Monday, January 3, 2011

two weeks home (a rather long update).

it feels like my heart is exploding.

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i can't even believe how much i love this little boy. sometimes, i look at him and i start tearing up because i just can't believe he is home and that we have the honor and privilege of parenting choi boy.

on one hand, i can't believe it's only been two weeks because our new normal seems so...well, normal and a bit like we've been at this for a while. and on the other hand, these two weeks have flown by and it seems like just yesterday we were sitting in his empty room wondering when it would be filled. oh, and p.s. his room looks nothing like the way it did in those pretty preview pictures. i will say it again...how can ONE child make SUCH a mess? (and produce so many extra dishes and dirty clothes?!)

so, how are things really going?

really well.

like, i'm pinching myself well.

choi boy's transition home has been so smooth and dare i say, almost...easy. we had been preparing ourselves for the absolute worst, and perhaps that's why things seem like they're easier than we had anticipated, but really, choi boy is doing SO well. and i know that things are going so well because of all the prayers and positive thoughts that have been sent our way!

he seeks us out, and he often calls out "umma!" asking for me -- there are still sometimes when i can tell that his sad cries of "umma" at night are referring to his FM, but for the most part, "umma" has really come to mean me. and it melts my heart. he is learning to say "appa" and it's so cute because the hubs cheers every time choi boy says it and then choi boy breaks into the hugest grin. :) he is so affectionate and gives us spontaneous hugs or pats on the back. my favorite is when i'm doing the dishes or making meals and he comes up behind me and gives my legs a big hug shouting, "umma!!" :)

choi boy also understands a lot of korean. i think that's helped tremendously with the transition. when i talk to him, he looks intently at me, making expressions or nodding, etc, depending on what i'm saying. and those facial expressions are HILARIOUS. he does the funniest raised eyebrow/wrinkled forehead look that i've taken to mean "whatchu talkin' 'bout willis?" choi boy is pretty funny and silly in general, and does things like this:
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he brought over the gloves on his own and asked me to help him put them on!

he's picked up a few signs -- "help" or rather, his version of "help" (he uses this one all.the.time. because he wants us to open things or pick up things or move things or give him things, etc), "more," and "all done."

those last two signs? totally picked up because choi boy eats like a champ! he has eaten pretty much everything we've given him. broccoli was not a huge hit, but mixed with some chicken nuggets, it all went down! one of his new favorites?
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spaghetti!
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see the chunks of meat sauce in his hair? classy.

he makes fantastic eye contact, and when i'm giving him his bottle, he'll look into my eyes and usually stroke my face and hair or hold my hand. choi boy plays really well on his own, but if we're sitting next to him or even if we're not, he'll bring things to our attention and engage us in whatever he's doing. he even shares his toys with piper:
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choi boy LOVES bath time and it's so cute to see how much he loves the water. bath time is a family affair and it's been great for bonding. after his nightly bath, choi boy gets a massage (inspired by colleen), which he absolutely loves. he loves to put lotion on his face and will often volunteer to do my face as well. ;)

sleep is going incredibly well, too. the first few nights were rough and we saw quite a bit of grieving where choi boy would wake up a few times through the night crying and at times would not want to be comforted by us, pushing us away. it took about a week and a half for choi boy to get over the jetlag, but since last wednesday, he's been sleeping really well. he's been going to bed between 8 and 8:30 and has been waking up at 8:00 am, refreshed. and the way he wakes up? so sweet...he looks through the crib bars at me and says "umma?" and smiles. :) he also takes a nap in the afternoon for about two hours.

choi boy has been sleeping in his crib since day two. i was really weary about this at first because i thought it was too soon and that he was pushing away from us. but, that first night at home he hardly got any sleep because he was rolling all over the floor, bumping into us and the furniture, waking himself up. so the second night, as he was drifting off to sleep, i put him in his crib, patted his back, and he fell asleep. after that, any time he was ready to fall asleep (after some rocking and snuggling), he would squirm and gesture to his crib and once i'd put him down, he'd almost immediately fall right to sleep. i make sure to pat his back and he'll check to make sure i'm there and sometimes stroke my arm. his FM said he was really good about putting himself to sleep, so it reassures me that this is probably just what is comfortable for choi boy, and not necessarily avoidance. (i hope...what do you think?) he will still cry a little bit in the middle of the night at times, but it's usually very brief and he'll fall back asleep on his own before i can even get up off the floor -- those two fingers that he sucks on really help with self-soothing! i'm sleeping on the floor of his room and will probably continue to do so for the next couple weeks...

we're trying to keep choi boy's world small, but we've discovered that he really likes being out and about. i think growing up in seoul has something to do with that! he loves going to the grocery store or other places where he can sit in a shopping cart. he looks up at us almost giggling with happiness as we walk through the store. the car seat was not so popular at first, but once choi boy realized that car seat = going places, he hasn't fussed. our outings are usually short because while he likes being out, he also loves running around and can only manage sitting nicely in the cart or stroller for so long.

choi boy loved meeting some of our extended family and had a blast entertaining my parents, sister, and uncle's family at new year's.

we put him in his hanbok so he could do saebae, which is one of my favorite korean traditions. you bow to the elders and they give you blessings (and money!) for the new year. really, i love it because of the blessings and words of wisdom that are spoken to you, not because of the money. i promise. ;)

look how handsome choi boy is in his pretty hanbok!
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the saebae part didn't go as well...
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he was more interested in the lotion...which, yes, he kept putting on his face. :)

this next picture isn't of choi boy (sorry!), but i just had to share...
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we did it again! the new year's version of "who wore it better?" -- this sister ESP is freaky sometimes.

now, don't get me wrong, it's not always sunshine and rainbows here. we see a lot of this...:
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...when choi boy is tired or doesn't get his way. this is an almost 16 month-old we're talking about, after all.

but for the most part, we see a lot of this:
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we had our first post-placement visit yesterday and our SW was amazed at how well choi boy is doing. i told her i was worried that the other shoe might drop, but she told us she was pretty confident that things would continue to go smoothly and get even better. i'm still not 100% sure i believe it, but it was SO reassuring to hear that she did. ;) she said that it seems like choi boy just has a great, happy personality and that that, more than anything, is huge a factor in the transition.

i know it's only been two weeks and i may be jinxing myself by sharing all this, and there might be things that i'm doing that i shouldn't be (if there are, PLEASE let me know! really!!!), but seriously, these two weeks have been unbelievable.

even if that shoe *does* drop, it won't change how much we love our little one. i knew we would be happy once choi boy was home, but i never realized we would be *this* happy...
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unbelievable.

46 comments:

  1. Yay, yay, yay! Sorry i don't have anything else to say, but nothing else seems to sum up how happy I am for you all. Yay!

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  2. unbelievable indeed! so happy for you grace..one day our babies will meet, i promise. i love that he loves lotion so much..and how he sucks on his two fingers..just like Charley. xoxo

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  3. So happy to read such a wonderfully, positive post! Just amazing. I agree with your SW....I think things will continue to get better. Maddyx has a very similar personality and our experience with him was very similar yours. We never had any *really* difficult times with him. The difficulty was more of our own adjustment to becoming instant parents to a 13 month old. And it appears that you guys have a knack for this parenting stuff!

    Somtimes you are just blessed. And blessed we are! Happy New Year, Grace!

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  4. I loved reading this update! I am so happy to hear that things are going well. Choi boy is sooooo darn cute and his hanbok is gorgeous!

    Happy New Year!!!

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  5. Great pics! So glad to see that things are going so well! I know you are a happy, happy momma now that your sweet boy is finally home! Happy New Year to you and your family!

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  6. What a lovely update! Camden (who is now 7) also had a very easy transition so it definitely is possible!

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  7. Grace,

    The last picture is worth a thousand words! So glad that chio boys transition has been smooth! What a little cutie!

    Dawn

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  8. Thanks for the update! It's going well, like crazy well for you guys. I'm so thrilled for you! Carson sounds like a total joy and I can see why you love every minute with him. I think that you speaking Korean to him, him being a bit older to 'kind of' understand what is going on, your soft way with kids, and of course Carson himself are all helping the transition. We also noticed a HUGE difference after 2 weeks, once the jet lag passed.
    I wouldn't worry about the crib. G didn't 'love' the crib off the bat, but definitely preferred it and after a few weeks he loved it! I personally think after all that sharing a bed stuff, he was glad to have his own space.

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  9. Grace, this is fabulous! I have to agree with the others... I think you guys are just having a wonderful transition! We had a very easy transition with Spencer, and it sounds like Choi Boy is similar in personality... so go do the happy dance! I'll openly admit I'm jealous about the awesome sleep. Mostly cause I'd like to sleep that much! ;-) As for the crib, Spencer went into it on night one, and never looked back. His FM made it very clear he slept on his own, so we kept that up. He did have some issues with the size of the crib and banging into the edges/waking up/etc. But 18 months into this gig, and we have definitely not seen a problem because he was in the crib! :-) YAY! I'm so happy things are going well!

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  10. This is great to hear! I don't think there is another "shoe" that is going to drop for you. I think you're just having a great transition, and I'm so happy for you!

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  11. Fantastic grace! I've been wondering how the three of you (and piper) were doing. The pics are so cute!

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  12. What a wonderful update. It is very encouraging to hear how well your son has transitioned! What a full, happy year ahead for you and your family!! May God continue to unite your hearts together as a family of 3! :)

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  13. This post just makes me smile from ear to ear for you guys. You can see the happiness and love Choi Boy has for you both. And well, it's easy to see the love you both have for him.

    Looking forward to reading about all of your blessings in 2011!

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  14. beautiful, beautiful, beautiful... you guys are such a gorgeous family. Choi Boy is so precious!!! He truly has such a kind face and his personality sounds so caring and loving as well. I LOVE the picture of Piper... her face totally says "um, no thanks, but I appreciate the gesture"!!!

    As for the sleeping, how AMAZING!!! Honestly some babies are just good sleepers and you guys have definitely been blessed in that area. You are new parents and you can easily get 8 hrs of sleep every night... what a foreign concept!!! :D I wouldn't worry about the pushing away or his ability to self-soothe as avoidance... since his FM and the SW both mentioned it as a good thing, I don't think you should worry at all, just be glad that he CAN do that. RJ is exactly the same way with sleeping-- he can't sleep with us or anywhere else other than his crib, and he'll wake up several times a night and self-soothe back to sleep. This is essential for them learning how to sleep all night and stay asleep all night! I know some babies who still wake up and go to their parents' bed at 1am EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT at 3 years old! So definitely, him knowing how to sleep and stay asleep on his own is HUGE. It can take months of training and letting them cry it out every night for hours at a time.

    and I love hearing about him calling you guys umma and appa... I can't WAIT until RJ starts calling for us as well!!!!!!

    It sounds like Carson and RJ have so much in common... big eaters, good sleepers, sucking on two fingers... it's going to be so fun continuing to read each other's updates on our sons AND having them be pen pals in the future!!! As soon as they get started with crayons, we'll start :)

    Lots and lots of blessings and e-kisses your way from the Chung family!!!

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  15. ps. heart attack... when I clicked "post comment" I got an error message from Google, and when I clicked back, the comment field was empty :O but when I reloaded the page, my comment had been posted. phew. ;)

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  16. love, love, love this!!!!

    our social worker said the same thing to us at our two-week-home visit! and, the other shoe never did drop. ;o) it sounds like you guys are off to an amazing start and choi boy is just an easy-going kid. the going to sleep/avoidance thing? wouldn't worry to much about the reason, personally. i know briar slept as much as she did as an avoidance technique for a couple months, but that's ok. it was her way of grieving, and during the day she was attaching beautifully, so we didn't worry about it. i'd say be very, very thankful that he is sleeping at this point, no matter the reason!!!

    he is just such a beautiful boy and i am so very happy for you and peter that you have him in your arms at long last!!!!

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  17. I am STILL excited for you! Seriously!!! You are so beautiful and such a good mommy and Choi Boy? don't even get me started on all the cuteness that is he!

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  18. I love this :D He's eeeeeeven cuter in person x a million!!!!!!!!!!

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  19. That is so awesome! I'm really happy and excited to hear that Choi Boy's transition is going so well. I can't even imagine how happy you must be. You all look great!

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  20. It's like you said, you prepared for the worst, but attachment problems are not the norm. It seems to me also that choi boy is bonding well. I experienced it also with my little one. She was 5 months old and adjusted very well. You had a lot of people praying for you and the Lord blesses adoption, even if there may be challenges.

    God Bless!

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  21. Seems like things are going amazing! How wonderful for you guys.

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  22. To quote Ella this "makes my heart happy!" ;) I'm so glad that he is transitioning so well. I'm sure there will be occasional bumps but I think you can put your worst case scenario fears to rest for good.

    And the crib - rejoice that he sleeps well in the crib! My kids always went to sleep on their own well and if someone had tried to co-sleep with them at 16 months old - NO WAY! They would not have slept at all. I know this is a different situation and I don't know all the details, but I would just be thrilled that he's sleeping so well!

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  23. I am so happy that things are going so well! You so deserve this after the horrible wait! He is just adorable and it's wonderful that he has such a great personality. I can't wait until we can do a play date.

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  24. Grace, it sounds great and you are being honest there were tough nights! I think we pushed co-sleeing too much and no one slept...he rolled everywhere and kicked and so on. Now HE LOVES his cleep and will point to it and say sleep. I am so happy for you, he is darling. I also think you are a natural with babies..and they know. Me on the other hand, Parker smelled my fear the moment I walked into the room (and then he cried). Thank goodness I got over that!

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  25. oh and BTW...you look too good to be a new Mom!!! You must be getting sleep :)

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  26. Yay! I'm so glad to hear he's doing so well!! It sounds like all 3 of you are doing great! One question...how do you stand all of that cuteness? Choi Boy is just adorable!!! :)

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  27. Wow, Grace! It sounds like things are going just amazingly well! I'm so very happy to hear that. Choi Boy does seem like such a happy, easy-going little guy, which is very similar to Joel. We also had a smooth transition with him. I think personality plays a huge role! And, sleep sounds great, too! Joel was sleeping in his crib after the first day, too, and has done just fine. Choi Boy may just like sleeping alone, and the fact that he knows you are right there helps, I'm sure. Again, I was so happy reading this post. God is so good!

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  28. what an amazing update! i am so thrilled for you that everything is going so well! it sounds like carson is a very happy little boy and adjusting beautifully! i wouldn't worry about the crib at all...it's a wonderful thing that he is ok sleeping on his own! ( trust me...you'd rather have that than what we went thru with noah. i slept with him for a year! ) plus, i know quite a few adopted little ones who took to the crib right away and did perfectly fine. i'm so glad he is liking his massages too. :) gosh...i am just so very happy for you and peter! :)

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  29. i can't help it. every post i read and pic i see- i just wanna say love!love!love! i don't know much about settling in so i can't say but i'm praying things continue to transition well for you guys. glad it is going well and not as bad as you'd imagined- that is so good.

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  30. I love the happiness emanating from this post!! I think Choi Boy has an awesome personality, and that things will only get better. Our Adam slept in the crib from day 1 when he came home-- he was 7.5 months, and next to impossible to sleep with. We had success with the crib-- about a month for the jet lag to wear off, and nightly wake-ups ceased by about 11 months when he was weaned off the bottle. You guys are doing a great job!!

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  31. What a great post! So glad to see how well Choi Boy is adapting to his new forever home. You guys look so happy!

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  32. He is so beautiful Grace. Do I keep saying that? Sorry, he is!
    So glad to hear your transition is going well! BTW- I used the exact same wording about the other shoe dropping with our SW during our visit too!
    Misty.

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  33. Oh wow, this is an awesome update Grace! CB is doing so well, it's amazing! You can just tell he has a wonderful personality - very happy and adaptable. That is such a blessing. About the crib - don't stress. Count your blessings! It's so great he likes it. Gosh, I wish we had had such luck with Max. He HATED it and after two sleepless nights for everyone (Max screaming his head off the whole time) we said forget it and it's been in pieces in our spare room ever since. Sigh. I'd much rather have a kid who slept in a crib! I just love all these photos of your cutie - keep 'em coming!!!

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  34. I'm so happy for you! I was grinning from ear to ear as I read your post. What a blessing he is to your family. What a bigger blessing that he is able to transition so well. You and Peter are the perfect parents! We can't wait to meet him soon. Sending you big hugs and prayers!

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  35. what an amazing update after two weeks home! i love the first photo of you two!! it's so sweet! sooo happy to hear that sleep is not an issue. yay!! that's my biggest worry. carson looks like he's so at ease with you two as if he's always been with you. i love that!!

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  36. hooray! so glad to hear that things are going wonderfully. what a cutie little family the three of you are. i'm so happy for the kim family too -- give your parents my love! i was going to send them a congrats card but then i thought that would be weird ... and make for future awkward CFA moments. gahh. keep the pictures coming, woman! xoxooxo

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  37. Grace, amazing. It sounds like Choi Boy is adjusting so well, but it also sounds like you and your hubby are doing a phe-nomenal job as well! I agree with Sandra...you wait was too long, so maybe this is karma!

    Continue to enjoy your little boy and your beautiful family!

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  38. I'd have to agree with the others, I don't think there's a shoe to drop! I just think Carson loves his awesome and pretty mommy, and his funny daddy. :)

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  39. Thanks for sharing your story, Grace. It is truly a beautiful one with so much "grace";praise be to God!

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  40. how wonderful things are going so incredibly well!

    I think its perfectly fine that Choi boy is in his crib, especially since you are right there. Personally, I think if he was sleeping there due to avoidance, you'd see avoidant behaviors, like lack of eye contact, during the day.

    Hope things continue to be so good - I think they will!

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  41. i just adore that last photo! and i love the toy sharing with piper :).

    things sound fantastic! you've already gotten some great advice, so i'm just going to tell you that your little boy is just the cutest and i'm hoping that things keep getting better!

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  42. I am so, so happy to read this wonderfully happy update! You guys have really been blessed by such a smooth transition, especially in the sleep department!
    Congratulations, you beautiful family!

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  43. First of all - LOVE the family photo at the end. So so special. And your transition sounds fantastic! Alex was like that at first too (just don't move...). And his hanbok is so beautiful!

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  44. Loved the update. So glad things are going well w the transition. Choi boy is a cutie. It is amazing how much love little ones bring into a home

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  45. I am soooo far behind in your posts and I apologize Grace. You and your beautiful family have been on my mind. We've spent the past 2 months sick for the most part and this weekend is no exception, but I'm taking a break and trying to catch up! It's so good to read that things are going so well. You deserve it after such a long wait. Choi Boy is adorable and the three of you look sooo happy. Wesley was the same way with the crib and we considered ourselves very blessed. I can't wait to read more. Congrats again!

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  46. was so curious how everything was going. glad it's been going well. love the first pic of you & carson together.

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why, hello there! do you have something to say? 'cause i'd so love to hear it!