Happy EP Reset Eve....

Do you ever have those moments when you know that your life is never going to be the same? I had one of those moments tonight....it's New Year's Eve and my whole family is together, which only happens a handful of times per year, we don't get to see my brother, Paul, or niece, Kayleigh, near enough.

We went out for supper and then drove around and looked at some Christmas lights. And now most of the family is watching a movie, Rise of the Planet of the Apes. I'm not really a sci-fi kind of girl and so the movie didn't interest me.  Steve and I decided that we would hang out in my parent's bedroom, watch tv, and talk.

So, now I'm lying on the bed, looking at my beautiful nieces, Sophie and Kayleigh, as they play with toys. Steve's lying next to me playing some game on his phone. I look around and realize...the next time we are all together, there's going to be one more little Weida here, my parent's first grandson. The one that we have all been waiting so long for. The one that will change our lives forever!

I can picture him here with us. Playing with toys. Cuddling with mommy, daddy, and his cousins. And I can't wait. Life is going to change that's for sure, but we are all ready, so BRING IT ON!!!

Christmas Surprise from Korea!!!

I've been a little (a lot) emotional lately. Not really surprising to those that know me well. I have a tendency to wear my heart on my sleeve. The holidays are always emotional for me. It's a mixture of missing those that can't be with us and the joy and love I feel when my whole family is together. This year it seems to be even harder. 

So, on Wednesday night I had made a trip to Wal-Mart to pick up some last minute things that I needed for school on Thursday. As I was leaving the parking lot, my phone beeped that I had a new email. I remember thinking it would be really nice if that was from LL and we got some new pics of Jax. Once I was at the light, I checked my phone and I had TWO new emails from LL. The subjects said, (Photos 1-2) and (Photos 2-2). TWO EMAILS FULL OF PICS! I couldn't believe it!

I instantly called Steve and told him that we had two emails with pictures and that I would wait for him to get home to look at them. I also told him not to dilly-dally....we had pics to look at! He finally got home and we sat at the kitchen table to enjoy. 

Hope that you enjoy the pics as much as we did. I've honestly looked at them probably 100 times. I've laughed, I've cried, and most of all I've become more excited for New Year's than I have ever been. I can't believe that we are getting so close to bringing this sweet little man home.  

November WBC & New Pics, too!

I have been struggling lately with blogging. I started out doing so well and blogging about the process and my feelings, but lately, it's just been hard! Hard to figure out what to write. There hasn't been a lot of movement on the adoption front lately. The last of the 2011 babies are coming home and there isn't any new news from Korea. We haven't been doing much around the house to get ready for Jaxson to come home. We have just kind of stalled for lack of a better word. Heck, I haven't even been shopping for him much lately and that is NOT me! Just when I was starting to give up hope, we got an email from Holt that had not only Jaxson's November well-baby check in it, but also some new pictures! 

We got the email on November 17, but wanted to send out Thanksgiving cards to our families with new pictures, so we are just sharing them now.

First his well baby check:

* Jax now weighs 24 lbs. and is 31 in. tall

*He has 8 teeth--4 on the top and 4 on the bottom

*He tries to tower cubes and bangs two toys together

*He plays pat a cakes and like to help dress himself

*He says Umma and Mama

*AND my favorite...He walks alone and then in parenthesis is says RAPIDLY. 

Oh, brother, are we in trouble!

I love the picture of him by the blue chair. He is just chillin'! The funny thing is I have wanted a picture of him with that blue chair for a while. I have the perfect scrapbooking paper to match it and have been thinking how awesome it would be get a picture of him in the chair.  I love how he is sitting next to it, not in it. I can imagine that they were trying to get him to sit there and he was just not having it! 

Well, now I'm a momma on a mission! I am rejuvenated and more excited than ever for 2012 to get here! I shopped on Friday and got a bunch of gifts for our trip to Korea. Steve and I updated our Christmas list with things that we think we need for the trip. I didn't have to work today and so I went through each room of the house making a list of stuff I need to do before Jax comes home. 

There is only one month and 3 days until New Year's Day and the reset of the EP quota!

2 months, 3 weeks....

Well, we found out last week that our agency has ran out of exit permits and Jax will not be coming home this year. We pretty much knew this information already, but it didn't hurt any less when I opened the email and saw it.

So, now it is 2 months and 3 weeks until the new year and more importantly the reset of the EP quota. I realize that this time will go fast...we've already been waiting over 5 months, we can do this!

I remember while we were waiting for our referral, every morning I would wake and wonder if this was the day. Now, every night before I go to sleep I'm grateful for the day and thankful that we are ONE DAY closer to bringing Jax home!

We've got a walker!

We got Jax's 2nd physical exam last week. I was excited to get some new info, because we didn't get a well baby check in August. I was told this is common because of the rainy weather and the fact that many foster families go on vacation during August. Either way, I missed hearing what our little man had been up to!

*He gained about a 1/2 pound and is about 3 cm taller.
*He got 2 more top teeth and one more on the bottom.
*He is playing peek a boo, imitates some behaviors, and drinks from a cup with help.
*He is saying umma, mama, and dada.
*He crawls up and down and is throwing a ball.

And the biggest news of the month....Jax is walking alone!  


Watch out world, we've got a walker!

We got a new picture this week also. Jax got a new haircut and is beginning to look more like a little boy than a baby.

Jax and his birthday gifts.

A close up of our little man!

We probably will not be getting monthly well baby checks since Jax turned one. I think that we can expect them every other month. Although each email makes me a little sad because of all the things that we are missing, I know that soon the wait will be a memory and I'll be running ragged after our little guy.  But you know what, I CAN'T WAIT!

Happy Birthday, Jaxson!

Happy Birthday, Sweet Baby Boy! It is such a mix of emotions that I'm feeling today. I'm sad, because we can't be together. I'm excited, because I know that you are going to have such a wonderful day with the only family you've ever known. I'm thankful for the wonderful gift that I have been given to be your mommy. I'm grateful that I have many, many more birthdays to spend with you.

To celebrate your birthday, your daddy and I decided to try our first Korean restaurant. WOW! Chopsticks are hard! It was very, very good. I ordered the curry udon and Daddy ordered the bulkoki, but really we both shared it. As we were walking out, we were talking about what we are going to order the next time we go.

You are soon going to find out that your mother takes LOTS of pictures, so of course there are pictures of our night out.

So many choices!

YUMMY!

Curry udon

Definitely struggling with the noodles!

While we were at the mall, we had to stop in the Hawk Shop and guess what.....they have a University of Iowa t-shirt in KOREAN! I just had to have it....love it!

Hopefully, you have gotten your birthday care package that we sent last month. Hope that you are loving your new clothes and toys. In couple of weeks, we are going to Chicago to celebrate our anniversary and I plan on doing lots of shopping and picking out some pretty awesome gifts for you! My "for Jaxson" list at Ikea is pretty long!

We hope that you have a great day and love you more than you'll ever know. See you soon :-)!

Love,
Mommy and Daddy

Care Package #2

I sent Jax's latest care package today. It was very hard because I wanted to include as much as possible in this package because it will be for his first birthday. It took Steve and I to get it closed.  I held it shut and he taped it! 

I'm hoping it gets to him when he goes in for his birthday party at the Holt offices. I'm worried with the hurricane hitting the east coast this weekend that travel might be slowed down a bit. 

The one good thing about care packages is that you usually get some pics of your kids with them, here's hoping there's more pics in our future!

New Photo Friday

We got 4 new pictures of Jaxson today!  Here are two of them.

One of the other ones is a picture of him with his whole foster family and the last one is of his Mongolian spots. In his latest well baby check, it was reported that he had a couple Mongolian spots on his back. We were curious and requested pictures.

Summer Projects!

There were many projects that I wanted to get done this summer.  #1 was getting the room that had been our bedroom and turning it into a toy room for Jax.  I had a lot of fun with this project. Finding ways to organize his toys. Deciding on pictures and colors, I found two great alphabet prints on etsy and framed them.  I chose a gray for the walls and I love how it turned out.  I realize that once Jax is home it will never be as clean and organized as it is now, but I don't care, I can't wait for the mess!

Mayer Camp-Out and Shower for Jax and Sophie

This past weekend, Steve and I made the trek up north for the Annual Mayer Family Camp-Out. This tradition is quickly becoming my favorite tradition. I still love Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, and the Fantasy Football fish fry, but I love the campout because for three days we are all together.  That's some pretty awesome family time!

This year our family decided to have a baby shower for my sister and me.  It's amazing to me how much my family already loves Jax so much. They are so excited to meet him! 

Jax's new Hawkeye sweatsuit!

Steph and I got some amazing gifts! Jax got toys and books that I know he is going to love.  We got a space saver high chair, gift cards, and clothes. He's going to be one of the best dressed little guys around! 


  

July Well Baby Check and New Pictures!

On July 18th, Jax had his July well baby check (wbc).  There weren't any huge changes.

*He now weighs 23 lbs. and is 30 in. long. This is the first time that he hasn't gained more than one pound in a month, I think that he's getting more active!

*Jax is eating about 7 oz. of formula every 12 hours, which doesn't seem like very much, so I'm wondering if he is starting to eat some food.

*He has two teeth on top and two teeth on the bottom.

*He's still working on walking.  He is walking around furniture, he hasn't started standing on his own quite yet.

Here is his new picture.  I can't believe how big he is getting! Such a big boy! Part of me wants to freeze him like this, so that he doesn't grow anymore between now and when we go and get him!

Oatmeal Cake

I don't know why, but lately I have been missing my Grandma Mayer like crazy! I know not everyone out there knew Grandma Mayer and I feel really bad for you, because she was the most amazing person EVER! I can't believe that she's been gone for over 5 years. It just doesn't seem possible.

Anyway, I've been thinking so much about her.  I don't know if it is because we added a new baby to the family that she will never meet or the fact that Jax will never get to know her. Or maybe it's because the whole family is going to be getting together this weekend for the annual Mayer family campout and it is during those times that I miss her the most.

So I decided that I needed a little reminder of Grandma and I decided to TRY and make her oatmeal cake.  Oatmeal cake was a staple at Grandma's. I remember many, many times going to her house for coffee and she would have a pan of it on the counter.

I did a little research and found her recipe (thank you, Aunt Cheryl) and I got started.  There was one point in time when I was working on the frosting which is definitely the best part and it said to boil for 10 minutes stirring constantly.  So it boiled and I stirred and stirred and stirred. I was thinking there is no way that this is right, 10 minutes?!?!?  I wished that I could call Grandma, I wish that I could hear her voice one more time, and one more time get a little bit of Grandma's advice, but I can't and although I have years and years of wonderful memories, I could have really used her help on this one.

Long time no blog...

Well, it's been awhile since I've written.  There's been a couple of reasons. One of the reasons was that my family was blessed the beginning of July when my sister gave birth to a little girl, Sophie Ann.  She is just a doll! So, I have been making a lot of extra trips to Iowa City to see her.

Sweet, Sweet Sophie

Another reason I haven't written is because it has kind of been a roller coaster month in the adoption world. In June, we had heard that the Korean ministry had decided that there would be no new emigration permits (EP) applied for or approved, but they did say that there would be permits in July.

The emigration permit gives a child permission to leave Korea to live in the United States. It is the last piece of paperwork that needs to be filed. So, no new permits in June added one more month to our wait.

Well, we found out in July that there would be no new permits AGAIN! So, again another month is added to our wait to bring our son home.

Needless to say each time I got one of those emails there is a wave of emotions. I go from angry to sad to hopeful and back to angry and sad. I thank God for Steve because he really is my sanity through this whole thing! I'm so very blessed to have him in my life!

So here we are, it's the end of July. I'm asking for lots of prayers that the EP situation gets figured out.  That things start moving very quickly and Jax gets home as soon as possible!

More gifts for Jax!

Today, Steve and I met his mom, Rosanne, for lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings and shopping! It was great to catch up.  Rosanne picked up a couple of things that we have been needing for Jax. We got a stroller and high chair. I'm pretty excited about the stroller, but Steve won't put it together for me yet.  I have a feeling I can talk him into it soon!

No end of June blues this year!

Normally, the end of June comes with the depression that my first month of summer break is over. The realization that summer is going too fast and it will soon be August 22nd, oh no! But there's no depression today, because we got a new picture of Jaxson! I was so excited to open that email.  It had already been a great day.  I got a pedicure, shopped, and had lunch with my sister, then I got home and there it is was the email from LL with photo in the subject line.  I couldn't open that email fast enough!!!

His picture was taken with some of the things that we had sent him in his first care package.  I love that he is playing with the ball that Steve and I picked out for him.  He also got a couple outfits, a photo book with pictures of us, an audio book that Steve and I recorded, a couple toys, a blanket. He also got his first Hawkeye shirt....it says, "Born to be a Hawkeye." We got his foster family some chocolates, bath wash, and lotions.

We also got his June well baby check a few days ago.  He is weighing in at a whopping 23 pounds and is a little over 20 inches tall.  He has two teeth on top and two teeth on the bottom.  He is pulling himself up to furniture and walking around it.  My favorite part of the WBC is that he is playing peek-a-boo!  Love it! As part of his physical one part is general appearance and Jax's says cute and fine!  Yes, he is!!!  

The Waiting is the Hardest Part

I think that Tom Petty definitely said it best, all though then it went something like "The wai-ai-ting is the hardest part."  Either way you say it or sing it, it doesn't change the fact that waiting for something that you've wanted for years is never easy or quick!  This is definitely the lesson that Steve and I are learning this summer!

Last week, I constructed a list, a list of all the things that I want us to get done before we bring Jax home. Some are easy things like hanging new curtains in his room or cleaning out the hall closet (both of which Steve and I got done this weekend) to more difficult things like painting the toy room or cleaning our non-self cleaning oven (the task I'm probably dreading the most). Then there are the things that I can't do at all like put in our new front door and storm door, but each thing that gets done is one thing that I can do to take my mind of the waiting.

We have done our last two requirements on our side of the adoption.  We applied for our I-600, which is permission to bring Jax into the United States, and we finished our Parents in Process class.  We finished the class a couple of weekends ago in Des Moines.  Steve and I love to get away for a night or two and we definitely had a great weekend.

We went to class on Saturday and it was a small class, only 3 couples, but we met another couple that is adopting from Korea and whose timeline is similar to ours.  It has been great to become friends with them and help each other through this crazy process.  Courtney pretty much talked me off a ledge when filling out our USCIS paperwork, well, maybe not a ledge, but she did help me find the answers to all my questions!

After the class we went to the movie, Hangover 2, and then for supper at Famous Dave's.  Steve loves BBQ and we don't go out for it often, so he was pretty excited about that. So excited that he took pictures of our meals :-)!

Another highlight of the weekend was when we went and registered at Target for all the things that Jax is going to need.  Steve loved using the gun and I loved picking out everything for him!

So this summer is going to be spent waiting...waiting for emails, waiting for time to pass, waiting for Jax to come home.  Each night before I go to sleep I thank God for the day, the day that is over and makes me one day closer to having our little man home!

Care Package #1

We got to send Jax his first care package this week.  It was so much fun picking out things for him.  It was challenging to make them all fit in the flat rate box.  It took a few tries, but I got everything maneuvered and put in the box.

We sent:

*Gerber Graduate Puffs

*A recordable storybook All the Ways I Love You

*A couple of toys

*His first Hawkeye shirt and hat

*A picture book with pictures of Steve and me

*A camera, so hopefully we get lots of pictures!

*Chocolates for his foster family

*Shower gel and lotion for his foster mother

SURPRISE!!!

On Monday,  May 23rd, my 4th graders surprised me with a baby shower for Jax.  I really had no clue what they were up to and it's pretty impressive that twenty-nine 10-year olds can keep a secret that big!

They had balloons, cupcakes, juice and presents. Jax got a toy to ride on, stuffed dog, a pillow pet, and bath toys.  He also got some bottles, bibs, and an Iowa Hawkeye sippie cup and Hawkeye onesies! It was a wonderful surprise!

Today is the last day of school, and I'm so sad that this class is leaving! I'm going to miss them so much!

Garage Saling

One of the highlights of this past spring has been all of the garage sales that Mom, Steph, and I have been going to. We have gotten some great deals. Jax is going to be one well dressed little guy with a ton of toys!

Here are all the great buys we got in Stewartville this year!

Surprising Mom and Dad

We knew that we wanted to do something special to tell my mom and dad about our referral. We knew that  we weren't working on Friday, the 29th, because we were going to our fingerprinting appointment in Des Moines, we decided that we would make the trip to Riceville after we were fingerprinted.

On a side note, being fingerprinted was a little stressful.  My hands get really dry and I had one finger that kept being rejected. Hoping and praying it isn't a big deal and we still get our I-600 approval.

We made up a rather elaborate story about not being able to get our fingerprints done that day and since we already had the day off, we had decided to come and spend the weekend with Mom and Dad. We told them that we would bring supper and we would see them in early afternoon.

I had made each of them a frame with a picture of Jax and here's the video of them opening them.

Here are a couple of pictures of Mom and Dad with pics of their newest grandchild!

Referral Day

Tuesday, April 26th started like any other day at school for me, little did I know it would be the day that changed our lives forever! We had gone outside for fitness time and my kids and I were doing our walking. At 2:05 we were lining up to go in for SuccessMaker and I could feel my phone vibrating in my pockets. I took it out and I had a missed call from my social worker.  I knew it was our referral.

I got the kids in the lab and got them started and then I called her back. I got all the details and she told me she was sending us pictures via email. I HAD to tell someone, so I called my good friend, Jodi, and told her to get down to the lab NOW.  She literally ran the whole way.

I knew that I had to come up with a special way to tell Steve.  I knew I had bought a book from the book order that would be the best way. I made him sit down and unwrap his gift.  After he opened it, I told him, "That's our son." It was a priceless moment!

Even Ally had to get in on the action!

That's our son!