GOTCHA Day one year later

Its hard to believe that it was one year ago today that Carter came into our lives forever. March 25, 2010 around 11:00 AM local Korean time, we were finally able to hold our little boy in our arms knowing we would ALL be going home soon. I still can remember being so scared and excited all at once. Our lives were about to change forever. It had been such a long journey to welcome him to our family, it was really hard to believe it was finally happening. We were about to become parents to the most precious boy ever! We had only meet him for about an hour two days before our 'gotcha day' but he had been in our hearts before we even saw his picture. The picture above is of us, Carter's foster-foster mom and his foster father. They were such loving people, I know it had to have broken their hearts to see him leave. But they also knew he would be well taken care of by us. What a chunk he was huh????

After about an hour or so at the agency we were sent on our way back to our hotel, with tons of gifts for both us and Carter. At the hotel Carter was so tired he took a long nap. After he got up we decided to see what if would feel like to be out as a family. So we got him dressed and went out for a little adventure. He did great!!! Thanks goodness because I'm not sure what we would have done if he was terrified of us. Once we got back to the hotel it was time to start packing and getting ready to leave. We had a very early morning flight which mean we would have to leave the hotel no later the 6 AM!!! It would be less then 24 hours of having Carter and we would be getting on a plane for the next 14 hours. OH MY what were we thinking. But we were very blessed to have such an easy going baby he just went with the flow. I remember he fell asleep even before we took off, what a blessing. He was very good the entire flight and didn't cry once. We were lucky enough to have 3 seats together, having that extra seat was great, it meant that Carter could stretch out and sleep when the time came.

When we arrived in DC my parents were there to bring us home. They were beyond excited to meet their new grandson. We were very happy to have them pick us up and drive us back home. After a little bit of a panic because I couldn't figure out how to get the car seat undone, we were heading back to our house. A few minutes after arriving home to balloons every where John's parents pulled in the driveway. They too were very excited to meet their new grandson.

My parents left the next day, they didn't want to overwhelm Carter with too many new faces at first. One thing you learn during the adoption process is that the babies have a grieving process they go through after leaving the foster parents. Since John's parents were going to be with us for the next 2 weeks helping us adjust, my parents felt it would be best to leave and come back when it wasn't so hectic. Thank goodness for John's parents, they were such a big help while were adjusting to being a family of 3.

I was able to take 12 weeks off of work to be with Carter as he adjusted to his new life. During this time we found out that John was offered a new job that would move us across the country!!!! OMG could things get any crazier? After a lot of talking and crying we decided that he would take the job which meant moving to Seattle, WA. Even though we were very sad to leave our friends in VA we knew this was the right opportunity for John and his career. The good news was we couldn't leave VA until Carter's adoption was finalized. This meant we had the whole summer in VA!!!! WOO HOO!!!!!

We finally got word that we could finalize Carter's adoption on September 21, 2010. One day after our 7 year anniversary and 4 days short of our 6 month anniversary of gotcha day. We were now able to move forward with our move across the country. So I gave my 2 weeks notice, called the moving company, made all the arrangement and then packed up and left VA. It was a very sad day but we also knew there would be happiness right around the corner. The day of the finalization we had our parents, both of our brothers and our nieces with us. It was a very special day indeed. FINALLY He was really ours. Well he was always ours but now it was legal and we have the paper to prove it.

The very next day John, the dogs and I got on the road to drive cross country to our new home in Bothell, WA. It took us 4 1/2 days. What a beautiful country we live in. Carter stayed behind with John's parents and my parents were going to fly him out to us. The thought of driving cross country with 2 dogs and a 1 year old did not sound like fun at all. My parents offered to fly him out after we arrived and we quickly took them up on that offer.

We arrived in Bothell, WA on Sunday September 26th, the truck arrived the next day and Carter and my parents arrived on Wednesday. Man we missed him so much, but we were glad that he was able to have some time with both sets of grandparents. My parents stayed about a week and a half to help us get settled in. Boy were they are big help. By the time they left the house was pretty much in order.

The next few months we spent getting acclimated to our new surroundings. John started working in his new office in downtown Seattle and I have been lucky enough to stay home with Carter. I joined a local moms group which has really helped me adjust to my new surroundings. All the women welcomed me with open arms.

We celebrated Carter's first Thanksgiving with my parents, and our good friend Pattie and Jessica. It was a tradition that started with my parents coming to VA the first Thanksgiving we were there and we are very happy that it continues now that we are on the West Coast.

Christmas was great! Carter's first Christmas home. Do you know how difficult it is to find 'Baby's First Christmas' outfits in 18-24 months, pretty difficult let me tell you. But I was able to find something to celebrate this very special holiday. Christmas morning we think Carter was just overwhelmed by the toys under the tree. He just kept saying WOW!!!!! It was a great day!!!!

Half way through February John's parents came to visit for the next month. We had so much fun with them. Carter enjoyed having his Grammie and Papa around. He and Papa chased each other around the kitchen so many times I think there is an indent in the floor now. We also went to Pike's Place Market, the Aquarium, Canada and lots of shopping. It was very sad to have to say goodbye to them after such a fun visit!

And here we are a year later and just as happy as we can be!!!! Carter is the light of our lives! Its so hard to imagine what life was like before him. Today we are so grateful to all the people who were there for us along the journey, from our families to friend to the agency here and in Korea that made it possible for Carter to be home. But mostly we are thankful to his birth mother who knew his home was in a country far away. We love her like she was family even if we don't know who she is.

As I finish this post tonight, I should let you know that we are starting the process again, our application should be in the mail the beginning of next week. As of right now our home study will go to Korea in November. We would like to have a sister for Carter. I don't know much more then that right now. Keep checking back for updates!

XOXOXO,

Paige, John and Carter

Pictures of our first year with Carter!

Well its been awhile. Thought today was a good day to add a new entry; its Saturday morning and the sun is actually shining here in the Seattle area and it was one year ago today we received our travel call! It was Friday morning and Paige received the call around 9:00 a.m. and by noon we were booked on Korea Air for the next day and our hotel rooms were booked too. Hard to believe that that was a year ago already; Carter is the light in our lives. His smile will melt your heart and when he stops his busy little body for half a minute and climbs into your lap for a quick snuggle you cant help but smile.

Now that we have settled into life as a family we have decided it is time to start the process on #2. We have been in contact with our agency back in Connecticut, they are sending us the application so we get get a slot on the list. Basically we have been told that at this point, our home study will not happen until August and that our packet wont go to Korea until at least November. At least we know what to expect this time! - John

1 Year Ago Tonight.....

Sorry we have not posted anything since August, so much has happened since then. We packed up our house in VA, traveled to CT and finalized Carter's adoption and then drove cross country to our new life in Washington State. We've been here now for almost 3 months and are getting settled into a new way of life. We will chronicle more detail soon to catch everyone up and include some pictures (our Mac is at Apple for a tune-up and all of our pictures are on it). We are loving every day with Carter!!

It was one year ago tonight that we received our call telling us we had a 5 month old boy being referred to us, his name was San Lee. The e-mail packet followed soon after which include a dozen pictures of a round faced, plump little boy with a serious expression on his face. It was love at first sight for the both of us. The excitement was almost too much knowing it could be up to 5 more months until we could actually hold him in our arms; thankfully it was on 3 months.

A year has gone in a blink of an eye; we're excited to experience our first Christmas together as a family.
We promise to post more before Christmas along with some pictures.

Since June?

Holy Cow! It's been since June that we posted last. Well, a lot has happened in the past 2 months. Our house in VA is on the market and we traveled to Seattle and purchased a new home. Not to mention, Carter turned a year old (he has had 4, yes 4, birhtday parties). Paiges' parent's stopped in for a quick visit on their way to Texas at the beginning of July and stopped again on their way back at the end of July, we followed them to CT a few days later for Paige's mothers retirment party and one of Carter's 4 birthday parties. My parents were here for one last visit to VA this past weekend and on Monday we received our letter in the mail from the Hartford (CT) Probate Court letting us know that our hearing date to finalize Carter's adoption is on September 21st. This is the day after our anniversary and 5 days short of 6 months that Carter came home with us. Now that we have this confirmed we scheduled the movers to come pack us on 9/16 & 17, once the house is packed we can leave for CT and finalize the adoption and from there begin our drive to Washington state with the dogs. We'll work at getting some pictures up from the summer so everyone can see how big Carter is getting, at last check he was 28 pounds and 32 inches tall! - John

Can't believe its time to go back to work :(

This is my final week home. It hard to believe that Friday it will be 11 weeks since we brought our precious boy home. It has been such a joy to be home with him as long as I was able to. I feel like he turned a corner a few weeks ago and now really looks at John and me as 'mommy' and 'daddy'. There is just this different look in his eyes, its hard to explain. Those of you with adopted children probably know what I'm talking about. When he sees either one of use he just smiles and beams happiness!!!

He loves to play with this house. The picture above was him and I playing peek-a-boo through the door. One other thing he loves is Sesame Street. I try not to let him watch too much TV but when you have to get things done around the house there is nothing like putting him in his excusaucer and putting an educational show on. This day he just started cracking up at one of little sketches. So I played it over and over again just so I could hear him laugh.

He has also started to really walk. He took his first steps while we were in CT, it was very special that the grandparents were able to see this. Although my dad was on a trip, he did get to see a video of him. He is now all over the place, its rare that he is able to stay in one place for any period of time. On tuesday this week I went to Fair Oaks Mall and we went into their play area there. There is no more put him on the ground and be able to sit for a little while, nope he was all over the place, trying to climb up on thing like the big kids were doing.

We have quite a lot of changes coming up in the very near future. As John mentioned earlier there was a strong possibility that he would be offered a job and we would be moving to Seattle. Well that time has come or will be coming. John was offered a new job and has accepted. He officially starts on June 15th. Usually when things like this happen in his company the employee has to move within about a month. But since we are unable to move until Carter's adoption is finalized we will not be leaving VA until mid-September. We will be able to finalize Carter's adoption in CT which will be very special for all of us since that is where both John and I are from. The main agency (FCA) that works with the agency in Korea is based in CT. Carter just continues to be a blessing in our lives time and time again. If he wasn't here or his adoption already be finalized we would be moving sooner then later. But now we get to spend the entire summer in VA with our friends, and hopefully our families will take advantage of us being so close to DC and come to visit before we go. HEAR THAT FAMILY come visit before we move!!!!!

Carter will be attending a very good daycare. We stopped by on Monday afternoon so he could experience what its like to play with other babies. He did really well, I put him on the floor and he just started playing didn't even notice I was there. Today I will actually drop him off and leave for a little while. I'm sure this will be harder on me then it will on him. Then John and I will both drop him off on Friday and go have some adult time just the 2 of us. It will be the first time since he came home. Saturday night we will also have our first night out. Our good friends the Lopresti's will be watching him as we attend a 40th birthday party . It will be good for us to get out and enjoy each other again. Part of me is looking forward to this and the other part of me knows I will miss Carter so much I'm sure it wont be a very long night at all.

So that's it for now. I'll write again next week after I'm back at work.

We've met lots of People this month....

I know. I know. It's been a while since we have updated. Life gets pretty busy with an active toddler and you are traveling for work and just trying to keep up with your life. Lots has happened since our last post, we went to Connecticut so Carter could meet the rest of his family, Paige spent her first week alone with Carter when I went to New York and then her second week alone the following week when I went to Seattle and Carter is now walking.

While were in CT our Joanne who is a photographer took some unbelievable pictures of Carter. Joanne has been "Chomping at the bit" to do this for us, she has been there for us for the entire journey, from Paige and I dating, our move to Virginia, our marriage, the IVF process and Carter's adoption. These photos an unbelievable collection photos to be cherished forever, here is the link to Joanne's blog with some of the pictures she took.

http://pictureperfectusa.com/blog/?p=138&preview=true

Last weekend we attend the 1st birthday party for a friend of mine son, Jaime and I used to work together and we have watched as her family has grown over the past several years, first to her marriage to Steve, the birth of their daughter Christie and their son Andrew. Parties at Jaime's are always a great time, her sisters are amazing cooks and her whole family is so welcoming. It was so great to be a part of Andrews 1st birthday since we are planning on a tradition Korean Birthday for Carter's 1st birthday in July. Also last weekend, we had a visit from Paige's best friend Michelle's family. Michelle's parents who live in North Carolina and her sister & niece from Rhode Island were in DC for a few days. It has been some time since we have all seen each other, maybe since Michelle & Toph's wedding and since then Cheryl, Michelle's sister (and her husband Wil) adopted a beautiful little girl from Ethiopia, Astor. Bill, Sue, Cheryl & Astor spent the afternoon with us and we had a great time hanging out on our patio cooking out and catching up.

We've Made it to Connecticut!!

We took our time this morning getting on the road. The car was packed and Carter had his breakfast so we hit the road at about 9:00 this morning. Go figure we hit traffic on the Capital Beltway in Maryland and that slowed us down about 40 minutes, we had smooth sailing up the NJ Turnpike (Carter even slept just about the whole length), even the GW was open. The Merritt Parkway was a little slow too once we crossed over into Connecticut; all-in-all it wasn't too bad, we arrived at my parents at close to 4:00. We had a nice visit with them, Auntie Dana, Uncle Scott and cousins Jimmy and Kyle. We had some dinner and hung out in the back yard for a bit before heading over to Nana Bainie & Papa Los's house, our home camp for the next few days.

Tomorrow will be a get together here at the Wild's for family & friends to come meet Carter and then we will repeat it again on Sunday at my parent's house. We'll post some pictures and chronicle the events of our trip after we get home. Hopefully Maddie & Preston are enjoying having their house back and having fun with Chris while he stays at the house while we are away.

Have a great weekend. - John