Biometrics

Tomorrow Brendan and I will embark on an adventure to the Latham office of the Department of Homeland Security to have our biometrics taken.  This is another check on the list of things one must do in order to adopt internationally (perhaps domestically as well, but I am unfamiliar with that process), and it means we'll be one step closer to having our daughter come home.  In fact, it's the last thing WE have to do, but we'll have to wait for other parties to complete their jobs.

What are biometrics, you ask?  Although it sounds somewhat interesting and exciting, it is really a fancy word for fingerprints.  The fingerprints are used for a background check in which they make sure we have no history of felony or child abuse.  Once we're cleared and approved USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services) will issue a visa for Emma, which she'll use to enter this country.

Sitting in the DHS office is an interesting experience.  The last time we went (for Harry's visa) was eye opening.  We walked through metal detectors to get in the door, and then an officer used a wand (much like at the airport) to go over our bodies in more detail.  The officer wore a gun.  They're not messing around...serious faces, direct orders, and uncomfortable chairs abound.  We sat near the window, facing the rest of the room, and people watched for the hour it took them to call our names.  We saw people of all nationalities and languages, all with different reasons for waiting in the same room, the same stiff-backed chairs.  And once again it struck me as odd that many people in the world claim we're different based on race, or skin color, or any other bit of minutia they feel supports their opinion, when in fact we were a group of humans sitting in the late morning sunshine of a dirty window, waiting for bureaucracy to decide when and if our families can unite, or become legal citizens, or immigrate.  And for the first time in my life I felt a little taste of what it must be like to come to this country as an immigrant, to jump through the proverbial hoops in order to carve out an existence in the hopes that it will be a better life than whatever you left.  How scary to be faced with armed men, metal detectors, and stern faces.  How brave one must be to take that leap of faith.

I look forward to seeing the palette of faces and nationalities tomorrow, and to checking off another item on our list.  And to being one step closer to our daughter whose image haunts my dreams.

A blogger I knew and loved...

...is on her way back to the internet!  Woo hoo!!

When Brendan and I first started our infertility testing an old friend sent me a link to this blog (thanks, Steph).  As I read through her posts I realized that I wasn't alone, that I could make it through to the other side of this thing that seemed larger than life, and that there was a whole support network on the internet at my fingertips whenever I needed it.

And now she's coming back, and I am beyond excited to see what she has to say about motherhood and pretty much anything else.  Did I mention she's a talented and fabulous writer?  She is.  Without further ado, I give you the link to my beloved Soper, at Uterine Wars.  Happy reading!

I am slowly going crazy

Our household is abuzz with the anticipatory excitement that word of a new baby brings, and I am having trouble keeping my hands busy enough to take my mind off the fact that my new daughter is thousands of miles away.  The result?  I have morphed into a pseudo-Martha Stewart, sans annoying habit of saying "it's a good thing" but with vastly less impressive culinary skills.  I have knitted one and a half sweaters, I have sewed my first wrap-style baby carrier, and I have purchased and pieced my first ever quilt.  I have painted her room, and made her bed, and rearranged the furniture in said room no less than 5 times.  It's only the middle of November.  What in the world am I going to do for the next four or more months?????

In which I admit I am no good at wordpress, I try out live livewriter,and I try once again to post pictures of Emma

It pays to have friends who know what they are doing when it comes to Internet technology, especially when you happen to be particularly challenged in that area.  Our friend Tony is keeping me as informed as he can, but I think I'm a tough case...it all goes in one ear and out the other.  When I started my weblog last November (OMG it's been almost a year!) using blogger it was easy...it's simple, simple, simple, and made for idiots like me who need buttons that magically do everything for you.  I learned a little along the way, and eventually realized that simple, simple, simple does not allow for much wiggle room when it comes to doing fun things with your weblog.  Hence the move to Wordpress, and my ensuing bafflement.

So this is my first livewriter post, which Tony says will help with the bafflement, and here (hopefully) are the pictures of the baby girl:

Some people will tell you that waiting for a second child to come home is easier because you have one child to keep you busy.  Reporting from Day Three of The Wait, I can assure you this has not been my experience thus far.  I am busy with Harrison, but amidst the Cheerio fetching, goodnight kisses, Dr. Seuss reading, and endless driving of toy cars over the furniture, my mind is swimming with thoughts of Emma.  I have dreamed of her two nights in a row...once of her in Korea, in her foster family's house, and once of her being home, playing with Harry...in each she was smiling and happy and I had the overwhelming feeling of contentedness.  I wonder what she'll like, what colors will look good on her, what size clothes I should buy, will she be afraid of Riley and Charlotte, will she take soy or cow's formula, will she double in size by the time she comes home like Harry did, or will she be a little peanut?

And this I know for sure:  The time will creep by achingly slow, to the point that I will almost convince myself that she's never coming, and then all of the sudden The Call will be imminent, mere days away, and it will feel like only days have passed since we first held her sweet picture in our hands.  There is a time warp when it comes to adoption...you get sucked into some kind of black hole where time never moves, and then you're suddenly spit out into a new reality with a wriggling baby, no sleep, and a million smiles that make your cheek muscles ache. The anticipation is awful and wonderful at once, but I know that four months or so from now it will seem like the blink of an eye.

Big News!!!!

I am perhaps one of the most negligent writers you know, but this time I have an excellent reason:













 Her name is Lee, Hee Seon.  Hee means happy, and Seon (pronounced 'sun') means good.

This beautiful girl is going to be our daughter!  She was born August 24 and weighed in at 6.4 lbs.  At her October 6th well baby checkup she weighed 8.6 lbs.  She is healthy, strong, and alert.  And did I mention beautiful?  We are reeling with joy and excitement!

 

When we applied for a second child with our adoption agency last month, we never in a million years thought we'd have a referral so soon.  We expected to wait until at least July of 2007 for a referral, with the baby possibly coming home at the end of the summer.  When our agency director called to let us know she had a refrral for us I nearly fainted!  We cannot wait to bring Hee Seon home...if all goes well she should arrive in February or March of 2007.



Have you ever seen such cute hair?  It sticks straight up!  And is it just me, or does she seem to have as much hair as Harrison already?  And those toes!  And her little fists!  She looks so long and slender, but I have to remember that she's not even two months old in these photos.  It is amazing how quickly you can become attached to a face in a photograph.  When I close my eyes I can picture her perfectly...I have studied every centimeter of each photo, as I will for the next four or more months, soaking in each detail and memorizing each wisp of hair, the curve of her chin, and every little wrinkle on her ankles.

 Harry already anwers "Emma" when you ask him what his baby sister's name is, and he loves looking at her pictures.  We're positively giddy right now.  Pinch us.  Is this for real?

MonkeyBug

Harrison's new favorite word.  I think he has maybe watched the Curious George movie a few too many times, no?  His favorite scene?  When George (monkey) eats a firefly (bug) and his mouth turns green and glowy.

Glad you could make it!

So, here we are in a new space.  What do you think?  Actually, don't answer that because I still have a lot of work to do here, or rather Tony does.  We need to add in a title at the top, I need to work on categories and such, and there is much tweaking to be done.

Enough of the boring details...here's a fun update of strange/interesting things that have happened in the past few weeks during my absence, for your enjoyment:

1.  Harry learned some of his letters, which seems normal, only we haven't really been trying very hard to teach him the ABCs.  So which one of you snuck in during the night to teach him L, A, K, R, and B?  Time to fess up...

2.  My hairdryer caught on fire while I was drying my hair.  Not the blower part, the plug part.   A fireball shot out and there was a popping noise, which we now know was the outlet blowing.  Brendan replaced it and we've got ourselves a new hairdryer for the first time in, well, since we got married.  More truthfully, since Brendan was in either college or high school, becasue it was his hair dryer from his single days.  Makes me wonder what other old electronics should be tossed/replaced before we have more fireballs shooting out of them.  For those of you wondering, my hair escaped unscathed.

3.  We sent in the bulk of our paperwork for adoption #2.  We need to send another packet of papers soon, with our letters of recommendation and tax returns, but we are well on our way to updating our homestudy and....waiting....waiting....and waiting some more for a referral.  It's going to be a long process this time, but a child is worth the wait.

 4.  Harry became somewhat lactose intolerant and is now drinking unsweetened soy milk.  We're still giving him cheese and other dairy, but any regular cow's milk makes things very...messy, shall we say. 

5.  I received the Holiday 2006 Heifer International catalog in the mail yesterday, and at first I thought it was some kind of bad joke.  But to the contrary it is a very cool organization that strives to end world poverty and hunger by providing farm animals to the poor around the world.  Check it out: Heifer International I just might buy you a cow or some chickens for Christmas this year!

6.  Brooke and I took Harry apple picking for the first time, and he was so funny.  He had an apple in each hand, was standing in front of a bag full of apples, and jumped up and down chanting "APLLE APPLE APPLE".  I think he might like apple picking...just a hunch.  I made a pie last night with the apples we picked and it was scrumptious...it tasted even better because I could imagine him in the orchard, grinning from ear to ear, on one of the sunniest and prettiest afternoons we've had this autumn.

And I leave you with photos: