I only have about ten minutes before I return to my stack of grading, so here goes!
2nd Post Placement Visit
We were so thrilled that our 2nd post placement visit (3 month visit) was already here! Three months goes quickly when you're parenting and not waiting for travel. (By the way, those four months were the longest four months of our lives!) Rai has been a daddy's boy lately, so I got some quiet time to run around getting things ready. We were thrilled with the about of information our social worker brought regarding activities and Preschool/Mother's Day Out programs and welcomed the ideas and feedback on Rai's transition. Every time someone asks, "How much longer do you have to have someone monitoring you?" we always stress that we've really relied on our social worker for help and don't feel monitored in any way. (I'm actually not looking forward to our last visit since I'll miss being able to call and say "HELP!" If we decide to transition to family of 4, well 6 including our cats, I'm sure we'll be begging our homestudy agency for the same social worker!) We also learned great news! We can begin working on our finalization NEXT MONTH! We can't finalize until after our last visit (October), but the head start on the process is always great.
For clarification, much of the US side of the immigration paperwork was for legal guardianship. The adoption program in Korea is a legal guardianship transition until the finalization six months later. Hopefully, we will have a court date in November/December which will mark the end of the legal process, making Rai a US citizen, our legal son with his official name: Rai Yun-Taek Young.
Birth Mother Workshop
Our awesome social worker also brought a great opportunity to our attention. Dillon International (an adoption agency in our area) was hosting an adoption workshop last Sunday which featured two Korean birthmothers and included 2 social workers from the Korean agency, 1 Korean adoptee (in his 20's), and 1 adoptive parent who has met one of her son's birthfamilies. Words cannot express how much this workshop meant to both of us. We went in curious and left emotionally changed adoptive parents. The stories of these two birthmothers has changed our lives and will greatly impact our lives forever. For those interested, a detailed account can be found on the Holt Forum at http://www.holtintl.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=99100&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0. In short, we spent the entire car ride home discussing our new strategies for communicating with Rai's birthmother (or at least providing her with updates on a regular basis) and discussing how this workshop may change what we'd like to do as parents (i.e. making Korean language a top priority for all of us, not just Rai).
Thank you to Dillon International for providing us with this opportunity. Thank you to our social worker for bringing this to our attention. Thank you, of course, to the two brave birthmothers who flew from Korea to share their unique stories to a room full of strangers and for sharing their children with the families in the US. I hope their dream of one day meeting their children again are fulfilled and the relationship with these children is a long-lasting one. And thank you to Rai's birthmother who made an adoption plan that brought us together. As another adoptive mother put it, we hope our updated letter and pictures will begin the process of mending the hole in your heart and hope that one day Rai can come to know who his birth mother is.
Letters & Pictures
We are ashamed that it has taken us so long to send Rai's foster family a letter and pictures, but everything should go out in the mail tomorrow. Rai's foster family, especially his foster mother, has been in our thoughts since we've left. I've often wondered how she copes with the loss of her dear son who she raised since (most likely) his release from the hospital at 6 weeks old. She's a wonderful woman, and we hope that she will be a part of Rai's life, not only through letters and pictures.
My ten minutes has long been up, so more information will need to wait for another grading break...
Monday, July 27, 2009
Saturday, July 18, 2009
Praying to Allah? No wait ... just push-ups
Yesterday, I watched Rai puzzled as he knelt down, bent his arms/touched his head to the ground, came back up, put his hands on his legs, and did this all over again. By the third time, I wondered if he had seen someone do this while we were out. I kept trying to recall any instances where he might even see this enough to try it himself. By the fourth or fifth time, he started speeding up and saying "oooooooooo-huh!" Ah! Push-ups! As soon as I joined him, he started to giggle and crawled under me to get squished. A bit overanalytical on my part, but it was pretty funny!
26 months?!
At the recommendation of all specialists with whom we've been in contact during this adoption process, we asked that ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) come out to the house and assess Rai, primarily to get an opinion on his possible speech delays. Yes, his communication was a bit behind even in Korea, so we fully expected a slightly younger age of development in this area. But what we weren't expecting was his physical development - a 26 month old! Wow! This 2-pound baby at birth with physical delays until January of this year is now assessed at the physical development (i.e. can hold a squatting position, climb up stairs with alternating legs, etc.) of a 26 month old! Go Rai!
We're not too awfully panicked about the communication delays. He understands a large amount of English, and the EIS (Early Intervention Specialist) will come out to the house starting later this month to play with Rai & work on his speech development - for free! It's certainly an opportunity we can't pass up. I'll be observing each session, so I look forward to the free training! And Rai had quite a bit of fun playing with her during the evaluation. In fact, he was so interested in the toys she brought that he had learned how to do two new things (and change his development scores) during her summary of his evaluation. :-)
26 months?!
At the recommendation of all specialists with whom we've been in contact during this adoption process, we asked that ECI (Early Childhood Intervention) come out to the house and assess Rai, primarily to get an opinion on his possible speech delays. Yes, his communication was a bit behind even in Korea, so we fully expected a slightly younger age of development in this area. But what we weren't expecting was his physical development - a 26 month old! Wow! This 2-pound baby at birth with physical delays until January of this year is now assessed at the physical development (i.e. can hold a squatting position, climb up stairs with alternating legs, etc.) of a 26 month old! Go Rai!
We're not too awfully panicked about the communication delays. He understands a large amount of English, and the EIS (Early Intervention Specialist) will come out to the house starting later this month to play with Rai & work on his speech development - for free! It's certainly an opportunity we can't pass up. I'll be observing each session, so I look forward to the free training! And Rai had quite a bit of fun playing with her during the evaluation. In fact, he was so interested in the toys she brought that he had learned how to do two new things (and change his development scores) during her summary of his evaluation. :-)
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Playtime!
Rai LOVES to run, climb, and get into all kinds of trouble. :-) In fact, we've noticed that he tends to nap better when he's completely worn out. Although he loves to play in the back yard, our tiny, sloped yard doesn't lend well to active play. Instead, Rai has learned from his Daddy that pulling weeds isn't so bad. But as much as I love how our yard now looks, pulling weeds doesn't wear him out. Soccer is still quite popular, both inside and outside, but it doesn't hold his attention very long. In the last few weeks, we've visited nearly every park and playground in the area, and with temperatures reaching 100 degrees by mid-morning, we've taken a liking to the mall playgrounds and rec. center classes.
Rec. Center 1's Play (12 months to 24 months)
At the recommendation of our social worker, I signed up for a 1-year-old class that meets up to three times each week at a local recreation center. The class has songs, musical instruments, and organized play as well as a before/after free-for-all with age-appropriate toys. It has been hilarious to watch Rai in this context. As soon as we enter the gym, he goes nuts and plays with nearly every toy (i.e. climbing mats, riding toys, and his favorite - playhouse). He doesn't sit too long in our circle time but will at least stand on my legs without much of a fuss. In the first week, he won the other moms over with his big nod response to the "Rai, Rai, Are you here?" (He was the only child to respond at all to the song. Yay!) During our parachute activity (where all the children go to the center and sit on the parachute), he watches the other children carefully and waves to me as I help the other moms turn the parachute in circles. Yesterday, he started running up to the other children and waving and scared off two little girls. Whether it's overstimulation of activity and colors or a new-found curiosity in others, he is certainly worn out by the 45 minute class!
Mall Playgrounds
We've visited nearly all the mall playgrounds in a 30-mile radius of our home, and Rai certainly has his favorites. The closest mall playground is in major need of repair (i.e. duct tape on worn-out toys) but it's convenient enough for short playtime in the mornings. The farthest mall we visited has a carousel (BIG plus for this little guy) and a nice playground that is padded from head to toe. On Monday, we visited the farthest playground and Rai impressed himself by learning to climb up a large slide, previously off limits since it doesn't have steps. He still makes the "oooooo-huh" sounds which immitate my strains when I pick him up, so the big climb on Monday was quite amusing. He's also started intensly studying how the carousel works. I assume he has big plans to make a carousel of his own, but that's just my thinking. :-) In any case, he looked up almost the entire ride on Monday that other children near him started looking up to see what all the fuss was about. It was a Kodak moment.
Today, Rai had a bit of a scare at the closest mall playground. Several children (about 5-7 years old) started playing tag while Rai was preoccupied with the various tunnels. (He likes to climb in, look for me, and give a big wave.) Unfortunately, one of the boys ran into the same tunnel as Rai, knocked him over, and blocked his view of me before I could do or say anything. At the same time, another boy did this on the other side, trapping poor Rai in the middle. I almost made it to the tunnel fast enough to pull him out before they both ran out. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but Rai wouldn't get down from my grasp for a good five minutes. No tears - just clung on to me for dear life. The boys started to settle down, so Rai went back to tunnel wandering. Only minutes later, the same thing happened and I had to rescue him from the middle. By then, he had had enough so we left.
It troubles me that some parents don't pay any attention to their children and disregard rules, such as height/age requirements for these play areas. I can't say that I'm surprised, just troubled. I vow never to be that parent who merely talks on a cell phone while my child plays in public. Rai has learned many lessons, such as sharing (when a child waits patiently, or sometimes not so patiently, when Rai is playing with a toy) and conflict management (when a child if Rai is too close to a toy he/she is playing with), to a certain extent because of these experiences.
Aside from Play: Big Helper
Rai now puts his cups and other non-breakable eating/drinking utensils in the sink all by himself and will even put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket in our room each morning. Aaron has also taught him to help with the cleaning (no chemicals of course). I laughed when I heard that Aaron handed Rai a shower scrubber, said "Rai go scrub the shower," and he DID! It's amazing how much he understands. Aaron, of course, helped him, but Rai was awfully proud of himself for helping with the cleaning. Rai was helping me fold the laundry, but Aaron commented that some of his clothes are a bit stretched. We might need to stick to towels. :-) Rai still likes to vacuum and will push the floor attachment back and forth across the entire living room, kitchen, and dining room. It's funny to think that just a few months ago I wondered when I would have time to get anything done. Now, our house looks great as each chore becomes a new game. It will only be a matter of time before we need to start rewarding him with an allowance.
Rec. Center 1's Play (12 months to 24 months)
At the recommendation of our social worker, I signed up for a 1-year-old class that meets up to three times each week at a local recreation center. The class has songs, musical instruments, and organized play as well as a before/after free-for-all with age-appropriate toys. It has been hilarious to watch Rai in this context. As soon as we enter the gym, he goes nuts and plays with nearly every toy (i.e. climbing mats, riding toys, and his favorite - playhouse). He doesn't sit too long in our circle time but will at least stand on my legs without much of a fuss. In the first week, he won the other moms over with his big nod response to the "Rai, Rai, Are you here?" (He was the only child to respond at all to the song. Yay!) During our parachute activity (where all the children go to the center and sit on the parachute), he watches the other children carefully and waves to me as I help the other moms turn the parachute in circles. Yesterday, he started running up to the other children and waving and scared off two little girls. Whether it's overstimulation of activity and colors or a new-found curiosity in others, he is certainly worn out by the 45 minute class!
Mall Playgrounds
We've visited nearly all the mall playgrounds in a 30-mile radius of our home, and Rai certainly has his favorites. The closest mall playground is in major need of repair (i.e. duct tape on worn-out toys) but it's convenient enough for short playtime in the mornings. The farthest mall we visited has a carousel (BIG plus for this little guy) and a nice playground that is padded from head to toe. On Monday, we visited the farthest playground and Rai impressed himself by learning to climb up a large slide, previously off limits since it doesn't have steps. He still makes the "oooooo-huh" sounds which immitate my strains when I pick him up, so the big climb on Monday was quite amusing. He's also started intensly studying how the carousel works. I assume he has big plans to make a carousel of his own, but that's just my thinking. :-) In any case, he looked up almost the entire ride on Monday that other children near him started looking up to see what all the fuss was about. It was a Kodak moment.
Today, Rai had a bit of a scare at the closest mall playground. Several children (about 5-7 years old) started playing tag while Rai was preoccupied with the various tunnels. (He likes to climb in, look for me, and give a big wave.) Unfortunately, one of the boys ran into the same tunnel as Rai, knocked him over, and blocked his view of me before I could do or say anything. At the same time, another boy did this on the other side, trapping poor Rai in the middle. I almost made it to the tunnel fast enough to pull him out before they both ran out. This all happened in a matter of seconds, but Rai wouldn't get down from my grasp for a good five minutes. No tears - just clung on to me for dear life. The boys started to settle down, so Rai went back to tunnel wandering. Only minutes later, the same thing happened and I had to rescue him from the middle. By then, he had had enough so we left.
It troubles me that some parents don't pay any attention to their children and disregard rules, such as height/age requirements for these play areas. I can't say that I'm surprised, just troubled. I vow never to be that parent who merely talks on a cell phone while my child plays in public. Rai has learned many lessons, such as sharing (when a child waits patiently, or sometimes not so patiently, when Rai is playing with a toy) and conflict management (when a child if Rai is too close to a toy he/she is playing with), to a certain extent because of these experiences.
Aside from Play: Big Helper
Rai now puts his cups and other non-breakable eating/drinking utensils in the sink all by himself and will even put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket in our room each morning. Aaron has also taught him to help with the cleaning (no chemicals of course). I laughed when I heard that Aaron handed Rai a shower scrubber, said "Rai go scrub the shower," and he DID! It's amazing how much he understands. Aaron, of course, helped him, but Rai was awfully proud of himself for helping with the cleaning. Rai was helping me fold the laundry, but Aaron commented that some of his clothes are a bit stretched. We might need to stick to towels. :-) Rai still likes to vacuum and will push the floor attachment back and forth across the entire living room, kitchen, and dining room. It's funny to think that just a few months ago I wondered when I would have time to get anything done. Now, our house looks great as each chore becomes a new game. It will only be a matter of time before we need to start rewarding him with an allowance.
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Calling all MommyBloggers! (oh and a few updated pictures)
A colleague of mine from UT-Dallas is researching Mommy Bloggers and needs input from any moms out there who blog about their children. She has a short list of questions at www.reflectionsofasheepishlion.blogspot.com. Please forward the information to anyone interested!
First Awkward Question
I've read and heard about the various awkward and fairly invasive questions many adoptive parents are asked, so it shocked me that two months had passed and no questions from stranges... until now. Rai and I were at the mall, and although I generally avoid the "Soaprano" kiosk of overly aggressive soap sellers, I didn't see the Soaprano employee until he was right over the stroller. "Is that yours?" he asked in a confused yet somewhat friendly tone. THAT?! I was shocked at both his poor attempt to lure me to the kiosk and the oddly worded question. THAT?! No, I didn't create a scene. :-) I only looked puzzled, nodded my head, and said "Yes, he's my son." There was no point in getting into a conversation over adoption. He certainly wasn't going to sell me any soap.
Yes, we've receive looks. A woman at the park once asked me if I was Korean. She recognized the Korean features on Rai and has two sons who are half Korean (her husband's side) and half Vietnamese (her side). We started up a wonderful conversation about the adoption and the local Asian community. Several Asian women have looked at us and asked if Rai is Korean, and I appreciate the subtle, inquisitive nature of the conversations. I'm slowly learning a great deal about the Asian community in Dallas.
Potty Training?!
Rai is not ready for potty training, but he's been obsessed since he saw a Rai-size toilet in a family restroom at the mall. He pointed and giggled when we went in to change his diaper, so I set him on it to see his reaction. He thought it was the funniest thing and almost wouldn't let me take him off of it. After some thought, we picked up a training toilet (removable seat for standard toilets and when closed can be used as a stool) to have in his bathroom. For now, he just likes to sit on it in between diaper changes and looks down with a "Ok, now what?" look on his face. I assume nothing will come of this for many more months, but it's fun to watch him get excited.
Babies, Babies Everywhere!
We had three baby visitors the other day (two of whom were twins) who were all less than three months old. Although Rai had SEEN Cole 1 (yes, both boys have the name "Cole") before, he never seemed to acknowledge that this little person existed. As soon as the other two babies arrived, Rai's attention turned to these three tiny car seats that he wasn't allowed to play with. Since then, Rai has pointed out every baby we see and actually played WITH another child. Playdates will be much more interesting now...
Eating Like a Pro and Even Covering His Mouth (Who does that? haha)
A few weeks ago, Rai was spitting out all table foods, even bananas, and now, Rai will eat just about anything you put in front of him (on a good day at least). He's hooked on Crispix (yes, healthy cereal!) and will practice eating dry Crispix out of a bowl before attempting it with milk using a spoon. He will still eat some baby food since he'd still rather have mashed carrots instead of solid (but overly cooked) pieces.
He's mastering the use of a spoon with yogurt and his little fingers can now pull apart the string cheese when he's patient. Speaking of string cheese, Lucy continues to sit close by, and although I won't let him feed her, he points to her if I forget to give her a small piece of cheese: Sharing 101.
The other day, I couldn't figure out why he kept pulling his hands up to his face while he ate. He does play "peek-a-boo" with his hands now if a blanket isn't handy, so I mistook this as peek-a-boo. He just shook his head and said "nooo." Then, I caught myself covering my mouth while I ate and he immediately did the same and laughed. Ahhh, now I get it. Now Mark can bug both of us. :-)
No
Aside from "Buddha" the popular word of the month is "no." I'm sure I will soon regret this new development, but for now, it's quite cute. The first time Rai said it, it was a "no, no, no" in much the same way as I say it. Now, it's "noooo" in a somewhat melancholy tone. Here are a few cute examples:
Updated Pictures/Videos
Don't forget to give Lucy cheese!
That's all!
Dancing in the pool Obaa-chan and Ojii-chan brought over
Daddy's favorite toy of the month
Mommy's favorite toy of the month
Enjoying air-conditioned playgrounds as temperatures raise over 100 degrees
Fast-forward to the end to see the newest dance (reminds me of Snoopy)
First Awkward Question
I've read and heard about the various awkward and fairly invasive questions many adoptive parents are asked, so it shocked me that two months had passed and no questions from stranges... until now. Rai and I were at the mall, and although I generally avoid the "Soaprano" kiosk of overly aggressive soap sellers, I didn't see the Soaprano employee until he was right over the stroller. "Is that yours?" he asked in a confused yet somewhat friendly tone. THAT?! I was shocked at both his poor attempt to lure me to the kiosk and the oddly worded question. THAT?! No, I didn't create a scene. :-) I only looked puzzled, nodded my head, and said "Yes, he's my son." There was no point in getting into a conversation over adoption. He certainly wasn't going to sell me any soap.
Yes, we've receive looks. A woman at the park once asked me if I was Korean. She recognized the Korean features on Rai and has two sons who are half Korean (her husband's side) and half Vietnamese (her side). We started up a wonderful conversation about the adoption and the local Asian community. Several Asian women have looked at us and asked if Rai is Korean, and I appreciate the subtle, inquisitive nature of the conversations. I'm slowly learning a great deal about the Asian community in Dallas.
Potty Training?!
Rai is not ready for potty training, but he's been obsessed since he saw a Rai-size toilet in a family restroom at the mall. He pointed and giggled when we went in to change his diaper, so I set him on it to see his reaction. He thought it was the funniest thing and almost wouldn't let me take him off of it. After some thought, we picked up a training toilet (removable seat for standard toilets and when closed can be used as a stool) to have in his bathroom. For now, he just likes to sit on it in between diaper changes and looks down with a "Ok, now what?" look on his face. I assume nothing will come of this for many more months, but it's fun to watch him get excited.
Babies, Babies Everywhere!
We had three baby visitors the other day (two of whom were twins) who were all less than three months old. Although Rai had SEEN Cole 1 (yes, both boys have the name "Cole") before, he never seemed to acknowledge that this little person existed. As soon as the other two babies arrived, Rai's attention turned to these three tiny car seats that he wasn't allowed to play with. Since then, Rai has pointed out every baby we see and actually played WITH another child. Playdates will be much more interesting now...
Eating Like a Pro and Even Covering His Mouth (Who does that? haha)
A few weeks ago, Rai was spitting out all table foods, even bananas, and now, Rai will eat just about anything you put in front of him (on a good day at least). He's hooked on Crispix (yes, healthy cereal!) and will practice eating dry Crispix out of a bowl before attempting it with milk using a spoon. He will still eat some baby food since he'd still rather have mashed carrots instead of solid (but overly cooked) pieces.
He's mastering the use of a spoon with yogurt and his little fingers can now pull apart the string cheese when he's patient. Speaking of string cheese, Lucy continues to sit close by, and although I won't let him feed her, he points to her if I forget to give her a small piece of cheese: Sharing 101.
The other day, I couldn't figure out why he kept pulling his hands up to his face while he ate. He does play "peek-a-boo" with his hands now if a blanket isn't handy, so I mistook this as peek-a-boo. He just shook his head and said "nooo." Then, I caught myself covering my mouth while I ate and he immediately did the same and laughed. Ahhh, now I get it. Now Mark can bug both of us. :-)
No
Aside from "Buddha" the popular word of the month is "no." I'm sure I will soon regret this new development, but for now, it's quite cute. The first time Rai said it, it was a "no, no, no" in much the same way as I say it. Now, it's "noooo" in a somewhat melancholy tone. Here are a few cute examples:
Updated Pictures/Videos
Don't forget to give Lucy cheese!
That's all!
Dancing in the pool Obaa-chan and Ojii-chan brought over
Daddy's favorite toy of the month
Mommy's favorite toy of the month
Enjoying air-conditioned playgrounds as temperatures raise over 100 degrees
Fast-forward to the end to see the newest dance (reminds me of Snoopy)
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Happy July 4th! (and updated videos!)
Happy July 4th! We decided on a low-key day after an overly eventful attempt at Six Flags yesterday. (We didn't even last until lunch time, but it is a lesson learned.) We went to the park while daddy mowed and came back in time to get suited up for the pool! After an hour run (rather than swim), we headed back home for lunch and napped for a whole hour and a half! This afternoon, we got the grill going in time for my parents to come over and had a blast watching Rai dance in his new shoes (courtesy of O-baachan/grandma and O-giichan/grandpa). No fireworks or anything big tonight. Rai would had just as much fun with his nightly bath, and with any luck will be asleep in a matter of minutes (knock on wood).
So here are the long-awaited videos!
Rai has recently learned how to hide in a cabinet (HIS cabinet) and play peek-a-boo. Well, we don't actually say "peek-a-boo" or you'll be drawing out "peeeeekkkkaaaaa" for way too long. Now, he can get in and close the door himself!
In our first month home, Rai learned "ears" by pointing to the ears on his cloth panda book (thanks Cristen!) and then his own. In the second month, Rai learned ears, nose, and leg ... well, somewhat... (As of today, he knows ears, nose, leg, and tummy.)
This video is WAY too dark, but it's still cute. When Katie came into town, Sean & Rai kept Aaron busy while the rest of us caught up on old times. In the video, each boy (yes, Aaron included) has a push toy and is running around the couch. Poor Lucy & Kobe stayed out of their way.
It's no secret that Rai likes yogurt. He could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could get away with it. After a few weeks of being home, Rai figured out how to feed himself yogurt and generally stays cleaner than when his daddy feeds him (haha)!
After several days at the same park, we ventured to a different park in our neighborhood. Apparently, the covered parks are not nearly as exiting. Rai spent the entire hour on the park bench eating a snack.
In an attempt to keep Rai away from our keyboards, Aaron gave Rai his very own keyboard (at least until Goodwill picks it up).
Rai giggles when we pull into Aaron's work and wait for him to get out of work. (It's our trade-off before I head off to work.) He often gets pretty silly as soon as I turn around. (The next video will need to capture his "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha" phrase that is now popular.
Yesterday, we attempted Six Flags, and Rai did really well until it got too hot an hour or so later. His first ride was a bit extreme for a 19-month-old, but he didn't seem upset. :-)
After Six Flags, we had a refreshing lunch and enjoyed less-overpriced drinks. Rai acquired a taste for lemons and in between sour faces nearly ate the entire lemon. hehe
And here are the updated pictures from July:
Rai meets Christian (adoptee from Vietnam whose mother was in our adoption training class)
Rai cools off in the car after playing outside...
...and then falls asleep
Rai keeps busy during the wait for the opthalmologist (Eyes are healthy!)
Daddy's attempt to keep Rai preoccupied at Cracker Barrel
Like father, like son
Rai clings on for dear life as his first ride at Six Flags begins!
Although you can't tell from this picture, the log ride (or El Asserado) was his favorite ride at Six Flags
My favorite part of the whole day was watching Ojiichan (grandpa) give Rai a lemon! Rai bit into it and gave a SOUR face. Two seconds later, he bit into it again, and then again. :-) He nearly ate the entire lemon slice!
July 4th Family Picture!
Sorry, Rai. They didn't have "Korean-American Dude" shirts at Babies R Us.
So here are the long-awaited videos!
Rai has recently learned how to hide in a cabinet (HIS cabinet) and play peek-a-boo. Well, we don't actually say "peek-a-boo" or you'll be drawing out "peeeeekkkkaaaaa" for way too long. Now, he can get in and close the door himself!
In our first month home, Rai learned "ears" by pointing to the ears on his cloth panda book (thanks Cristen!) and then his own. In the second month, Rai learned ears, nose, and leg ... well, somewhat... (As of today, he knows ears, nose, leg, and tummy.)
This video is WAY too dark, but it's still cute. When Katie came into town, Sean & Rai kept Aaron busy while the rest of us caught up on old times. In the video, each boy (yes, Aaron included) has a push toy and is running around the couch. Poor Lucy & Kobe stayed out of their way.
It's no secret that Rai likes yogurt. He could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could get away with it. After a few weeks of being home, Rai figured out how to feed himself yogurt and generally stays cleaner than when his daddy feeds him (haha)!
After several days at the same park, we ventured to a different park in our neighborhood. Apparently, the covered parks are not nearly as exiting. Rai spent the entire hour on the park bench eating a snack.
In an attempt to keep Rai away from our keyboards, Aaron gave Rai his very own keyboard (at least until Goodwill picks it up).
Rai giggles when we pull into Aaron's work and wait for him to get out of work. (It's our trade-off before I head off to work.) He often gets pretty silly as soon as I turn around. (The next video will need to capture his "Buddha, Buddha, Buddha" phrase that is now popular.
Yesterday, we attempted Six Flags, and Rai did really well until it got too hot an hour or so later. His first ride was a bit extreme for a 19-month-old, but he didn't seem upset. :-)
After Six Flags, we had a refreshing lunch and enjoyed less-overpriced drinks. Rai acquired a taste for lemons and in between sour faces nearly ate the entire lemon. hehe
And here are the updated pictures from July:
Rai meets Christian (adoptee from Vietnam whose mother was in our adoption training class)
Rai cools off in the car after playing outside...
...and then falls asleep
Rai keeps busy during the wait for the opthalmologist (Eyes are healthy!)
Daddy's attempt to keep Rai preoccupied at Cracker Barrel
Like father, like son
Rai clings on for dear life as his first ride at Six Flags begins!
Although you can't tell from this picture, the log ride (or El Asserado) was his favorite ride at Six Flags
My favorite part of the whole day was watching Ojiichan (grandpa) give Rai a lemon! Rai bit into it and gave a SOUR face. Two seconds later, he bit into it again, and then again. :-) He nearly ate the entire lemon slice!
July 4th Family Picture!
Sorry, Rai. They didn't have "Korean-American Dude" shirts at Babies R Us.
Friday, July 3, 2009
More Pictures, Finally!
Here is the backlog of pictures since the end of May. (Yes, it has been that long!) We've taken several great videos, but that will have to wait until another day!
Toy of the Month (June) - Airplane!
Riding like a pro
Wearing Auntie Amy's tennis shoes
Kodak Moment of the Month (June)
Taking a break from playing at the park
How does this self-timer work again?
Sock arms!
Serious typing
Celebrating Auntie Amy's Birthday!
More time at the pool - This time, at the big pool!
Goofing off while we wait for Daddy to get out of work
Hanging out at the Firewheel Mall Playground!
All Aboard!
Mmmm...yogurt...
Testing out Sean's toys
Playing with Daddy & Sean
Snacktime with Mommy
Lucy waits for a piece of string cheese
Playing peek-a-boo in the cabinet
Learning to drive
Daddy's long awaited day at the park
but not to sure about the big fort!
uh-huh - no way!
Taking a cat nap on the way to the next park
Soccer!
Silly Daddy!
Toy of the Month (June) - Airplane!
Riding like a pro
Wearing Auntie Amy's tennis shoes
Kodak Moment of the Month (June)
Taking a break from playing at the park
How does this self-timer work again?
Sock arms!
Serious typing
Celebrating Auntie Amy's Birthday!
More time at the pool - This time, at the big pool!
Goofing off while we wait for Daddy to get out of work
Hanging out at the Firewheel Mall Playground!
All Aboard!
Mmmm...yogurt...
Testing out Sean's toys
Playing with Daddy & Sean
Snacktime with Mommy
Lucy waits for a piece of string cheese
Playing peek-a-boo in the cabinet
Learning to drive
Daddy's long awaited day at the park
but not to sure about the big fort!
uh-huh - no way!
Taking a cat nap on the way to the next park
Soccer!
Silly Daddy!
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