Holt Family Picnic

Yesterday we had the pleasure of attending a family picnic sponsored by our international adoption agency. We were all three very much looking forward to the event, and it did not disappoint. CJ was excited to meet other families where the child would be “Asian just like me” while the parents would be white like Daddy and I. It was very cool because while some of those children were close to CJ’s age there were also families where the “child” was now in their thirties.

Some families eat an amount of Korean food and try to introduce to their child to Korean culture while others do not. It was nice to see the spectrum. Of course, it is easier for us that for others because of our location close to an H Mart; living in a large city with a nice sized Korean community nearby.

We met two families that live relatively close that have boys near CJ’s age. One family the boy is closer to his age, at 5, while the other family had more in common with mommy and daddy. We exchanged information and hope to meet with each family again for play dates.

There was an adult adoptee that helped to coordinate the event. She had come into town to make purchases at H Mart for the event. Apparently it takes her about an hour to make the trip. Appa and I have offered to help bring the traditional food next year. We can’t wait to do it again!

Fourth Birthday

FourFFfffIn preparation for his party we made three dozen lactose free cupcakes. CJ was very interested in when he would be able to lick, and super excited when that time finally came.

He really, really wanted me to help clean up his face and hands as he was eating, but I convinced him it would make a much better picture if he stayed messy.

A few weeks before his party he told me he was worried that he wouldn't have very many friends show up. How this mom's heart ached to her him say that. Thankfully God was also listening because he had no lack of friends and family come the party day. He is so blessed. Nearly forty people came to a nearby park to help him celebrate.

Getting Ready to Dig for Dinos

Papaw helps to best friends get a drink.

Yummy!

Great Uncle, Grandma, and Nanny

Younger friend chooses to watch.

Playing with friends.

Playing with DADDY!

What a pair!

All worn out!

 After a long nap we were ready to go again. This time it was opening all of the generous packages. Most were full of dino loot.

Can you find Daddy in this shot?

Giant T-Rex

Godmommy gave CJ LOADS of easy readers. THANK YOU!

Spring Semester

First Baseball Game

CJ is very into all of the flowers that are blooming. On the way home from school he enjoys pointing out all of the flowers we pass and what colors they are. He has grown a lot in the past few months. After a short hiatus from yoga the teacher actually commented on how much taller he was. He is very into dinosaurs, trains, cars, and building. He likes singing, but really only in private. He is cautious and observant. It seems to me he is worried about doing things wrong and being embarrassed, but I maybe projecting.

He still loves to play outside; biking and running especially. Recently he is more willing to use a swing and has been practicing his pitching on the unripe grapes he picks on the grape vine outback. We've started letting him go outback on his own and he really likes the independence of course we can see each other through the glass door). He still wants nothing to do with trampoline.

Mother's Day

This Mother's Day we met up with my folk's and "Unkie" Ryan for lunch at a small town cafe. Everyone took turns taking a picture accept CJ. After the pictures we played in the lake; swimming and canoeing.

Family Spring Break

The hawk-eye spotted the park on the way into town. We thought he had forgotten, but remember all through lunch.

 

"Unkie" Ryan is a little worried at first.

Taking a break

Round two on day two when the Aunt arrives

He really holds most of his weight

Checking out the artists

Small group shot

Happy people

The nuns have all left the building.

Hanging out by river

Look at the boats!

Alphabet Soup

"S-T-O-P, stop Mommy, and there's going to be another one." I hear this each morning as we approach the first of two stop signs on our way out of the neighborhood. CJ is now able to quickly recognize his letters and digits.

"Brochiosaurs can't read Mommy!" CJ tells me last night when I suggested that his stuffed animal should read him his bed time stories. This was a gift from my cousin and the first stuffed animal he has grown attached to since he arrived.

"What time is it Mommy?" CJ is learning about time and is very curious about the current time and the passing of time.

"What's next Mommy?" Christian is always very curious about our next sequence of events. When you tell him the very next thing it will always be followed by "And then what's next Mommy?"

"Christian Jae-won __________" CJ was very proud of himself once he was able to clearly say his full name.

"Why?" CJ is deep into his why phase.

Snow Day

Today CJ, Appa, Mamaw, Papaw and Omma all went to the neighborhood Snow Day in the park. For those of you that have been following for awhile you may recall when CJ and Omma went alone last year. Well what a difference a year makes.

He keeps recounting how he "threw one at Daddy, and one at Mommy, and another at Daddy, and then at Mommy......."

Appa giving snow ball instructions.

Planning Attack

Getting the hang of it.

Trying it out for himself.

Getting so more help.

Pitch pointers

First time to enjoy a bounce house.

Running from the camera.

Having a blast "lying down".

Better Late the Never

I finally loaded the few Halloween photos we took this year. Appa and I are not the best when it comes to taking photos. CJ kept calling himself a "Mater Shark".

Always a Cow

Every time CJ's teacher sings Old McDonald she does the cow, and then I think she stops, because CJ fights us when we want to do any other animals.

I have been very bad about doing updates we have been so busy lately. The holidays have been so  much fun this year now that he is aware of the specialness of things. He was Mater, from Cars, for Halloween. We didn't Trick or Treat, but he had a party at school.

Thanksgiving was small and relaxing. He was super excited for the day, and sad on Friday morning when it was over. He actually asked "Is this my Thanksgiving?" that morning and when I said it was over his exclamation was "Oh man!"

He is super into the Christmas lights, the tree, all of the lights on other people's house. I am really excited about Christmas this year. I can tell it is going to be a blast.

In non-holiday news, CJ is starting to try and read. His favorites, a few Thomas the Train's he has memorized, were the first. He wants to know the letters and is trying to put the sounds together. He is asking "Why" and wants everything to be his. His vocabulary is growing exponentially and his sentence structure as well.

He continues to be very humerus, and is always trying to be funny. Even as I type he is driving his father crazy with his practical jokes (returning a sock to it's place while Daddy wasn't looking). I have a feeling this is karma at work. Unfortunately, I have a feeling I will also pay the price once CJ reaches school age.

One of my favorite things right now is CJ climbing into my lap and saying "I'm your boy baby, right Mommy?" We are also very lucky that he continues to be sweet, caring, and generally very willing to please. What a blessing!

Hello South Korea

I see you stop by every now and again. I wonder who you are, and how you got here. Was it a random search? If so I hope you found what you were looking for here.Is it the same person watching CJ grow or different people. Did you come for a short visit or stay awhile. No matter the cause I want to say welcome. Thank you for coming by!

Little Heart

We were all very lucky Mamaw and Papaw were able to take CJ to his cardio appointment when it was changed at the last moment (this does seem to be a trend). CJ was initially apprehensive of the EKG. The racing of his heart made the test impossible, but Mamaw called him down so the nurse was able to run the test. As with the last time he was very still during the ultrasound due to a combination of TV and a little bit of reasoning that the more still he was the faster it would all be over.

The results were not bad, but maybe not as good as previous. All of his exercise is taking a bit of a tole and the left side of his heart is starting to harden. Doc says it isn't nearly as bad as if it was hardening on his right, but still needs to be watched. We will return again in another six months.

In the mean time we are all very grateful we don't have to try and limit to movement. I was especially so this afternoon as he ran "faster" through the park trails as we walked out dog. He may be a cross country star one day.

CJ Just Like Daddy

Months ago Appa was sad because Mommy was getting all of the love and attention. At that time Grandma told us those preferences seem to swing back and forth to the extreme. Well we are currently in a Daddy phase for sure. Mommy is appreciating getting to see their interactions and the deepening of their relationship. She does not appreciate being treated like a second class citizen when she is the one that picks CJ up when he really wanted to see Daddy.

CJ's drive to be like Daddy leads him to pick out a green towel for bath because that's the color Daddy was using this morning, or to eat his okra because Daddy does. Other ways he is like his Daddy, but doesn't know it yet, include preferring his nickname, loving singing and a the constant joking. I'm telling you these two boys keep me on my toes!

The Star

Oustide Daddy's former dorm room

He is normally such a neat eater.

The obligatory wearing Daddy's shoes pictures

Opening very special gifts from a very special friend!

Family Day dinner with Godparents

Same evening - much later!

Family Day

Today is one year of family. Daddy picked CJ and I up from the airport after we traveled for almost 36 hours with no sleep for mommy and less than an hour for Christian. We have come so far from those first days together.

Things CJ is up to at one year home-

• Counting to his teens
• Singing the ABCs by himself
• Wants lots of the Itsy-Bitsy Spider and Old McDonald Has a Farm
• Transitioning to the 3 to 6 class at school is going smoothly (although he does miss his old teacher)
• Folding small blankets
• Getting to spend LOTS more time with Mamaw and Papaw
• Being so very bossy and wanting EVERYTHING to be his

We celebrated with special Jamba Juice snacks after school and 1.5 hours at the splash pad/park. Now we are calmly waiting for CJ's Godparents to pick us up for  Korean dinner. Calmly only because CJ doesn't know we are waiting. 

Gottcha Day

Dear Christian Jae-won,

It has been one year since I first saw you, first met you, since you first became real to me. Until the moment that you first looked at me, your smile fading and quickly turning to tears, the pictures I held were only a fantasy of what was to come. My smart little man, you so quickly realized what my presence in that small office meant for your near future. You and your foster mom held each other so tightly. You grieved and your Aunt Robin and I sat quietly holding back our own tears. So sad for what we only could imagine the two of you were experiencing. Not wanting to discount the final moments - not wanting to act as if our happy anticipation should overshadow the real grief that we could see and hear.

I was Omma from that very day. Now no longer Omma, but still so much your Mom or Mommy or sometimes even Mother. That day you were placed into my arms, and from that moment you were mine. From the forever taxi cab ride filled with your wails, to the sad and much quieter moans of your nap, I have loved you. Your sweet laughter and ready smile always bring a shine to my face.You know my hearts strings.

Our time in Korea together was short, I anticipate returning one day to more fully appreciate the country of your birth, while the journey was long. You were strong and amazing. You are such a trouper. You were scared, and confused. You would not sleep. I am so blessed to be your forever Mommy.

Love,

Mom

PS. This is the song I sang to you after over 24 hours of travel back to our home while we ate what was our 7th or 8th meal that day sitting in the Dallas airport.

It was the day that never ends. It just goes on and on my friend. Just when you thought you got to the end. It starts right back over again......

Sung to the tune of "Song that Never Ends" and dedicated to Alexandra L. for teaching me the original version

New Class

Today I dropped CJ off in the transition class that he normally attends (18 to 36 months), but he was not there when I went to pick him up. I saw his show-and-tell (Thomas the Train Goes Fishing easy reader) waiting for me, but there was not a chorus from all the kids in circle "Christian your mommy's here!" like usual. Instead Ms. Amanda came up to me, followed by a few of the girls, to tell me he spent the day "up front". The girls then proceeded to ask me where he had gone. I think they were very confused to have their ladies man taken away from them.

I had known this was coming, but it took me by surprise none the less. Ms. Amanda shared that he had been a bit confused, just sitting there at first, but had eventually begone to participate. At that point I said my good-bye and proceed to "the front" where the 3 to 6 year-old class is held.

The older kids were just getting done with nap, and CJ was taking his turn in the potty when I arrived. He didn't even get to have his snack so he ate it in the car. Ms. Ann said he did very well with using the restroom, and eating (I told her the eating was an easy one). I was also told that I should just bring him to that class in the morning and we would see how it goes.

There were three kids from his class that moved with him to join the 13 that were already there. Then next month there will be three more from the younger class moving up. There are three teachers in the room and one is the owner. I can't wait to see how much he progresses in his new class.

As a side note he was really getting into Nirvana today on the way to school.

Family Vacation

I took the advice of my IB coordinator and turned a summer training opportunity into a family vacation. When it was initially suggested to me my first step was to check the calendar for conflicts and second was to look at the daily agenda. Well there were no conflicts and the days were fairly short, we ended at 4:30 and then 2:30, so I would get to spend the evening with the boys.

CJ and Daddy got to spend some awesome quality time together. They went to visit one of Daddy universities, our state capitol, and took advantage of having a pool on site. We were lucky to get a suit so they could grab a bite and have quiet time before I would come home each afternoon. Thankfully the training itself turned out to be very worthwhile or I don't know if I could have stood to miss out on all of the fun.

On the first evening we took advantage of the unique food trucks located all over the city. The spot we choose allowed us to start with some amazing sushi and follow with the best Thai Putt-Thai Daddy and I think we have ever had. CJ didn't quite understand that we were indeed going to get more food after the sushi was gone and kind of had a bit of a panic, but I was eventually able to convince him that did was not over.

The second night we traveled to a town about an hour away to play in the river. The cold water was very refreshing, and after an initial issue with a too large life-jacket, Christian seemed to really enjoy himself. The end to a great day was being joined by Grandma and Pops for dinner. They arrived just in time to get Christian to eating, and we found a pleasant location with seats over the river. Then as a bit of a special gift to all involved CJ went home with his grandparents for his very first overnight stay. Everything went extremely well as far as all that was concerned.

Appa and I returned to our hotel, after I finished off a half day of training the next day, we took a leisurely journey towards the grandparents' house with a stop for some excellent BBQ along the way. That final afternoon and evening was full of good quality family time which included one of my father's brothers and his wife. We left early the next morning to make it home in time for a classmates birthday party.

1, 2, 4....

CJ has been saying his numbers more and more lately. Not always that he is necessarily counting any particular item, but just kind of absentmindedly practicing saying them while he is playing or doing other such things. Interesting fact is that  when he does start at the beginning he seems to always skip his age or maybe the fact that he always skips the three is why he tends to start at four or beyond.

This morning he and I were once again talking about how the figure on the front of his shirt is not a frog, but a monster, when he asked about the figures on the front of mine. This is a night shirt I wear often and having been a gift to me from an Alaskan trip (taken not by me but my Grandmother) has several moose on the front. Each moose is several different bright unrealistic colors and patterns. After he asked me what the third figure was, to which I relpied "a moose" yet again, I asked if he wanted to determine out how many moose were on my shirt.

Now we let the counting begin. While he did need help several times, to get started and keep going, there was one time when he got all the way from one to nine without any reminders or needs of assistance. I am sure you can imagine how excited I was and that the overwhelming positive feedback from his success encouraged him to continue trying. CJ does seem to be taking to numbers faster than letters to which you know I couldn't be more than please.

A Day at the Museum

A new NRA member is born.

Fun Mirrors

"I don't know who Harry Potter is, but anyone that wears a hat and glasses has to be cool."

Papaw Participates

"I NEED a bike!"

"Wait, I NEED a car!"

Patience Pays Off

"I NEED a kitty cat! MINE!"

Food is Good

Who sent me down this rabbit hole?

I'm the king of the world.