Poor Little LBOS/Care Package #2

I used to be such a darn good blogger and really loved it. I still enjoy it, but more and more it's becoming a bit like homework. I have all sorts of posts that I need to write: a day at the fair this summer, our visit with Mi Yeon, care packages we've sent to Levi, etc. I promise I will get back on the horse and get back to blogging. I know some of you actually still read this blog, and I want/need to have some of these times in our life documented. With Gabe's 3rd birthday and all the holidays fast approaching...I'm gonna really buckle down. Also, I want my fellow bloggers to know that I still do read your blog. I've taken to reading the blogs on my i*ad, which makes it a lot harder to comment.

So let's start out with an easy-peasy post, Levi's 2nd care package:

I know it doesn't look like much, but this little blankie saved us when Gabe came home and I'm hoping that maybe Levi JeeHo will find the same comfort in it. The green blankie just barely squeezed into the gallon bag, along with some socks, some robeez and a picture drawn by Gabe that says "For my brother - Love, Gabe. "



I also included a picture of Gabe with his trusty boo-bah:

My friend Kim, brought this package over this week. LJH should be into the agency with his foster family around October 12 (his 9mos check up) to pick it up.

First First Day O' School

This past week was Gabe's first day of preschool. Since he has a November birthday, it's the 2's and only 2 days a week. The first day was only an hour and the moms and dads stayed in the room. I will admit that I was a both teary and proud as we crossed the parking lot, hand in hand, Gabe wearing his new backpack bounding to the building. Gabe dove right in and played with all sorts of toys they had set out. He even played by himself for about 15 mins. When we left I asked him if he had fun he said "Yes, mommy was there." Wish us luck for his first full day tomorrow :)

A Bowl of Ice Cream

I have to say we ate A LOT of ice cream this summer. A walk to the local custard place, a spontaneous stop on the way home from a fun day, at the fair or zoo and of course in our house. I'm sure (hope) it slows down now that fall is rolling in, but all that fun ice cream this summer just screams "childhood" to me.
Let's see how many facial expressions Gabe can make while wolfing down a bowl of vanilla, his favorite flavor.

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Family Day #2

This past Friday, August 26, marked our second year as a family of three. This time of year always has me a bit weepy for both the happy moments and the excruciatingly painful moments of that time. It's funny how you can look back at sleep deprived, exhausting, sad, confusing events fondly after time has passed. The weather reminds me of our time in Seoul and how it smelled, tasted, how the air felt to breathe and of course...the anticipation, the meeting of our son for the first time, the tears we held back as we first laid eyes on him, our anxiety of becoming parents and all the rookie mistakes and all the things we did unwittingly right. The past week we've looked at a lot of pictures, hugged our YoungMin extra tight, talked about our trip and homecoming and thanked Korea and all the people that sacrificed for us to become a family.
Family Day is one that only our kids get. Everyone has a birthday, but a special few get a family day. It's a day that we get to celebrate with no expectations to throw a party and no disappointment if someone forgets, but to just enjoy each other and our togetherness. So what did we do? We headed to the Morton Arboretum and then out for a Korean lunch. Ahh...do I LOVE Korean food in August!

Family Day is really about Gabe, so we let him direct where we went:

How about the Hedge Maze?



A trip down the slide...

Pointing out cool things to mommy...

Pumping water with daddy...

A trip through the flowers...

Giving daddy a chase...

Gotta have some sand...

And a little 'flying'...

Mmmmm... jap chae!


Now here's a little chronicle of our Family Day Mommy/Gabe photos...

2011:

2010:

Care Package Time!!

One thing we parents of kiddos living in Korea can do while they are living so far away is send a care package over to start to show our love. You can't just send one to the agency because of custom fees, so you need to find someone to bring one for you. Luckily, a friend of mine, Jennifer, just got her travel call after a looonng wait to bring home her son and she graciously agreed to bring our first package.
Levi goes in once a month around the 12th (because his b-day is Jan 12) for a well-baby check. I'm so happy the Jee Ho's foster family will get the package in September!

The Loot:

So what's in the package we're sending?
* A cute American flag Mickey Mouse tee-shirt
* Mommy's Little Tiger sweat suit, since Levi was born in the year of the Tiger (not pictured, cuz I jammed it in in the last minute)
*A drum long sleeved shirt that Gabe has one of too
*California Baby lotion
*Goodnight Moon written in Hangul
*A little blankie,
*Teddy Bear from Grammie
* The ubiquitous soft photo album with some pics of us
*Socks and other clothes
*A beautiful tea towel and some lotion for the foster family along with a translated note

I hope this package contains items the foster family can use and I also hope they know how much we already love Levi JeeHo!

The Real Deal!

We got the call last week the OUR son was *finally* ready to appear. We are thrilled to announce our son, Levi JeeHo! When we look at his picture, the memories of Gabe's referral come flooding back with his tough guy look and bursting with personality. He was born on January 12, 2011 in Seoul and we hope to have him home next summer. We love our little guy and have a feeling that Levi and Gabe will be quite the pair!

Camp P.T.

Hmmmm...any guesses what was going on in this house about a month ago?
Let's see if we can be Columbo (rest in peace, Peter Falk) and put the clues together: little boy in underwear, chugging juice, fun new toy to keep him occupied, and a plastic mat for any accidents.



That's right! Potty training. I have to say it went remarkably well. We did the hardcore, throw out the diapers, stay in the house for 3 days, no timer, lots of underpants and complete attention on the boy. Gabe was definitely ready, it was his mom that delayed it for too long. Honestly, he loved it...he got to chug juice all day, got a steady stream of presents and had mom's undivided attention for 3 days. He did great with very few accidents and continues to keep up the good work.
Phew, I'm certainly glad those diapers are gonesville!

Twitchy

We've been officially waiting one year for Seoul Bro's referral. I've been, as I like to say, a bit 'twitchy' the past few weeks. When we originally got 'on the list' we were told it would be "about a year" until referral and in my head I figured we would get his referral around the Fourth of July. Then, we were all of sudden #7 on the list and referrals were coming in quick, our social worker thought early May. I have to say when she told me that, I began to panic. We weren't quite ready then.
Since about late May, I got the 'twitch.' You know...when you carry your phone everywhere with you. You wake up every day thinking 'today could be the day!' When every time the phone rings you jump. When if you put your phone down for 5mins you run back to it and expect/hope for 10 missed calls from your social worker and husband. When you begin to think the referral is just never going to come, ever. When you check your email compulsively if for some reason your social worker decides to email instead of call. I only let myself 'twitch' until 11am each day. I figure if the call doesn't come by then, it ain't coming. Now, I know it *could* come later, but no one needs me twitching all day.
In all honesty, I'm glad I'm feeling this way. I was a crazy person for a good 5 months waiting for Gabe's referral and I was afraid Seoul Bro's would come in and I would be too cool about it. Not that I wouldn't be excited, but that the anticipation wouldn't be as strong or intense. Trust me, Seoul Bro, I was JUST as excited for the phone to ring for you. I can't wait to see his picture, know his story, where he was born, his measurements, his personality traits, etc. In some ways, I may be a tad more excited since I know what the referral means in the long run. This cute little boy holding court in his throne, is a real baby, our real son, Gabe's real brother and will one day be in our house and lives learning, growing, exploring and all the things that make me and Dave look at each other and realize we are the luckiest people in the world.
I'm not worried that his referral hasn't come in and I don't really care why. I know this process works. From the matching to the traveling. Though sometimes the emotions are so strong they are physically painful, it does work out as it should. Until the phone rings, I'll keep on twitching in the morning and waiting patiently in the afternoon and will excitedly share the news of our new son as soon as I can.

Artiste!

Wordless Wednesday