomed to with this group...closed the place down.

Have I mentioned how much I love my posse?

White Sox Winner!

Happy Opening Day to You!

Easter and Eggs

We had a very nice Easter on a lovely day. First we headed to church to meet Dave's aunt and cousin, like we do every year. I was worried about how Gabe would behave in church, but he did pretty well. The only time we had to take him out was when he would screech because he liked to hear his voice echo.
After church, we all went back to our house for our traditional bloody marys and light breakfast. Of course, we had to hide the Easter eggs. Gabe LOVES eggs and was saying 'guh' all day long. We are old school and use real eggs for the hunt. Once Gabe found an egg he would smash it, then run off. He wasn't letting go of his 'guh,' until he realized there were more eggs to be found.

I found one...


Ooooo, another one...

I'm keeping this one...

You can't catch me...

Well, here's another one...

I'll just put them nicely in the basket...

He was definitely tuckered out after that and took a 3 hour nap. When he woke up, we headed to my mom's for a wonderful dinner.

Hope you all had a happy Easter!

Passover

Gabe his had his first round of Passover Seder's this year. After being sick last week, he was thrilled to get out of the house and charm some of his relatives. The first night he had a ball! I've never seen him so 'on,' before. He loved spending time with some relatives he hasn't seen as much, running around their spacious home, and playing with his cousin's very pretty and friendly dog.
The second night at his grandparent's home was a little harder for him. Partying 2 nights in a row is tough on an adult, much less a toddler. He rallied though and had fun with his cousins, aunts and uncles and grandparents.
Last year at this time, we didn't even have his referral and this year he was sitting at the table. What a difference a year makes!

Here are some pics from the first night:

Sitting at the table waiting for dinner with his cousin

Fun with the beloved dog

It's hard to see, but he's kissing her


Gabe LOVES dogs and any soft pets. He's not afraid of them AT ALL and goes right for them to hug and pet them. He's quite gentle with them and just lights up when he sees a dog. Gabe had a dog in his foster home, Kodong. I am so thankful that he did, since I think that helps him appreciate and love animals.

Second Hand Post

Sorry I've been such a lame blogger lately...I will certainly get back on track soon. Poor Gabe has been sick all week, the first time he's been sick-sick since he came home 7 months ago (today!). Coughing til you puke...not fun. Turns out he has either bronchitis or pneumonia. Hopefully his antibiotics kick in today. So today's post is piggy-backing on 2 other people's posts.

First, my friend Rachel recently posted an amazing photo series from her trip to Korea. She is a great photographer and I love the poem that develops from her captions of the photos. For those of you that want a nice flavor and feeling of Korea, or those of you that dream of Korea and can't wait to go back (that's me!) check out her awesome post.
Well done, friend.

Another blogging pal, Elizabeth, runs a cat rescue. She does great things for many kitty cats. She recently got a call about a poor cat that had been shot in the face! This adorable kitty (who looks a bit like our cat) is getting some much needed surgery to repair her jaw. If you would like to help Ms. Ida B or any of the other cats Elizabeth rescues...here is the link to her organization, Tenth Life.

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

16 Months!

Gabe is 16 months today! Here a few fun little tidbits.

*He's saying all sorts of words (about 12). Most of them, only I know what he means like 'puh' for grapes. But some are legit words that someone else could actually understand. 'Cracker' is his best word these days.

*Speaking of talking...he's saying 'mama' for real. He's said it here and there for awhile, but I was never totally convinced he was saying it about me. I know he is now. He'll look for me or at me saying "mama." It's a slightly different tone and inflection. I just melt every time I hear it.

*At his 15mos check-up he was 32inches tall (about 85th %-tile) and 25lbs, 6 oz (about 50th %-tile).

*In his world, all stuffed animals are 'bear,' all vehicles are 'car,' and all cats are 'puh' (as in Posie, our cat).

*He starting to test his limits just a bit with me now. If he wants something he can't have, he looks at me, puffs out his chest and grunts. It's quite funny, but I'm starting to learn to keep a straight face.

*He shows his excitement by yelling 'ahhhhh', vigorous clapping and spinning around. It's so cute and contagious.

Can't believe how time flies!

Officially Official

Though Gabe has been home for 6 months, he is officially adopted today! We've felt he's our son since we first saw his picture last April. But, it feels oh so good to know that we are his parents forever and ever in the eyes of the law too. We love you Gabriel YoungMin A and are proud that you are our son!

Thanks to Dave's cousin Jeff, who helped us finalize Gabe's adoption. Though it's not his specialty, he handled everything perfectly and with extra care.

Wordless Wednesday