(My apologies in advance for this quickly written blog entry. As you can tell, I'm behind on posting updates and pictures, but you can expect slightly more polished entries in the next week after the birthday pictures are uploaded and these major assignments are complete.)
Rai's birthday is Tuesday, November 23rd. It is certainly a bitter sweet day when we remember:
- Rai's birth mother who made such a difficult decision and plan for her mere 2 pound son.
- Rai's foster family (Omma, Appa, and their son and daughter) who were such a vital part of the first 17 months of Rai's life and continue to be such a wonderful part of our extended family.
- All of the wonderful moments that have happened since Rai's last birthday, such as potty training, first successful ride on a tricycle, first plane ride since coming home from Korea, etc.
Earlier this month, we prepared a small mailing of pictures and a card to send to Rai's birth mother as well as Omma and Appa. It was a bit rushed, but I wouldn't have missed this for anything. Last year, Aaron and I attended a Korean birth mother workshop and heard from two birth mothers first-hand how difficult birthdays are and how wonderful it is to go to their son/daughter's file on his/her birthday and see the updates. Although there is no way to know if Rai's birth mother has viewed his file and received the stacks of pictures we've sent, I can only hope she'll see these pictures this year and realize that no matter what happens, Rai is happy and loved ... and he will always remember her.
Rai's omma and appa have been on our minds as well. During our trip to San Antonio in September, our reunion with Zoey and her family brought back so many wonderful memories of our trip to Korea. It's important to us that Rai is constantly reminded of Omma and Appa and remember not only what they look like but what life was like with them. It has certainly been fun to go through these photo albums that Omma gave us with Rai and have him point out everyone. He is also starting to ask me to take pictures of certain moments or make videos to send to Omma and Appa. So, here is the first of many more to come:
Birthday Celebrations!
Last week, I went to Los Angeles for a conference and managed to spend some time with one of my roommates from college, Katie. The first day I arrived, we went to a huge shopping center in Koreatown and found several Pororo toys, movies, and books. It couldn't have been a better timed shopping trip. Needless to say, Rai received a Pororo toy from Katie for his birthday this year, and I picked a few Pororo toys and movie for him as well.
Yesterday, we had Rai's birthday party at a local play place (with bounce houses and slides) and invited his friends from preschool as well as some friends of ours. The party was a bit smaller than expected, but Rai still had a great time and slept really well on the way home. I will post pictures soon!
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