Baby Moon

Before we knew we would be getting a referral so soon, we decided to book a vacation. We debated canceling the trip when we got our referral; but for a number of reasons, we decided to go ahead with it. We won't be able to go get Caysen for at least a few months anyways, so this will help keep us busy in the mean time. This year will be our five year anniversary, and we also wanted to take one last trip while it's just the two of us. Our sweet friend's parents have a house in Puerto Rico, so we will get to take a trip there in just a few short weeks. We wouldn't be able to afford a big expensive vacation right now, but this works out perfect because all we had to pay for were the plane tickets and we'll need to buy some groceries when we get there. We are so ready for some warm weather (it's snowing here at this very moment) with the winter we've had! We've been to Puerto Rico once before, but just for a short time before we headed off on a cruise. This time, we will get to relax and enjoy the beautiful scenery and warm temps.

Lance and I have always agreed that our relationship is important, and we can't be very good parents if we don't make sure our marriage is a happy one. The dynamics of our relationship have already changed, and they will change even more when we bring Caysen home; but we hope to still be able to make time for eachother so our marriage can continue to be one full of joy. We are so excited for the new chapter we are beginning, we just don't want to forget about where it started :)

God, then family, then everything else; that's how it works best...

Is it possible to miss someone you've never met? I think it is...

"Cousins"

Our very good friends, David and Kalina are adopting a little girl from the same Ministry in Taiwan that we are. Leia should be coming home very soon, but in the mean time, Caysen is taking good care of her. We thought it would be fun to get pictures of Leia and Caysen together before they meet their Mom's and Dad's since they are practically going to be cousins :)

I think they like eachother ;)

So now I'm going to brag a little bit about Kalina. She has been an amazing friend to me for several years and I appreciate her so much. The adoption process isn't easy, but she has been there to help every step of the way (this is their 2nd adoption so they have become seasoned professionals). She has given up her personal time to help me research online, fill out confusing forms, and just to better understand the process. Some days, I feel like I must call her 20 times a day (at random hours) to talk adoption and I'm sure it must get old, but she's always so patient to listen and do what she can to help. Not only has she helped us in so many ways, but she has got an amazing heart for orphans and I know that she'll continue to do amazing things in the future. Love you Kalina, you really are a wonderful friend :)

Buttons has a nice ring to it...

Since we first met our little guy, we have known him only as Buttons. It's a pretty cute nickname, but I'm sure he won't think it's so cute if we're still calling him that when he's 16!!! So, for all those who have asked, we have decided to name him:

Caysen Ming Jia Kirk

Ming Jia is his given name in Taiwan and we decided we wanted to keep that since it is a part of him and we have actually had the name Caysen picked out for a while; we were just waiting for our baby to come along.

Earthquake in Taiwan

Please say a prayer for everyone in Taiwan. There was a 6.4 earthquake in the mountains near Kaohsiung which is where His Hands is located. From everything we've heard, it sounds like there weren't many injuries or deaths, but we haven't heard from anyone at His Hands so we don't know for sure...

I'll update when I know more.

UPDATE: Everyone at His Hands (staff, babies, and moms) is ok. Thanks for your prayers :)

Fun Stuff

This is the crib that we ordered about a month ago; it's still laying in pieces in the future nursery. I guess we better get to work :)

We got this glider in another color/pattern. I'm still nervous about whether or not I'll like it because it's hard to tell anything from those tiny swatches!

I did try to choose something versatile so that we can use it in our living room later on when we don't have a need for a nursery.

After lots of online research, I decided to go with this diaper bag. I found some other ones online that I liked, but I really wanted to be able to see it in person so I found this bag locally. There were several to compare from in the store, but this was my favorite. It's much cuter IRL.

I haven't posted an update on our adoption to do list for a while, so here it is:

Completed:

Applied with agency

Applied with His Hands Taiwan

Requested extra copies and birth and marriage certificates

Mailed copies of birth/marriage certificates to agency

Colorado Fingerprinting/Background check- We passed ;)

Child Proofed House

Made any changes to house necessary to be acceptable to social worker

Completed all 3 meetings with social worker

Completed Physicals/Medical tests

Completed 8 hour "With Eyes Wide Open" training

Completed 12 hour "CORE" training

Completed additional 5 hour training

Reviewed Completed Homestudy Report

Mailed Homestudy Signature Page to Agency

Received a Referral!!!

Created a Power of Attorney

Compiled Documents to be notarized and certified by Secretary of State

Mailed I600 A

More Stuff to do:

Federal Fingerprinting

First Aid/CPR/Infant Care class

Get Homestudy and other documents notarized and certified by Secretary of State

Complete I-171

Get Homestudy translated

Have Homestudy and other documents certified by TECO

Two Court Dates in Taiwan

GO GET OUR BABY!

So, our completed list keeps getting longer...but so does our "to do" list. Oh well, it will all be worth it when we bring him home.

Sweet Boy

I know you might be sick of picture posts, but I just can't get enough of this little guy and we were surprised with a slideshow in our inbox this morning so here are some of my favorites:

He looks like a little sumo wrestler with that belly sticking out ;)

Look at those chubby legs!!!