In the holiday spirit!

Pictures with Santa
For over a month, Rai has seen Santa at the mall.
For over a month, Rai says "Clause!" and points in excitment.
For over a month, I ask Rai, do you want to see Santa?" and he replies "Yes!"
For over a month, we stand in line and watch children sit on Santa's lap.
For over a month, we get to the front of the line and then... Rai says "No!" and we go on our merry way to the playground nextdoor.
Until ONE DAY, Rai peered down at Santa from the food court above and was spotted by Santa, who smiled and waved. Rai giggled and waved back and then continued his "Clause!" pleas. So it shouldn't have surprised me that Rai would agree this time to sit on Santa's lap. In fact, he immediately smiled, and I had to waive down the photographer to take the picture before he changed his mind. (The picture below was taken after he got tired of smiling for nearly a minute.) But what DID surprise me was Rai immediately reaction to the picture: one hand extended as if to say "I know you're going to give me that coloring book now because you gave one to the other children. I know - I saw!"

I would have posted this picture earlier, but I didn't realize until I got home that they had given me a picture of the wrong child (and Rai is MUCH cuter!). :-)


Agency Holiday Party
Our local agency held their first annual holiday party, and it was such a wonderful experience to meet new families and visit with friends. Rai had just started coming down with something an hour before the party started, but he was still entertaining!



ECI Holiday Party
A few months after Rai arrived home, we took the recommendation of several people and asked ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) to do an assessment of Rai's development. With some language delays in Korea and a significant amount of physical therapy since Rai's early infancy, we knew there was a possibility that Rai might qualify for development services. Our EIS (Early Intervention Specialist) assessed Rai's physical development (gross and fine motor skills) as on par and even beyond his age in some areas, but he did have some speech and communication delays. Since then, Rai has blossomed from a combination of time, adjustment to English, preschool, and help from many people, including our EIS. She comes to the house once every other week, observes Rai's speech and communication development, and gives ideas for continuing his development.

This past Friday was the ECI Holiday Party, and since we anticipate that Rai will no longer need services after his re-evaluation on Wednesday, this have been the last time Rai will see his EIS. He certainly had a great time, and she enjoyed Rai telling her "Up! Up!" to be held while we stood in line to see Santa.






Amy!
For over a week, Rai identified several women (some blonde but not always) as Amy (as in Auntie Amy). Everyone from Cat Deely (pardon mispelling) from "So You Think You Can Dance" to the model on the New York & Co. advertisements sparked "Amy! Amy!" calls. Rai said "Amy?" while I was on the phone. So we took the hint and visited Auntie Amy after our agency holiday party. Rai had a great time playing with the dogs, helping Aaron rake the leaves, and hanging out with Auntie Amy in general. Here are a few pictures:







(Don't worry. Rai stayed out of the tree!)

Snuggling with Kobe
Our cats have done very well with Rai in the past seven months. Kobe, our bigger cat, has an interesting personality. Although he looks quite cuddling, he's usually pretty grumpy. (If you had to lose 25% of your weight in one year from a strict diet you couldn't break, you'd be grumpy, too! But Kobe has just always been grumpy.) We weren't sure how Kobe would react when we got Lucy, our smaller cat, but Kobe's maternal instincts kicked in (but yes, Kobe is a boy). He would sleep with Lucy and groom her to such an extent that people swore they were "Mommy and Baby." Now Kobe hasn't exactly taken on Rai as his own, but he's certainly very patient. Whether Rai is in the mood for giving Kobe kisses or just cuddling with him, Kobe has been incredibly patient with this toddler!







And last but not least... Aaron's Thanksgiving Sweater!
Aaron is certainly known for wearing favorite shirts, well just really one favorite shirt, in nearly every picture I take. (Just try to count how many times you've seen the pink, I mean RED, shirt in this blog.) On Thanksgiving evening, I had a moment of deja vu when I uploaded pictures and saw Aaron's sweater. "I could have sworn I already have this picture" I thought. Yes, Aaron wore the exact same sweater not only last Thanksgiving but EVERY THANKSGIVING SINCE 2006! When I told him about the pattern, his response was "It's a good sweater." Oh my...
Here they are:
Thanksgiving 2009


Thanksgiving 2008


Thanksgiving 2007


Thanksgiving 2006

Snow!

As the sun started to rise on Wednesday morning, Aaron ask me if I knew it was snowing. Snowing? Yeah right. (We're in Texas mind you.) But it WAS snowing and for a good hour or so. Most of it didn't stick, but I got out the jackets, mittens, and other winter gear just in time to get Rai out while there was still some white on the ground.








Rai didn't understand the appeal in throwing snow at one another. Maybe next year...



But it's nothing compared to winter in Japan! Here's me just a bit older than Rai is now:


We spent the rest of the inside and got a few good laughs in as we caught the cats trying to stay warm, too!





Yes, that's Kobe sleeping on Rai during his nap. :-)

Rai has really taken a liking to Kobe. It's probably because Kobe will generally sit still long enough for Rai's hugs and kisses.

Passing on a Tradition

Gordon Lee Burnside

My grandfather was the type of man who loved children, even those he didn't know. In the morning, he would go to the bank and get a roll of quarters that he would hand out to children at restaurants or any public place. He could start a conversation with anyone and always had a smile on his face.

As a major tom boy, I always looked forward to visiting my grandfather and partaking in woodworking projects, fishing, anything that involved spending time with him. I grew up looking forward to deer hunting season when my grandfather, my dad, and I (and sometimes a cousin or friend) would spend a weekend sitting up against a tree, eating, and listening to my grandfather's stories with a 300 savage just in case we saw a deer. (We rarely saw a deer, and it didn't seem to bother anyone.)

Almost 15 years ago, my grandfather passed away suddenly just two weeks after my grandmother's passing. Words can't express how May 1995 changed my life and the life of my family's forever. Years later, in an attempt to heal the wounds and accept one of the greatest losses in our lives, we started placing quarters at my grandparents' gravesite.

This past weekend, we took Rai to my grandparents' gravesite to mount a repaired vase as well as to continue our family tradition. I know Rai doesn't understand everything, but he understands more than I generally expect. I told him that this was Mommy's Grandpa and Grandma, and we said "Hi" to the tombstones. (Rai also said "Hi" to the little deer near my grandfather's tombstone.) Still a bit sleepy from the drive, Rai placed the quarters down on each side and stood there with me for a second. It's a moment I'll remember forever. My grandfather would have loved to meet Rai.











“Death is a part of all our lives. Whether we like it or not, it is bound to happen. Instead of avoiding thinking about it, it is better to understand its meaning. We all have the same body, the same human flesh, and therefore we will all die. There is a big difference, of course, between natural death and accidental death, but basically death will come sooner or later. If from the beginning your attitude is 'Yes, death is part of our lives,' then it may be easier to face.” - Dalai Lama

Thanksgiving Week

(Note: I really did start this before Thanksgiving.)

There is so much to be thankful for this year that it is hard to find a place to start this post.

I am thankful for our son whose smile makes my day and whose "umm, ummmm, ummmm" at Thanksgiving dinner is the best compliment a Mommy can ask for








I am thankful for a husband who has been a wonderful friend and has become a wonderful daddy










I am thankful for family and holidays which give us an excuse to come together







I am thankful for the memories of those who are no longer with us but have shaped our lives

My grandfather, Gordon Burnside, who was and still is my idol

Can you guess which one is me?

My Ojiichan (grandfather on my mother's side)


My Aunt Sandy who passed away one day before Rai was born. We were very close, and I would do anything to have just one more holiday with her. She would have loved Rai...




I am thankful for our furry family members who have adapted well to our newest addition and always make us laugh


Kobe and Hello Kitty have a history (see picture below...)



Kilakochan was my childhood cat who lived 14 years (long enough to see me off to college). She was the only cat I had ever seen who would walk down the street with my dog and me.

Yes, that's Lucy helping Aaron with the puzzle for Rai

I am thankful for friends old and new who go out to lunch on a whim, drop by the house just because, and send silly pictures taken decades ago when big hair and leggings were in




I am thankful for Rai's birthmother who gave Rai the gift of life and whose adoption plan brought him into our lives and for Rai's foster family who opened their hearts to Rai and us and have become an extended part of our family

Rai and his foster mother (Omma)




I am thankful for a healthy family, food in our pantry, a roof over our heads, and the love in our hearts. I am thankful for the little things which make us smile and for the big things which change our lives forever.

Have a Happy Holidays!

A Busy Weekend: Adoption Finalization and 2nd Birthday Party!

Adoption Story Video
Here is our adoption story video (from application to finalization):

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Adoption Finalization
On Friday, November 13, 2009, Rai's adoption was legally finalized.
On this day:
- Rai's name was changed from Yun-Taek Jeong to Rai Yun-Taek Young
- Rai legally became a part of our family, as us legally his parents (a formality in our minds since Rai was been a part of our family since we first met, and arguably before)
- Rai became an American citizen

Our court hearing took about 5 minutes with two quick pictures afterwards. My parents and my dear friend Kimsan (and her son, Cole) joined us for this special occasion and lunch afterwards. Rai was great for the entire morning of waiting, the 5 minute hearing, and the wait for lunch (with one small tantrum, not bad).

(For those adoptive moms who emphathize with the strong attachment generally to daddies...)As we walked into the courtroom, Rai pulled away from me and reached for Aaron (Daddy), but two minutes later, Rai reached for me and leaned in for about 2 minutes worth of kisses. Very cute and funny in the midst of my attempts to answer "yes" to the attorney's questions while Rai's face was trying to give kisses.

Here are a few pictures of our special day:


















2nd Birthday Party
Although Rai's 2nd birthday is not until November 23rd, his birthday party was this past Saturday. We had over 20 people (family and friends) at the house, and Rai enjoyed every second of it. :-) He has just recently learned the word "mine" and used it quite often when I explained that all of the decorations were for his birthday and everyone was coming to see him. (His response was to point to everything and respond with "mine.")

We were very pleased with a photo cake from our local Kroger. After the news of our finalization the day before the birthday party, I thought it would be fun to have a cake with Pororo (Korean cartoon penguin Rai likes) holding an American flag. It turned out beautifully!

Thank you to everyone who celebrated with us this weekend!

And now for pictures:









Celebrating Halloween!
Rai picked out his Halloween costume, and despite my attempts to persuade him to be a dinosaur (very cute costume), he wanted to be a pumpkin. :-) He was very cute! Since he had some difficulty saying "trick or treat" I got him to say "Boo!" instead. It was certainly an improvement from "More!" which is what he said to my college students the night before Halloween at Trunk-or-Treat on the campus. (My students thought he was adorable and nearly poured candy into his bag. I gave most of it back to them at the next class.)









(Yes, one of the students gave out mummified stuffed animal monkeys. Very nice!)


Rai got to have one piece of candy after we came back from trick-or-treating. Of course, he chose the largest piece of candy in his bag: a Tootsie Roll Pop! I was too nervous about him choking on the pieces, so we told him he could only have it if he sat down.



Other Pictures/Videos/Updates:
Rai has always been very helpful. He loves to clean (vacuum, sweep, pick up pieces of hair on the floor, and even wipe down surfaces). His grandparents certainly picked up on this and bought him a child's size broom and dust pan for his birthday (not long after this video). Needless to say, he hasn't put them down for more than the time it takes to eat or take a bath since then!


Rai has recently developed a new game of sliding on the floor on one knee and saying "Dada, dada, dada..." (Dada isn't the same as Daddy, so we think it's something he learned in preschool.) Here is the video:


A month ago, our neighborhood had a Family Fest at the local elementary school with games, food, and music. We were exhausted after a full day at a Japanese festival on the other side of town, but Rai had a great time, especially looking at the puppies and playing in the bounce house!






We went to the mall shortly before Halloween and several stores already had Christmas trees up. Rai was so excited to see the trees, lights, and decorations that I couldn't resist putting the tree up the day after Halloween.








Can you tell that Rai loves to smile for the camera? :-)

Our Adoption Story

In celebration of Rai's adoption finalization, we wanted to share this video with our friends, family, and Rai of our adoption story. Thank you to everyone who have taken this journey with us!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com