Post Christmas Blues

I've had a "blah" day today. At first I thought it was just typical post Christmas blues, but after a lot of introspect, I realize it more specifically relates to our adoption. In all likelyhood, our daughter is already out of the womb. We were very lucky that Kaden was in already home and in our arms for his first Christmas. It makes me sad to know that we missed Cindy's.

Not knowing how long it will be until we receive our referral is driving me crazy. The long wait for Kaden's referral was hard, but at least I had a timeline. This time around, I have no idea when to expect it. Every time the phone rings, I jump. Then I look at the caller I.D. and feel a little letdown when it doesn't display "Holt International" in the I.D. line.

I think this song by Third Day puts it best. Just replace the word "China" with "Korea" and you'll see what I mean.

Twas the Night Before Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone! Here's a video of Kaden reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas". Sorry it's so dark. You can view lots more pictures and videos at DropShots. Have a great day!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

It's in the mail!

Ryan took our I-600A to the post office today. It should be on it's way to USCIS this afternoon. That's one step down in the process to our daughter!

We have a "countdown to Christmas" in our dining room. I couldn't believe it when I looked at it today and it said there's just 9 days left. I'm never going to make it. It came way too quickly this year. When it comes to busyness, when it rains, it pours. We've been constantly on the go lately. The Christmas cards and gifts that need to be sent probably won't make it until the new year. I don't even know if I'll have Kaden's gifts ready in time. Maybe I'll just pull a few all-nighters!

Anyway, Kaden is excited for Christmas and made up his own little song a little while ago. He was going around the house singing, "9 days 'til Christmas, 9 days 'til Christmas!" So, he is ready even if I'm not! He also has been amazing me lately with his memorization skills. He literally has almost the entire poem "Twas the Night Before Christmas" memorized. He can go quite a ways before getting stuck. After that, if you just say the first few words of the next phrase, he can pick it right back up. It's amazing! I wish he would let me record him. He's all of a sudden "camera shy" again after his singing debut.

Before I sign off, I do have a prayer request. I can't say much about the situation that needs prayer at this point, but we would really appreciate all the prayer support we can get. Please pray for God's guidance, discernment, and peace in the outcome. Thanks!

Adoption Update!

It finally came! We got our copies of the homestudy in the mail yesterday. This means the main agency should receive it and put us on the "official" waiting for referral list by the end of this week or early next week. Hurray! That's the best Christmas gift I could ask for.

Now I just need to fill out the I-600A form, gather together the necessary accompanying documents, write a ridiculously large check, and mail it all to USCIS in Kansas City. In a few weeks we'll be fingerprinted in Wichita for FBI background checks. Once we have our I-600A approval, there's nothing left to do but wait to be matched with our baby girl! How long will that be? There's no telling. The current wait for a healthy baby is 1 year, but since we are doing the Waiting Child program, it could be anywhere from a couple of weeks up to the full year of waiting.

On the homefront, Kaden has been entertaining everyone lately with his singing. I knew he'd love Christmas music, and I was right! He's been a huge hit on the Holt Web Forum and I have added him to YouTube, so he may become quite the little star. But, our little "star" has had a major attitude lately. I don't know whether he's hitting the Terrible Twos late or the Terrible Threes early, but our normally sweet son has been replaced with a monster.

Anyway, you can watch videos of him singing on YouTube or DropShots. He's also slowly learning the words to Frosty the Snowman. I haven't been able to get him too interested in any other songs. Those 3 seem to be it. But, he does love to have us read him "The Night Before Christmas" and actually has quite a bit of it memorized already!

Since money is a bit tight this year, I probably won't be sending out as many Christmas cards as I usually do. So, if you don't get a card from us, don't take it personally. It's not that we didn't think of you, we're just in the process of adopting! So, here are two digital cards I have created using "Fresh Snow" by Randi Oh Designs and Sweet Digiscraps. It's available at Gotta Pixel and A Cherry On Top.

The Highs & Lows of our Mini-Vacation!

My good friend and college roomie, LaDonna, got married this past weekend. She lives in Springfield, MO so we decided to make a weekend out of attending her wedding and then spending a few days at Silver Dollar City.

It was quite the eventful trip! Rather than trying to tell all the stories in detail, I think I'll just list the highs and lows in chronological order as a bulleted list.

• Low - Kaden's poop explosion on the trip out, resulting in messes all over the van and his car seat, going through an entire pack of wipes, and the loss of his snow pants which had to just be thrown away.
• High - Visiting with Ryan & Sam Cannon and their kids and the fact that they were gracious enough to let Kaden take a bath at their house to get rid of the poop smell!
• High - LaDonna & David's beautiful wedding and getting to visit with Elkie, Sam, Anne, and LaKeisha. It was great to reconnect.
• Low - Kaden vomitting on the trip from Springfield to Branson.
• Low - Having to wait in a line for over 30 minutes just to get into Silver Dollar City.
• High - Kaden entertaining the waiting crowd by singing "Jingle Bells" at the top of his lungs and being told he is the best show in Branson!
• High - The amazing 5-story Christmas tree light show, light parade, Geyser Gulch ball pit, and Frosty the Snowman show at Silver Dollar City.
• High - Being very impressed that at the Frosty the Snowman show, they present the GOSPEL story to everyone present. Way to go SDC!
• Low - Branson traffic on the way to our hotel and again the next morning. It really stinks to only go 1.5 miles in 1.5 hours!
• Low - Kaden being 1/4 inch too short to ride the swings and elephant ride and him calling out to the ride operator, "But what about me?"
• High - Kaden enjoying the 3 rides he was tall enough to ride, the Living Nativity pageant, the train ride (which once again presented the Gospel!), meeting Santa, riding the Flooded Mine ride two times because Kaden loved it, and much less crowded SDC on day two!
• Low - Kaden's shoe falling in the water in the Flooded Mine. It was recovered, but unwearable the rest of the night.
• High - Stopping to see Tisha & Noah on our way home Monday.

So, that's our trip in a nutshell! There are tons of pictures and video clips to see on DropShots. I recorded the big Christmas tree and Kaden wandering around the stage at the Frosty show. Here are a few of my favorite pictures:

David & LaDonna Fraley

Tricia, Elkie, LaDonna, Sam, Keisha, & Anne

Kaden pointing with fascination at the 5-story tree

Kaden enjoying the ball launcher at Geyser Gulch

Kaden standing front & center at the Frosty the Snowman show

Kaden riding the ladybugs

Kaden and Santa

Family self-portrait on the train ride

Kaden & Noah - Look back at this post to see how they've grown in 14 months!

Adoption Update - Well, sorta!

Sigh. I know God's timing is perfect, but I sure am getting anxious about our adoption. The social worker assures me she will have our homestudy ready to send to Holt by the end of the week. I sure hope so. Until we are officially on their "list" we are not eligible to be matched with any of the waiting children that become available. They get a new batch of referrals at the beginning of each month. So, I always wonder if we have "missed out" on a perfect match because we aren't on the list yet.

I also worry because I've been hearing more and more reports of decreased referrals from South Korea. Wait times are increasing to about 2 years for the regular program. So, I have a feeling that the waiting child program will receive more applications as people attempt to shorten their wait, therby actually lengthening it for all of us already in the program! Also, South Korea has announced they will be closing all international adoptions in 2012. So, this is our last chance to get a sibling for Kaden from his same birth country. It could, in all likelyhood, take the entire 3 years for us to get our referral.

But, if that's what it takes, then that's what it takes. I used to say that I wanted my children to be 4 years apart in age anyway. So, I shouldn't be worrying about it! But, I would appreciate prayers that everything will go smoothly from here on out and that I won't be obsessed with the long wait each and every day. I need to be enjoying my time with Kaden and enjoying the here and now as opposed to wishing for the future to be here.

Thanks for letting me rant!

Long Day!

We went to the "big city" today. As usual, we tried to make the best of it by fitting as much into one day as possible. We started off with getting Christmas photos taken at Portrait Innovations. I took the very first appointment of the day so we could get in and out and get more accomplished. But, that meant that we had to leave home at 6:30 a.m. and since I didn't sleep well last night, it made for a long day. It also means that I don't think I did a very good job choosing our portrait packages from the 53 photos available. You can see all the photos at our DropShots site (if you don't know the password, contact me!). But, here are the ones we ultimately ended up printing:

After photos, we went to Target to buy a new camera. Unfortunately, our faithful little Kodak Easyshare 3.1 has bit the dust. Awhile back, Kaden got ahold of it and dropped it. The zoom button fell off. We kept trying to put it back on, but it ultimately got lost and is gone for good. So, no zooming. Then, the rechargable battery has not been working. The camera works for maybe 5 mintues at a time. Worst of all, it somtimes won't even turn on at all. We have to click back and forth between the on and off buttons and pray it will work. So, it was time for a new camera.

After camera shopping (see the results of our purchase later) we met with a friend at a great Asian restaurant called Pei Wei. It was so, so yummy! I hope we eat there again sometime soon. Then Kaden was ready for a nap, so we parked outside the mall and Ryan and I took turns going inside to just look around. After Kaden's nap, we headed to my doctor's appointment. The good news is, the doctor and I think we can put off my hysterectomy for awhile. The bad news is, it is still inevitable and will definitely need to happen. So, I am just praying for God's timing and that my pain levels will continue to remain low thanks to my new diet. It has to stay a permanent lifestyle change and not just temporary in order to keep working!

After the appointment, we hit the zoo. I love having a memebership. It paid for itself after just two visits. We have been there at least 10 times this year, so it's well worth the money. We had a great time and it was a beautiful day for walking around the zoo. We also got some great shots with the new camera. Going from a 3.1 megapixel camera to a 10.1 is quite a change!

All's well now!

I had a bit of a scare this weekend. I started to go "numb" in my arms, hands, feet, and legs. They kept falling asleep and even after they would "wake up", I'd still feel like a cold liquid was running through my veins. I was extra tired, dizzy, and had to be careful when I'd stand up. One time I got up too fast and Ryan had to catch me before I landed on the floor.

So, I went to the doctor this morning. Well, I got the riot act! It was the "Never start an extreme diet without first consulting your doctor" speech. It turns out that by cutting out all sugar, including natural ones, and cutting out yeast products, I wasn't getting any carbs at all. So, I have made myself hypoglycemic and my body is retaliating. We don't have the results of the blood tests yet, but at this point she is figuring that by allowing good carbs and natural sugars back into my diet in moderation, I will not have to be medicated and should be able to maintain my weight (I've lost over 20 pounds now since mid-July). Anyway, I am glad that Ryan forced me to go to the doctor. She said it could have gotten much worse had I continued on this way. So, lesson learned. If you start a diet, consult your doctor!

In other news, it's been 1 month today since our homestudy. Our social worker has had several delays because her mother has been in and out of the hospital. She e-mailed me today that she will be making the final changes to the report this week and will have it to Holt by the weekend. Let's just pray that Holt accepts it quickly and without any changes so that we can get the official copies and move on to the immigration paperwork!

Big boy bed!

We've been wondering how/when to get Kaden out of his crib and into a toddler bed. He never once has ever, ever tried to climb out of his crib. He's always been perfectly content in it and didn't seem too interested when we'd suggest a "big boy bed".

Well, yesterday after lunch I let him watch cartoons for awhile and he made himself a cozy little bed out of our ottomon. When the show was over I told him it was time to go upstairs for his nap. He asked if he could take his nap there on the ottomon. I figured, "This won't work." I told him he could but that if he got up and didn't go to sleep, I'd put him in his crib.

Much to my amazement, he never moved off the ottomon! He was in the family room, surrounded by toys, and just laid there until he fell asleep. I was so surprised that I told Ryan about it when he got home, and we agreed to go ahead and convert his crib to a toddler bed to see what would happen.

The first night, he slept clear through the night with no problems. He never got out of the bed before falling asleep, and he didn't even get out after he woke up in the morning. He waited for Ryan to come get him! The second night, he also did well, but did fall out of the bed. We need to buy a bumper guard. So, all in all, our fears about Kaden waking up and climbing out of bed several times a night seem to be unwarranted. He's done great!

Here's a picture of him all excited to be in his "big boy bed". He is very proud of it. He was pretending to be asleep, but was still smiling for the picture!



I taught a class on Digital Scrapbooking last night. I didn't have a lot of students, but those that came said they learned a lot. It was so fun to have my laptop hooked up to the big screen T.V. I think I could get use to that! I plugged the big screen monitor into the laptop, then used a wireless mouse & keyboard. I think it would be a great set-up to have at home. We'd have a big screen T.V. and I could use it to scrap with while sitting on the couch. Being able to see all my photos and elements that large was so fun! But, there is definitely no big screen T.V. in our future. :(


Have you heard the saying, "No news is good news"? I don't think that applies to adoption. I have not heard back from the social worker since she sent us the homestudy to proofread. I am hoping she fixed the few minor errors and got it sent to the main office for approval. But, I don't know. It's hard sometimes to just let God be in control of the adoption process. I often want to grab the reins!

I can't do math!

In my last post, I said that our adoption fundrasier was now up to $2,200. It's actually $1,700. I counted $500 of the donation twice. I think I need to go back to college! Anyway, that's still an excellent amount and we are so appreciative of our wonderful church body.

Speaking of church, we had a really fun event yesterday. We gathered as a community in the park for a wonderful pork roast picnic. Kaden's favorite part of the festivities was the giant inflatable slide. He went down with a few of the local college guys first and then with Ryan. Eventually, he wanted to go by himself. He's such a little daredevil!




We got a rough draft of our homestudy today. Our social worker's mom is not doing well and has been in and out of the hosptial. So, she's not sure when she'll be able to get it edited and sent to the main Holt office, but hopefully it won't be too much longer. Once they approve it, we will receive an official, notarized copy to send on to immigration. We'll have to be fingerprinted through the FBI to receive federal clearance. Then all that is left to do is to wait for a referral and try to save up as much money as possible for the invoice that accompanies it!

God is so good!

Sometimes God just knocks your socks off! Today we got a check from our church treasurer. We had received a few checks in our fundraiser bottles last week that were made out to the church, not us. So, she took them and then wrote one check to us. Added together, the checks totaled $500, half of the total amount we raised.

Well, when we opened the envelope and saw the check we about fell over. Apparently a few more checks trickled in for the fundraiser. With the addition of these new donations, our new total is......get ready for it......drumroll please.......

$2,200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am shock. Thank you so much everyone. I was so excited to have enough money to pay the USCIS fee. Now we also actually have a "nest egg" started toward the BIG fee that will come at the time of our baby's referral. It's great to know that we are another $1,000 closer toward being able to pay that huge invoice without taking out a ridiculously large loan. God knows what we can and can't handle and God is GOOD!

In the name of Jesus!

A few months ago, Kaden started waking up several times at night because he'd had a bad dream. We taught him that when he was scared, he could call on Jesus to make the scary things go away. It definitely helped, because we'd hear him call out to Jesus in the middle of the night, and then he'd go right back to sleep.

Lately, Kaden has been "scared" of everything. I don't know if it's because of the Halloween season or what, but he's become quite the scaredy cat. He also uses it as a convenient excuse. If we need to go change his diaper he says, "We can't go upstairs to change my diaper. There are monsters in my closet." If I ask him to go get his shoes so we can go somehwere, "I can't get them by myself. I'm too scared."

Well, the other day we were at my parent's house. My mom asked Kaden to go into their office to get something. Kaden replied, "I can't. There's an alligator in the office. I'm scared of alligators." Here's how the rest of the conversation went:

T: There is no alligator in the office Kaden.
K: Yes, there is.
T: No, there's not. Now get in there.
K: But, I'm scared.

At this point, I started to tell mom about how he's scared of everything these days. While talking, I saw him inching closer and closer to the closet door. Then all of a sudden, he put his hand out in front of him and said in his most evangelistic voice:

"In the name of JESUS alligator!"

Then he walked right into the office. It was sooooooooo funny!

This past week was a lot of fun because Ryan's parents were here from Indiana. Kaden had a great time with Mam Maw and Pap Paw. He was very sad when it was time for them to leave and told them he wanted to go to Farmland too! I think we convinced him that he should stay here with Mommy & Daddy. But, we promised him that we are going to go to Indiana after his birthday sometime in May.

So, later that day, after they had left, Kaden and I had the following conversation.

K: I'm 3
T: No, you're 2
K: I'm 3
T: Kaden, you're 2. You haven't had your birthday yet.
K: But I want to be 3 so we can go to Indiana.

How he put all that together himself is beyond me! I am constantly amazed at my little guy's intelligence.

Harvest Farms & Adoption Update

Saturday we took Kaden to Harvest Farms to pick a pumpkin. It was so much fun! They had a great play area, a petting zoo, a hayride, and lots of other fun activites. Of course, there was pumpkin picking as well. Here is a scrapbook page of the festivities. I'm blaming Ye-In for the top photo! He had just taken his other hand down off his face when I snapped the shot.



After the pumpkin patch, we went out to eat to celebrate Ryan's 32nd birthday. He is now as old as me! Sometimes I really hate being the "older" woman. I had to turn 30 first, will turn 40 first, will turn 50 first, etc.!

In adoption news, we haven't heard anything yet since our last update. I am really hoping that our social worker was able to get our homestudy typed up this past weekend as planned. If she did, then she should be calling or e-mailing soon to let us know that it's done. Then she will fax it to us to proofread. Once that is done, it must be approved by the main agency office. Once it's approved, she will make the official signed, stamped copies and we will be "officially" waiting!

After we receive our official signed, stamped copy of the homestudy, we submit it along with a form called the I-600A, official copies of our birth certificates and marriage liscence, and a hefty to check to the immigration department. We already paid out twice as much for the homestudy itself. So, we decided to do a fundraiser through our church to raise the money for the immigration paperwork fee and to recoup the cost of the homestudy.

We handed out baby bottles and prayer cards two weeks ago and asked everyone to fill them up with change and return them in two weeks, which was yesterday. During Kaden's afternoon nap, Ryan counted and sorted all the change. There was over $200 just in coins! When you add in the checks and cash that were received as well, the grand total came to $918!!! Do we have an awesome church body, or what? Since the immigration fee is $965, this is perfect. We can't thank everyone enough for their support.

When Kaden woke up, came downstairs, and saw all the money laying on our coffee table, his eyes got really big and he said, "Whoa. Is that money for me? I'm gonna need a bigger piggy bank!" Ryan did his best to explain that the money was not for him and what it was going to be used toward. So then Kaden said, "Oh. It's my sister's money." He understands much more than we give him credit for sometimes.

Catch the Blog Train!

We're having a great party over at All Things Visual. Come join the fun! There's games, challenges, freebies, prizes, and a chance to win a $20 gift certificate. Plus, check out Kelley's new products including hybrid albums. Ride our blog train and collect enough quickpages to fill a Maya Road 5-ring album. You can snag my contributions (pictured below) by clicking HERE. Then go on to Lynette's blog to pick up two more great pages and the next blog link!


Speaking of hybrid Maya Road albums, I recently completed one! I took all of the layouts I have created using Kelley's products and resized them to fit onto these cute cards. I decorated the box using "Cowgirl's Dream". I'm really happy with how it turned out. To see the full-size versions of each of the layouts, just go to my gallery. The card box and cards are available HERE.

Join the Party!

Yours truly is hosting a template challenge on Saturday, October 18 at 1:00 p.m. in the All Things Visual party forum. One lucky winner will receive a $5 gift certificate to the store!

Also, check back here on Friday. We are having a blog train and will be giving pieces to complete a full 5-ring tab album by Maya Road. Kelley now has these available at All Things Visual. You can see the album here. You don't want to miss the beautiful quickpages we've created for it!

Quick Update

It turns out we don't need the Indiana background check after all. Yay! The State of Kansas only requires that you go back 5 years and Ryan has lived here for 11 now, so no problem.

Also, I have updated the subscription section of my blog. Apparently the one I was using before went out of business. So, to subscribe, simply enter your e-mail in the field to the right. Then you can have my blog entries sent directly to your e-mail, and you don't have to remember to check the blog. It's much easier to keep up that way. I subscribe to several blogs and would be lost without FeedBlitz!

We had our homestudy today!

We had our homestudy visit today. It went really well, but we found out that we need to have another background check done for Ryan. Because of the Adam Walsh act, you have to have clearance from every state you have lived in since age 18 in order to adopt. We didn't know this before, so now I'm going crazy trying to figure out how to get the appropriate forms. Those of you in Indiana, I'd appreciate your help in acquring these!

Anyway, once the background check has cleared, our social worker will type up the homestudy report and fax it to us to proofread. She'll then make any necessary corrections and send it to the main Holt office. They will approve it or ask her to make changes. Once it's approved, she will make 6 official, notarized copies and send them back to the main office. Then we'll get a copy to submit with our USCIS paperwork and we will OFFICIALLY be on the waiting list for our little girl! Yeah!

We are doing a fundraiser through our church to help offset the cost of the homestudy and USCIS fees. We have also asked for prayer for patience, provision, perfect timing, paperwork, and peace. Right now, paperwork is the really big one!

Here's a picture of our family taken today. I can't wait until there is a 4th member!

It's a Boy!

My sister delivered a beautiful baby boy today.  He was born at 4:48 p.m. and weighed 8 lbs., 14 oz. and was 20 1/2 inches long.  Emily had been scheduled to be induced this morning, but went into labor on her own while getting ready to go to the hospital!  She was in labor for 10 hours before the doctor ultimately ended up taking Isaiah via C-section.  Emily had invited me to witness the birth, so I was disappointed to miss out that experience, but just wanted what was best for my sister and nephew.  Her labor never progressed to where it needed to go, even after receiving patonin (sp?), and with Isaiah's size, the doctor felt a C-section was in Emily's best interest.

Here are some pictures of the big day.  It is now way past time for me to be in bed!

Is it really October?

Where did September go? Man time seems to be flying by these days. Ryan is busy harvesting, but should be done this week. Yeah! Before we know it, he'll be full time with the phone company. We are looking forward to having him home in the evenings.

This past weekend, we went to a picnic for families who have adopted through Holt International. It was so fun to connect with other adoptive families. Kaden had a great time. He still doesn't do very well playing with other kids. He prefers to be with adults. But, he did pretty well about waiting his turn, not pushing and shoving, etc. so I think we are headed in the right direction. They had a really fun playground at the picnic and he didn't want to leave.



I was able to speak with our social worker at the picnic. She will be coming to do our homestudy either October 11 or 12. Hurray! I am so glad to finally have this scheduled. Now I just need to work, work, work on getting the house ready.

I went to the sack sales today to get some great deals on new clothes. I was able to fill two sacks full and pay only $10 for a bunch of clothing for myself, Kaden, and our future daughter. They never have much in the men's department, so Ryan missed out! But, I was in desperate need of some clothing that actually fits since I lost 15 pounds since July 15. I am planning on losing even more (need to start exercising now and not just dieting), so I didn't want to spend a lot of money on clothing that will, hopefully, not fit in a few months. That's why I love sack sales!

Tractors and Toilet Paper

Kaden got to ride in the tractor with Daddy today. He loves to do that and once Ryan begins full-time at the phone company he won't get as many chances. So, I plan to let him ride with Ryan as much as he wants during the upcoming harvest!

As we were in the van and leaving town to go out to the farm, I noticed something blowing in the wind down the street near my parents' house. So, we drove past there to investigate. It turns out they were TP'd! Since we live in a college town and Dad works there, this happens at least once a year.

So, I parked the car and pointed it out to Kaden. Then we had the following conversation:

Me: "Kaden, what's that in Grandpa & Grandma's trees?"
K: "I don't know."
Me: "It's toilet paper."
K: "Ewwww.......that's nasty! Toilet paper goes in the potty, not trees!"

In his cute toddler voice, it sounded more like, "Ewwww.....dat's naseee! Toewet papuh goez in da poddy, nawht twees!"

Most kids would say "gross" or "icky". But, I do tend to use the word "nasty" quite often and so does Ryan, so I know Kaden picked it up from us. He has quite the vocabulary!

More Kaden Funnies

Kaden has picked up on some things from Ryan. They, luckily, are good things and a credit to his character. Ryan is always very complimentary of me and often tells me how nice I look or how much he likes what I am wearing. So, every morning now Kaden compliments me on my appearance.

Now here's the funny part! Kaden is too young yet to know what is appropriate to comment on and what is not! Here's what he had to say today as I was getting dressed:

"Mommy, I like your green bra. It's very pretty."
(Yes, I have a green bra.)

And as we put clothes in the dryer later today:

"Is this your yellow underwear Mommy? I like it a lot!"
Then he proceeded to put it on his head and shout "Underwear, underwear, underwear!"

Oh my! He does compliment me on my outwear as well, so that's a relief. He's also picked up on other things from Ryan too. Ryan rarely calls me by my name. He usually refers to me as "Hon", "Babe", or "Funny Bunny". So, I'll give you three guesses what Kaden's been calling me lately!

"Can I have a snack hon?"
"Thanks for getting my teddy bear babe."
"Funny Bunny! Funny Bunny! I need my sippy cup."

Usually when he does this I just look around as if trying to find another person in the room and then ask, "Who are you talking to?" Then he smiles and says, "Mommy! I mean Mommy!"

Finally, he has listened in on enough of our conversations to have figured out that we have other names that other people call us. The other day Ryan and I were having a conversation and apparently Kaden didn't feel we were giving him enough attention. He yelled at us, "Hey! Ryan and Tricia!"

We have quite the precocious 2-year-old!

Our part's done!

We received our homestudy packet yesterday. Since we've done this before, I knew exactly what would be in it and had prepared as much ahead of time as I could. So, this morning, I sent it all back to her. That means everything we can do to be ready for the homestudy has been done (paperwork wise). Now we'll just be waiting on our references to get in and the KBI & SRS background checks. Once those have been received they will invoice us and schedule a date for the homestudy. I really hope it can be done soon. I hate waiting!

But, while we wait, we have a lot of housework to do. They don't like to see any peeling paint or any type of remodeling at all. We have to have a "safe" environment for the children. So, since our house is very old, we have a lot of work to do to get it up to snuff. It's amazing how much it has deteriorated just in the past 3 years since Kaden's homestudy. There was no peeling paint back then.

Anyway, things are progressing. The case worker has recommended that we go ahead and put in our waiting child application too. I was going to wait until our homestudy was complete, but she said the wait list is long enough that it would be better to get on now. The chances of us getting a referral before the homestudy is complete is very unlikely. So, we might as well have our names in the queue so that when it is ready, so are we!

I think we are going to be launching a fundraiser soon. The homestudy fee and I-600A fee (which is filed with the homestudy) have both gone up significantly since Kaden's process. It will be $3,000 total. So, we are going to distribute baby bottles at church and ask people to fill it up with change for us. Every little bit will help. I'm trying not to freak out ahead of time about the $20,000 bill that we'll get with the referral. God will figure it all out, but it sure is daunting.

Adoption Update

Well, it's been 2 weeks now since we submitted our application for baby #2. Time is already going quickly! We still haven't received our homestudy packet, but there was a message on our answering machine earlier from the case worker. So, I'm guessing she was calling to let us know it's on the way.

We missed her call because we had full morning. We left home at 7:45 and drove to the police station where we were fingerprinted. After that, I had a doctor's appointment while Ryan had a dentist appointment. Then we switched and I went to the dentist while he went to the doctor. Finally, be both had HIV and tuberculosis tests. So, at least we got several steps of the homestudy done and out of the way without even having the packet yet!

When we do receive the packet we will be faced with a mountain of paperwork. The fingerprint cards will need to be sent to the KBI along with payment to have background checks run. We will also have to send a form to SRS with payment to be cleared with them as well. Then there's the ever-so-fun 16 page questionarie full of personal questions to complete. Add to that a full financial worksheet/statement, employment verifications, certified copies of birth and marriage certificates, and you pretty much have our entire life on paper! After Holt receives all of this plus our medical reports from today and our personal references, we will be able to proceed with the actual homestudy. Oh, and don't forget the payment for that! They won't schedule the homestudy until that hefty check has been sent.

We would appreciate your prayers as we continue to jump over the hurdles that are adoption. If the above list sounded bad, wait until you hear about the I-600A, I-600, FBI fingerprinting/background checks, I-864, etc., etc. When we do finally get a referral and accept, we have about 16 documents that have to be signed and notarized in QUADRUPLICATE!!!

But, all the hoops are worth it. We are very excited to be on this journey for a second time. Kaden is such a blessing and we know God has big things in store for us with baby #2. I saw a T-Shirt the online that I would like to save up to buy (it's $29.50 which is a bit pricey to me). But, I love what it says:

WARNING!

I am in love with a child I haven't met yet.

I am in the process of adoption.

I am subject to cry at any moment.

Please bear with me until my referral comes.

EDIT: The case worker just called back. She is going to send me everything she can electronically so we can get the ball rolling. The added benefit to this method is that I can just fill everything in on the computer and e-mail the documents back. It saves postage! The other great news is that we don't have to do the full 16-page questionnaire again. She said to simply update any information that needs updated and leave the rest blank. They asked a lot of questions about our childhood, how we met, etc. Since all that information stays the same, we don't have to fill it all out again. Hooray!

Gotcha Day #2

Can you believe Kaden has been home for 2 years already?  I'll never forget that monumental day 2 years ago.  I was so excited and nervous about meeting my baby boy for the first time.  I could have never imagined the joy and happiness that lay ahead for me!

We had a great time celebrating with Kaden.  We took him to the zoo and then let him choose where we ate lunch.  Of course, he chose McDonald's!  Then we did some shopping and met my parents for dinner.  Kaden got presents and got to eat pizza.  I think he'd agree it was a great day!

We also told Kaden his Gotcha Day story.  He grinned ear to ear as we told him how excited we were to meet him and how it was the best day of our lives.  He is very proud of his story and I hope he always will be.  We love you sweet boy!

Here's some pictures of our special day:

From the mouths of babes......

Today Kaden and I cleaned up his play room.  It was so cluttered, no "playing" could actually occur because there was no floor space!  Anyway, once it was cleaned up he was delighted to realize he could now use his Sit 'N Spin because he had plenty of room. 

He was spinning along, having a great 'ole time, and then asked me if I'd like to try it.  I told him it was very nice of him to offer but that my booty was too big.  He got up, came over to me, and said, "Let me see."  He then stared at my rear for awhile and exclaimed, "Yep.  It's big alright!"

What's in a nickname?

I'm not even sure how it happened, but when Ryan and I started dating, we began to refer to each other as Funny Bunny (me) and Silly Goose (him).  When Kaden came home, we called him many different nicknames.  He was Wiggle Worm, Cranky Pants, Smiley Boy, Pumpkin Head, and many others. Nothing seemed to "stick" until we came across Buddy Bear.  Now he'll even tell you that he's Buddy Bear!

So, all of our nicknames are animals.  The other day, we were trying our hardest to come up with a nickname for our next child.  We couldn't seem to come up with anything, at least not animal related.  But today, the inspiration came!  Ryan said, "You'd better write the story of how this name came about now before you forget it."  So here I am, blogging the story.

Kaden and Ryan were playing a game.  Kaden would cover himself up in his blanket and then Ryan would say, "I wonder what's under that blanket?  Is it a cow?"  Kaden would respond by making the sound of the animal just mentioned.  Then Ryan would run through a list of types of that animal.  "Is it a Jersey cow?  Is it an Angus?  No! (he lifts the blanket) It's a Kaden cow!"  Then they'd both giggled and the game would begin again.

Well, as Ryan was listing different types of sheep, he said, "Is it a little lamb?"  For some reason, that just struck me!  It was like a light bulb came on over my head.  Little lamb!  That's it!  That's our little girl's nickname.

So, Little Lamb, Mommy, Daddy, & Brother are excited to be starting the journey to you!

It's Official!

I submitted our online application with Holt International this morning. They will send us an adoption agreement that must be signed and notarized and then we should recieve our approval and homestudy packet! My goal is to have our homestudy completed and sent to Korea by the end of the year. Then we will officially apply with the Waiting Child program to request a girl. After that, it's anybody's guess. We could get a referral within a few weeks, or it could take over a year. But, hopefully by the end of 2009 we will have a daughter!

Kaden's 2 year-old pictures

Although they're 3 months late, we finally got around to having Kaden's 2-year-old portraits taken. We tried JC Penney's this time around because Portrait Innovations is closed on Mondays and we were trying to fit a photo shoot in with a doctor's appointment, so the day wasn't movable.

At PI, they taken about 60 photos for you to choose from. JCP only took a total of 17! But, all 17 turned out really great. Kaden was a perfect angel for the session. The photographer said she was the best 2-year-old she'd ever had. He followed every single one of her directions and even posed himself for several shots!

But, unlike PI, JCP is not very affordable. So, I was only able to get the advertised portrait package and could only choose one photo. Since I was going for "look who's 2", I chose the best one of him with the present and #2 cake. I really liked the one of him with his elbow on his knee too. It was so hard to decide.

Another disappointing thing about JCP is that the online viewing for the pictures is very, very small. It's really hard to see the pictures and you can't enlarge them at all. Plus, you have to enter your full name to get into the site. That's not exactly something I want to post here on the internet for the world to see. So, rather than giving you the link to the site, I have created a collage out of my favorites of the 17 poses. Sorry they are so small!

In regards to my last post, nothing definitive has been decided. I'm just holding on for now. After Ryan is full-time at the telephone company and we've had a chance to figure out the new insurance, we will re-evaluate. I have another appointment with the doctor on Nov. 9. Hopefully she can answer a lot of my questions about the hysterectomy at that time. I'm also hoping that the new insurance will cover a visit to a endometriosis specialist in Nebraska. I guess only time will tell.

Major Life Changes Ahead

I am 32. At least, I think I am. Anymore, it's hard to tell. I feel like an old, old woman. I have some major decisions to make that I don't think anyone at my age should have to face.

What am I talking about? The big "H" word. Hysterectomy. My endometriosis has been getting very, very bad again. I had laproscopic surgery 4 years ago and the pain subsided for awhile. The doctor is now tellingme that doing another lap would be a waste of money, my time, and her time. So, here are my options:

• Do Nothing. Keep living with the pain for now. Revisit options 2 & 3 at a later date.
• Take Lupron. This is a highly controversial drug that would throw me into early menopause. While it would help the pain, it has many negative side effects and is still just a temporary fix.
• Hysterectomy. This would stop the endometriosis and could possibly help the IC as well. But, I would have to take measures to prevent premature aging, loss of bone density, and to maintain hormonal balance. There's also a higher risk of cancer and heart disease and if I do take HRT, the endo on my intestines will still grow. Plus, it takes away any hope of ever having a biological child. I don't really have any false hopes of ever conceiving, but it is a loss I'll have to grieve.

After doing a lot of research on Lupron and talking to people who have taken it, I think I would honestly just rather do the hyst and get it over with. So then the biggest issue is timing. If I were to have it done now, before October 1, the surgery would be free. We've already met our deductible for this year because of Ryan's broken hand. But, the timing is bad. I am teaching a class and would not be able to miss several weeks in a row. Ryan will be in harvest in September and then he starts a new job. Mom is saving her days off for when my sister's baby is born. So while we could probably find people to care for Kaden, who would take care of me? Or, should I wait and keep muddling through until I'm 40 and then not worry about HRT?

I am overwhelmed by this all and would really appreciate prayer. I want to have God's peace and a clear sense of discernment regarding this decision. I want to be sure that whatever course I choose, I will have no regrets and will be able to see that God's hand led me to that decision. Right now, everything is very unclear. I feel as though I am in a dark, locked room and am groping for the light switch.

On Friday, Ryan and I will have been married 10 years. Can you believe it? When I look back on my wedding day, I realize that I could have never imagined the road that life would take us on. As a idealistic bride, it never occurred to me that I wouldn't be able to have a baby or that I would be facing a huge life changing decision like this one at age 32. I am very glad that infertility led us to Kaden, but the medical side of it has become more than I can bear.

So, please pray, pray, pray!

Exciting News!

I've lost 10 lbs.!!!! Yeah!!!! My pants are literally starting to fall off of me and I couldn't be happier. I just started this diet, actually more of a lifestyle change, just 3 weeks ago. Seeing the change in how my clothing fits has definitely motivated me to keep it up. I know that the first 10 lbs. are always the easiest to lose and then it gets harder from there. I'd ideally like to lose another 20, so I've got a ways to go.

More Kaden Funnies

Kaden is talking more and more these days and starting to get really good at formulating sentences and complete thoughts. But, the English language can still be a bit confusing at times. Here's a couple of examples!

We were having a discussion one morning and he told me something that I knew could not possibly be true. So I asked him, "Are you lyin' to me?" His response: "Roar"! I guess I just have to ask him if he's telling me the truth next time and leave the King of the Jungle out of it!

A couple of days ago Kaden couldn't find a toy he was looking for. He told me he didn't know where it was and I told him I didn't know either. He looked at me funny and asked, "Eyeore?" I guess he wondered what Pooh's donkey friend had to do with it! How exactly do you explain the word "either" to a 2-year-old?

He has me laughing a lot these days. I know there's been other funnies this past week, but I think my brain is fried or something. I can't remember what I did 2 hours ago, let alone remember all the things Kaden has said. I need to keep a notepad with me at all times so I can jot these things down as they happen!

Bad Blogger

I can't seem to keep up with my blog anymore. But, I'm excited to announce that I have lost 6 lbs. since my last post! Apparently the diet is working for both health and weight. Seeing the numbers on the scale gave me the encouragement I needed to keep going strong. No sugar for me!

It's amazing to me how observant Kaden is. He picks up on things a little too well sometimes. Today we were playing with his "Rescue Heroes" (a set of wooden figurines). I was playing the part of the stuffed bunny rabbit who was asking the Rescue Heroes about their jobs. Kaden was having fun and I thought it was a good way to teach him about different jobs. For example, I had the bunny ask the Fireman, "How do you put out fires?" Kaden didn't know at first, but after playing this scenario several times, he knew to answer, "I put water on it!"

So, we were playing with each of the Rescue Heroes and finally got to the Policman. I had the bunny say, "Thank Mr. Policeman for keeping us safe. I'm glad you put the bad guys who are naughty in jail so they can get better." Kaden then put down the policman and said, "Yeah. Uncle Tim is naughty. He's in jail, but he can get out when he decides to be good again." We really haven't talked directly to Kaden about this situation. I thought that he just knew that Uncle Tim went "bye, bye". He definitely listens to everything we say, even when we are not talking to him, and analyzes it all. So, if you have a toddler, beware! Little ears are listening!

Not much to post

There isn't too much going on around here. I've started a new diet. It's more of a "get healthy" diet as opposed to a "lose weight" diet, but I'm hopeful that it will actually do both. I am cutting out sugar entirely. I did this once before about 6 years ago and actually lost 30 lbs. and felt great, but eventually my willpower collapsed (it's not a temporary diet, but a total lifestyle change) and I started adding sugar back in. So, now I've gained all that back plus some.

It's going to be even harder this time around. When I was on the diet before, I could at least indulge in sugar free snacks. Sugar free jello, pudding, etc. really don't taste too bad. But, thanks to my interstitial cystitis, I can no longer have anything that contains aspartame. Well, I can, if I want my bladder to feel like it's on fire and have to go to the bathroom every 15 minutes! So, in order to protect my sanity, I can't have anything sugar free either.

Where does that leave me? I'm pretty much eating meats and vegetables. I think I'll need to start taking a calcium pill, because I can't drink milk anymore (lactose is a sugar) and soy milk is on the IC no-no list. Maybe I'll try rice milk. Anyone know if that's decent?

Anyway, enough about my depressing new eating habits. In other news, I am filling in as the church secretary this week. I've really been enjoying it. As much as I love and adore Kaden, I've really enjoyed spending my mornings around adults and doing work that doesn't involve putting accessories on potato heads. Kaden's been loving his break from me too because Uncle Buh is watching him when I go to work. We all know how much he adores his Uncle Buh!

I guess that's about it. I told you there wasn't anything exciting to report! Kaden continues to grow and his vocabulary and speech clarity continue to grow as well. Unfortunately, his attitude has also been growing a bit, but I guess that's to be expected for a 2-year-old!

Happy 4th of July!

This was Kaden's first year to experience fireworks.  He really, really enjoyed them!  I think he's going to be a pyromaniac like his father.  I will eventually get more photos posted to DropShots, but for now, here's a cute one of Kaden with the flag.  Happy 4th!

Two Years Ago Today

Two years ago today, we saw our sweet boys face for the first time. It was such an amazing day! To recall Kaden's referral, you can watch the video of us seeing his picture for the first time on DropShots.

I can't believe how much our lives have changed since the day of Kaden's referral. He has brought us so much joy. It's been so fun to watch him grow and learn new things. We love him so much.

Happy 2nd Referral Day Kaden!!!!

New Cute Kaden Sayings

Kaden has been extra sweet lately. I am so proud of our caring, compassionate boy. The other day, I took a little too big of drink and it caused me to cough and catch my breath. We were in the car at the time and I heard a little voice from the back seat ask, "Are you okay Mommy?" It melted my heart!

Then yesterday, I was opening a Handi Snack (you know, the crackers you dip in cheese) for Kaden's snack. I pulled back on the wrapper a little too hard and the crackers went flying everywhere. As I was profusely apologizing to Kaden, he began to pick up the spilt crackers and reassured me, "It's okay Mommy. It was an accident."

Finally, I always get nervous when Kaden climbs on things. The other day, Naboo decided to climb up our screen door. Of course, I yelled at the cat and said, "No Naboo! Get down." Kaden, however, had a different approach. He went over to Naboo (still hanging on the screen), gently petted him and said, "Be careful Naboo. You could get hurt." Awww.........

Watch our video!

Okay, so it's not really "our" video, but I found a link to the Stephen Curtis Chapman video of "When Love Takes You In" that features clips of adoptive families, including US! No, I did not make this video! It was made by SC2's people and he shows it at his concerts. You can watch the video by clicking on the picture in my sidebar to the right. We're about halfway into it.

Speaking of SC2, please continue to pray for him and his family. They lost their youngest daughter, Maria, in tragic accident last week. My heart goes out to them.

I WON!

A few months ago, Digital Srapbooking Magazine ran a contest. They were having their own digital scrapbook "awards". You could submit a layout for best comedy, romance, documentary, etc. I asked Debby & Ferrell Allison if they would mind if I submitted my "Greensburg Tornado" page. The page prodominently features a picture of their destroyed home, so I didn't want to enter it in a contest without them knowing.

Well, guess what? I won the "Best Documentary" category! Here's a picture of the prize package I received:


There are 3 Digital Scrapbook Memories C.D.s (these contain digiscrap kits!), 1 Scrapbook Max C.D. (more kits!), a photo album, and a perfect printing pouch. I'm also getting some scrapbook actions and prints from Shutterfly. Yahoo!

The letter that was enclosed in my prize package said that they aren't sure yet whether or not they will print the winning pages in the magazine or not. But, they will at least list the winners. I'm excited either way!

BTW, here's the winning page:

The ZOO!!!

Yesterday, the whole family took Kaden to the zoo. We met up with some friends there and had a great time seeing all the animals. It had been almost a year since we had last taken Kaden. He was a little too young then to really "get" it. But this time, he had a blast! It was so cute to see him point at the animals and say their name or the sound that they make. His favorite thing by far was the gorillas. I think he would have stayed and watched them all day if we'd let him.

Here's some pictures! You can click on them to see them full screen.

Kaden pointing to the baboons:

Getting a better view of the zebra:

Here's all the kids:

As always, just pop on over to DropShots to see a LOT more pictures and video clips!

Some New Kaden Funnies!

Kaden loves to talk on the phone. Ryan often calls to from work to let me know he'll be late. Kaden points at the phone and says "Daddy, Daddy!" until I let him talk to him. Then even after he's done, he'll try to grab the phone back while saying, "More Daddy." Repeatedly. Anyway, he and Ryan have a pretty routine "conversation" that they hold each time they talk on the phone:

R: "Are you having a fun day Kaden?"
K: "Uh huh."
R: "Have you been a good boy?"
K: "Uh huh."
R: "Obey Mommy."
K" "Okay."

There are sometimes slight varations, but that's the gist of it. So, a few days ago Ryan called to let me know he'd be late. Kaden begged for the phone as usual. As soon as he had it to his ear, before Ryan even said anything, Kaden exclaimed, "Obey Mommy!"

Kaden loves the two exchange students that Mom and Dad have been hosting this year. However, on occasion he has been a bit "cold" to Ye-In. He will sometimes refuse to hug her when asked and has even hit her before. So, we have often talked with him about being nice to Ye-In and not being rude.

Yesterday I was having "one of those days" and just needed a little while to myself. Ye-In graciously agreed to watch Kaden for a few hours after school. She picked him up on her way home and I was able to enjoy some peace and quiet. I picked him up around 4:30 and on the walk home we had the following conversation:

Me: "Did you have fun with Ye-In?"
K: "Yah. I nice to Ye Ye. No rude."

It was so cute in his toddler voice. It phoenetically sounded like, "I nigh to Ye Ye. No wude," as he shook his head!

The last one, if I haven't bored you enough already, happened this morning. We walked down to Grandma and Grandpa's house to make sure Ye-In was awake and give her a message. On the way, our cat Naboo followed us. On the way home, Naboo decided to take the lead. Kaden was chasing after him, hands in the air, cow backpack swaying as he bounced along, yelling, "Wait Boo. Wait Boo. Wait!"

Kaden is TWO!

Can you believe it? I can't. It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating his first birthday. This year went so fast and he has changed so much.

Here are a few pictures from the big day. As always, you can see a LOT more by going to our DropShots account.

The birthday cake




Enjoying the birthday cake




Kaden with some of his "bounty"

The Power of the People!!!!

It turns out the power of the people has prevailed! Don't ever think that you can't change something. Enough of us adoptive mothers wrote and complained about the "Non-Mom" category in the NBC "Amercia's Favorite Mom" contest (see my previous post), that they changed wording. That category is now called "Adoptive Moms". I still find it sad that they feel a need to put us in a seperate category, but at least we are no longer being considered "Non-Moms". It's a step in the right direction.

Do you consider me a MOM?

I'm just wondering, because apparently NBC does not. Grrrr...... They are having an contest called "America's Favorite Mom". They have different categories of "moms" including:

The Military Mom
The Working Mom
The Single Mom
The Non-Mom Mom
The "Chairman Of Everything" Mom

Okay, I can understand most of the categories, but what exactly is a Non-Mom? Well, according to the description on the "America's Favorite Mom" website, a Non-Mom is:
"Grandparent, stepmom, or mom to adopted children, each one raising and loving a child. A priceless gift for everybody."

Well, thanks for the "pricless gift" part, but I'm sorry, I don't consider myself a "Non Mom". I think they could have chosen a much, much better word for this category. I have to wonder what grandmothers and stepmoms think about being considered "Non Moms" as well. I think maybe "Non Traditional" Mom would have been a better description for this category.

But, that brings me to my next question. Should adoptive mom even have been lumped in this category? Foster moms, yes, but adoptive moms? I don't think so. It makes me wonder, if there is an amazing adoptive mother out there that is in the military, would they have let her be considered as a candidate for the "Military Mom" category? Or, did she automatically have to be considered for the "Non-Mom" category simply because she did not give birth to her child?

In addition to this, one of the "Non-Mom" finalists is Jennifer Keller from Home, Kansas. They described her as: "She was an adopted child who is now mom to her own daughter, plus six adopted children who started life as "meth babies"." Nothing gets my goat more than when people feel it necessary to seperate biological children from adopted children. She is the mother of 7. Period. No one has ever introduced my mom as the mother of "two of her own daughters and one adopted son." She is simply the mother of 3 children: 2 girls and 1 boy. Ugh!

Maybe I'm just extra sensitive today and reading too much into this. But, I sent a rather strongly worded e-mail to the contest. If you would like to stand up for adoptive mothers everywhere, I'd appreciate if you'd send an e-mail as well.

Here's the link to the contest: Click HERE

Here's the e-mail address:
support@americasfavoritemom.com

Okay, I'm getting off my soapbox now. Thanks for "listening"!!!

Tricia

Prom

It's so fun having teenage sisters again. I'm just sad they are leaving soon. :(

Anyway, last night was prom and I hot rolled Ye-In and Tina's hair. Ye-In had to also participate in the state music contest that day, so we did her hair early. She got a one rating on her flute solo. Yeah! We had just enough time when we she got home to add a few more quick curls and take pictures. By the time she got to prom, the curls were gone. I swear I put a ton of hairspray on too. I guess her hair just won't hold the curl.

Here she is in curlers:

Here she is with her hair all curly:

And here's how it looked when she arrived at prom:

Oh well, we tried! And she still looked beautiful.

Tina was lucky enough to have the whole afternoon to get ready. I hot rolled her hair to get it nice and full and then Kara fixed it for her and did her makeup.

Here's what the back of her hair looked like:

And here she is all dolled up and ready to go to prom! Pretty!

Kaden also had fun getting ready for prom. He was particularly interested in Ye-In's sparkly shoes!