Ten Months

Beckett, you are 10 months old!  You have been home with us for about a month and your little personality is coming out more every day!

You are 19 lbs. 4 oz. which puts you in the 21st percentile for weight.

You crawl and pull up to furniture and occasionally you stand independently. :)

You LOVE being held!  If you had it your way, I would never put you down!

You are a pretty good eater.  You've mostly only tried cereal, baby food, and yogurt, but we've given you a few nibbles of grown-up food here and there and you seem to like it!

You are a snuggle bug!  Love!! :)

You smile with your entire face!  It's pretty adorable!! :D

You mostly sleep through the night, but occasionally wake up and need help finding your paci and blanket.

On a daily basis, people tell me how beautiful you are...I agree. :)

We haven't heard any words yet, but you were primarily exposed to Chinese until about a month ago, so you could be forming complete sentences for all we know. ;)

You have a temper!  You can scream and bang your head like I've never seen!

You love following Caysen around and trying to do whatever he does. :)

You are a little bit shy, but as long as I'm nearby, you are usually ok.

You are in the 50th percentile for height!

You are loved by many!!

We look forward to continued bonding and getting to know you more over the next months and years!

 

 

 



Times Two

 I started to write a blog post about a week ago...it's probably a good thing I never finished.  I was in the midst of terrible jet-lag and child-refusing-to-sleep induced physical and emotional exhaustion.  I really didn't understand why anyone would choose to have two children.  I thought it a bit cruel that no one had warned us that having two children is exponentially more difficult than having only one! 

 

There was an incident that involved me trying to take a shower with two kiddos and a hubby back at work.  It ended with the shower curtain on the floor, a crying mama, and two crying boys.  I really wondered what I had gotten myself into.  I didn't know if life would ever be fun again.

 

Thankfully, the jet-lag began to ease and the child decided to sleep.  Our new routine was taking shape and things got a whole lot happier!  We still have a long way to go with bonding and attachment, and figuring out our new normal...but I can honestly say, life with two boys is pretty darn fun!   

First Loves

Toward the end of our time in Taiwan, Caysen got to see someone very special!  Suki loved on Caysen like he was her own and it was such a blessing to see them together again.  If I were to give Suki a title, I would call her Caysen's un-official foster mother.  I won't go into the details, but Suki and Caysen have a unique bond and I am so glad it worked out that we could meet up while we were in Taiwan.  I just love this picture of the two of them!  It says so much more than words can express!

Glimpse of Taiwan

A typical street view in Taiwan.

Lots of colorful signs and cartoon characters.

View of Kaohsiung from the zoo.

Scooters everywhere!  I liked the lady's hat. ;)

The Hats

 Our gifts from Beckett's birth parents:

Doesn't Lance look thrilled? ;)

 Only Caysen could pull off this look and make it cute!

They were very thoughtful to bring us gifts and I'm sure Beckett and Caysen will have fun with them in years to come!

Beckett's First Family

We were able to meet with Beckett's birth parents while we were in Taiwan.  They were so sweet and funny; what a blessing to be able to get to know them just a little bit.

They wanted to do something fun, not just sit in a restaurant and talk, so we decided to take them swimming.  It was their first swimming experience (swimming is not a common activity in Taiwan), but they seemed to have a good time.  After a little time in the pool, we hung out on the deck and exchanged gifts.  We asked questions and expressed our gratitude (all through a translator) and they did the same.  I am so thankful we got to meet them and I look forward to a continued relationship in the coming years.

AIT Approval

Our family of four (and Columbus) holding the packet containing Beckett's visa.

Our adoption was final before we headed to Taiwan, but we still had one last hurdle to jump, our AIT appointment.  AIT is the American embassy in Taiwan and they decide whether or not to issue Beckett's visa which permits him to enter the US.

We had a little bit of a scare at our appointment because they asked for a document that was sitting in a filing cabinet at home.  Thankfully, my parents were able to find the document and e-mail it within an hour.  As soon as AIT had the document, they issued Beckett's visa and put it in the mail.  We got the visa Thursday afternoon, just before we started our journey home on Friday! :)