. . . we brought Nicholas home. He was 13 days past his first birthday. Because Sarah was only 4 weeks old, he seemed like such a big boy, but when I look at his pictures, I see what a baby he was. Because they are only a year apart in age, I look at Sarah now and think about what it must have been like for Nick. Sure, she can only say a few words, but she understands so much more. She can point to her nose, her toes, and sometimes her ear if we ask her. She can find her doll or her lamb, she can gesture when she hears songs she knows, she can follow a simple instruction. What would it be like if she were suddenly plunged into a world where everyone spoke only Korean to her? And language is just the tip of the iceberg. I can't bear to think about what it would be like if she were to become someone else's daughter.
So, while I'm thrilled that we've had this year with Nicholas, I also think about what he went through when he came to us a year ago. In the last year, he has learned a new language (and seems to be meeting all the linguistic milestones on time, amazingly enough), become part of a new family, been baptized into a new church, and adjusted to a new climate, a new time zone (with days and nights reversed), a new diet . . . and more adjustments than I'll ever know.
Thank God he's such a sweet, happy boy! Today, we went to mass and out to dinner with the priest afterward. He was a riot. He chimed in on the conversation a couple of times when he heard words he likes to say. He waved to other people in the restaurant. When it was time to go, he insisted on giving me, Mr. X, and our priest all high fives and fist bumps (he holds out his fist and says "bump" which cracks me up). We're going to the aquarium tomorrow to celebrate this anniversary.
So, I thank God for Nicholas, for the foster family who raised him for his first year with such great love (we keep in touch and plan to visit), and for the birth parents who must wonder about him. I pray for the grace to be the mother that God would want him to have.
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Nicholas' Second Year
12 Months
13 Months
14 Months
15 Months
16 Months
17 Months
18 Months
19 Months
20 Months
21 Months
22 Months
23 Months
2 Years Old!
2 Years Old!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
New treatment
Just a quick post to say I started taking hydrocortisone for adrenal fatigue today. Dr. H diagnosed me with moderate adrenal fatigue just as I found out I was pregnant with Sarah, so I never started treatment. I've been hounding several of my family members to get tested for it, so, while I was at it, I asked about being treated myself. I've taken two doses so far. For those of you who are on this treatment, did it work for you right away? I feel so much better already. Is that weird?
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Fingertips
So, for . . . oh, I don't know, the last year-ish or so . . . I've been feeling like I'm just barely hanging on by my fingernails. I'm trying to focus on the positive, but between kids, work, finances, the house (oh, the house!), and all the little obligations (don't get me started on thank-you notes), it's really hard to feel even marginally competent.
Summer is rapidly winding down--but there are still a couple of weeks, I tell you!--and I'm trying to at least to where I feel like I've advanced from fingernails to fingertips.
So, as of today, the kids can play downstairs! Oh, you have no idea. We have a bi-level (or a raised ranch, as we called it where I grew up). For the last year, we have lived almost exclusively in the upstairs. The downstairs has been reserved for guests (the guest room), work (on top of piles of paper in the office or on top of piles of junk in the family room), laundry, and late-night Ne.t.f.lix viewing or work on finances. We had one little oasis of a five-foot diameter play yard, which the kids hated unless one of us was in there with them. And as of now, it is babyproofed enough that I can bring the kids down and they can play while I fold laundry, do some work, whatever. Hallelujah!
And another thing! We started D.a.ve R.ams.ey on Christmas Eve this past year. And thank God we did! We started using a budget (we are AWFUL at it, but we're doing our best) just when Mr. X's business started slowing down. We cut back our spending, and we're continuing to try to cut whatever we can. Our intent was to pay off our debts, but between slower work and even slower payment from clients, we haven't made much of a dent. But--and this is important--we're doing fine financially, because we started paying attention. If we hadn't been paying attention, we could have gotten into a bit of a mess here. It's also giving me hope about the whole work situation because, for the first time in a long time, we know how much we're spending on what. Once we figure out how much we can cut our expenses, we'll have a much better idea of how much income we actually need . . . and whether I can cut back on work at all to spend more time with the kids. I feel like I have to say that it's not as though we spent money wantonly in the past. Our big area of frivolous expense was eating out. And now we don't :)
I'm so behind with the blog. Nicholas had a birthday, too, but I was weirdly sick on his birthday (woke up in the middle of the night with severe vertigo that gave me motion sickness), so I still haven't finished the photo post for his birthday. I may end up posting it for his adoption anniversary (Friday! Already!) instead. And now, I'd better get back to the little bit of work I'm trying to finish up during the simultaneous nap so that I can keep what momentum I have going.
Summer is rapidly winding down--but there are still a couple of weeks, I tell you!--and I'm trying to at least to where I feel like I've advanced from fingernails to fingertips.
So, as of today, the kids can play downstairs! Oh, you have no idea. We have a bi-level (or a raised ranch, as we called it where I grew up). For the last year, we have lived almost exclusively in the upstairs. The downstairs has been reserved for guests (the guest room), work (on top of piles of paper in the office or on top of piles of junk in the family room), laundry, and late-night Ne.t.f.lix viewing or work on finances. We had one little oasis of a five-foot diameter play yard, which the kids hated unless one of us was in there with them. And as of now, it is babyproofed enough that I can bring the kids down and they can play while I fold laundry, do some work, whatever. Hallelujah!
And another thing! We started D.a.ve R.ams.ey on Christmas Eve this past year. And thank God we did! We started using a budget (we are AWFUL at it, but we're doing our best) just when Mr. X's business started slowing down. We cut back our spending, and we're continuing to try to cut whatever we can. Our intent was to pay off our debts, but between slower work and even slower payment from clients, we haven't made much of a dent. But--and this is important--we're doing fine financially, because we started paying attention. If we hadn't been paying attention, we could have gotten into a bit of a mess here. It's also giving me hope about the whole work situation because, for the first time in a long time, we know how much we're spending on what. Once we figure out how much we can cut our expenses, we'll have a much better idea of how much income we actually need . . . and whether I can cut back on work at all to spend more time with the kids. I feel like I have to say that it's not as though we spent money wantonly in the past. Our big area of frivolous expense was eating out. And now we don't :)
I'm so behind with the blog. Nicholas had a birthday, too, but I was weirdly sick on his birthday (woke up in the middle of the night with severe vertigo that gave me motion sickness), so I still haven't finished the photo post for his birthday. I may end up posting it for his adoption anniversary (Friday! Already!) instead. And now, I'd better get back to the little bit of work I'm trying to finish up during the simultaneous nap so that I can keep what momentum I have going.
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