Paper Lanterns

A New Year and time for a New Blog!!

2010-01-05T21:21:00.000-08:00

Can it really be that I haven't posted a single thing on here since August? I know I've been busy as a new mom and all, but WOW!! Honestly, I've kind of been bummed lately that I became such a lame-o blogger. I haven't kept a journal since Noah has been home ( in spite of the fact that it has been sitting by my bedside for months), so other than the ten thousand photos and videos we have taken, I have no written words of how our life has been since Noah has joined our family. And to top it all off, I'm quite certain that very early Alzheimer's has been setting in for years, so if I don't start writing now, those memories are going to be long gone very soon.

After much thought, I have decided a new year calls for a fresh start. I am going to start a new blog/journal where I can wrack my brain to remember as much as I can of these past five and a half months with our boy, NoahBear. ( Don't know why that's his nickname, it just came out of my mouth one day shortly after he came home and it kinda stuck. And then, what do ya know....we just happened to find the best bear costume ever for Halloween! :)

So, if anyone is still out there and would like to join us on this new journey, come on over to my new blog, "The Adventures of NoahBear" to say hello!

Man of My Dreams !!!

2009-08-17T19:17:00.000-07:00

It's the Noah Show !!!

2009-08-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure how Glenn actually posts videos right on our blog, and since he is upstairs putting Noah to bed I can't ask him. :) So...I figured I would just post a link to two videos of Noah from his first week home. The first is of him being his silly, adorable self! The second is of the director of our agency calling to talk to him. ( She likes to talk to all of the babies when they first come home to try to comfort them and fill the void of missing their foster mommies. It is very, very sweet!! )
Just click here to view: http://www.vimeo.com/5858598

I am a crappy blogger :(

2009-08-10T20:30:00.000-07:00

Ok...same old song. I have no time to blog anymore!!! It's been almost two weeks since I have posted anything, so I had to at least put up some photos. Noah is doing amazing! We have fallen head over heels for him! He seems to be equally attached to both Glenn and I so far, which we are both very happy about. He has been sleeping each night for 10 - 11 hours.....straight through! WOO HOO!!! He loves to swim! ( I think he may have been a fish or dolphin in a past life :) He LOVES watermelon. ( he's eaten almost two whole ones himself since he's been home!) He loves to eat and share his Pirate's Booty with Simon. And....well, he is just the single best thing that has ever happened to Glenn and I!

And even more....

2009-07-29T07:25:00.001-07:00

More photos!

2009-07-29T07:21:00.000-07:00

A few more photos of baby Noah to hold you over :)

2009-07-26T04:22:00.000-07:00

NOAH IS HOME !!!

2009-07-26T04:20:00.001-07:00

YES!! Our baby boy is finally home! The past few days have been a whirlwind to say the least! Noah is doing so well and Glenn and I have fallen completely in love with him. He seems to get more and more comfortable with us as each day passes. There hasn't been any time to sit and write about all that has been going on as Noah of course is keeping us soooo busy. He is still adjusting to the time difference and also tends to need to curl up on Glenn or I in order to fall asleep and stay asleep. Although we know it will take quite some time until Noah is totally attached to us, we are so happy that he wants to be comforted by us and are finding that each day we are able to figure out his needs a little better than the day before.

Well, that is all the time I can squeeze in for now, but promise when things settle Glenn will post some videos and I will write a bit more about our first moments with Noah. In the meantime, here are some photos of Noah's homecoming!!

TRAVEL CALL!!! Noah is coming home!!!!!

2009-07-20T18:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a whirlwind of a day to say the least!!! The call that we have been waiting for has finally come! Our baby boy is coming home!!! (And today he is 13 months old!!)

I prayed so hard last night that good news would come today, especially after others that have used our agency bet that today would be the day. All morning I was trying to remain hopeful. You know in your heart that the call will come eventually but at the same time it feels like it will never happen! At 10:57 a.m. I was on the phone with my boss when the call waiting clicked. I started screaming to Priscilla...." it's them!!!! I gotta go!!!!!!!" As soon as I heard the voice of the director of our agency saying, " This is the call!!!!", I started to cry! I quickly got myself together, grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down all of the info. Our Noah Lee comes this Wednesday afternoon!!! When Cecelia informed me that there would be three other families picking up their babies I quickly had to ask about a new friend I have been speaking to on-line for the past month or so. Jodi lives in Boston and got the referral of her son Matthew 10 days after we got Noah's referral. We have been helping each other through the final part of this painful wait and were hoping that our travel calls would be for the same day and place. How amazing that we will both be there to share this moment together!!

I knew I wouldn't be able to get a darn thing done all day today and had a lunch date planned with my friend, Tracey. So.....after making a ton of phone calls I had a really nice afternoon with my friend. As always, Tracey is so thoughtful. She picked up lunch for us, made a delicious pie for dessert and had flowers and balloons to celebrate! She had me cracking up when she told me that she was telling everyone in the deli and stores about Noah coming home!! How amazing and touching to have friends that are just as excited as you!! Thank you, Tracey, for spending the day with me and sharing in this journey!!!

Well, I'm sure the next posts will be lots of photos and videos of our first moments with Noah. Wednesday can't get here soon enough!!

This just warms my heart :)

2009-07-19T09:39:00.000-07:00

Bye, baby brother :(

2009-07-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Time to go say my good-byes to my youngest brother, Ryan. He has been living in California for the past two and a half years and has been home all week for a visit. I never feel like I get enough time with him and the week always goes by way too fast. He won't be home again until Christmas, but luckily we do get to see each other using iChat. I was so hoping that I would get my call for Noah while Ry was here, but that didn't happen. Now I just keep praying that it happens next week.

Here's me and Ry when I got to see him last Sunday for the first time. Isn't he just sooo cute?!!!

VISA !!!!!

2009-07-14T09:11:00.000-07:00

Amazing news today!!!! Noah's Visa appointment is scheduled for 1p.m. tomorrow! ( which is midnight tonight, our time!)

My new friend Jodi, who is also adopting a beautiful baby boy and is using our agency, sent me an e-mail today to call DC to check on the status of things because she had finally gotten the good news of her son's Visa. I was so afraid to pick up the phone to call and hear the same old thing, but figured there was a very good possibility of good news for us since Jodi and I are very close in our timelines of things. I burst into tears as soon as I hung up the phone and heard the wonderful news!!!!!

So what does this mean in the grand scheme of things? It means that we could get our call within a few days or so! Yes...it could take a few weeks....but as my friend Jackie informed me, she has seen a pattern within our agency. If you have a longer wait on your Visa ( as Jodi and I have) your Travel Call usually comes very shortly after.

So now we pray that our much anticipated call from our agency comes very, very soon and I am also praying that Jodi and I get to meet at the airport and share this life changing experience together.

We'll keep you posted as soon as we hear something!!

The story of us is just beginning

2009-07-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

love you Coll,
Your Husband
Glenn

A much needed night out

2009-07-08T22:02:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to not only have a sister that I truly adore, but also 6 sister-in-laws that are amazing as well. We try to get together for dinner a few times a year.....just us girls :)....and I was so happy that I could make it tonight. It was not only fun to be in their company but another great distraction from our "wait." The photos are of Glenn's three sisters ( Joan, Cindy and Robin), and me and Jill, who is married to one of Glenn's brothers. The only one missing was Tina ( married to another brother.....yes, Glenn has a big family. He is the youngest of 8!!!), and Lynn who lives in North Carolina.....unfortunately it would be quite a long trip for her to make it to dinner! Thanks girls for a much needed night out!!

Lucky 7's

2009-07-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

One of my fellow bloggy friends ( Hi Joanna!!) tagged me in this little game to help keep me distracted from the wait for Noah. Lord knows I could use all of the distractions that I can get!! Here goes....

Things I'm looking forward to:

1) going out to dinner tonight with my amazing sister-in-laws.
2) Ryan (my baby brother) coming home from California on Saturday for a visit
3) getting the call from my agency telling me that Noah is coming home!!
4) the very first moment that Glenn and I see Noah for the very first time
5) finally being a Mom
6) watching Glenn be the most wonderful dad
7) being able to finally tell everyone...."It's time! He's coming!!!!"

Things I did yesterday:

1) doctor's appointment
2) shopping for some tops and sandals
3) snuggled with Simon
4) laundry, laundry and more laundry
5) ate some not so great Mexican food
6) drank a very yummy pomegranate margarita
7) tossed and turned, didn't sleep well and got up three times to pee :)

Things I wish I could do:

1) be more patient during this awful wait
2) start exercising again
3) stop eating so many sweets
4) travel and see the world whenever I felt like it
5) wave a magic wand and heal my dad's pain
6) play the piano
7) cook without having to follow recipes

Shows I watch:

1) Survivor
2) The Office
3) The Amazing Race
4) Lost
5) Californication
6) Dexter
7) repeats of Everybody Loves Raymond and The King of Queens

There ya have it! Instead of tagging anyone, feel free to post your list in the comments section of this post!!! I'd love to see your lists. :)

Happy Birthday Big Sis!!!

2009-07-04T06:51:00.001-07:00

Yep, Lisa was born on the Fourth of July. I am so lucky to have a big sister that is also one of my very best friends. She is an amazing mom that I have already learned so much from and I hope that I am half as good as she is at it. She already knows that she will be getting round the clock phone calls from me for advice once Noah comes home!!

Happy, Happy Birthday Big Sister!!!! I love you!!

(gotta say.....her outfit is WAY cooler than mine in this photo :)

How to pass the time while waiting for Noah to come home:

2009-07-02T08:48:00.000-07:00

1) Take photos of your dog wearing glasses. ( he looks quite good, wouldn't ya say?)

Artwork contest from one of my faves!!!!!

2009-07-01T14:08:00.000-07:00

I had to pass this great contest along......even though by doing so I am lessening my chances to win:)

Do you remember the adorable piece of artwork that I bought called "a frog and a slug went walking"??? Well....that amazing artist, kil sook, is part of a contest and you can win one of her prints!! All you have to do is check out her shop on Etsy, pick out your favorite print, and then leave a comment stating your fave and you are entered! How easy is that? Here is the link to the contest:

http://jamieann.net/shops/2009/06/29/etsy-adore-kilsook/

These are some of my latest favorites. Not only are her pieces unique, but they have the best quirky titles as well. These three are titled:

rice candy and a poppy red barrette

asian catholic school kids, day 1 - look at my tube socks

then there will be days, when you just feel like wearing a sock monkey on your head

Hop on over and enter....but better hurry!...the contest ends Sunday, July 5th at 11:59 p.m.

Two More Baby Showers!!

2009-06-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

Glenn and I were both totally surprised and touched when we each were given a baby shower at work. Our bosses and co-workers were so unbelievably generous. Glenn's shower was about two weeks ago. As someone who hates to be the center of attention, he just about died when he walked into a "supposed meeting" and saw his entire company standing there yelling "surprise!!" How cool that they threw a shower for a guy!!!! He was truly blown away by it all.
My second shower was on Saturday. I have only been at my new job for three months now, so you can imagine how shocked I was that the girls did such a completely heartfelt thing for me. They too were way too generous with both the gifts and all of the food that they prepared. It was a nice little party right in the salon at the end of the day. I'm so ridiculously oblivious half of the time that it wasn't too difficult to pull one over on me!!
Glenn and I are just so thankful to have jobs and co-workers that we love. It has been so wonderful to be surrounded by so much support and excitement not only from friends and family but at our jobs as well.
Unfortunately I don't have any photos from Glenn's shower ( which he is quite fine with!) or from mine just yet, but this is a photo of all of my beautiful co-workers that was used for an ad before I started working there. Are they all totally gorgeous, or what?!!!

Rockin it baby style!

2009-06-25T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of our friends gave us a really cool CD of lullabies for our baby boy Noah that is all Bob Marley tunes reimagined into lullabies. Cool!!!! I checked out the website for the company (Rockabye Baby) and there is a bunch of other great stuff. I picked up the ones shown and every one of them is great. I also found out that they are just a bit cheaper on amazon.com So go check it out and let me know what you think.

Animal Crackers in my soup!!!

2009-06-23T22:07:00.000-07:00

Word of advice to all of you out there.......at 12:30 A.M. when you can't sleep and are totally wide awake and are upstairs watching reruns of Frasier on Lifetime in bed and you decide maybe a little snack might help.....DO NOT, I repeat..DO NOT go downstairs and get a box of animal crackers, bring them back upstairs and eat them in bed while sharing them with your dog ( who crunches rather loudly, I might add) when your husband is asleep!!! He will wake up, ask "what are you doing???!!", ask you to turn off the tv and take your animal crackers elsewhere. You will then decide you better go downstairs and within five minutes your husband will follow you down because now HE can't sleep.

And that is why I am writing a blog post at 1:15 a.m.

Goodnite!!!

Noah's Birthday Presents!

2009-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

Glenn and I had a grand 'ole time picking out some toys for Noah. Every child has to have a See 'N Say, right?!! ( although this toy now reminds me of a very funny episode of "King of Queens" I saw one night recently where Doug, his father-in-law and friend decide to use it to gamble and place bets on which animal it will land on!! Funny stuff!!) Glenn couldn't wait to pick out a big Tonka truck and I decided that Noah had to have a Little People Noah's Ark. ( yes, because his name is Noah :) Hurry up and get here Noah so you can play with all of your new toys!!!

Happy Father's Day to my Glenny and to my Dad!!

2009-06-21T06:23:00.001-07:00

I am so happy to finally be able to say those words to Glenn. I can't wait to see him and Noah together and watch their relationship grow as I know that Glenn will truly be the most amazing father. As much as I won't be looking forward to going back to working on Saturdays ( after taking a few off when Noah gets here) I do know that Glenn will enjoy having the day to himself with Noah. They will be the "Dynamic Duo" every Saturday having boy time together! What fun they will have!!! Happy 1st Father's Day, Glenny!!

I also must wish MY amazing Dad a Happy Dad's dad as well. You really couldn't pick a better father than mine. He has been so good to me my entire life. Whatever choices I have made he has stood by me and he has always made me feel loved and cared for. Whether he was verbally telling me or sending me one of the many, many cards I've received from him over the years...I always have known how much he loves me. I love you Pop!!!

These are some of my favorite photos of Glenny and Dad. Glenny and I got married in Kauai. (thanks to the amazingly generous gift of the trip from my parents) It was a dream wedding and vacation that we shared with my parents and it wouldn't have been the same if they weren't there with us. One of the things that my father HAD to do was take a helicopter trip, so we were more than happy to go along! It was one of the most amazing things I think we have all ever done and I don't think I've ever seen my dad have a bigger smile!! Hopefully one day we will make it back to the beautiful island of Kauai.....in the meantime it has become my "happy place" that I go to whenever I am stressed :)

Happy 1st Birthday Noah Lee!!!!!

2009-06-20T13:01:00.001-07:00

Yes.... today our baby boy turns ONE!!! As much as Glenn and I truly wish that Noah was here with us today to celebrate, we are sure that his foster mom is making it a very special day for him. We knew deep down that it was a longshot that he'd be home by now, but I think secretly we were both wishing for a miracle. Rather than being sad today about what we don't have right now I am instead thinking of Noah's birthmother and what a significant day this will always be for her. Wherever she is, I can only imagine that her beautiful son has been in her thoughts all day today. I can only imagine that she is wondering where he is.....what he looks like now.....if he is being taken care of.....the list must go on and on. It must be an extremely emotional day for her today as well.
One thing is for certain.....Noah will grow up knowing that he is such a lucky boy to have three moms ( and of course an amazing Dad!!!) who love him unconditionally.

Happy First Birthday, Noah!! We love you!!

Feeling a bit sad today.......

2009-06-16T16:29:00.000-07:00

Well, tomorrow is officially three months to the day that we received our referral of Noah and first set eyes on his cute little face. It generally takes between three and five months from the time of your referral to your child coming home. As much as I have been telling myself that it could very possibly take the full five months, I have seen people get very lucky and get their travel call right at the three month mark and I guess I have been secretly hoping that we would be that lucky as well. Noah's first birthday is on Saturday, and Glenn and I wanted so much to be with him for such a big day......but at this point I am not counting on it.

My pity party will end tonight. I think I will take a long soak in the tub to drown my sorrows of the day :( Tomorrow is a new day and I will just keep telling myself that Noah will be here soon.....he will get here when he is meant to.

( Ohhh, and this is one of my favorite photos that Glenn took on a trip we took to Cape May. We call this photo "The Saddest Seagull" I kinda feel like him right now.)

FLIP Video

2009-06-08T17:15:00.000-07:00

I talked Coll into the idea that I needed a pocket video camera "for Noah!" Its called The Flip Mino HD and its friggin great. Its about the size of a cell phone, well a little bigger and fatter, kinda like the phone I had back in 1998 but still..... The video quality is pretty good but the ease of use and the built in USB makes it a homerun.

It cost around $200 bucks. Out the door price of around $250 with the extra warrantee, cables and shipping. You can find it here

http://www.theflip.com/

Next: I think Noah needs a xbox 360! Sweet! I love having a kid!!!

Click below to see a sample video (look for the HD button if your machine can take it)

Noah's Nursery is done!!

2009-06-07T20:25:00.001-07:00

Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! My bookshelf is hung!

2009-06-07T20:13:00.001-07:00

Just wanted everyone to see my amazing brother-in-law who built the bookshelf I got for my shower gift. He was kind enough to come over yesterday to help Glenn hang it on the wall. We absolutely love it and are so touched that he went out of his way to make such a special gift for us and Noah! We love you Jim!!!

More Baby Shower photos!

2009-06-01T21:11:00.001-07:00

My Baby Shower!!!!

2009-06-01T19:02:00.000-07:00

What an amazing day yesterday was! My family threw me the most wonderful baby shower a girl could ever want. It was such a special day with so many friends and family members there to celebrate with. The shower was held at my parents house and my mom, sister and sister-in-law worked so hard to make everything just perfect. The decorations were adorable, the food and desserts were so yummy and I've never seen such a huge pile of gifts! I am so unbelievably blessed to have so many people in my life that are truly beyond excited for Noah's arrival.

The entire day was filled with one touching surprise after another. My mom ordered an adorable cake that not only had a photo of Noah, but the cake inscription was written in both English and Korean. ( she remembered Glenn and I talking about the site "BabelFish" to look things up....how cool is that!?) My five sister-in-laws bought a very special gift just for me.....a necklace with Noah's birthstone which is a pearl. So began the first tears of the day!! My Aunt Kathy, whom I am extremely close to, gave me a custom made mink teddy bear dressed in Asian attire as well as teddy bear china that used to be my Grandmother's. ( insert more sniffing and tears here....) I also got a gorgeous handmade quilt with the most adorable monkey pattern from my sister-in-law Jill. ( this is only the second one she's ever made and after I saw her first I was keeping my fingers crossed that I would be receiving one from her too. I just love it!) The pile of gifts was never ending. ( and according to my friend Mary, I am the slowest gift opener EVER!! Sorry guys! ) There were so many cute outfits, toys, blankets....the list goes on and on. I think we got it all!! My mom also got me my Chunei ( Korean baby carrier ) which I really, really wanted. I can't wait to snuggle with Noah and carry him around in it!

The final gift ( and tearjerker) of the day was a gift from my sister and brother-in-law. Nine years ago Jim made a custom book shelf when Lisa was pregnant with her first daughter, Olivia. I have always loved this shelf and really wanted one for Noah's nursery. I was going to buy one from Pottery Barn but Glenn kept telling me to wait. ( which I was not happy about and bugged him on a daily basis about ordering :) Well, as it turns out, Glenn was stalling because he knew that Jim was building one for me!! I couldn't believe my eyes! There was the shelf ( hidden under a sheet!) filled with books that my sister and her three kids picked out and each and every book has an inscription from either my sister or one of the kids. I am beyond touched that Jim wanted to do this for me. He has always been like another brother to me. Talk about a gift truly made from the heart.

I could go on and on about the day. I feel so lucky to have such amazing friends and family whom I love so much. My mom worked her butt off to make everything so special and I know that it showed! Thank you to everyone for your love, your support, your excitement and generosity! I can't wait for Noah to meet each and every one of you!!

( here's some random photos of the cake and decorations, the quilt, me and my mom and sister, my sister-in-laws and me with my new necklace, the mink teddy bear, me giving a Chunei tutorial!, and a half shot of the book shelf....I'll post another one once it is hung! )

Cutest notecards ever!!!

2009-05-31T07:35:00.000-07:00

I have been meaning to take a photo of these adorable cards. I had dinner with my friend Tracey the other week ( who I have known since high school :) and she had these cute little note cards made for us with Noah's name and the cutest little monkey! Glenn and I were both so touched by her thoughtfulness. So thank you again, Tracey!! We love them!!

Happy 1st Birthday Simon!

2009-05-28T08:09:00.001-07:00

In honor of our little furry boy's birthday, here are some photos of Simon when he was just a few months old. ( ok, gotta run and go get him a party hat now!!!)

Let the shopping begin!!!!

2009-05-26T18:10:00.000-07:00

Since we got our referral of Noah, we really have not done much shopping. We are extremely fortunate to have all of my nephew Jack's hand-me downs and my sister has already brought over three giant containers of clothes that have everything from 18-24 months sizes all the way up to size 6!!! ( are we set, or what?!!!) Glenn and I keep joking that I need to tell Lisa that when she shops for Jack from now on that I'd like to go with her. ( hey...if the stuff is gonna be Noah's some day, why not try and get some input, right?) Anyway, after getting the current photos and height and weight of our boy, I finally got the itch to buy a few things for him. We picked out a few t-shirts and a button-up that looks just like something Glenn would love to wear. This of course makes us even more excited for him to get here so we can dress him in all his cool new clothes!!

New photos of Noah!!!!

2009-05-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

What an amazing day today turned out to be!!! I got home from work around 5:30, stopped at our mailbox to get the mail and noticed a small manila envelope peeking out from under some junk mail. I noticed our agency's logo on it and almost immediately ripped it open, when it suddenly occurred to me that there could possibly be photos in there! I felt the envelope and it felt like it could be. ( I also remembered that my friend Angie had mentioned some time ago that our agency director was going to Korea in May and that maybe I would get some updated photos. The thought crossed my mind about a week ago, and since the month is just about over, I figured that we probably wouldn't be getting any. ) So.......as I was pulling into our driveway, I called Glenn on his cell phone and said, "come outside right away!!!!!" I handed him the envelope, told him what I thought was inside and insisted he do the honors being that I had the pleasure of opening the first ones! And there he was!!!! Our baby boy looking so much older with his beautiful head of hair!! We were happy to have another photo of him with his foster mommy and a few photos of our agency director with him as well. Once we could put down the photos and get ourselves inside the house, we looked at them about ten times more and then I quickly called my parents to tell them the news. We went and spent the evening with them as I knew they were just as excited to see the current photos of their soon -to- be new grandbaby.

So here he is!!! These photos were taken just a few days ago, on May 19th. ( which is the day before he turned 11 months old. )

Punk rock puppy

2009-05-21T19:41:00.000-07:00

Who says we don't have a life??? Doesn't everyone try to style their dog's hair into a mowhawk???

Happy 11 months Birthday, Noah Lee!!!!!

2009-05-20T20:02:00.000-07:00

That's right! Our baby boy is 11 months today! Could we be so lucky that he will come home before his first birthday?!! As much as we are hoping that is the case, we aren't counting on it. We have been trying to keep ourselves busy with all of the things we need to do to prepare for Noah's arrival. This past weekend was filled with more painting. While Glenn was working on a mirror and toy chest, I was busy painting what will be Noah's bathroom. We are really happy how it turned out and even decided to hang some of the ETSY artwork in there since it matched so well. So.....what do you all think???

Hmmmm, could this be a problem?

2009-05-11T21:16:00.000-07:00

We are big time suckers for our pets. So much, that we don't think of them as our pets but our little furry children. When we got Simon in September, we swore he would not be sleeping on our bed. But let's face it...who were we kidding?!!! Who can resist that furry little face?!!! He is definitely a big fat bed hog, but eventually he always wants his own space and jumps down into his own doggie bed. All I know is that it's going to be a tight squeeze with two adults, one puppy, one baby and my big 'ole body pillow that I can't sleep without!... all fitting in a queen size bed to snuggle! ( and that's not counting the two cats popping on up to say hello!)

Happy Mother's Day to our Moms!!!

2009-05-09T18:46:00.000-07:00

Glenn and I both feel so blessed to have women in our lives who are not only our "Moms" but also our friends. As a soon-to-be first time Mom, I can only hope that I do half as good a job as our moms did. ( I mean, hey!...we turned out pretty darn good, right?!!) Noah is going to be one lucky boy to have two loving grandmoms who both can't wait until he gets here. Happy Mother's Day!!!

Even the cookie knows!!

2009-05-04T19:45:00.000-07:00

Another step in the right direction!!

2009-05-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yahooo! Things seem to be moving along! In yesterdays mail was a letter from the National Visa Center stating that they were forwarding our documents to the Embassy in Korea. Sounds good to me! I was way happy to receive another update so soon. Let's just hope things keep moving along!

More cool Etsy art

2009-04-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

We fell in love with a few more prints we found on Etsy to hang in Noah's room. I love all of the cool art we keep finding and how amazingly priced it is!! Here are the latest three that we ordered.

I-600 Approval!! I wanna jump for joy!!!

2009-04-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

We are one step closer to little Noah Lee coming home!! As nice as it has been to not have paperwork to fill out, it is hard just waiting. Since we filed our acceptance paperwork for Noah, our work has been done for a while. We have basically been waiting for our I-600 Immigration form to be filed by our agency and then approved. I e-mailed Immigration last Wednesday ( thanks again for the e-mail address, Jackie!!) and I was told on Thursday that they received my paperwork on March 31st and that it takes 6-8 weeks for approval, No Exceptions! I was a bit bummed and thought that at this rate, we might not get approval until the end of May. Well, much to my surprise, when I got the mail Saturday after work...the approval had arrived!!! ( I secretly was hoping it might be, but then figured I must be on crack to think it was even a possibility after what I was just told.) They approved us on April 23rd....so it took just 3 weeks and two days!!

Ok, so by now you are all wanting to ask, " so when does he come home then?" Good question. There is still alot of paperwork that has to happen between here and Korea from what I understand. All the lingo is still alot of jibberish to me. Something about P3's, the NVC and even maybe OPP??? ( oh wait...that's just a Naughty by Nature song from back in the day I used to love :) YOU DOWN WIT' OPP...YEAH YOU KNOW ME!!!! Sorry...I got off track there for a sec. Anyway, once my dear friends Jackie and Angie break it all down for me ( hi guys!!) I will try and explain it all to you.

In the meantime, as I like to post a photo with each blog post, this is me in the midst of doing my famous "Russian" off the diving board. Me, my sister and friend Leslee were quite good at this in our younger days, and this is how I would "jump for joy" right now if I still could touch my toes in mid air:)

The coolest little lamp in the whole wide world

2009-04-23T18:01:00.000-07:00

I thought I was going to get Noah a robot lamp for his room but then I found this.

They are just about to start production and I cant wait!

Click here to go see the website

Practice Baby

2009-04-21T18:10:00.000-07:00

This is one of the many reasons that I love Glenn. He came home from work today and was upstairs when he suddenly called down and asked me if I was in the nursery today....to which I replied, "yes, I was showing Lisa (my sister) the room." He then said, "this is what happens when you leave the door open!!" I ran upstairs thinking that one of the cats was sleeping in the crib, or maybe Simon got into something. And there he was..... a big 'ole life size cut out photo of Noah hanging out with his monkey in his crib!! Yep, my husband cracks me up!! So there our practice baby Noah will stay until he comes home.

Happy 10 month Birthday, Noah Lee!!!

2009-04-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

Today is our baby boys 10 month birthday!! It's been a little over a month since we first saw Noah's photo. And what a long month it has been! We had been waiting to hear from our adoption agency if we could send a small gift to Noah while we are waiting for him to come home and we just heard back that we could! My mom and I had gone out weeks ago and picked up a small, soft blanket and a cute little photo album. Glenn and I picked out a few photos to put in the album ( of us, my parents, Aunt Cindy and Uncle Bill, and a few other furry and non-furry family members :) We decided to put stickers with the appropriate Korean words so that Noah's foster mommy knows who everyone is. We're hoping that if Noah gets used to seeing our faces in the photo album, that maybe it will help just a tiny bit when we finally do meet for the first time. (on a sidenote: I LOVE this photo of my mom and dad! It is from our wedding in Kauai. My mom hates the way she looks in this photo because we got rained on when we first got on the beach and it was quite windy, so she thinks her hair looks crazy!!! I think she looks great!)
We can't wait until you come home, baby Noah!!!

And the Winner is!!!! 122

2009-04-18T05:35:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who participated.

Time to get your music on!

2009-04-16T16:24:00.000-07:00

Fun little app called "Tone Matrix" lets you create the coolest little sounds. I promise that if you go check this out that you wont be disappointed. I think I wasted an hour or so goofing with this thing. Click Here

A frog and a slug went walking....

2009-04-15T17:47:00.000-07:00

So by now you all know how much I love ETSY!! I must admit, before I met Glenn I was only mildly interested in art. Not sure how that happened with a sister and brother who are both artists! Glenn and I want to put some quirky prints in Noah's room and during my search I came across this artist. ( click here to see her work!) As it turns out..... she is Korean and was adopted some time ago through Holt...which is one of the adoption agencies in Korea. Her work is really fun and unique and I think perfect for Noah's room. This is the print we ordered....although I'm sure I'll be tempted to purchase more from her in the future!

The cutest puppy in the world!

2009-04-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Feeling a little blah with all of the rain lately. Nothing cheers me up more than coming home from work and being greeted by Simon. He has the cutest little wiggle that he does when we come home....his ears go flat to his head and his little body just goes to town! So today I will just post this amazing photo of Simon that Glenn took. ( he's a looker...ain't he?)

Bunny Cake

2009-04-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter today! Glenn and I spent the day with my family at my parents house. My mom outdid herself once again with a yummy, yummy dinner! ( I'm still full :) Somehow as I got older I became responsible for making the "bunny cake" every Easter. When we were little, my mom would bake a chocolate cake, keep one layer for the bunny's head, and cut the other one into ears and a bow tie. Then the cake was iced with vanilla icing and coconut and jellybeans and licorice were used to make the eyes, whiskers, etc. ( I've come to realize over the years lots of other people my age grew up eating the same cake....who knew?!!!) Well, a few years ago I decided it was time to make variations of it. ( still has to be the same flavors though.....it's me and dad's favorite!) I try to still make it something the kids will love as I have 6 nieces and one nephew on my side of the family. I can't wait to bake for Noah! One of these days I need to take a cake decorating class and also play around with some fondant. In the meantime, here are this years easter basket cupcakes and last years cake. Not too shabby I think :)

Ready!....Aim!.....FIRE!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-11T19:17:00.000-07:00

So I may not be a boy, but when Glenn found these on Etsy I thought....."Brilliant!!! I can totally appreciate these!!!" At some point and time our little guy will be old enough to stand up and "go potty." Let's face it...even men don't have the best aim at times. If this can make things a little easier, a little less messy.....and a lot of fun!, why not give them a try! Here's the link for the "Pee Pee Bullseye Potty Training toilet stickers" in case anyone is interesed in them...for their husband or their son :)

Monkeys here, Monkeys there, Monkeys Monkeys everywhere!!!

2009-04-07T15:00:00.000-07:00

The nursery is all painted. We finally ordered our "no more monkeys jumping on the bed" wall decal and are just waiting for it to arrive. We still have furniture to paint, but we're getting there! We don't want a primarily "monkey themed" room and want to mix it up, so I started looking on-line just to see what else is out there. Well, I stumbled across this adorable bathroom rug and shower curtain and had to have it for the spare bathroom....which will be baby Noah's bathroom :) I guess I like monkeys more than I thought!! I've been wanting to re-paint in there anyway, so why not add one more project to the list! Man, we've got a lot to keep us busy!

I Love ETSY!!!

2009-04-06T18:09:00.000-07:00

For anyone who isn't familiar with it, it is "your place to buy and sell all things handmade!" ( yes, I took that quote right off their website :) Glenn was the one to stumble upon it quite some time ago and I've just recently started browsing the site a bit more. It's amazing the creativity and talent that people have. So, I thought I'd share a few of the items that I came across recently. I was looking to see if anyone made some type of Asian or Korean dolls, and I found these adorable tiny felt dolls dressed in traditional Korean hanboks. I believe they are also used as cake toppers. These are two of my favorites. Look at all of the detail on these little guys! For any of my fellow friends adopting from Korea who may like these, here is a link to this sellers site:
etsy.com

Cookie Book Review

2009-04-05T13:57:00.000-07:00

a nice selection of children's books reviewed by Cookie Magazine

Amazing Underwater Art Installations by Jason de Caires Taylor

2009-04-04T21:29:00.000-07:00

Our first gifts for Noah

2009-03-31T11:59:00.000-07:00

Glenn and I had a really nice dinner Saturday night with my parents and my Aunt Kathy. We all met up at Ted's Montana Grill ( thanks again Lisa and Jim for the gift certificate!) and our meal was just delicious!! Of course the steak was great, but they also serve the best darn tasting pickles as a little appetizer. I could have made a meal out of just them! But enough about the food! Aunt Kathy gave us the cutest little outfit and toys for Noah. The monkey....of course!...is my favorite. When you press his little belly, not only does he make music, but his cheeks light up! As I was opening the package, I realized that this is our first baby gift for Noah. It certainly made things seem all that much more real. For the past two weeks I have been staring at the 8 x 10 photo of him that we had enlarged and constantly peek at the smaller ones that I carry in my purse. Receiving this gift was almost some type of reassurance that, YES!!!, he is your baby and he'll be home before you know it!!

So thank you again, Aunt Kathy. Glenn and I are so very lucky to have you in our lives and we can't wait for you to be a part of Noah's!!!

It's Noah's Super Duper Adoption Raffle time!!!

2009-03-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

We are hoping to raise a little money to help defer some of our adoption expenses and we thought a fun way to do that would be to raffle off an original painting by Glenn. The painting is called "Little Red Riding Hood." It's a framed 11 x 14 acrylic on canvas. Each chance is a mere $5 bucks! To participate you simply click the "chip in" button and then enter your donation amount in $5 dollar increments. After your donation is processed through paypal your chance number or numbers will be emailed to you. At the end of the raffle we will use the random number generator at random.org and will post the winner on the Paper Lanterns blog. Thanks so much and good luck! ( and if you could forward this to your friends, family and art-lovers alike, that would be great!!!)

Andrew King is cooler than me

2009-03-28T06:35:00.000-07:00

amazing work

see it here

The Mathematics of Phil Lumbang

2009-03-28T06:25:00.000-07:00

1+1= good stuff... That is all.

get it here

Where the wild things are

2009-03-28T06:12:00.000-07:00

Looks great!
Watch the trailer here

music by Arcade Fire

Can I've a Peep, Pop???

2009-03-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

I bought my first package of easter Peeps the other day! I don't know how you all like to eat your peeps, but I was raised by my dad taking off the cellophane wrapper, setting the box on top of the fridge and waiting for them to get good and hard.....DELICIOUS!!!! Nothin' like a stale Peep!!! As I was enjoying the bright turquoise colored sugary delight, I was thinking about my dad. There are certain treats he always has in the house and my nieces and nephew know where to go when they visit grandmom and pop to find them! Dad loves gummy alphabet letters...but only the clear colored ones that taste like pineapple. ( he even keeps a not so hidden stash of them in his bedroom!! the kids caught on to that hiding place real quick!!) Around easter though, many times I have been over their house when the kids are visiting and heard one or more of them ask..."can I've a peep, Pop?" I can't wait for the day to hear Noah asking Pop that same question.

So in honor of easter, Noah and Peep lovers everywhere....Glenn put together this little montage of what I discovered on-line today. Who knew people were so creative with their Peeps?!!! ( I'm not sure which I find funnier....the "peeping tom", the "Olympic peeps" or "stripper peeps"! A little twisted?...yes!...but still very funny!!!

Part two of the wait begins...

2009-03-23T09:53:00.001-07:00

It's been almost a week since I have posted! I think will all of the excitement of Noah's referral, I've been at a loss for words to write anything. ( ok, for all of you that know me, I know that is hard to believe!!) We have been on cloud nine for a week now. We must look at his photo 100 times a day! Despite the fact that I know we still have a wait ahead of us, I feel so much more calm now that we have our referral and are done with paperwork for a while. I'm sure as time starts to pass I will turn into a complete freak waiting for Noah to come home....but for now I just want to enjoy preparing his room, reading all of my adoption books, trying to make some Korean recipes and all of the other things I won't have any time for once he is here!!

We finished painting the nursery yesterday and now just have to finish painting the furniture. My sister found this adorable bedding from Pottery Barn that we have decided to go with. It's got monkeys....which we like!....but it's a really, simple, subtle pattern which we love as well! Thanks, Lisa for finding this!! (aren't big sisters the best :)

Perhaps the coolest highchair ever....

2009-03-22T17:31:00.000-07:00

Now if only they made these a little bigger, we could buy two and Noah and I could sit and watch tv together in style

found at www.pinkandblue.com

A New ride for Noah

2009-03-22T17:26:00.001-07:00

Im pretty sure I cant afford this but a guy can dream cant he? There are a few more photos over at www.kidkustoms.com

just found the price on one of these

$1700. Ouch!

Introducing.....Noah Lee Kenneth Horan !!!!!!!

2009-03-17T16:07:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read right! It's a boy!!!!!! The past two days have been such a whirlwind! We received a call from the director of our adoption agency yesterday giving us the absolutely amazing news! She just kept telling me how beautiful he was, how he looked like Glenn!, and how gorgeous and flawless his skin was! If I could still do cartwheels, I think I would have done one right then! The paperwork and photos were being mailed out and I would receive them the next day, which was today. Needless to say, all night I felt like I had drank about 12 cans of Coke and was just bouncing off the walls! I barely slept a wink all night and both Glenn and I had bizarro dreams all night as well!

So, I woke up bright and early today thinking that my package would arrive sometime in the late morning. I was also dealing with some issues with one of our cats, Zoe. ( poor little girl has a UTI) I didn't want to leave the house until the package arrived, but I had to get my little kitty to the vet. ( I swear...never a dull moment around here...and we don't even have a child yet!!!) Long story short, I was expecting a Fedex or UPS truck to be pulling up until a chat with my neighbor brought to my attention that it may be coming express regular mail. I'm not sure why this thought didn't occur to me, but our mail doesn't arrive until around 3 o'clock! I called the agency and it turns out that IS how they sent it. So I was opening up the front door every 10 minutes all day for nothing!

It was a long, long day waiting for 3 o'clock to come, but it was most certainly worth the wait! It was love at first sight for both Glenn and I! Each time I looked at the photos it was almost as if I had seem them before a long time ago. Weird, right? Our baby!!!! We are finally going to be parents! I want to cry as I sit here and type this. I've never cried so many tears of joy....nor has Glenn...in one day! We couldn't be any happier than we are at this moment!

Ohhh, and his name! We have always loved the name "Noah." He has two middle names..."Lee" is his surname and his birthmother's surname as well, and Kenneth is Glenn's oldest brother's name. So there you have it!
( and make sure you click on the photos to see them bigger!!!)

Getting a little closer!

2009-03-14T10:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon I received a phone call from our homestudy agency. They were calling to inform me that they had just mailed out our homestudy report to our adoption agency and that they should receive it by Monday! I was hoping all week to get this call, so at least I can be a bit more relaxed this weekend. Basically what this all means is that once the director of our adoption agency receives the homestudy, we could possibly get our referral of our baby very shortly thereafter! From what I have been told from the homestudy agency.....our adoption agency gets their referrals from Korea in batches. If they have not yet matched all of the babies in their most recent batch, they could possibly have the information for the baby they want to match with us sitting on their desk right now!!! ( amazing, right?!!!!) Otherwise, I am not sure....or is the homestudy agency....how long it would be for our referral. They basically just told me that if I did not hear from the adoption agency by this coming Friday, to then give them a call. So, here's hoping that we are as lucky as my friends Jackie and Angie, and get that referral next week!!!!! (ohhh.... and this is what Glenn and I look like when we are reallllly, reallllly excited :)

Cold Hard CASH

2009-03-14T07:57:00.000-07:00

You got to have a handful of cash ($18 bucks a pop) to be stocking up on these cool little tees but I will be clicking add to cart for this one for sure!

check out babywit.com for more

Poo Pee!!!

2009-03-13T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yep, you read it right. The topic of today is poopee! Since I have been between jobs, you never find me up this early and functioning. I've been on a whole different time schedule since my surgery in December. I'm all keyed up at bedtime and can't sleep. Some nights are worse than others, and last night was tough. I was up until past 3 a.m. Try as I might to fall asleep, it just wasn't happening.

So, you may be wondering right now..... "why are you not still sleeping??" Well, you see... at about 7:30 this morning, my big fat cat, Zack, decided to jump up on the bed and get all in my face. Still half asleep, I tried to gently nudge him away when I felt something damp and mushy on my hand. I quickly sat up to see what it was...and you guessed it! POOOOOOOO!!! Oh Gross!!! What a way to start the morning! He must have just used the litterbox and had a little left over. Nasty!!!! How can a girl go back to sleep after that?!!

I figured this was the perfect opportunity to post a photo of some stuffed dolls that Glenn showed me a few years ago, and recently stumbled across again. How can ya not laugh at poo and pee dolls!!!

(On a side note.....Glenn was quite happy. Since I couldn't go back to sleep, I decided to surprise him with pancakes before he left for work. He may just be hoping that I wake up with a poo hand every morning :)

Zack....the culprit

2009-03-13T07:14:00.001-07:00

Yes, he's cute....but let's not forget he pooed on me.

Painting and Waiting...

2009-03-12T08:46:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's already Thursday. How can a week drag yet move so fast all at the same time? Glenn and I both got our hopes up when our social worker told us last week that she'd have our home visit report done by the weekend. We forgot that it then has to be passed on to the directors at the homestudy agency before it goes to our adoption agency director. I have been told the norm is about two weeks from the home visit until we may hear something about a referral. So, in the meantime we've been trying to get some painting done in the room that is intended for the nursery. The walls are done, so between today and tomorrow the plan is to work on the molding and the doors. Then it's time to start painting the furniture that my parents were very kind to give us. (thanks again, mom and dad!!) We know we have plenty of time to do all of this, but since I am between jobs right now I figured I would take advantage of the time.

I also am so excited for my new friend Jackie. She and her family picked up their daughter, Juliana, last night at JFK so today is their first day as a family of five!!! Looking at her photos of their first meeting last night gave me goosebumps! I am so happy that Juliana is now in her forever home. Congratulations!!!!!

got Sol?

2009-03-11T17:28:00.000-07:00

Something pretty to look at www.amysol.com

A Spark of Inspiration!

2009-03-10T16:44:00.001-07:00

Im all about the wall decal now... Sparkabiliy.com has a ton of good stuff including an endless amount of cool furniture that I can't afford. But these little guys are only $16 bucks!

No more monkeys jumpin on the bed

2009-03-09T20:02:00.001-07:00

Colleen found the coolest little store on etsy that sells really fun wall graphics.

This is the one we decided to go with!

You can find them here

Hare Brush

2009-03-09T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ok so I would probably buy this for myself but now I have a good reason...

www.skiphop.com

Kittens inspired by kittens

2009-03-07T10:48:00.000-08:00

Glenn came across this video...it is so funny and cute! I only hope our child is this creative!!!

A Home Visit in the dark.......

2009-03-07T07:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we survived our home visit! Thursday started out a very interesting day as we had no electricity. Everyone else in our neighborhood had power.....go figure. I tried not to panic and figured it was probably something small, no need to call the social worker and cancel just yet. By two o'clock, the worry set in. I called our social worker to let her know the situation, and she couldn't have been nicer. She said she was fine coming out and doing our home visit by candlelight! Phew!!! I was so relieved that we didn't have to cancel. It was a crazy day as I had no power, no phone, no nothing! (and of course it was the one time that my cellphone wasn't charged either, so when I wanted to make a call I had to go sit in my car with the engine running and plug my phone in!!)

Our social worker arrived at 7:30 p.m. The house actually looked kind of nice with all of the many candles we had lit and luckily our gas fireplace was working so our living room at least was warm and cozy. We all sat around the fireplace and chatted for about an hour. It was really a very relaxed conversation. She asked us a few more questions...nothing major...and then we talked a bit more. She told us she'd have the report written up this weekend.....which I was sooo surprised to hear that she could do it that quickly! Glenn and I were both on quite an excitement high after she left! Once step closer to our referral and being matched with our baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(On a side note in case anyone is interested in our electricity drama........... As it turns out, PECO Energy had to come out that night and dig a GIANT hole in our front yard to assess the problem. It seems that when Verizon came through our neighborhood some time ago to put in their wiring for their Fios services in, they nicked our PECO wires and Thursday was the day they finally burned all the way through! So, they fixed it temporarily and the power came back on very early the next morning. But....it doesn't end there!! I picked up my phone Friday morning...and still no phone service! So I call Comcast, (who we have our phone, internet and cable tv through), and they had to send someone out. It seems that when PECO's crew was fixing their wires the night before, they now cut right through our Comcast wires! So now we have a big orange cable strung across our driveway that has us hooked up to their power source via our neighbor..(thanks, Stevie!!!), until they can dig open the big 'ole hole themselves to fix their wires! What an adventure! I'm just glad to have my phone and internet back! It's amazing how lost you feel and so cut off from everything without it. How did we ever survive without e-mail and internet service!! :)

The Greatest Toy That I Can't Buy

2009-03-06T17:14:00.001-08:00

I like to paint and I was hoping to find a few toys that could help me teach our child some of the basics, I found the most amazing color wheel puzzle by Pottery Barn Kids but alas it is no longer available...

Here honey, can you hold my bag?

2009-03-06T17:11:00.000-08:00

I know that this is one more bag that Coll will ask me to carry so I figured that I would look for something a bit cooler. FunkyMoose has some pretty neat stuff. I picked this one out for Coll even though she endlessly tells me to not spend so much.

Safety First!

2009-03-06T15:29:00.000-08:00

With the little one coming along I thought its time to get a real first aid kit and what could be better than this retro metal wall mount unit from plasticland

More Shopping at Dwell Studio

2009-03-04T17:57:00.000-08:00

If you have a ton of cash to burn check out Dwell Studio

Glenn's first post...

2009-03-04T17:46:00.000-08:00

So Glenn decided to add his first posts today! He is always finding the most interesting things on-line.....which is good and bad because then I wish I could afford all of these great things!!! So...he'll be passing these many cool sites along to you all. Enjoy!!!!

All Geared Up!

2009-03-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

Check out babygeared.com for a great selection

of baby furniture and accessories

Jack & Lilly • Cool Baby Shoes

2009-03-04T17:33:00.000-08:00

Check out Jack & Lilly www.jackandlilly.com

A great place to find cool baby shoes

baby brother Ryan

2009-03-03T18:14:00.000-08:00

Today I went and met with the pediatrician that we will be using once our baby comes home. The homestudy agency recommended that when we get our referral (which is basically being matched with our child and getting photos and medical information on them), we should bring the info to our pediatrician to look over and give us the ok that all looks good. It was a really nice meeting. His office staff was so warm and friendly, as was he. Hopefully before the month is over I'll be giving him that call to say, "we have our referral!!!" Dr. Abir not only takes care of my sister's three children, but also took care of my baby brother, Ryan, for many years. I have a habit of still referring to him as that even though he is now 26 years old. My siblings and I really enjoyed having a little guy around while growing up. He was a great source of entertainment! He now lives in California and is happy as can be out there. We all miss him so much! So this post is in honor of you, baby brother! Love, Big Sister

Lots and lots of reading to do

2009-03-03T17:40:00.000-08:00

I love Amazon.com! When Glenn and I went for our educational meeting at the homestudy agency, the directors and social worker made some suggestions of books that we should read. I knew I wanted to start doing some reading, but wasn't quite sure which books to buy. (there's a lot out there to choose from!) There was also another couple that attended the meeting with us, and they were reading a book that they really liked as well.

My books came late last week, so now I have plenty of reading to do! I also wound up ordering some children's books, a book on the culture and customs of Korea, and a Korean cookbook (no laughing! I know I don't cook much, but, hey! I'll have to once I have a child and might as well give it a whirl!!!) My sister-in- law mentioned a great market to get Korean food and ingredients, so Glenn and I will be giving her a call for a little day trip very soon! (Thanks for the offer, Tina!)

Paper Lanterns

2009-03-02T16:54:00.000-08:00

So, I thought I would write a post about why we chose this name for our blog.

About 8 months ago, I was doing some shopping in Bed Bath & Beyond when I stumbled across packs of white paper lanterns. I always thought they were so pretty. They also reminded me of the yoga studio I used to go to (and need to get back to!) as they have many large lanterns hanging from the ceiling. My first thought was that I was going to buy them and hang them in my nursery! They would look so great! Mind you, at this time we didn't have a baby, weren't expecting and we hadn't even started looking into adoption. We were actually still in the process of our fertility treatments. Anyway, I put them in our spare room and forgot about them. Well, I stumbled across them a few weeks ago and immediately told Glenn....."Remember these?!! It's a sign!!! See!! We were meant to adopt from Korea all along!!!!" He of course humored me, as he is used to me being dramatic at times. But I really felt at that moment those paper lanterns meant something. Silly as it may be, it was one more thing that made everything just seem right.

Snow Day!!!

2009-03-02T16:00:00.000-08:00

Yes, more photos of our puppy, Simon. Until we have a child to photograph constantly, poor Simon is the one to have a camera in his face all of the time! He had a blast running with me in the snow. (so much for that bath yesterday!) And please excuse my lovely outfit. You know how it is when it snows.....you just throw anything on....including a bear hat :)

Otherwise it was a pretty uneventful day. I cleaned the whole upstairs like a mad woman just in case the social worker on Thursday looks upstairs. She may want to see the room we intend to make into the nursery. We can't wait to get started on that and are still tossing ideas around. We'll be sure to photograph the end result to share it with everyone!

Digger Dog

2009-03-01T17:22:00.000-08:00

So I made the mistake of letting Simon hang outside on his tether for a little while today. The backyard was good and muddy from the little dusting of snow that had melted and he just LOVES to dig! He was so unbelievably muddy, there was no avoiding a bath. He's starting to get a little more used to them, but it by no means is his favorite thing. I got some great video of him rubbing his face all over the carpet and making snorting sounds while he was drying off. Hopefully you find it as funny as Glenn and I do!

Our Home visit is scheduled!!

2009-03-01T16:36:00.000-08:00

Well, no sooner did I write my first post to the blog last night, when I checked my e-mail and heard from the social worker to schedule our home visit! She is coming this Thursday evening! YIPEEEE! That gives me plenty of time to give the house a good once over. I'm guessing I should have some snacks or something since it will be around the dinner hour. Don't want to be a bad hostess! I still can't believe how quickly things are moving. I was told that it would, at least up to this point. The long, torturous part will be once we see that photo and then have to wait until the baby comes home. I know it will seem neverending, but one step at a time I guess.

The Beginning.....

2009-02-28T18:28:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone!
As most of you know by now, Glenn and I are in the process of adopting a baby from Korea! We are so unbelievably excited and thought starting this blog would be a great way to keep all of our family and friends up to date as we go through the process. (Also, reading other blogs has really helped us to understand what the process entails and what to expect. So, we will be very happy if ours can be a help to anyone starting this journey.)

Glenn and I had always talked about adoption. During the three years of trying to conceive (two on our own and one with fertility treatments), it was something that we discussed often. After a very long 2008 filled with a handful of treatments and three surgeries, we both knew in our heart it was time to move on. Our original plan had been to hopefully conceive our first child and then adopt our second. Well, God evidently had something different in mind for us. As soon as we made the decision to forge ahead, we both felt completely at peace.

Glenn started doing all of the initial research. We looked into all of our options which included numerous countries and domestic as well. Many of the countries we were not eligible for simply because we both had prior marriages and have been married for three years. (they require a minimum of five) We met the requirements for Korea and once we learned about their amazing program, we knew that this was the journey we were meant to take. We called a local agency to get their information packet and were planning to attend a meeting. When the packet arrived, there was no information about Korea. As it turned out, they were not accepting anymore applications. We felt so discouraged and didn't know where to turn to next. For a good hour we both sat on the sofa feeling quite defeated. Just then I heard a noise from my computer letting me know that I had a new e-mail. (I used to read and post on a fertility forum as I was going through the process....it was a huge support during that time.....and I had just posted something on an adoption forum asking for recommendations on adoption agencies in my area.) Well, just when we needed it the most, someone (that would be you, Jackie!! ) responded to my post and suggested the agency they were using. She couldn't say enough good things about them. How ethical they were and how amazingly quick they worked as well. We immediately did some research and the next day were on the phone to see what we had to do to begin!

It's been a whirlwind since then. Things are moving right along. It was almost a blessing that I was home recuperating from surgery all of January, because it gave me lots of time to gather all of the needed documents and fill out the piles of paperwork. It also gave me lots of time to be on the computer all day! All of the forums and blogs are so helpful and it's been amazing to me how people have just reached out to help since they know you are kind of clueless and still trying to figure it all out! It is definitely overwhelming at times and their kindness (Jackie and Angie!! ) has been truly appreciated.

Well, I think I have rambled on enough for my first post. Hopefully the next one will be telling everyone that we have our home visit scheduled :)