Twins?

Some women asked us today if Caysen and Beckett are twins.  What ever could have made them think that? ;)

 

Tomorrow is our AIT appointment.  Please pray everything goes smoothly and that Beckett's visa is issued without any problems.  Thanks!

From Taiwan

We met Beckett on Thursday morning and by Thursday afternoon, I was sick!  I think my body just reacted badly to the jet lag this time around because everyone else stayed well.  Whatever it was, I was pretty miserable for a couple days (which is why you haven't heard much from me).  Yesterday, I finally felt well enough to get out so we took a trip to the Kaohsiung Zoo.  Can you believe that they only charge about a dollar to get into the zoo?!?  It's a real zoo with tigers, and elephants, and lions, and they only charge ONE dollar!  The weather is pretty pleasant here (equal to a warm summer day at home with humidity) and it was fun to get out and walk around after being stuck in bed. 

Beckett is doing great and seems to be getting more and more comfortable each day.  He wasn't crazy about taking a bottle at first, but he's pretty ok with it now.  He LOVES cereal and lunges at the spoon with each bite!  We are enjoying getting to know his personality and learning what makes him smile.

 Caysen is doing better than we could have expected!  He really seems to like Beckett and has been so patient when we aren't able to give him attention as quickly as he would like.  He's been getting a lot of QT with Lance because Mama is frequently busy with Beckett (Beckett has been cared for by women only since he was born so he is taking more time to warm up to Lance).  Other than being a little clingier than normal, Caysen is pretty much just being himself.  It can't hurt that many of the people his aunties here have been spoiling him and giving him all the attention he could ask for.

 Here is the Kaohsiung skyline from the zoo.  Different, but the same. :)

And one more picture from the zoo.  Some of the monkeys hang out by the trash and wait to scam on people's leftovers.  You have to watch out because they are little pickpockets. ;)

 

We spent the weekend soaking in as much of Taiwan as we could and we're looking forward to the week ahead which includes birth-family meetings, our AIT appointment, and a few other fun adventures!

Gotcha Day!



We Made It!!

We had a long layover in LAX, but eventually we saw our plane arrive.  We took Caysen for one last walk through the boarding area and then we hopped on the plane.

 

Caysen did so well!  We put him in the bassinet after dinner (about two hours into the flight) and he slept...for 10 hours!!  When he woke up, we only had two hours to go and he did great!  Lance and I were both able to get sleep too.  Seriously, we could not have asked for it to go any better!

After landing, we made our way through customs, picked up our bags, and found our hotel representative waiting to take us to the shuttle.  I don't know what it is about the Novotel, but we've been upgraded both times we have stayed here.  We ended up in a premium executive suite!  Caysen was pretty excited when we got to our room!!

We managed to get a few hours of sleep and now we will get showered and ready to catch the train so we can finally meet our sweet Beckett!!  In fact, we need to be downstairs to catch our shuttle to the train station in about two hours so I better get to it!  Next up: Beckett in our arms!!!!



We're On Our Way

We made it to LA!  Two flights down, one really long one to go!!

Caysen has been such a good traveler!  Our last leg, LA to Taipei, will be the most trying (yep, it's 14 hours), but we're really hoping he will sleep for a good chunk of the time since we leave LA in the evening. 

He's handsome. :)

He's handsome too!  Can't wait to meet my other handsome guy in less than 36 hours!!

Three

 Caysen, today you are three years old!  You have made so much progress over the past year and we are so proud of you!!

 Your favorite word is definitely "Mom" and you say it at least a hundred times a day.  I think you just like to say it because you know I will respond. every. time.  I sort of love it. :)

You eat like a big boy.  You are not picky and will generally eat whatever we put in front of you. 

You are still a peanut, but growing and gaining weight.  We'll take it!

 You love cars...riding in them, looking at them and saying "vroom vroom", pretending to start them with your keys, opening the trunk, and of course setting off the alarm.  Your favorite car is still Papa's red mustang.

Second to cars, you love books.  You love being read to the most, but you enjoy looking at the pictures too.

You also love to torture poor Zoey!  There is nothing more hilarious to you than chasing after her and grabbing her tail!

 You love your Dada!  You get so excited each day when he comes home from work.  When you are not saying "Mom", it is likely that you are saying, "Dada. Truck. Vroom Vroom."

You like to play outside.  You love to swing, slide, open and close the gate, and of course walk!!

Coming inside usually equals a temper tantrum before you get over it.

Just recently, you learned how to walk all by yourself.  We are still working on balance, but you have taken up to 60 steps at one time with no help!!!!

You sleep great at night.  You love your "kee" (blankey) and request it each night at bed time.  You make other requests before bed and most nights you fall asleep next to you cup (water), a book, a note pad, a snack, and who knows what else.  I think it might be a stalling tactic...but we humor you ;) 

You have recently started shaking your head "no" when you don't want to do something. I know you should get in trouble for it, but it's just so cute!

We love you so much and look forward to watching you continue to change and grow!

Happy Three Years

Sweet Baby Boy,
       I don't remember the day you were born.  I wish I could say I do, but  for me, it was just another day.  I don't have any pictures of you when you were brand new.  I didn't spend hours, days, weeks, and even months praying for a miracle while you lay in a hospital bed fighting to survive.  Even though I missed out on a lot, I am so thankful for the day you were brought into this world.  I am so thankful that your birth mama chose life for you.  I'm thankful that Jesus carried you and healed you and eventually placed you in the loving care of His Hands Taiwan.  I'm thankful that God led us to His Hands knowing that their ministry would be the link that would join us as a family.  You were several months old before God whispered your name into my heart.  Even though I didn't know much about you, I felt sure that you were the one God had chosen for us.  I asked your DaDa if he felt the same way, and he said yes!  I was so happy and also scared, but I knew that God had a beautiful plan and I was so ready for that plan to unfold.

I met you for the first time when you were about a month shy of one year.  It was an incredible moment that I will never forget.  I had waited so long to be a mama and then we found out that you were going to be our son!  What an exciting time!!  Still, we had to wait several months with only pictures until it was time to fly across the ocean and prepare to bring you home.  Meeting you and holding you for the first time is and will always be one of the very best moments of my entire life.

The day after your 1st birthday, we boarded a plane and brought you home.  That was two years ago and I love you more today than I ever could have imagined.  We've celebrated victories and struggled with challenges, but through it all, I remain ever grateful that God chose me to be your mama.  I love you sweet boy.  Happy Birthday!


                                                                                                        XOXO,
                                                                                                                Mom