New Blog Link

Here is the link to our new blog! It will be password protected so if you would like to follow or continue to follow us please email me at karilynn1014ATgmail.com. We hope you continue to follow our journey!!! Thank you! http://ourlittleseouls.wordpress.com

Private!

Due to unexpected changes in our lives we have decided to make our blog private. If you are interested in following our journey or would like to continue to follow our journey please email me at karilynn1014 AT gmail.com. Thank you!!!!

Bye Bye Diapers!

Well, I think it's safe to say that Ryan is a officially potting trained! This was much faster than I thought it was going to be. He caught on with the pee pee part almost instantly but the #2 took over 3.5 weeks to happen. That's actually not bad at all considering the stories I've heard about boys taking months to go on the toilet. Guess we got lucky!!! Not going to lie, it's been an exhausting 3 and a half weeks spending SO much time in bathroom.

We're very proud of Ryan because this was a big deal for him. He was absolutely terrified to go #2 on the toilet so when "it" happened I was a proud momma! We told Ryan that if he made #2 he could get a few new toys. His request were a squirt gun, a fishing pole, and a fishy! Strange combination of things!!! So that's what he got! Today he got to pick out his fish...he named him Super-Truck!!

Meet Super-Truck the Beta Fish!

Phone Photos!

I love having a phone where a can take a picture at any moment pretty much where ever I want. Some of my favorite pictures are captured through my phone. Just wanted to share a few favorites!

Trip to Whole Foods with our Favorite Friend

Ryan wanted to take a pic with both of us in his sunglasses
Cooper loving the warm weather!
Trucks in Rice!
Lunch picnic in our living room!
Potty Training is exhausting!
Coops relaxing in the grass!
My sweet niece Lillian!
Baseball with Grandpa!
First night in a big boy bed!
Last night in a crib :(
On a happy note I am SO happy excited that the Korean adoption program is moving again. SO many waiting mama's FINALLY got their travel calls today!!! I also discovered this week that someone I know that only lives 15 minutes from me who is traveling to Korea Monday...her daughter has the same foster family that Ryan had!!! She is willing to take some gifts to them from us! So excited!! Hopefully our homestudy will be sent soon too!

Family Day and 2 years home!

Yesterday was our Family Day! Hard to believe two years ago (yesterday) Ryan was placed in our arms forever! I think of his foster family on this day even more than usual and hope that they know just how thankful we are for the love and care they gave to Ryan the first 9 months of his life. We will be forever grateful for them. Yesterday was and will always be one of the greatest days of my life and still to this day I feel incredibly blessed that God choice this path for us. I just can't help but think about all the things we went through and roads we took that led us straight to Ryan.

For our family day yesterday we spent the day just the 3 of us. Ryan has been asking to go to the zoo so to the zoo we went! It was a beautiful day!

Today is also a special day as it is two years ago today that we walked off the plane with Ryan. The picture below is home the first day at home with his now best friend Cooper.

Our Big Little Boy...

Before I talk about potty training and big boy beds..today is a very special day. 2 years ago today we were in Korea meeting Ryan for the very first time. I'll never forget the first time I saw his sweet face and held him in my arms. It has become one of my favorite days.

I'm so overdue with a post!!!! It's been far too long and there's lots of changes going on in this house! We started potty training a week and a half ago...meanwhile Ryan's "big boy bed" came. Yikes!!! Potty training is going slowly but surely. He is doing great with making pee pee on the potty and has even told me 2 times that he need to go to the bathroom! We even made a trip to Target in big boy underpants with no accidents. Going #2 on the potty is a different story. Needless to say we aren't quite ready for that...all in time!

Ryan has been gearing up for his big boy bed. We've talked about it for a while and decided it was time. He's come very close to climbing out of his crib. His bed came on Wednesday of this week. The first night was a restless one. It took him 3 hours to fall sleep waking several times throughout the night. Night #2 went a little better...it only took him 2 hours to fall asleep and once he fell asleep he stayed asleep until 7:oo am. I guess I really can't complain because as big of a change as it is he's dong really well. He just seems to be afraid of the dark and wants the light on. So today we are going to find a brighter night light to help with this transition.

Here are some pictures of his new room....

He looks so little in his big boy bed!

He needed to make sure he had all his "friends"
Cooper loves his new bed too!
And of course we need Tee Tee!
Story time with Daddy!

Happy Valentines Day!

It's been a while since I've taken pictures of Ryan. He isn't the best at letting me take his picture but with a little candy bribe, we actually got some good shots! I can't believe how grown up he looks and is. Happy Valentines Day!!!

I...

Absolutely....
Love....
This....
Sweet...
Boy of mine...

Ryan 2.5

It's been quite awhile since I've posted an update on my little...I mean BIG boy! I Can't believe he's already over 2 and a half years old and I'm not sure why he feels the need to grow up so quickly. He is at such a fun age....and challenging!!! It feels like he went from a little boy to a toddler over night and there are days I look at him and can't believe how much he has changed and how proud I am of how far he's come. Here is what Ryan has been up to...

Interest-

*Ryan still loves trucks, cars, and trains.

*He loves Fire Trucks and loves to pretend to squirt people with this hose.

*He has a new found love for Monster Trucks and wants to watch live monster truck shows.

*He loves puzzles

*He still loves the Cars movie and characters

*He is obsessed with Chuggington and Mickey Mouse. Sesame Street isn't his favorite anymore :(

*He still loves books and will "pretend" he can read the words on the page...this is so cute!

*He now isn't afraid of Play Doh anymore and enjoys playing with that!

*Ryan also loves to be chased and to play hide and seek.

Activities-

*Ryan is enrolled in a tumbling/gymnastics class once a week that we do together.

*We still goes to Mommy & Me preschool together.

*Ryan loves having friends over and will ask me if "people can come over"

*Ryan's favorite thing to do is "play" monster trucks/cars/trains/color etc with Mommy or Daddy. He loves us playing with him. Honestly, I love that he wants me to spend so much time with him because soon enough he'll want nothing to do with me.

Vocabulary-

I feel like Ryan has gone from saying a few words to talking like an adult over night. There are so many words/phrases that crack us up. Here are just a few...

*Ryan's newest thing to say is..."Mommy and Daddy are in big trouble for crushing all the eggs"-Not sure where this came from.

*When he wants to be held he says "hold you me"

*"Watch Chuggington?" "Watch Mickey?"

*"I don't wanna clean up"

*"Awesome"

*"My breakfast delicious"

*"I'm broken, I need fixed" -With this he is pretending to be a robot

*In the morning he says "Mommy, Daddy come get me, I wake up"

*"Good Morning mommy, I sleep good"

*"I scared, a monster come get me"

*He knows the words to jingle bells, twinkle twinkle, I'm a little coo coo clock, rudolph the red nosed reindeer.

*He loves to take any word and sing it to the tune jingle bells.

*I need... this is said for everything..."I need Tee Tee", I need juice please", "I need water please"

*"I don't wanna watch the news"---He says this when I'm watching the news.

*Ryan has been complimented on how polite he can be. We work really hard to get him to say please and thank you. Most times I don't even need to remind him anymore. At a restaurant when the waitress brought his food he said "THANKS!!!" without having to be told.. SO cute.

Strengths...

*Ryan is a very friendly kid and loves to be around others.

*Ryan has a GREAT memory...this kid doesn't miss a beat or forget anything.

*He is a great napper...2-3 hours every afternoon

*He sleeps through the night the majority of the time.

*He is very polite.

*He plays well with other kids and tends to favor kids a little older than him.

Weaknesses...

*Ryan is very strong willed and get upset easily in a tear fest sort of way.

*He is a picky eater. He won't touch veggies or any kind of meat.

*He can be very impatient and gets easily frustrated.

*He isn't much of a fan of babies and kids younger than him.

*He is becoming sassy and mouthy...we are working on this every day! Gotta love 2 year olds!

Imagination...

*Ryan has started pretending with this toys. I often here him talking with his toys or he makes them talk to one another.

*He will pretend something is chasing him or that he is running through a car wash.

*He says "I scared, a monster/dinosaur/boogyman etc coming"

General...

*Ryan still loves his Tee Tee (blanket) but only get's "him" at nap time and bed time due to thumb sucking.

*He loves to help us with everything...cleaning, putting away laundry, fixing things. He still runs to get his toy tools when something needs to be fixed.

*He loves a few strange movies that most kids his age probably don't...Harry Potter and Goonies are a few examples. I believe Ryan is a little bit of an old soul.

*Ryan is so desperate for a cup of coffee and will ask for a cup EVERY morning while we have ours. He says, "I need coffee too".

*He has become obsessed with turning lights on and off and is fascinated by zippers!

*He loves Cooper and loves giving him treats and will now open the cupboard and get one for him on his own.

*Ryan is enrolled in 3 year old preschool for next fall...sniff sniff. This will be 2.5 hours twice a week with an awesome teacher! I think this will be so good for him.

*Ryan will hopefully be starting Tae Kwon Do in the summer.

*He loves to do EVERYTHING by himself...take off his coat, shoes, feed Cooper, Take off his diaper etc.

*He wants nothing to do with potty training...we still have 9 month before preschool!

That's all I can think of even though there are millions of things he says and does on a daily basis! He's a funny and silly little boy and although he can be naughty and sassy, he is very loving and sweet and just wants to make us happy.

Happy Lunar New Year!

Update on Adoption #2-Again...

We aren't included in this next batch... :(

This letter is being sent to update prospective adoptive parents who are on the waiting list for their home studies to be sent to Social Welfare Society.

Five studies will be sent to Korea at this time. Four of the studies are for either sex or boy. One is for a female and the prospective adoptive Mom is Korean of origin.

At the present time, almost half of the home studies already sent in early 2011 are requesting females. As you know, there are very few females being placed for international adoptions without significant medical issues. We will not be sending any more home studies requesting females until at least half of those families already on the SWS list receive referrals. Unfortunately, at this point, the length of time is unpredictable.

As you know, the waiting periods for formal applications, studies sent to Korea, referrals being made, and children coming into their new families has significantly increased in the last two years. In addition, children will be over the age of 12 months at time of referral and closer to 24 months when parents bring them home;

This is disappointing news for those of you who have been waiting but please be assured that AIAA is still committed to helping you create or expand your family.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact our office.

Special Friends

Last night we had some very special friends over. Ryan got to run around and play with some pretty awesome Korean friends...Gavin, Ike, and Eden. Needless to say the kids had a blast.

Ryan has a little crush on his girl Eden....
I love that he has his little group of Korean friends that will someday mean so much to him...
And I love that I have this small group of girlfriends...
Who I like for so many reasons....
But love for one very obvious one!!!!

Poor Buddy

We took Ryan to allergist today for the first time. We've had concerns about his seasonal allergies that at times have been pretty rough. We have always had concerns about allergies to pets. So today he had an allergy screening done....poor boy. It wasn't nearly as extensive as it is for adults. It took about 10 seconds or so but Ryan screamed bloody murder. The doctor knew instantly that he has allergies to cats and dogs and seasonal allergies. Cats being worse than dogs. He is also concerned about early signs of asthma. Thankfully there are no food allergies. Ryan is now on Zyrtec, singular, and a breathing treatment all before going to bed each night. He will also need an air purifier and wood floors in his room and Mr. Cooper needs to keep out. Hopefully he will phase out of this as he gets older. He is also being treated for yet another ear infection...hoping we don't have to have tubes done. This dude needs to get better!

Stay at Home Mom Rambles

I think some people are under the misconception that being a stay at home mom means having all this extra time to do things and get things done or sitting around in a bath robe sipping on a cup of coffee. Eeeeeegh, that is certainly not the case. I have to admit, it erks me when people ask me what I do all day and or say "oh, it must be so nice to stay home" or "I would love to stay home, I would be able to get SO much done during the day". Really? REALLY??

Whenever I am "getting things done" or running errands it's always with a 2.5 year in tote. I very rarely have the opportunity to do anything without taking my two year with me. Even my last hair appointment my 2.5 year old tagged along with me. I feel very fortunate that I get to stay home with Ryan and I wouldn't change it for the world. Are there days that are very long and draining and I feel like I want to poke my eyeballs out with a fork????.....absolutely! Especially if my husband is traveling for work. Those days tend to feel a little longer. But, I look at being a stay at home mom as a job and I take it seriously.

Finding things for Ryan to be involved in and taking him to play groups, play dates, the library, mommy and me preschool, etc certainly doesn't sound like sitting on the couch with a good cup of coffee catching up on my shows kind of days! Not to mention the activities we do together at home...color, practice colors/letters, reading together, play doh, playing trucks and cars. I don't just put on the T.V so I can get stuff done. I get stuff done when I can. Even his nap times consist of me straightening up the house and showering and my workouts happen early in the morning...before Ryan gets up!

It also bothers me when "working outside of the home moms" say that they don't have the time or never have the time to do things that they just assume I have the time for because I am home all day. I get that working full time/part time outside the home and taking care of a family is difficult and crazy busy. Everyone is busy. I can't think of a single person/family who isn't busy. People make time for the things they want in life whether you are working outside the home or in it!

I just feel the need to defend myself and other stay at home moms out there. Staying home ALL day every day with a child or children isn't as glamours and people might believe. It is work. Hard work. I could ramble on for days on how the comments and misconceptions get to me. I guess all that matters is that we are doing what's best for our family and that's what I need to remind myself of. I will also say it's the best and most rewarding job and I am truly blessed that I get to be a stay at home mom to an awesome kid.

Update on Adoption #2

I'm not happy about this what-so-ever but I'm putting this one in God's hands.

This letter is being sent to families whose home studies have not yet been sent to Social Welfare Society for placement of a child from Korea.

On my trip to Korea last month, I met with the President of SWS and the Director of the Intercountry Adoption Department to try and assess the program for 2012. AIAA still has 7 children who are waiting permission from the Korean Ministry to travel. We also have 11 children who were either children with special needs or were referred in the last two months of 2011. All of these children will be counted on the 2012 quota for travel permissions.

As has been their policy for the last few years, the Korean Government will be cutting the quota for children being placed internationally by at least 10% for 2012. In 2011, SWS placed a number of children in the first 4 months of the year and had no more quota left. They chose not to refer any other children, except those with special needs, until the end of the year.

For 2012, the referrals will be spread over the year so the families do not have to wait so long for their children to travel. We are expecting to send new home studies shortly but in small batches depending on the number of referrals that we receive. At this point, we have no reason to believe that the families with completed home studies waiting to be sent will not receive a referral in 2012. However, as the year goes on, we will not be able to guarantee that they will travel this year. There is also a new law that will take effect in July, 2012 and it is unclear what impact it will have on international placements.

While these changes take place, I want you to know that both SWS and AIAA are committed to helping you fulfill your dream to adopt a child from Korea. We will keep you informed as we receive further information regarding the Korean Program.

Happy New Year!

I can only hope that 2012 will be as wonderful as 2011 was! I really can't complain about this past year. It was an incredibly busy year but such a great one. I do however hope that 2012 will bring us something a little extra special..our Little Annie! I am hoping our homestudy gets sent to Korea in the next week or so and that this time next year we have a daughter. Until then, I will continue to enjoy my time with Ryan.

As always we stayed in for NYE. We usually go out for dinner and then come back home for drinks and dessert. This year we just decided to stay in and make a bunch of appetizers and have my parents/siblings over. We had so much fun eating and drinking and playing Wii! Unfortunately Ryan wasn't feeling good so went to bed earlier than I had hoped!

Here's to a Happy and Healthy 2012...a little baby girl ;))))))

My dad showing off his head stand skills!
Me and my pops!