Happy Birthday!

Today, we celebrated my husband's 28th birthday! And while we didn't do any cake smashing in his face today, just thought we'd celebrate with this picture from our wedding 6 1/2 years ago. :) We love you and hope you had an awesome birthday!!!!

When you wish upon a....Bobo Fairy???

My son is addicted to his pacifier. He calls them Bobos. And yes, in our house, they deserve to be capitalized. So after watching an all-knowing episode of the Supernanny, I got the idea about a "Bobo Fairy". A few days ago, I explained to Braedan that she had called me and said that there were babies in Korea who needed Bobos and that since he was such a big boy, would he be willing to give them to her so she could take them to the babies in Korea who needed them. If he was willing to give her all six of his Bobos to her, in return, she might even bring back six little special presents for him. I told him to think about it and when he was ready, we would call her back and let her know to come and get them. Well, yesterday, he told me he was ready and that we should call her. So we did. And she promised to come and get them right away.

So we packed up all the Bobos...

Walked outside to the front porch...

And left them for her to pick up.

All the Bobos were ready to go...(except for one we found a little later!)

And we left her a note...

And then did the happy dance while we waited for her to come!

Later that evening, we discovered she had come and taken the Bobos!! But in return, she had left some very special gifts in their place!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And we made sure that Daddy counted so it was an even trade.

We took everything inside to see what she had brought...

And Braedan was very pleased with the results.



It took a little while for reality to set in that the Bobos were not coming back. After a few tears and a little begging for the Bobos to come back, he finally fell asleep at 1:30am. Through sobs, he even said to me,

"I just want to keep this one Transformer, so tell the Bobo Fairy to come back and get the rest and give me five Bobos back".

This was exactly the reason we did an even trade, he's one smart cookie! I told him that the Bobos had already been delivered to the babies in Korea and it seemed to calm him down some. But he was up again crying hysterically at 4:30am and then was up for good at around 7am. So none of us had too much sleep, but the important thing is....he did it! We have told him over and over how proud we are of him and a huge smile lights up his face every time he hears it. It will obviously take more than just one night to overcome this addiction and believe me, it's not just hard on him. I had a few break downs myself and it broke my heart to hear him cry and ask for them back. But he's happy this morning and playing with his new toys and talking about the babies in Korea who now have his Bobos. We hope he will settle in for a long nap this afternoon, Boboless and happy. Whew, no one said parenting would be easy, but it's definetly worth it!!

Thank you Bobo Fairy!

Waiting Children

As many of you know, Zoey was referred to us through the Waiting Child Program of Holt International. What some of you may not know is that while we were open to many medical conditions, Zoey was referred to the program because her birth mother took prescription antidepressants in the early stages of pregnancy, before she knew she was pregnant. While we do not know the exact medication she took, there are a few antidepressants that are not recommended to take during pregnancy for a variety of reasons, some minor, some more critical. After reviewing her file, which included extensive medical records since birth, we were very confident that the medication had no affect on her health, and probably would not cause any issues in the future either. While I know that there are many out there that are easily frightened, and rightfully so, by medical terms and conditions, I encourage all those who are considering adoption to check the Waiting Child Program of the country they are interested in. There are many children who are referred to the program for a variety of reasons, and each deserves a chance to be individually assesed, rather than to generally say that it would be too much to handle.

"Holt’s Waiting Child Program (WCP) matches families with children who have medical conditions, are older or in sibling groups. We help you get to know the child(ren) you are drawn to, help you understand their conditions and work with you in assessing your ability to parent that child. Once you’re matched with a child, we bring you into the capable hands of our adoption program staff who guide you through your child’s adoption."

Holt is there to help you every step of the way, answer any questions and help assess whether or not your family is right for a particular child. Here are some of the cuties from the Korea program at Holt International!


ID: B09_227
DOB: February 8, 2006

This adorable little boy came into care shortly following his birth. He was born full term and weighed 6.6 pounds. He has a history of partial multifocal seizures and delayed development. His latest assessment from July 2009 assessed him to be at a 3 year old level. He initially was living with a foster family, but has been moved to an institution. His caregivers report that he attends school every day. He is able to count, obey his teachers commands and speak in sentences. He is toilet trained and is able to feed himself. He also receives physical therapy twice a week. He enjoys playing outside and is describe as a sociable and outgoing little boy. He is in need of a family who are open to some unknowns, are able to provide him with the medical care he needs and preferably have parented past his age.

To adopt this child, couples must submit their application to Holt before the oldest spouse reaches the age of 43. Applicants must be married at least 3 years and live in one of the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, WADC, WV, or WY. Up to 4 children in the home. * See country criteria for complete requirements.

ID: B09_140
DOB: January 6, 2009

This sweet little boy was born by C-section at 29 weeks and weighed 2.53 pounds. He currently is living with a foster family who says that he is developing well and that he is a lovely baby. He was hospitalized following his birth until March 3, 2009. During his hospital stay, he was treated for jaundice and was also on a ventilator for 16 days and in an incubator for 41 days. The birth mother did drink a half bottle of soju two times per month throughout her pregnancy and suffered from syphilis. A neurosonogram found that this little guy has mild ventriculomegaly, and his doctors are ruling out periventricular leukomalacia. He also has been treated for respiratory distress syndrome and disseminated intravascular coagulation. This child is reported to be a gentle and lovely baby who occasionally smiles in his sleep. He is in need of a family who is able to provide him with the medical care that he needs and is open to some unknowns.

To adopt this child, couples must submit their application to Holt before the oldest spouse reaches the age of 43. Applicants must be married at least 3 years and live in one of the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, WADC, WV, or WY. Up to 4 children in the home. * See country criteria for complete requirements.

ID: B09_183
DOB: December 30, 2008

This adorable little boy was born at 35 weeks and weighed 2.26 pounds. Following his birth, he was hospitalized until February 26, 2009. He has been surgically treated for a patent ductus arteriosus and has also been treated for congential syphilis. His birthmother reportedly smoked one to two cigarettes a day and drank ½ bottle of soju two to three times a week. He currently is living with a foster family. Upon his birth he was found to have intrauterine growth retardation and bronchopulmonary dysplasia. He has also had an abnormal neurosonogram. His foster parents describe him as a bright looking boy that is very sweet and cute. His July well baby check assessed him to be at a three to four month developmental level and he weighed 13.42 pounds. He is in need of a family who are open to some unknowns and able to provide him with any medical care that he may need.

To adopt this child, couples must submit their application to Holt before the oldest spouse reaches the age of 43. Applicants must be married at least 3 years and live in one of the following states: AL, AR, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, KS, KY, MN, MO, MS, MT, ND, NE, NJ, NM, OH, OK, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, WADC, WV, or WY. Up to 4 children in the home. * See country criteria for complete requirements.

If you are interested in any of these children, or know someone who is, please call 541-687-2202 and ask to speak with Erin Mower in the Waiting Child Program for further information and to find out how you can adopt one of these children! To see the rest of the Waiting Children in Korea, as well as the other countries Holt works with, click on the link below. Let's find homes for all these spectacular children!
http://www.holtinternational.org/cgi/photolisting/4.cgi

For more information about adoption in general, please visit http://www.holtinternational.org/

Hmmm...

Did I mention that my son has regressed slightly since his little sister came home?!?!?

The sleep keeps comin'!

For the first night in her own room, Zoey did great! She woke only three times, one to take a bottle, and the others were short in duration and went back to sleep quickly. We actually went into her room around 9am after waiting for her to wake up and there she was just playing in her crib! Amazing! While I know this sleeping arrangement would not have worked when she first arrived home, I am so pleased to see her confidence after three and a half months home and sleeping in her own room. We're so proud of her! And the extra sleep for us has been priceless!

And a cute story from big brother today...we were watching Pinocchio this afternoon, which I haven't seen in years. When the fairy came to turn Pinocchio into a "real boy", I asked Braedan, "Oh, wow! So now he's a real boy!" To which he replied, "No, mommy, he's still a puppet. He can't be a real boy till he can learn to be brave!" Sure enough, the next scene, the fairy told Pinocchio that he needed to be brave, etc. before he could turn into a real boy!!! Huh?!?! How did he know that? Apparently, while he was hanging out with his papa yesterday, they watched that part and after only seeing it once, understood the concept completely! :)

What was that? A full night's sleep?!?!?!

Yes, that's right! After about six weeks of waking at least five times a night, we changed up the bedtime routine a bit and it worked like a charm! I hate to jinx myself by making a big deal about one night, but hey, one full night of sleep is not something to be taken lightly around here! Zoey slept from 8:30pm to 8:00am this morning!! We were in shock and kept waking up checking on her! :) Needless to say, we felt very rested this morning and decided to go for a hike (yes, in 100 degree weather!) at a local park. And because Zoey is still contagious with her roseola rash, we just sort of hung out at home the rest of the day getting things done around here. That included moving Zoey's crib back into her room. We have noticed she sleeps better when we're not in the room, which may be a part of why she is waking so often at night. She had been sleeping in a crib in her foster parent's room in Korea, so that's what we stuck with till now. We'll see how tonight goes, but she already took a nap in her own room with great success! Hoping all the bragging in this post does not come back to bite me in the you know what!!!

On our way to Comanche Trail this morning...everyone was all smiles after a good night's sleep!


We discovered today that Braedan is just slightly too big for this stroller!!!

Nothing like a good hike with an extra 20 lbs on your back!!

And while Zoey napped, the boys went out and washed the car! What else can you do in this heat? (and apparently, the shirt Braedan is wearing has a hole under the arm!)

It all makes sense now...

I know it's hard to tell from this picture (it didn't turn out as well as I thought it had) but after the rash developed today, we figured out what was going on. And thanks to a fellow adoptive parent and friend, Kelly (you can check out her cutie on my blog list at "Life With Briar"), I realized (though my mom claims she realized it first) that Zoey has roseola. I remember reading about it on Kelly's blog that Briar had it and how she ran a fever in the days prior to the rash. So I relied on a good 'ole GOOGLE search and sure enough, it's exactly what we've had going on here. Starts with a high fever, then turns into a rash all over the trunk area and can spread to the rest of the body, which it has. It's starting to creep up to her face and arms and a little on her legs. She just has small red bumps all over. Fortunately, they don't itch and the fever is now gone, but she is highly contagious to kids three and under and will probably have the rash at least another several days. You can read all about it here: http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/commoninfections/a/roseola.htm I'm happy we at least figured it out but know it's just a waiting game till the virus works through her body and she is back to normal. She is still a little fussier than usual, but other than that, since the fever has broken, seems to be okay. So thanks Kelly, (and my mom!) and hopefully this post will help someone in the future who will now know what roseola is!!

By the way, Kelly is co-owner of briar.claire. Most of the cute bows Zoey wears are from her store! You can check it out here: http://briarclaire.etsy.com