China Baby Update

So we got some more information from our US Adoption Agency. There were new "matches"this month. Their LID (log in date) was Feb 2006 and they leave Cmas Day for China to bring their babies home. So their wait was 34 months total. Yikes! Remember our LID is Sept 2007, so we've been waiting 15 months and many more to go. And of course, subject to change. The youngest age was 10 months and 1 was a boy. On a positive note- we have Jonah and are enjoying every minute with him and realize there are numerous couples waiting for their baby in China and don't have a baby with them right now like we do. So for that reason, we offer our prayers and support for them with a daily struggle of wanting a baby so badly.

There is another group from another agency in China now adopting their babies- we've been able to follow their journey via blogs- wow what an experience! The babies are all adjusting so differently, it's amazing to see it all unfold in front of our eyes and know that in 2010 we'll be embracing the same thing. One little girl had difficulty going to sleep unless she had her shoes on. She wouldn't let her parents take them off. So once she finally fell asleep they would take her shoes off. Then first thing in the morning, she would hop out of bed and rush to her shoes and put them on quickly in a panic mode. The parents suspect that her shoes were the only thing that was "hers" in the orphanage, everything else was community, but not her shoes! Does that just put so much in perspective of what these little babies go through daily? Here's a photo that will help give us hope that things will get better for these innocent babies.

Becoming so independent!

There comes a point where you've been replaced....well our time is now. Jonah is holding his bottle on his own. Bottle yes, sippy cup a little. He's holding the bottle, but still needs a some help lifting the bottle up so all the milk comes out. He likes holding the sippy cup more (has 2 handles and makes great noise on his high chair and loves to toss off to the floor). It's amazing when he's really hungry how fast he can put that bottle to his mouth and smile all at the same time.

this is him showing off that he can hold it! : )

New toys

Who knew presents under a tree could entertain babies for so long? We put Jonah down to play with his toys and he makes a b-line to the Cmas tree and the presents. He pulls off bows, rips the wrapping paper, chews the paper, moves the presents around-- he's quite entertained! He also found some of his wooden transportation pieces that came from Santa.

I wonder if this one is for me? It says fragile....oh well.

I found one for me.....wonder what it is?

I'll just lay here and chew this book until my parents take it away.

Strike up the Band

Play it again Sam....... Jonah found his piano and can't get enough of it. He makes such beautiful music then it mysteriously goes away (hmmmm wonder who takes it away??) Really, we're not bad parents, we merely want him exposed to all his toys to keep his mind active, it has nothing to do with the sounds of the toy piano....promise!

Multi-tasking..... playing piano and with his toys.

On the 8th Day of Christmas.......

Jonah is getting into all of the presents. Everyone tells us "don't push him crawling, he will be into everything." Well we don't need to wait for him to crawl, his Army crawl gets him into everything-- how fun! So since he was at the Cmas tree we grabbed some pics! Enjoy.

Elf on the Shelf

Growing up, Rick's parents had this tradition and now Grandma and Grandpa have sent us the Elf to start with Jonah. If your not familiar, it's a great tradition in which an Elf "watches" a child through the holiday season and reports back to Santa every night. When the child awakes each morning they have to find the Elf (you know since he left for the North Pole he'll move to a new place or since Mom and Dad moved it...whichever you believe). You have to name the Elf and the children really get into finding the Elf and being good so the Elf can tell Santa. Sounds like a pretty cool tradition that is beginning this year! Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Check out the website, Elf on the Shelf. PS - don't tell Jonah where the Elf is hiding! t'hee

3,2,1.......Run the Rock

Well we completed a life long goal- to complete a marathon! We ran the Dallas White Rock Marathon. Now before you fall over, we did a RELAY Marathon- meaning we ran a segment of the marathon. We were each part of a 5 person team, each of us running between 4-6 miles during the marathon. We were on different teams to fit our likings- Rick was on a full running team and I was on a team of walkers / runners. Rick ran Mile 15 - 20 and I ran Mile 20 - 26. We were suppose to run the same leg, but a team member was sick this morning, so that bumped me to finish....yikes! That's an extra mile to run, actually an extra 1.2 miles. I only trained for 5 miles! Anyways, Rick ran a 12 minute mile and finished in 1 hour and I ran a 15 minute mile and finished in 1.5 hours. Not bad for two people who have had a limited workout this semester. And besides, we don't claim to be "good" runners, just runners!

Now to give you some background- Rick and I have always appreciated Marathons- when we lived in Chicago, we'd always get up early head to Ann Sathers Bakery (ummm sooo good) and get some cinnamon rolls and hot cocca and cheer those runners on! And we have many friends who have completed marathons around the country, so we know how much work, determination, and endurance it takes. So we are not taking this lightly. We were excited to be part of such a wonderful experience from the inside out instead of the sidelines looking in. I had no idea the energy you feel from a marathon- people cheering, bands playing, signs everywhere, awesome scenery and more. There was food and drinks in between the Mile markers and boy did it make a difference. We lucked out with weather- an unseasonably warm day, last year they raced in the 30's with sleet- this year we had windy and 65 degrees!

Thanks to Grammy for watching Jonah all day so we could take part. And who knows..... maybe we'll do the 1/2 Marathon in the future!

Our teams before the race.

The runners from Kenya that were finished in 2.5 hours!

Way to go!

Just crossed the finish line!

Getting ready for the hand off.

We did it! Yipeeeee! Off to the hot tub!
Too funny not to post.

Here I come (ready or not)

Sorry the video is a little bumpy. We'll work on that. Check out Jonah's speed! He's getting to all fours and shakes back and forth, but then realizes he can get there faster with his Army crawl. He's close to crawling in the mean time, we're thinking of putting a damp towel under his belly so he can mop our floors. t'hee. Thoughts?

Say cheeeeesssssseeeeee

This is not a planned photo where you would say cheese, but rather how Jonah is responding these days. You tell him something funny or tickle him and here comes this face. You feed him a spoonful of food and the face comes out. It's quite funny and funny looking!

Here comes Santa Claus.....

Ok not really, but here are some random pics of our little Santa ready for his 1st Cmas celebration!

7 months young

We celebrated Jonah's 7 month birthday enjoying some holiday festivities around the DFW area. He is getting stronger sitting up on his own (not as much falling over). He is "Army crawling" everywhere. I tease him that I am going to put a wet towel on his tummy tied with string or tape so he can mop my floors! Seriously, he's so fast! We put him down in one room and call to him and he'll follow our voice and come to us-- so cool to see all those senses working. He's also picking up the tone in our voices. We tried using a "serious" tone with him and he kept looking at Rick and I to see how to react-- it wasn't a fun or high pitched voice we normally use and he knew it was different. We're eating Stage 2 foods and love them all- especially where all the veggies are mixed in together. Presents are under the tree and he finds them only to be interested in taking off the bows and putting them in his mouth. We're wearing clothes ranging from 9-12 months (pure muscle, of course). And best of all, Jonah is happy and healthy.

@ 3 weeks old

......and now!

Journey to Bethlehem

On Saturday night, we made a trek out to Grapevine to see an amazing 45-minute outdoor walking adventure that puts you right in the middle of the real Christmas story! It was a thrill to the sights and sounds in Bethlehem village, we had to show our travel papers to Roman soldiers on horseback, and we watched for the wise men with their camels. It was a well designed and well organized production. We will visit again next year!

Holiday Tradition with the Kids

For the past 5 years, we've had a holiday tradition with our niece and nephews. We get an Angel from the local Angel Tree (a tree dedicated to helping children in need have a good Cmas), go shopping for their Angel, go out to eat, and make tons of holiday cookies. It's a combination of Rick's upbringing and mine. His grandmother always had the kids over to make holiday cookies and my mom always made sure we bought gifts for those less fortunate than us. So we combined the two and years later we are now including our own son in the mix (although Jonah only participated by watching and then heading to bed).

It's a powerful process to watch- seeing young kids "pick" out their Angel. They usually go for the same sex as themselves, pick one out that is close to their age and then we always get the less fortunate child their "needs" and their "wish." Their needs are simple: underwear, socks, shirts, jeans, pj's, etc. And their wishes are a symbol of what is important to them right now in their lives. Although we don't see the young children open their gifts, we know they will be excited come Cmas day when they get to open a special gift that was selected just for them by someone their own age, their Angel.

So after the gift buying it's on to baking. We make sugar cookies with holiday cookie cutters with icing and sprinkles. We've learned a lot from the past 5 years. The first year, you couldn't tell if the cookies were made at the table or the floor- there was so much mess on the floor. We now cover our table with paper to protect it from all the cookie cutters and place a sheet under the table for all the mess- really did you know that cookie dough dried up gets stuck in your tile grout? It does! Since we don't want to limit how the kids make their cookies, we can limit how much mess goes onto the floor.

Logan was sick this year, so we made him cookies. And after the baking, the kids painted a special ornament to be placed on their tree this year (again, learning......it's washable paint). It's a great tradition and we're excited that the kids look forward to it each year - a fun time for them while also helping those in need. Looking forward to next year......

Needs and wishes fulfilled from the "Angels"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas......

This past weekend we decorated and got the house ready for Santa to arrive! Oh yes, we still believe.....otherwise you get underwear. Anyways, Rick got to open one of his gifts early, so he could enjoy it for the holiday season in Christmas style. Not all wives would order this for their husbands, more less allow them to proudly display it IN the house, and on the mantle. But how could I not, when the movie is such a classic. I do draw the line with the Michael Jordan poster-- that will remain in the garage! Looking forward to hearing- "Fra-gee-le, I think it's fragile honey."

Sleep Baby Sleep

What is scaring Jonah so much?

Guess what is scaring Jonah so much? You can see in his face that he very bothered by something. Please choose one of the following:
A. Scary face by Dad
B. Eating a new food called turkey
C. The vacuum cleaner
D. Seeing Santa for the first time
E. None of the above

*** and the answer is.......... the vacuum cleaner! Yep, this was the first time he'd seen it live. He's usually sleeping when we clean house. Guess, that chore will have to be limited!