Hello, Hola, and Ni Hao

New Puppies

2011-09-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

We got two new family members!!! Chancellor Archibald and Chelsea Lila (aka Chance and Chelsea).

We all adore these pups!! :)

Fourth of July

2011-07-05T06:18:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful holiday weekend! Tessa turned 2 1/2 yesterday on the fourth, which is perfect since she's our little independent firecracker! We are all doing very well, and consider ourselves incredibly blessed. Sorry my blog is so neglected these days..I mostly post on Facebook. My friend took these pictures of Tessa last night, with her first sparklers.

Tessa's Two Year Portraits

2011-01-16T17:28:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine took these...aren't they sweet? :)

Tessa's Birthday

2011-01-06T15:28:00.000-08:00

Our sweet Tessa turned two years old on Tuesday. I always have the hardest time with the second birthday...it seems to signify the end of babyhood. When someone asks, "How old is she?" I'll now give her age in years instead of months. She's becoming so independent these days, wanting to do everything herself. Sigh. Why does it have to go so fast? But, I look forward to watching her grow, to see who she'll become.

We had a nice birthday party, celebrating with close family. She had a ball eating her cake and opening her presents, and even managed to blow out the candle! And I impressed myself...I managed to successfully make Taiwanese tea eggs. So pretty, and delicious as well!

Finally, I pray for Tessa's birthfamily tonight. They are the only ones of all my children that we have met, ones we have real memories of. We love them as our own family and pray for them frequently.

Christmas Photos

2011-01-01T19:14:00.000-08:00

We had a very Merry Christmas. It is so wonderful to see the joy in the kids' faces as they experience all the excitement of the season.

Merry, Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

From our home to yours....

23 Months Old

2010-12-04T08:35:00.001-08:00

In only one month, my sweet baby will be two years old. Sigh. How I'd love to freeze time and savor these sweet baby moments before they vanish into preschooler-hood.

Tessa is still my peanut, weighing in at just 21 lbs. She is small, but mighty. She wears size 18-24 month clothes, but only for the length. Leggings are the only pants I can find to fit my sweetness around the waist.

Language is lagging. We had her evaluated by Early On and they determined that she's at about a 10 month old level in speech. She qualifies for therapy 1-3 times per month. They felt her speech lag was probably due to the fact that she heard Mandarin for the first 7 months of her life. My mommy instincts told me otherwise, so I made an appointment to get her ears checked, even though she appears to hear just fine.

So, off to the pediatrician we went. The tympanogram revealed the problem...both ears flatlined, meaning she hears like she has her fingers in her ears all the time. Poor baby. :( The pediatrician wanted to try 3 weeks worth of sinus drops in an attempt to clear out the sinuses and drain the ear canal. Then, we'll go back and have her ears retested. If we get the same results, we'll be referred to an ENT, most likely for tubes. I'm hopeful that once (and if) she receives tubes in her ears, we'll get to hear more of her sweet voice and get a chance to listen to her talk!

Other than that, she is doing amazing. She still loves her mommy fiercely, and for that I thank God every day.

We love you Tessie-boo. :)

Redirect...

2010-11-28T06:03:00.000-08:00

If you're an adoptive parent, please read this article from an adoptee.

Your child may grow up to be a lot like me (and that's not such an awful thing)

Fourth Best

2010-11-19T11:57:00.000-08:00

Where's she from?
Taiwan, I say, leery of what's coming next.
She's SO lucky.

Sigh. I hear this entirely too frequently. And I KNOW people mean well. But really...IS she lucky?? Did she ask to be relinquished? Did she asked to be ripped from her foster mother after seven months and whisked away to a completely foreign land? Did she ask to be raised by white parents who know nothing about being Asian? No...she didn't.

I'd be doing all of my children a disservice if I didn't recognize that not only are they NOT lucky, but they landed in fourth best. First would have been birthfamily. Second would have been a family in their birth country. Third would've been an Asian family in another country. Fourth is us. Fourth.

Of course, I love my children and will always give them everything they need and deserve. But it is also my duty to educate those around me. My children were not saved, have no responsibility to feel grateful, and do NOT deserve to hear that they are "lucky" every time we're in public. We've come so far, yet we have so far left to go.

Fall

2010-10-11T17:13:00.000-07:00

I love fall. The smells, the crisp air, the falling leaves, the colors...and of course apple cider and pumpkin donuts don't hurt either. :)

This past weekend we went to a local corn maze. It's amazingly large and we had a ball...ended up walking over 3 miles inside the corn! Now THAT'S a corn maze. Then we went to an orchard where the kids were able to play in a hay stack...we were hoping to pick apples, but turns out we missed apple picking season by two days. :( Oh well, we bought some honeycrisps and called it good.

Great Article...

2010-09-24T09:54:00.000-07:00

I loved this article. It so very hits to the heart of adoption:

NY Times Article

Please do read the article. I especially liked this part:

"The miracle of adoption isn’t just the creation of a family from disparate, distant people. Adoption is a phoenix; a miracle that arises from the ashes of despair. A baby is abandoned, a family lost and a whole new world gained. Like nearly everything else, an adoptive family is born of both joy and pain."

Busy, busy, busy!!

2010-09-08T07:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. Last week, we went pony riding. :) Tessa learned how to climb up on my computer chair and send some emails. The big kids went back to school. Jake's in 3rd grade this year and Sara started kindergarten. And, mommy has 10 credit hours of social work classes. Yikes, I don't know HOW I'm going to keep up. So, updates to the blog may be even fewer than usual. If you still check in here from time to time, thanks a bunch! Happy Fall!

An Adoptive Mom's Letter for First Mom's

2010-08-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

My friend Leceta wrote this about 13/14 years ago. This is good stuff.

http://www.comeunity.com/adoption/adopt/birthmothers.html

A Good Watch...

2010-08-28T18:19:00.000-07:00

Another good resource for transracial adoptive parents is the documentary entitled, Las Hijas. Adult adoptees from Colombia are interviewed. It gives a good feel for what it's like to be Latina (they are all women in film) in a white society.

http://www.big-ox-media.com/lashijas/

You can order it at the link above, or if you're local, you can borrow it from me.

Have a great weekend!

Changes...

2010-08-27T19:41:00.000-07:00

You might notice a few changes around here...first off, my blog list is changing. I'm adding many new blogs and dropping a few old ones. The new ones reflect my changing interests in adoption, mainly adoption ethics, adoptee voices, and transracial adoption.

In addition, I'm changing up some of terms I used to use. We will no longer celebrate "gotcha day" in our home. The term is a bit offensive, our children aren't things to be gathered and kept (gotten), after all. So, now we'll celebrate Jacob's Day, Sara's Day and Tessa's day.

I am an adoptive mom work in progress. I am always reading and learning and trying my hardest to do everything I can to be the best mom I can to my three amazing kids. I'm currently reading, "Outsiders Within, Writing on Transracial Adoption." And, I just finished, "Inside Transracial Adoption." Both books are very good, and if you're a transracial adoptive parent, I urge you to read these books.

I have so much more to learn, but I feel like I have come a long way. I have learned a lot from my social work classes and other blogs from adoptive parents and transracial adoptees. I will continue to read, read, read and absorb all I can. I owe it to my kids.

Sara got her ears pierced!

2010-08-26T09:16:00.000-07:00

Adoption Loss

2010-08-22T07:50:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, it's incredibly easy for us as adoptive parents to glorify adoption and all that it is. But the reality is, adoption is an act created from a very, very difficult circumstance. Our children have suffered a great loss, one that no amount of bandaids, ointment, hugs or kisses can heal.

Sometimes, love is NOT enough.

I've been reading a blog of a young woman adopted from Taiwan. She has searched and found her first family in Taiwan and spent three months overseas with them. She loves her adoptive family, but writes a blog to help adoptive parents understand her perspective.

I'll warn you, parts of it are hard to read. But I think we owe it to our children to open our minds to some of the darker aspects of adoption.

Here's the blog:
http://sisterheping.wordpress.com/

Please read it, and let me know what you think. I'd love to dialogue more with adoptive parents about this.

One Year Ago...

2010-08-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

One year ago my life changed for the better. One year ago our family grew by one big heart. One year ago the little soul I never knew was missing from my life was placed into my arms...she grabbed a hold of my heart and I hope she never lets go.

I feel so blessed. Three amazing kids. Three amazing personalities. Three beautiful faces. I am blessed.

Tessa Mei has put the icing on the cake, the cherry on top of what was already a very good life. We all adore her and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings. She is a gift, a Godsend, a true angel from above. We love you Tessa...happy Tessa day.

Weekend in Chicago

2010-07-27T16:40:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend in Chicago, with hopes to attend the Dragon Boat Festival. Well, unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans and the festival was canceled due to flooding in the park. Still, we managed to have an interesting weekend anyway.

Friday we arrived and checked out Shedd Aquarium. Todd and I had been years ago, but it was the first time for the kids. Unfortunately, it was terribly HOT, and the aquarium was absolutely PACKED. I mean PACKED. So much so that you really couldn't even seen the aquariums, much less move. We'll have to try that another time I think...so the kids can enjoy it more.

After the aquarium we ventured into Chicago and found Las Tablas...an awesome Colombian restaurant. We were so excited...there are virtually no Colombian restaurants anywhere near where we live, so we were salivating just thinking about it. It was a super popular restaurant...so popular that the wait was 2 hours for a table. Well, our little ones couldn't wait that long, but the restaurant was super kind and let us get an order to go. So, we enjoyed an Colombian picnic in our hotel room complete with empanadas, arepa & chorizo, and plantain and beans and rice. Yum, yum, yum!!

Saturday after finding out that the Dragon Boat Festival was canceled, we headed over to Chinatown to explore. We had a BALL shopping in the little shops and feasted on some delicious Chinese pastries. My favorite were the red bean moon cakes...the rest of the family thought I was nuts. :)

For lunch, we met five other families that had adopted from Taiwan! We met Lisa and her beautiful family (Destination Taiwan blog) and Sarah and her family (My Little Lantern blog) and Katie and her family (Around the World to Danny blog). It was so neat to finally meet these wonderful families in person and to see our beautiful Taiwanese kids together. :)

After lunch we headed to Millennium Park to play in the fountains and to see the bean sculpture. Unfortunately, it was still burning hot outside, and CROWDED, and at the fountain we had two mishaps. Sara fell and cut her foot, then Tessa fell and I could actually HEAR her head hit the concrete. Scared me to death!! So we hightailed it out of there and spent a nice peaceful evening at the hotel.

All in all, the trip was worth it to meet the other families. We're glad we went...and hope to meet other adoptive families in the future!

Where have we been???

2010-07-18T12:00:00.001-07:00

Sheesh, summer is FLYING by. I've been a bad blogger, but I do have an excuse. I had a 20 page paper due for the writing class I'm taking this summer. Whew, that was a doozie, but now it's done, thank goodness.

Well, otherwise, we've just been enjoying the summer and our wonderful kids. Yesterday, we went to our annual Colombian Connections fiesta down state. It's so fun to see all the beautiful Colombian kids and boy, is our group growing! There were many, many new kids and babies there this year, including our Tessa (okay, she's not Colombian, but hey, she's part of our American/Colombian/Taiwanese family). :)

Of course, being the wonderful mommy I am, I totally forgot my camera. You'll just have to trust me that it was loads of fun.

One of the best things we did this year was buy a pool! It's an above ground, nothing fancy, but definitely fun for all of us to swim in. We've really, really enjoyed having it. And while we're incredibly lucky to live in an area full of lakes and beautiful beaches, it's SO hard to lug all the kids and all their gear to the beach...especially sweet Tess who's not a huge fan of sand. Ha! So, hanging at home by the pool has been great for our family.

In other news, Tessa turned 18 months old on the 4th! I can't believe it. How did she get that old? No...seriously? I'm finding her babyhood is just flying by...probably because we're so busy with three kids now. She is now 31" tall (40th percentile) and 19 1/2 lbs. Poor baby, she fell right off the charts for her weight. But, the doctor didn't seem concerned. She'll just be a petite little thing all her life. She is learning so much right now. She runs like crazy all of a sudden. She is doing a lot more pretend play (holds two stuffed animals and makes them "talk" to each other), she likes to help clean (throws stuff away), and she is learning more words now. She says mama, dada, ball, book, up, good girl, thank you, and is making attempts at many more words. She wears size 3 diapers and size 12-18 month clothes.

Here's a few random pics of late. Next weekend we are going to the Dragon Boat Races in Chicago...we are SO excited to meet up with other Taiwanese adoptive families!

And so summer begins!

2010-06-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

We are in our second week of no school here, and so far we've had lots of fun. Waterpark one day, ice cream lots of days, pool another day, and baseball and t-ball in between. Tomorrow I have a sitter coming for the day. She is going to come every Wednesday for six hours through the summer months, mainly so mommy can get some "me" time and get some shopping and errands done. I admit, I'm really nervous about leaving Tessa all day. We've had sitters twice since Tessa has been home from Taiwan, but they were after Tessa had gone to bed for the night. I'm sure it'll be easier on her than mommy. :)

Anyway, here's a picture of my three...

Spring Fun

2010-05-26T10:14:00.000-07:00

We've had a busy spring in this household of ours. :) 'Course, three kids will do that to you I suppose. :)

Jake's class had this fun poetry coffee/tea. It was great..each kid dressed like a beatnik and read two of their poems. Then, to show our appreciation the parents snapped fingers instead of clapped. Too cool...here's Jake with two of his buddies.

Another fun project this spring was to raise caterpillars into butterflies. I think Todd and I enjoyed this almost as much as the kids. It was very interesting to see the actual transformation up close.

I'll try to keep this blog updated better...bad blogger!! :)

Baseball/T-Ball Season

2010-05-08T12:40:00.001-07:00

Jake and Sara have started up baseball and t-ball, respectively. So far, neither of my kids is crazy mad about it, but agree to continue. Tessa continues to grow and change daily. She's become quite the spitfire. We adore her passion. :)

My sweet Sara...

2010-04-21T10:56:00.000-07:00

A friend (thanks Cindy!) took this picture of Sara at a birthday party last weekend and I just love it of my girl. :) She's growing up SO fast.

I'm walking!

2010-04-14T08:20:00.001-07:00

(See more posts below...I was having posting issues today!)

My sweet girl...15 months old

2010-04-14T08:20:00.000-07:00

Lovin' her car

2010-04-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

Sara...looking cute

2010-04-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

15 months appointment

2010-04-14T08:07:00.000-07:00

Well, last week Tessa had her 15 month appointment. (Yup, I'm behind on blogging.) She is doing really well. She weighs 18 lbs., 15 oz, and is 30.5 inches tall. Less than 5th percentile for weight and 50% for height. That's 3 inches taller than her 12 month appointment, so I'm guessing one of them was measured wrong! :)

She is walking well now. A bit wobbly, but boy is she determined. The day we went to the doctor's office, I was explaining to the nurse that she couldn't stand up from a sit without holding onto something. She must not have been happy with me reporting that she couldn't do that, because that afternoon she worked and worked on it and perfected it by the next day. :)

The talking is coming. I think she is trying to say, "thank you." It actually sounds nothing like thank you, but she makes the same two syllables at the appropriate times. :) She's also trying to say, "good girl." :) She says uh oh and mama and dada. Oh, and meow. :)

Jake and Sara are doing wonderfully. They both had fabulous conferences and I am so proud of them. They are signing up for t-ball/baseball this spring. Should be fun. :)

Here are some pics from the yard yesterday (Jake was at school) and one of Tessa in action. :) (OK, I'm having issues posting pictures for some reason, so I'll post them separately above.)

Tessi at the Park

2010-04-02T12:51:00.000-07:00

My friend Holly (Kladder Adventure in my blog list) took these too cute pics of Tess at the park yesterday...so cute I had to share! :) Thanks Holly!

Workin' on Walkin'

2010-04-01T17:29:00.000-07:00

It's been way too long since I've posted. Our world was a bit unblogable in March though, first having to bury grandpa, and then a solid week with the stomach flu (it hit 3 out of the 5 of us).

But, it's a new month, and things are looking up. The weather here has been simply AMAZING. Today and yesterday it hit 78 degrees! That just doesn't happen around here this time of year, so we are taking FULL advantage of it. We had a great playdate at the park today with fellow adoptive moms and kids and then tonight Todd and I took the kids for a long hike in the woods...very fun.

Tessa is doing so well. It's so hard to imagine life without her now, and I sure don't want to. She is so amazing, and so sweet, and I feel so lucky to have her. She is not growing a whole lot, she weighs just under 19 lbs still. But, she's learning to walk now, and her personality comes out more and more everyday. She's still my "velcro" baby, and wants to be on my hip more than down practicing her walking.

Here's some recent pics of Tess. :)

We'll Miss You, Grandpa

2010-03-11T10:19:00.001-08:00

Early Tuesday morning, Todd's dad passed away after battling Leukemia. He was 86 years old.

This man...this man was simply the best, most amazing man I ever met. I feel honored that I got to be his daughter-in-law. He was adored by all, and everyone knew him. He was courageous and so young at heart. He loved to fly his four seat plane, captain his motor boat, and hunt all over the world. He served in the Army during WWII and earned a purple heart for being wounded in battle. He even liberated prisoners at Dachau concentration camp in Germany.

He loved to ride his motorcycle, and even went skydiving...when he was 81! He never lacked for adventure and his spirit will always remain. I feel bad for my kids...they had him for such a short time. We will all truly miss him...

We love you, Grandpa.

Well, I did it

2010-02-18T07:34:00.000-08:00

I never thought I'd give Tessa bangs. I've just never been a huge fan of bangs. Well, after battling her hair in her eyes for a couple of months now, I gave in. Her hair grows straight forward into her face, and it's just not thick enough yet to really hold a barrette. So, we trimmed her up. I think she looks pretty darn cute! :) Also...snapped this picture with Jake last night...how cute is Tessa playing DS with her big brother? :) And Sara is my little love bug...lovin' on her baby sister.

Six Months Home...

2010-02-10T06:46:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Tessa has been home for six months. On one hand, it feels like we were just in Taiwan yesterday...on the other, it feels like we've been a family of five for a long time.

Tessa melts into our family like she was always meant to be here. And I believe all of my kids were meant to be ours. They each fit so perfectly. So different, yet so ours.

This past month has been one of sickness. Nothing major, just constantly battling one snotty nose after another. Some sun would be helpful. :)

Other than that, life continues on at a good pace...a blessed pace...and I am at such peace with my family and my role as a mom. It's what I was meant to do...

Here are a few cuties of my cutie (I really need to add pics of Jake & Sara too, huh)!! First pigtails! Aren't they CUTE?? :)

My One Year Old...

2010-01-11T17:43:00.000-08:00

Tessa is so stinking sweet. Sigh. I just love her to pieces. She rests her head on my shoulder and just hangs on. LOVE this. :)

Took her to the doctor for her one year check up. FIVE shots. That should be outlawed, poor baby. She is very healthy. 27.5 inches long (50th percentile) and 18 lbs., 11 oz. (15th percentile). It's hard to believe she is so small when she eats like she does. :)

Here's a few new pics. Happy New Year!

Happy Birthday Baby Girl!!!

2010-01-04T11:32:00.001-08:00

I can't believe she's one...sigh. We love her so much!! Happy Birthday my sweet!

Christmas

2010-01-03T17:46:00.000-08:00

Well, since it's the eve of Tessa's first birthday, I better get Christmas posted about and done with! :)

Christmas was amazing this year. Our home feels so full of love and joy. We could not feel more blessed. We adore all of our children, and our children truly adore each other. So many adoptive parents have said it, and I feel it from the very bottom of my heart. We are given the very children that were intended to be ours, from the very beginning. Unfortunately, that means a great loss of their first family, a loss I vow to never forget.

Blast from the past...

2010-01-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas, and when I'm feeling a bit more energetic I'll download those pics and post. Until then, I'm working on getting Sara's 1-5 year album put together (order pictures) and I've had so much fun looking at all her old pics tonight. Had to post this one...taken when they weren't quite 2 and 5...aren't they ADORABLE???? :) Sigh...time goes by way too fast.

Happy New Year!! Here's to a fabulous 2010!

Family Christmas Party

2009-12-22T07:36:00.000-08:00

Every year, my sister holds a family Christmas party. This year was the 15th annual party, so to mark the special occasion, she miraculously got in touch with the big guy and arranged for him to come to the party. The kids were SO excited. Sara was absolutely smitten with the big man, and even got to help him turn the pages of the book, when he read, "The Night Before Christmas." It was a magical night. We are all blessed to have each other.

Yay!

2009-12-08T12:46:00.000-08:00

I just checked the website for little Marcus (see below a few posts) and am VERY happy to report that he is no longer available as they have put his file on hold. This means that a family is reviewing his file and will more than likely adopt him!!

Woohoo! This made my day!

Just Because She's So Cute...

2009-12-07T12:21:00.000-08:00

11 Months Old

2009-12-04T16:44:00.000-08:00

Seriously, didn't I just post about Tessa being 10 months old, like, yesterday? I swear, the time goes by even FASTER for the third kid.

Anyway, our sweet baby is now 11 months old. And, darn it, she keeps growing. I swear today alone her arms grew like 6 inches because she is currently reaching and getting into everything. :)

Here's a few pics of her at bathtime tonight. She's such a sweet baby, we love her SO much.

Could this be your son??

2009-11-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

I have fallen in love with this little guy, and if it weren't for two huge roadblocks (1. China says one year between adoptions, and 2. husband says no, lol), I'd be all over adopting him. Since I can't, I figure I'd do the next best thing...advocate on his behalf.

His name is Marcus (okay, I'm sure it's not really, but that's what they refer to him on the website). He is 2 years old and waiting in China. He had a heart condition that was already repaired and is now developing beautifully.

Click on this link:
http://www.aacadoption.com/adoption/waiting_children.aspx
Then scroll down to "Marcus." And I'm warning you...you WILL fall in love.

Sara's Family Day

2009-11-22T07:15:00.000-08:00

Five years ago, my sweet Sara was placed into my arms...a day I'll never forget. She is our sweet Rosie (her middle name is Rose), our drama queen, our princess, our blessing. We love her more than life itself...happy Sara day baby! Here's a picture of our goofball, she dressed herself for breakfast. :)

Having fun with facials

2009-11-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

10 Months Old!

2009-11-05T13:56:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Tessa turned 10 months old. I can't believe she is only two months away from being one. Sigh.

She is now crawling very well, and gets around great. She desperately wants to pull up on furniture, and at this point gets to her knees, but not her feet. She is waving bye bye, and loves to play "so big!" (When we raise our hands in the air and say so big, she puts her arms above her head too.)

She wears a size 3 diaper, and wears 6-12 months clothes. She weighs 17.5 lbs.

She hates being cold. She hates things on her head. Probably doesn't bode well for a winter in northern MI does it? :)

She is firmly attached to mommy and daddy. The other day we were at a playdate and she was eyeing my friend's muffin (the girl LOVES food). My friend offered her up a bite, and she wouldn't take it. Tried it again, still wouldn't take it. So I took a piece of muffin and gave it to her, and low and behold, she ate it. :) Only wanted food from momma.

She is so sweet...I adore being her mommy. :)

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween here...hope yours was "sweet!"

Whoa...I'm Behind!!

2009-10-27T16:15:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy busy, but so full of love and blessed moments. (Well, okay, other than two out of three of my kids having swine flu last week anyway.)

We had Tessa baptized on October 10th. We've been getting out and enjoying fall festivities when we can, but unfortunately it has been SO rainy here the past week. And, now our entire school district is closed for a whole week due to the swine flu (ick) so hopefully it will quit raining!

All the kids are doing really well. I pinch myself constantly because I feel so blessed and lucky. I still can't believe Tessa is home and that she's mine (well, temporarily on loan anyway, lol). She's so, so, so amazing. She's crawling better and better everyday and she is trying her hardest to pull up now. She is sleeping good lately too. Yay!

Well, I'm off to enjoy a pumpkin donut and glass of wine. :) Happy Fall!

Provin' Me Wrong...

2009-10-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Just when I post that Tessa isn't crawling yet, she goes and proves me wrong. Here's my girl in action. :) Can I just say how much I LOVE my baby girl?? She is such a little cuddle bug...she hangs on to me tight and hugs me. :) Pure bliss.

Nine Months Old!

2009-10-04T11:48:00.000-07:00

Wow, our sweet baby girl is nine months old already. 3/4 of her first year are over. It's hard to take sometimes...when you miss out on their early months...but it is what it is.

Tessa Mei continues to do great. She is sweet as pie and we all continue to love on her and dote on her like mad. Yes, she will be spoiled indeed. She isn't crawling yet, probably because she's really only happy on my hip, in her high chair or in her crib. :) Playing on the carpet isn't on her list of "to do's". :)

She has the greatest smile and makes us crack up. She does raspberries better than anyone, and we can't stop kissing her sweet face.

She has pretty much shunned baby food at this point, and loves anything we can feed her that's NOT baby food. :) Her favorite though, is definitely rice! Right now she's munching on a Gerber Banana cookie while I type. Don't tell her it's baby food though!

She is sleeping great...from about 7 pm to 7 am, with one bottle in the night. She actually went three nights in a row last week with no night bottle and we thought we were golden, but not so much. We think she's in a growth spurt right now...she went from drinking about 16 ounces of formula a day last week to about 28 a day this week!

We're so in love with our baby girl...and feel so blessed to have been chosen to parent this angel. :)

Portraits!

2009-09-25T12:23:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these pictures of my kids!! These were taken as part of a Celebrate Adoption program where certain participating photographers give you a free sitting for families home with their newly adopted children along with a free set of proofs!

I LOVE them!! We used Lindsey DeYoung...here's her website.

Here's a sampling of the pics she took of my kiddos.

My Big Boy Turns 8!!

2009-09-22T16:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have an 8 year old...doesn't seem possible. Cuz that would make me old. :)

Jake had a great birthday...even though most of it was spent at school. He is so sweet opening his presents...he's completely grateful for everything he receives. I love that about him.

Happy Birthday my sweet boy...thank you for making me a momma.

My brilliant baby girl....

2009-09-16T07:46:00.000-07:00

I love this baby SO much!

Happy Birthday Sara!!

2009-09-14T17:04:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe it...my big girl is five years old today. She is growing and changing and becoming quite the little lady. We love her so much and can't wait to see what her future will bring! Happy Birthday sweet girl...we love you! She was so excited about her presents...especially her fish tank that she's been asking me to get her for weeks now. Tomorrow we'll go get fish to put in it.

Sleeping at the Great Wolf Lodge

2009-09-13T11:57:00.000-07:00

Sara's First Day of School & More Tessa Pics

2009-09-11T17:01:00.000-07:00

Sara's first day of school was Wednesday. She's not a huge fan of new adventures, but she did really well. She even rode the bus home for the first time...I was so proud of her!

Tessa has been doing really well. She is playing more (doesn't need mommy to hold her as much) and growing a lot. I'm convinced she's gained a couple of pounds in the last few weeks...most of it in her cheeks! :)

First Day of School! And bonus bathtime pics...

2009-09-08T16:02:00.000-07:00

Tessa got a new tub seat from a generous neighbor so we gave it a try tonight. She loves water! I love her sweet, goofy little personality. She continues to make us all fall more and more in love with her every day.

Jake is an official second grader!! I'm so proud of him. He tackles new endeavors with such enthusiasm. I envy him that. :) He was very happy this morning as he got the teacher he wanted, and later this year, they get to dissect a sheep's eyeball! What could possibly be better??

At the Beach

2009-09-05T13:27:00.000-07:00

Head Over Heels...

2009-08-31T17:20:00.000-07:00

Smitten as a kitten. Head over heels. In love. Ah yes...love does NOT divide, it multiplies. Life is far from perfect here as our family of five, but it is a very blessed life.

Tessa's possible helmet consult went well, and between me and the tech, we decided her head wasn't misshapen enough to do the helmet. So, sweet Tessa is now done (for awhile, anyway) with doctors and tests. Phew.

She continues to do very well. She isn't napping the greatest, but I attribute that to the fact that I've got two older, very active kids who aren't keen on staying home all day so Tessa can take two naps. She hasn't been given consistent nap times, and I hope that will change (at least a little) once the kids are in school. She loves to eat. So far, I've not yet met a food she doesn't like. And she's VERY good at feeding herself...much better than being fed with a spoon in fact. A perfect third child, since she's content shoveling carrots and green beans in her own mouth, as opposed to having mommy do it for her.

She still prefers mom, definitely over strangers and even somewhat still over daddy. She likes him though, and loves to play with him. :) The kids still adore her, and want her here...but I'm waiting for that to change at any moment. I fully expect Sara to ask me to send her back at any time. :) Jacob did have a weepy moment over the weekend when he realized that there are only two parental laps in the house and three kids. :( But, he quickly got over it after some good momma lovin'.

In other news, Jake and Sara start school next week. Jake will be in second grade, and Sara in enrichment (like a young fives program). And, I started back to school today in my continued effort to achieve a degree in social work. This semester I'm taking Social Welfare and Gender & Society. I truly love my classes and taking them helps me to find balance as a mom.

That's all for now! Hope everyone enjoys Labor Day Weekend!

Test Results

2009-08-28T11:17:00.000-07:00

Tessa's doctor called last night to let me know that the test results were in. From the echo cardiogram, she has a very small hole in her heart (can't remember where, sorry) that will most likely close on its own. We don't need to do anything now, but will probably follow up with another echo in a couple of years.

Also, her cat scan was fine! Yay! So relieved!! The only thing is, they have referred her to an orthopedic and prosthetic office to have her evaluated for a head shaping helmet due to her misshapen head. It's minor, but we'll follow up with that to see that the experts say. Our appointment is on Monday for that.

We've been crazy busy here between Tessa's appointments and getting the kids ready for school. Hopefully we'll get a couple of warm days before school starts, as it feels like fall here already!

Tessa's Catscan

2009-08-26T17:17:00.000-07:00

Today, Tessa had her catscan. It was hard to have the nurse take my baby from my arms, but she did really well. They actually gave her some gas to help her fall asleep and keep still during the test. She was pretty mad when she woke up, but settled down after her bottle. She had an echocardiogram on Monday, and hopefully we'll hear the results from both tests soon. Please keep our Tessa in your prayers that all is well with our little peanut.

Pics from the day...she loves her little swing! And a pic of the three of them...man is it hard to get three kids looking in one direction at once!! Hats off to you moms!! :)

We are all progressing well as a family. Tessa continues to bond well to all of us, but still slightly prefers mom. She definitely knows her family though and isn't too keen on strangers holding her yet. She continues to sleep well, maybe waking once per night to get her diaper changed. This blows me away, since neither of my other kids cared when they were wet, or even poopy. Tessa will scream bloody murder when she poops! What a princess!! We love her to pieces and feel very blessed to have been chosen to be her family.

At the Park

2009-08-23T13:03:00.000-07:00

Pictures from the Day...

2009-08-20T15:39:00.000-07:00

She's so cute!! Enjoy!!

First Time at McDonalds Playdate

2009-08-20T08:59:00.000-07:00

Home for 5 days

2009-08-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hello all! It seems I'm one of those bad bloggers that returns home and doesn't find the time to post! Ack!

We've been home for five days and things are slowly improving. The jet lag still lingers...man do NOT underestimate that wicked beast!! :)

Tessa is doing well. We went to the doctor yesterday for a checkup. She weighs 15 lbs. 9 oz and is 27" long. She's quite a bit longer than her last check up at TWCA.

We asked about her head symmetry (it's a bit off, an abnormality on her skull) so I took her for a cat scan today. That was hard, but we got it done. Then the doc ordered blood tests too and we tried to get that but the nurses could NOT find a vein. Poor girl. I had Tessa, Jake and Sara all crying at once. Phew.

Then, on Monday she goes in for an echocardiogram to check on her heart. Seems she has a heart murmur they want to check out. I'm not too worried, as Sara had this too and all was well with her.

Sara is adjusting to being a big sister better than I had anticipated. Of course, she's a bit sad that she's been knocked out of her position as the baby of the family, but who could blame her? Jacob is doing absolutely wonderfully. When she cries, he goes to her and gets her to quiet down for me if I can't get right there. He is sweet, sweet, sweet to her.

Hopefully, one of these days I'll feel confident in my position as a mother of three. Right now, I'm just winging it. :) Luckily, Tessa is very patient with me. She continues to bond very well and definitely knows me. She is sleeping well at night, but her naps could be better...hopefully that will come with time.

I'll try to post pictures next time...I'm fresh out of energy right now!! Thanks for your love and support and this crazy journey to Taiwan...complete with Typhoon Morakot!

Home At Last!

2009-08-16T05:32:00.000-07:00

What a trip...man, I don't want to repeat that for quite some time. 12 hour time difference, forever in a plane...phew.

But, now we're home. Yesterday was our first full day home and it wasn't good. The kids love Tessa to pieces...but between my feelings of guilt over leaving them, jag lag and sheer exhaustion I was so SO emotion yesterday. I avoided all family and friends (sorry guys) because I just needed a day to process our new family. Someday I'll go into this more.

Todd and I are still absolutely exhausted and are recovering from jet lag. In fact, I felt so bad yesterday that I hardly ate anything, which is totally not like me. :)

Tessa's so cute...she's sitting here by me in her high chair smiling at me. :)

Anyway...sleep is going really, really well. Better than I could've hoped. The first night she went to bed at 6:30, Sara went to bed at 7 pm (they sleep in the same room) and we didn't hear a peep from either of them until 6:30 am. :) Yay!

Here's a few pics from our first moments home. I'll post more about the last day in Taiwan when I recover a bit more from the trip.

Thanks so much to everyone who followed along on our journey...we love you all and appreciate all the comments we received. They helped immensely while we were in Taiwan.

First nap in caraway...check out those eyelashes!

2009-08-14T07:59:00.000-07:00

On the road home from Chicago

2009-08-14T07:30:00.000-07:00

Made it to LA

2009-08-13T18:56:00.000-07:00

Day 7 - AIT and Taipei 101

2009-08-12T05:58:00.000-07:00

Today we went to AIT to apply for Tessa's visa. The AIT is the American Institute in Taiwan, which is basically the US Embassy. They don't call it an embassy because Taiwan is technically a Republic of China and not its own country. Everything went well, and two hours later, we were told to return tomorrow for her visa. Phew.

Afterwards, we were supposed to go sightseeing, but decided to stay at the hotel instead for the afternoon. Tessa hadn't been taking her bottles at all from us, and she seemed really tired so we thought maybe it was time to take a break. She ended up taking about a four hour nap! And, we figured out the bottle issue. We think the first bottle we gave her was way too hot, and she remembered. She's very smart. :) Over the past two days, she'd take water from a cup, but the second you offered her a bottle she'd freak out, arch her back, and cry. Crazy. Finally, this afternoon we made a bottle, then poured some in a cup. She sipped that. Then, we took the nipple off the bottle and let her drink from it like a cup. She sipped that. Then, we showed her the bottle while we put the nipple back on. She finally took it...and sucked it dry. We were SO relieved!! Since then, she's taken two more bottles and is down for the night.

She's really starting to bond well to us and even showed some stranger anxiety and a bit of separation anxiety today. She doesn't seem to have a preference between Todd or me, but does seem to know we're mommy and daddy. She continues to have a happy, content personality, and she falls asleep really easy.

We've learned that in China (Taiwan), she is considered very beautiful (of course)! Alex told her that it's considered beautiful and lucky that her eyes turn up on the outside, like a crane. :) And she has a beautiful mouth. She definitely gets attention when we're in public.

This evening we ventured out on our own and hailed a cab to the Taipei 101. What an amazing building it is. We were very impressed. The bottom four stories are an upscale mall, and we even shopped at this cool grocery store. We took the elevator to the 89th floor viewing deck. It's the fastest elevator in the world! 1,010 meters per minute...whatever that converts to.

Tomorrow, we'll go to the Chang Kai Shek Memorial and the AIT to pick up Tessa's visa. We hope to have time to stop at the Handicraft Market too, as we never did get there. Then, at 2 pm we head to the airport for our 7:30 pm flight. We land in Chicago (via LA) at midnight on Thursday. Depending on how tired we are, we may stay the night in Chicago. Then we'll drive home Friday morning.

We've had a very good trip. Mr. Yeh said that because we arrived just before the typhoon (just in time) that God really wanted us to get Tessa, and that she must be a very special girl. We think so too. :)

We are very, very anxious to get home and start our life as a family of five. We miss our Jake and Sara terribly and can't wait to get our hands on them. Two more sleeps babies!! We love you!!!! XOXOXOXOX

Day 6 - Wulai

2009-08-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

Mr. Yeh and Alex picked us up at 10 am and we were off to Wulai. Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Wulai is set by this amazing waterfall, Taiwan's largest. To get to the hotel/restaurant, we had to cross the river valley by gondola...this was much scarier looking than it actually ended up being.

Once at the other side, we hiked up to the top and had lunch...yummy food. We had a beef dish, a pork dish, some veggies, and some bamboo fruit of some kind. After lunch, we walked around and did the ropes course...well, Todd and Alex did anyway...although I did go over the rip line, with Tessa strapped to me even! :)

Then, Todd tried his hand at archery and paint ball. Alex was shooting archery with Todd and at that point I decided I was switching tribes...Todd was not bringing home the game! LOL!

Back down the gondola and over to the aboriginal show we went. Interesting. VERY, very loud. And note to other families...babies can't go in the show due to the noise, and it was an hour long, so keep that in mind. I had a hard time leaving Tessa with Mr. Yeh.

Overall, fun day. Amazing scenery. Taiwan is truly a very beautiful island. We've been surprised and impressed with all the mountains and greenery.

Tessa Day - The Details

2009-08-10T17:14:00.001-07:00

We started the day with Starbucks...of course. :)

Mr. Yeh and Alex picked us up at the hotel at 11 am. I was really nervous. We drove for about two hours then stopped at a rest area to use the bathroom and to get some lunch. Mr. Yeh is very sweet and super accommodating...he pays for everything.

On to TWCA where we picked up Samantha and got Tessa's schedule. Then just a quick ride to the foster mom's house. On the way there, Samantha (who is the director of TWCA and speaks perfect English) told us that Typhoon Morakot was the worst storm they've had in 50 years. There's been a lot of devastating flooding and mudslides, so please pray for those involved. We are safe and unaffected in Taipei, but the coasts are suffering.

We pulled up to the foster mom's house and I was very nervous by now. As soon as we parked, I saw the foster mom, Mrs. Chen holding Tessa at the door. Wow. She looked SO cute. We went in and sat on the foster mom's couch. She sat by me and slowly transferred Tessa to my lap. She began to fuss a bit, so the foster mom told us to give her a rice cracker and she loved that. The foster mom told us she's a happy baby and that she sleeps in her own crib, all through the night...yahoo! We stayed and talked for about 20 minutes, then left. The foster mom had tears in her eyes, it was very emotional. It was very hard for me to leave...taking Tessa away from everything she had known for the past four months.

Next we went to the baby store to buy formula and all the necessities for Tessa. The diapers they told us to buy are way too big, so future families, bring your own. :) Tessa wears a Pamper's size 2. Little butt. :)

Then we went back to TWCA, where Samantha led us upstairs to a room to meet with Tessa's birth family. Five members of her birth family where there and it was extremely emotional. It's clear that a lot of people love Tessa. I won't go into the details of the meeting because that's Tessa's story, but I will tell you that we asked who named her and found out the social worker did, not her birthmom. I asked if they would like it if we named her Tessa Mei after her birth grandmother and they nodded their heads yes. So, she will be Tessa Mei. We still call her Yi-Hsiu for now, and will for awhile. And she'll always know her Taiwanese name. :)

We signed one paper, got all the stuff back I had sent, and got back in the van and drove back to Taipei. In the car, she taught us that she knows Peek-A-Boo...we were very impressed! We found out that Yi-Hsiu Lay (they say this too her a lot in the videos we got) means Where is Yi-Hsiu? So, I think her foster mom must have played peek a boo with her.

It was late by the time we got back to the hotel, so we gave her a jar of apple baby food (since she wasn't quite ready to take a bottle from us yet), a bath, and laid her down in the crib with her pacifier and little blankie from her foster mother. Amazingly enough, she babbled for about 5 minutes and fell asleep. She slept from 8 pm to 6 am without so much as a peep! I didn't sleep well because I kept expecting her to cry at least once...but nope! Yay! Let's hope this is a trend that continues.

This morning, she took a bottle...we were so relieved! She played for quite awhile and now she's napping. She's a very, very sweet, content baby and we are definitely blessed to be her parents. I'm not sure why we were chosen to be the parents of the three best kids in the world...but hey, we'll accept our fate. :)

Jake and Sara...THREE more sleeps babies!!! I can't wait to hug and hold you two!! Hugs and kisses...love always.

Peek-A-Boo

2009-08-10T16:28:00.000-07:00

Day 5 - Tessa Day!

2009-08-10T04:54:00.000-07:00

We got her!! :)

What a day...we are soooo tired right now...just got back from the trip to get Tessa Yi-Hsiu. It was such an emotional day...wow.

I'll blog more about it tomorrow...but here's a couple of pictures until then.

She's an absolute delight...VERY happy and smiley baby. She's very content too...laid back. She's rolling all over the place. She ate a jar of apple baby food tonight and she LOVES the rice crackers...but she won't take a bottle from us yet. I think it's because she associates the bottle with her foster mom. As soon as we get it close to her mouth, she cries and arches her back away from it...so we'll try again later. She's had a lot of changes today, poor baby.

Jake and Sara...get ready! You two are going to have a ton of fun with your baby sister!!! We love you always and forever...and miss you oodles and oodles.

Day 4 - Jade Market, Yangmingshan National Park and Night Markets

2009-08-09T16:46:00.000-07:00

Like yesterday, we loaded up with Joyce and Co. and headed out for a very, very long day of touring (10 am to almost 10 pm)!

First stop, Jade Market. This was a BALL. Loved looking at all the beautiful jewelry and jade artifacts. Amy and Tami, we had success...can't wait to send your stuff out to you once we return stateside. We also found a large dragon/tiger statue made out of stone that is supposed to help you save your money...HA! We found jade animals for each of our kids zodiacs (mouse for Tessa, monkey for Sara, and snake for Jake). My favorite thing is a black metal dragon...it's very simple and beautiful and we were told it was from the time of Ching...over two hundred years old.

Next, we traveled up the mountains to Yangmingshan National Park. Of course, it was raining, darn typhoon, which prevented us from getting any good pictures of the incredibly beautiful scenery. Near the top of the mountain, Mr. Yeh stopped so we could have coffee in this teeny tiny cabin like building where there were NO other buildings. It was really, really cool. We did get a picture of the cabin. Imagine my and Todd's surprise when the nice clerk handed us a menu with the word "MOCHA" on it. Ahhhhh. And it was delicious. And since we were up so high in the mountains, it was cool and breezy too..perfect mocha weather. We sat for quite awhile enjoying each other's company and trying to figure out a "naughty" song that little Trey Jing Cyuan had created. :) Too cute.

Next we drove to a place in the National Park where you could walk around. It was SO gorgeous. LUSH jungle. Travis and Todd kept making jokes about t-rex's jumping out at us. It really did feel like Jurassic Park. :) We walked around for quite awhile and but unfortunately the most exotic animal we saw was a squirrel. :) We LOVED this park and could've of stayed all day if it hadn't been for the rain and say it with me now, the darn typhoon. I would highly recommend coming up here to future traveling families.

We stopped for lunch at the park and had noodles and broth with pork balls...which I didn't attempt. :) Back down the mountain. We drove by Danshui and Beitou, but it was raining too hard to get good pictures or get out and wonder around.

It was late by now, so we headed back to the hotel so we could get more money (yeah, spent all we had at the jade market) to go to the Shilin Night Market and the Snake Alley Night Market. The Shilin Night Market is not what any of us expected. It was high fashion and more geared towards teens and young adults. We quickly walked through and then headed to Snake Alley.

At Snake Alley, I got some really cute traditional dresses for my girls and then we went to the very famous scroll guy. We had a scroll made that says Love, Family, Yi Hsiu. And in small letters, 2009 Taipei, and the scroll guys name. Then we also had him make us a really cool silk fan that says Newman in the middle and forever on the left of Newman and family and the right of Newman. I LOVE it.

Little funny...at some point when we were driving from Yangmingshan back to Taipei, Alex cleared up a bit of miscommunication for Joyce. For the past few days she's been saying AnChee to Trey, which she thought meant be quiet. Today, Alex told her AnJEE is be quiet, AnChee is DIE. For three days Joyce has been telling Trey DIE DIE DIE!! This was hysterical!! Mainly because Trey has a very happy personality and he clearly never took Joyce or Travis seriously!! :) :) Classic.

Well, as I write this we are three hours away from leaving to go get our sweet baby Tessa Yi-Hsiu. We will meet her birthmother soon after we receive Tessa, so it's definitely going to be an emotionally charged day. Please say a prayer for all involved that we find peace, and that Tessa transitions ok. She's leaving behind all she knows and loves.

Jake & Sara - FOUR MORE SLEEPS!!
We love you too always always always and more than anything in the whole wide world!!

Mom - Thanks SO much for taking care of our babies...we so appreciate everything you do, and sorry to overschedule you. :) Love you!

Day 3 - Keelung and Jiufen

2009-08-08T16:51:00.000-07:00

This morning we loaded up with Mr. Yeh, Alex, Joyce, Travis and little Jing and headed north. We went to Keelung and looked at the massive female buddha statue. She is the buddha of safety for the fisherman...fitting since she overlooks the harbor. Beautiful. There is a huge bell that you can ring for luck, but unfortunately, they took the rope that you use to ring it down for the typhoon. Darn typhoon. We briefly peaked in the temple and headed back to the car.

From here, we were supposed to go to the Yeliu Geo Park, and Ocean World, but they were both also closed due to the typhoon. Darn typhoon.

Mr. Yeh decided we should go to Jiufen instead. It's a beautiful city high up on a mountain. We loved it. We walked through a market and got to buy some great souvenirs for our kids and friends and try some wonderful foods. One thing about the markets here, there are some strong odors from some of the fish and seafood.

We had a ton of fun and laughed alot despite the rain and wind from the darn typhoon. I even managed to do what I'd set out to: eat stinky tofu and drink bubble tea. Joyce was impressed. :)

All in all, a very good, fun day. Alex and Mr. Yeh are very sweet and accommodating. It's funny, if you even mention the 7-11 or Starbucks in your conversation, next thing you know, you're parked in front of one. :)

Jake & Sara
We got great stuff for you two today! Can't wait to be home to show you your treasures. We love you always and talk about you both all day long. :) Have fun!!

For Jake & Sara

2009-08-08T00:41:00.000-07:00

Day 2 - Hotel

2009-08-07T05:12:00.000-07:00

Who was I kidding...you can't shop in a typhoon. All the schools were closed, all the government offices were closed and most of the store were closed. So, we stayed at the hotel today, and caught up on our sleep. The picture above is of the doors to the hotel. They have to wrap them shut so they don't blow open.

Jake & Sara...we continue to think of you constantly. Hugs and kisses babies...seven more sleeps. Love always.

Day 1 - Taroko Gorge

2009-08-06T15:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a day! Originally, we were supposed to go to the gorge today, on Friday, but because of the incoming typhoon, Mr. Yeh switched it to today. I wouldn't recommend such an intense day of sightseeing on your first day in the country. :)

We got up early and went down to breakfast at the Agora. It is a very big, delicious, easy buffet (you just get them your room number, no tipping allowed). There was a large selection of both western and Asian dishes. But the very best part...they had a serve yourself, completely automated, high end ESPRESSO machine!! We are in heaven. :)

After breakfast, Mr. Lai (Mr. Yeh's associate) picked us up for the trip. We drove out of Taipei, which is mountainous and gorgeous and headed for the east coast of Taiwan. The first half of the 3 hour drive is highway and fairly straight. Well, then you hit the coast and the road becomes crazy. It's built on the side of a 4,000 foot tall range of mountains. And it turns like crazy. Like CRAZY. I was very nauseous as we hadn't even been in the country for 12 hours by this time and I was still recovering from the flight.

However, you simply cannot imagine the beauty. The mountains are covered in lush tropical vegetation and the cliffs are breathtaking. After a long time on the coast, we finally reached Taroko Gorge. The gorge is simply phenomenal. I bet I said "wow" a hundred times today. Unfortunately, due to the impending typhoon, many of the trails were closed off. But we got to drive about 10 miles into the gorge and it's SO amazing. If you are planning on coming here soon, I'd definitely recommend seeing the gorge (if you have a strong stomach for the ride there)! Truly, truly and amazing place and definitely the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life.

At the top of the gorge we stopped at the Taroko Hotel for lunch in this little nook of a restaurant. It was a bit intimidating but Mr. Lai assured me, "no fish" and it was actually very good. We had rice, cabbage, a leafy green, a pork dish, shrimp/egg dish (which I passed on) and a mushroom dish, which we tried to be polite (Todd and I both hate mushrooms). We also had a Chinese flower soup which was very good. Yum.

During lunch, it started to rain, and Mr. Lai realized that the typhoon that was expected tomorrow appeared to be making its way to land early. So we headed back to Taipei. OK, remember the crazy drive I described along the coast earlier? Add to that a typhoon and a driver in a hurry to be back. YIKES. I said Hail Mary's and Our Father's and squeezed Todd's hand white all the way back. Scary, but we did arrive back safe and sound.

We got back to the hotel where we met Joyce and her new son (SO cute) and found out that tomorrow's sightseeing is cancelled due to the typhoon. Fine with us, as at this point we had had about 3 hours of sleep since Monday night.

Last night after I fell asleep (at about 7 pm!) Todd got a call from Samantha at TWCA. She told him that Tessa's birthmom wants to meet us! I'm excited, nervous and emotional all in one. What a fabulous gift!

Today, we are going to brave the storm and explore the area on foot a little bit.

Jake & Sara...we'll be buying souvenirs for you two!! We love you SO much and are missing you tons. Be good for grandma. Soon, we'll all be together. LOVE YOU!

We're Here!

2009-08-05T14:53:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe that we are actually in Taiwan right now. :)

The trip was very smooth. Both our flight to Chicago and our flight to Taipei were on time and very smooth. And all of our luggage arrived, can't ask for more than that.

Mr. Yeh, Alex, and the son of another couple here adopting (Hi Travis!) met us at the airport. It was so great to finally see Mr. Yeh and Alex in "real" life after seeing him on so many blogs over the past year.

We didn't get to see much of Taipei last night since it was dark when we arrived. But so far, it seems very nice. We have a great view of Taipei 101 outside of our window. Everyone has been very friendly and helpful. Especially my fellow yahoo group member Joyce! :)

We checked into our hotel at around 1 am, and tried to get a few hours of sleep. We are leaving here in a half an hour (6:30 am) to go to Taroko Gorge. I'll post some pictures and more details later this evening. (If I'm not asleep.)

Jake & Sara:
We love and miss you two SO much!! Jake, yesterday there were SO many boys playing DSs at the airport and we thought so much of you. Sara, we see cute little girls and think of you constantly. We will always love you too..forever and ever, no matter what. XOXOXOXOX

Dinner in San Francisco

2009-08-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Starbucks at O'Hare

2009-08-04T08:21:00.000-07:00

We Made it to Chicago

2009-08-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

We're at our hotel in Chicago for the night. It's a great room and we're enjoying some R&R (aka alcohol) before we leave tomorrow. Our flight is off at noon tomorrow. Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers.

Jake and Sara...we miss you already. Hugs and kisses...be good! :) We love you!

Mom & Dad...thank you SO much!

Last Pic as a Family of Four

2009-08-03T11:58:00.000-07:00

Two days....two days!

2009-08-01T08:03:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, but at this point the nerves and anxiety are starting to settle in as well. Nerves for the plane ride, new culture, and new baby whom I really hope is a mellow one. :) Anxiety for leaving my two babies home...without us. That one is keeping me up at night.

But overall, so excited and happy that this long road is coming to an end and our new journey as a family of five is beginning.

Today, we're off to the grocery store to stock the house with lots of food and goodies for my parents. Later, we'll begin to pack our suitcases. :)

Whoa...we're getting close!

2009-07-30T05:59:00.000-07:00

4 days until we drive to Chicago
5 days until we get on a plane
6 days until we arrive in Taipei
11 days until I'm holding Tessa in my arms

We're so excited. Today, I'm off to my doctor's office to get my immunizations for the trip. Then we're going to run some miscellaneous errands to buy things we'll need.

I'm so ready for this trip...I want to get on a plane NOW. But soon, soon enough. :)

The Best Gift Ever

2009-07-28T15:29:00.000-07:00

Last night we went to what we thought was just a neighborhood ice cream party. Turns out it was to honor Todd and me and our journey to Tessa! Not only were our neighbors there with us, but they presented us with the most amazing gift...a beautiful quilt made by our neighbor Sue! She picked the most beautiful Asian umbrella fabric and trimmed it with red. The best part was that she had each neighbor make a square for the quilt and sign their name on it! She even managed to get Jake and Sara to do one without us finding out!

When it was presented to us last night, I cried. The quilt is beautiful and it's such a wonderful, thoughtful gift. One that I know Tessa will always treasure.

Numero Uno y Dos

2009-07-28T15:26:00.000-07:00

I love these two pictures of Jake and Sara...just wanted to share. :)

Getting so excited!!!

2009-07-26T11:12:00.000-07:00

We're down to EIGHT days before we leave and I'm getting absolutely giddy with excitement!! I can't wait to meet our baby girl!!

I'm feeling fairly well prepared at this point. The past few days have been filled with getting the kids situated and arranged to stay busy. My mom and dad will be staying at the house with them and various friends and family have been "scheduled" to keep them occupied throughout the whole time we're gone. I'm so thankful for everyone that has stepped forward to help us...we appreciate it SO much.

Today, I'm washing bottles and little itty bitty baby clothes. :) It finally feels SO real!

Travel Booked!!

2009-07-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

We're so excited! Our travel plans are:

8/4 - Fly out of Chicago
8/5 - Arrive in Taiwan
8/6-9 - Sightsee
8/10 - Tessa Day!
8/11 - Sightsee
8/12 - AIT Appointment
8/13 - Fly out of Taiwan
8/14 - Arrive home

Hang on Tessa...we're coming baby! :)

New Measurements

2009-07-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

At six months old Tessa weighed 14.5 lbs and was 24.5 inches long. She's tiny and perfect.

We don't have confirmed travel dates yet, but hope to have them tomorrow. Unfortunately, it looks like we'll be traveling about a week later than we thought. This is disappointing, but one week isn't that long.

FINAL RULING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-07-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

Woohoo!!! Praise the Lord!!!

My case worker just called tonight at 9:45 pm...what a worker she is!

We are SO happy!! Tessa Yi-Hsiu is officially our daughter!!!! YAY YAY YAY!!!

Tentatively, we leave the first week in August and get her August 7th.

I'm so happy!!! Thank you GOD! :) And thank you everyone for your prayers, I couldn't have made it through this tough wait without you.

July Pictures!!

2009-07-15T15:37:00.001-07:00

She's so beautiful! I love all that hair! She looks a bit teary eyed and drooly though, I'm guessing she's working on cutting those bottom teeth. Poor baby. As much as I LOVE these updates, I'm really hoping this is our last one. Come on judge...let's have that final ruling!

July Updates!

2009-07-15T15:07:00.000-07:00

Yay! July updates are in!! Our agency sent them in a new format, so I still have to figure out how to post the pictures, but here is the video!

Oooh....I want to hold her SO bad. The dress is another one we sent...I love her foster mom. :) It looks big on her...she's such a peanut. Isn't she GORGEOUS????

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Catching Up...

2009-07-13T17:01:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm behind in my blogging! I'll try to catch up. Here are a couple of pics from the fourth of July week. First was a very fun parade in a nearby small town (lots and lots of candy...it's like the lazy man's version of Halloween!) Here is a line up of my and my friend Lori's international beauties. From left to right are my Sara, Lori's J.J, my Jake, Lori's newest, her beautiful Ethiopian daughter, Betti, at her very first parade, and Lori's Charlie!

Then, last week our town had our local festival parade and Jake got to ride in a car with one of the candidates for queen. It was very cool and he was way geeked to do it!

No news on the final ruling...but we sure are getting excited that it could be SOON!

Mackinaw Island

2009-07-11T14:28:00.000-07:00

Jake Loves Bunnies Too

2009-07-10T11:47:00.000-07:00

Sara Loves Bunnies

2009-07-10T11:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Six Months Baby!

2009-07-04T06:28:00.000-07:00

Tessa is six months old today, on our nation's birthday. We miss her so much and can't wait to have her in our arms. Hopefully a just a few more weeks our dream will become reality.

We have a fun day planned with a parade and fireworks tonight.

Happy 4th of July!

Civil Ruling!!!!

2009-06-25T06:37:00.000-07:00

Woo hoo!!! Our case worker just called to let us know we received our civil ruling today!! I am SO SO SO happy and am shaking so bad it's really hard to type!! :)

This is a HUGE step. It basically means the judge has decided favorably on our case and is notifying all pertinent parties that he plans to sign off on the adoption. Our final ruling should come anywhere within 3-8 weeks and we'll travel shortly after.

Thank you for all your positive thoughts and prayers...they worked!