What Matthew Has Been Up To...

Today was a wonderful day!

We received an update about Matthew which made my heart ache and soar, all at the same time!

At his 7 month Well Baby Check-Up on July 13th, Matthew:

* weighed almost 19 pounds

* is 26.7 inches long (tall?)

* bears good weight on his legs

* can roll over

* reaches for and grasps large objects

* smiles responsively

* coos

* laughs

* (this one made me cry) imitates speech sounds...and they have written the words "papa" and "mama"

We are so thankful to have received this update! I think of him all the time, pray for him and wonder what he is doing frequently throughout the day. We were excited to see that although he had been about 2 months delayed at his last check-up (because of being born prematurely) he is now right on target and assessed at a 7 month age! I felt reassured that he is being loved and cared for, and it is wonderful to know he is a healthy little boy and growing quickly. Hopefully it won't be much longer and he'll be here in my arms...which will be much better than reading about him :) But for now, I'll take any info I can get on my beautiful boy!

Big Fun at the Brickyard!

The weather was perfect, the engines were loud, the husband was smiling...it was a good day! Brad and I are thoroughly exhausted from our trip to Indianapolis for the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard, but it was well worth it! We had so much fun and dare I even say it? I enjoyed the race.

Gasp.

For any of you that may know me, this is quite the admission. Nascar to me is fairly dull - I mean, come on - they just go round and round and round! But being there, truth be told, was pretty exciting. Now, if they could just cut the race down from 160 laps to, say, 25 or 30 laps, I might even go to another one :)

Favorite moments of the day - looking over and catching Brad smiling just because he was at a Nascar race, and not being able to keep up with him on the way in to the race track because he was so excited to be at the race. It was a good day :)

Having a scanner to listen to made it much more interesting...when I could hear it over the engines! I couldn't believe how loud they were or how fast they go! It really is pretty amazing.

Famous last words: On the way in Brad said to me, "I don't care who wins the race, as long as it isn't Jimmie Johnson!"

And our congratulations go out to Jimmie Johnson as he wins the 2009 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard!

Oh well, even with that happening, this still falls into the category of "good days to remember"!

Care Package and Racing Plans

Yesterday I was finally able to get my act together and send a care package to our sweet boy and his foster family! It was so fun to be able to pick out a few things to send him, and I must admit that I covered his blanket in kisses hoping they will reach him. Oh, how I long to have him in my arms! This long-distance relationship thing just isn't working out!!!!

We were able to send him a couple of outfits, a little toy, a blanket (which we slept with one night so hopefully it smells a little bit like us), and a photobook with some pictures of us, our family, and our puppy. We sent the foster family a few treats, and plan to take them gifts when we travel. We have been looking at flights this week and it is starting to become more real that in just a few months we will (hopefully!) be on our way to Korea!

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On another note, tomorrow we have fun plans! For Brad's 30th birthday, I got us tickets to a Nascar race - the Allstate 400 at the Brickyard (in Indianapolis). Brad is a huge Nascar fan, and while Nascar is not really my thing, I do love being with my hubby and seeing him so excited :) And I must admit that there is a little part of me that is looking forward to the roar of the engines tomorrow! It is kind of exciting!

Brad is obviously excited about tomorrow - one of the first things he said to me this morning is that he is declaring today, "The Day of Preparation"! So, apparently...I must go and prepare!

Friends and Rollercoasters

It's so good to have friends...

...who you can't wait to spend time with

...who make you laugh so hard you snort!

...who let you be yourself

...who make waiting in line at Cedar Point for 1 1/2 hours not only bearable, but enjoyable!


On Monday, Brad and I got up early and headed to our favorite amusement park ever - CEDAR POINT! We had such a fun day with our friends Curt & Kristy and Chad & Rachel. There was a lot of laughter, a fair amount of talk about throwing up and dizziness (we are getting so old!!), and tons of rides on the best rollercoasters out there :)

My favorite for sure would have to be Top Thrill Dragster - they launch you really fast (their website says up to 120 mph in 4 seconds!) and you can hardly even scream! It's pretty great. Then you go straight up 420 feet, up and over, and straight back down. It's over in 17 seconds, but it's amazing!

Fun times were had by all, and no one lost their lunch!

I'd say it was a huge success!

My On-Again, Off-Again Relationship (With the 1/2 Marathon)

Me and the 1/2 marathon, we have this "on-again, off-again" relationship. You see, I've been having trouble committing. I have been finding it hard to actually say "I am training for a 1/2 marathon". So I keep saying, "I am thinking of running a 1/2 marathon"...even while I do the training :) It kind of gives me a loop-hole, see? Because I've been kind of scared that I won't actually be able to make it.

Well, I made up my mind that it was time to either commit or go our separate ways. Today was my five mile run, and for me it was the test. If I could do this, then I would stick with it. If I struggled or found it impossible, I would quit (not running, just pretending I was going to do a 1/2 marathon).

I just got back from a FABULOUS five mile run! It was by far the best run I have ever gone on and I am still smiling, because not only did I complete it, but I think I could have done another mile! It took me 1 hour and 1 minute.

So, I am making it official.

I am now in training for a 1/2 marathon!!!!

Then and Now: Thoughts on Adoption

It sometimes seems like a lifetime ago that we started this adoption! Sometimes I can't remember what it was like to not be waiting. It is funny to think that just a couple of years ago, I didn't know that I was soon to be a momma to a little boy named Matthew from South Korea :) I didn't know it, but God knew.

Every once in a while I like to read back through my journal and remember all that we've been through in this process. I tend to mostly write in it when I'm upset, so a lot of it was written during the most painful parts of the journey. I spent a lot of time writing when we were first thinking about adopting. We had decided we were done with infertility treatments, I was an emotional wreck, I wanted a baby more than anything, and here we were with the amazing but also kind of scary possibility of adoption in front of us.

It is almost humorous to read some of the things I wrote at that time, knowing what I know now. At the time, I wondered if I would be able to love a child I did not give birth to. That one makes me laugh just typing it - with tears in my eyes at I look at the face of my little one and ache to hold him. Now I know the answer - yes, I can most definitely love a child I did not give birth to, with a love so deep it takes my breath away.

We wondered how our families would feel about adoption, and about our having a child who did not look like us. We both have wonderful, loving families, but we had never really talked about the possibility of adoption with them, so we really just didn't know how they would feel. I smile again as I type that one, because our families have overwhelmed us with their support and love throughout the entire process. They already love our little boy, and he is part of our family. They have left no room for doubt about how much they love Matthew - and us.

We used to wonder a lot how we would handle questions from strangers about our family. Actually, we used to worry a lot about this. Obviously we haven't had to deal with this yet, but although we still talk about it, we don't really worry about it anymore. It turns out a lot of these things have a way of working themselves out, so we'll deal with that when the time comes.

Adoption was a pretty huge and scary thing when we started. Now, it is a part of our story - a part of who we are. I am so thankful for every step along the way, and that we are loved by a God who has patiently taken us by the hand and led us through some tough times and who is now showing us the amazing ending that He knew was there all along. He is so good!

To Run or Not to Run...

Well, it all depends when you ask me.

Yesterday after a lovely run with friends - yep, definitely to run!

Today after a grueling run with a friend who is much faster than me - why in the world would I torture myself like this???

I am trying to get back to it, onto a schedule, and have been pretty proud of myself this week :)

So far:

Last Thursday: 20 minute run

Last Friday: 30 minute bike ride with Brad...managed to keep up with him!

Last Saturday: 4 mile run (at the speed of a snail)

Sunday: off

Monday: 30 minute rollerblading with Joanna

Tuesday: 2 mile run with Rachel

Wednesday: 30 minute run with friend who apparently wants me dead (I made it 2.75 miles, and yes I know this is still slow!)

Tomorrow: Off (YEY!)

I run again Saturday, and it's going to be a "long" one again (long for me, not long for most of the running community!), but this time I'll be more prepared - Joanna is going to come and rollerblade while I run so that she can give me a pep talk and some water whenever I need it :)

Now, to sleep, or not to sleep...I know the answer to that one!

Oops!

Sometimes new parents get a little too excited about things

like putting together a new crib...

and they put it together in the living room....

without really thinking through the fact

that it won't fit through the door into the nursery!


But it's a lovely crib :)

And I think Matthew might really enjoy sleeping in the living room...

All Kinds of Feelings

Ever since we have been matched with Matthew, I have been feeling so many different emotions.

Total and complete joy, knowing that he is going to be our son!

Thankfulness to God that He has given us a child!

Amazement at how strong my love for Matthew already is.

Peace in knowing that my time to be a mommy is almost here.

At first I felt so overwhelmed that it was hard to take in the reality of it all. To realize that it was actually happening and that Matthew would really be coming home. In the last couple of weeks though, it has started to sink in! And the more it sinks in, the more I want him here with me - NOW!

I hear a song on the radio sometimes that is not at all about adoption...but the chorus seems to fit exactly how I feel about this adoption wait right now:

"I just want to be with you,

just want this waiting to be over

I just want to be with you,

and it helps to know the day is getting closer.

Every minute takes an hour,

every inch feels like a mile,

Till I won't have to imagine

and I'll finally get to see you smile."

How great will that be - when I finally get to see him smile?!?! :)

Until then, I am trying to stay busy busy busy getting ready for him! We are excited to go and register this week, and to do some more work on the nursery. And hopefully, in just a few short months...this waiting will be over!

Catching Up

We are back from vacation and boy have we hit the ground running! It has been a busy week but it is good to be home and I am excited to say that for the next TWO WEEKS we have nothing planned! That is a good feeling :)

What we've been up to:

Driving - We drove home from South Carolina through the night on Sunday - well, Brad drove and I alternately napped and asked him, "Are you sure you are not too tired to keep driving?" This worked out well in that we had all day Monday to be at home before heading back to work on Tuesday. This worked out not well in that we have both been pretty exhausted all week!

Home Study - updated! On Tuesday our social worker came over, arrived 45 minutes early, saw my dirty dishes and unwashed windows (good news - they're still going to let Matthew join our family anyway!) and had us sign more papers to update our homestudy. Back to the waiting!

Running - sluggishly back to it after not running a step on vacation. Yikes.

Celebrating with friends - we attended a renewal ceremony for some of our dearest friends who just celebrated 20 years of marriage! How wonderful to see people who are so committed to each other and love each other so much after all those years.

Pining for Matthew - I think it's fair to say that he is in my thoughts almost constantly! We have so much to do to get ready for him and it is so wonderful knowing that in just a little while he will be here with us :) I'm pretty sure I know someone else who can't wait to meet Matthew as well...

Family

Gotta love being together!

Wherever that takes you :)

More Sweet Baby Pics!

Two pictures from when our sweet little boy was born:

I absolutely love this picture! When we went to sign our acceptance paperwork, our social worker had an 8 x 10 of this printed out, and she casually got it out of the folder and said, "And you got this picture, right?" But we hadn't! I think I ripped it out of her hands, and then I proceeded to stare at it for the rest of the time we were signing paperwork! It was quite distracting, and I actually wrote my address down incorrectly at one point. He is just too cute for words!

Check Out My Baby!!!

I am so happy to finally be able to show you pictures of our beautiful little boy, Matthew!

Yep, I'm in love!

We think this picture was taken when he was about 5 months old. I have a couple of pictures that were taken when he was born...but those will wait for another post :) I love his cheeks, and every time I look at this picture (which is often!) I dream of the day when I will be able to kiss them any time I want. Hopefully it will not be long!!!!

We are having a great vacation! We heard from our social worker yesterday that all of our paperwork had been received (yay!) and our I-600 has been filed! Apparently the next step is to wait for this to be approved. Come on, progress...we want our baby home!!!!!!!!