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!