Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! Maggie (missing another tooth, but adding chocolate to her lips!) and JM are really enjoying the holidays. JM helped decorate the tree in typical 2 yr old boy fashion - by throwing some ornaments and using others as hockey sticks. He loves spotting Santa anywhere and everywhere. Maggie is showing JM the ropes. They are opening a few early presents, have decorated a gingerbread house, and have gone to see Santa. Maggie and JM both love the very, very colorful light display Keith has put together outside the house. Clark Griswold does live here!

JM had some minor surgery - tubes in his ears - this past Monday. He definitely is hearing better and his pronunciation has already improved. He'll begin some speech therapy and meetings with an early intervention teacher on Monday. Our contacts at early intervention think he'll do well and make quick progress.

Meanwhile, both he and Maggie continue to make us laugh. Both love to sing and dance around. JM and I have discovered a fondness for James Brown while car-dancing on the way to day care. He is too cute.

We hope you all have great holidays! I'll try to post more often!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's almost Turkey Day. Lots to do, but I think we're all very excited. JM, of course, doesn't know what to expect, but Maggie has already chosen her outfits (yes, plural) and created the seating chart. On Thanksgiving, JM will meet Aunt Michelle, Uncle Trevor and cousins Natalie and Noah for the first time - should be a great day. We'll also spend some time with Big Pappy and Uncle Mike. Then, on Friday, lots of fun with the Layman cousins!

JM is a happy and energetic little boy. He loves singing, playing outside and in the basement. He jumps and climbs on anything and throws everything. We'll need to work on the latter, but I have to say the kid has a good arm :)

On the developmental front, we think JM may have fluid behind his eardrums, so we're headed to the ENT in early December. We'll see what they recommend. We'll start a bit of speech therapy regardless of the diagnosis. He's picking up a lot of new words but having some trouble with pronunciation. This could all be related to the eardrums, so hopefully we'll have a plan of action soon.

Daycare is going well, though there are still tears at drop off. His teachers report he is doing well, likes to participate and blows kisses to them. He talks about his teachers often, which is comforting to us. He has also been getting up very early, so occasionally he doesn't quite make it to nap time.

Even though we still haven't eaten all of the Halloween Candy yet (see above - Maggie as Princess Fiona from Shrek and JM as Lion; from our trip to Dutch Wonderland with friend Shira and her daughter, Maya), it's on to pumkin pie. It's that time of year, right?

Wishing you all the Happiest Thanksgiving!

Amy, Keith, Maggie and JM

ps - Congratulations to Shira, Mark and Maya on their recent referral!



Back to Work and Halloween

JM has been transitioning to day care since my return to work. He still cries at drop off he is now getting used to the routine, enjoying the songs, circle time and playground and is becoming close with one teacher and a few of the kids (he speaks of "Will" quite a bit). Keith and Grandma are also back in day care/bus pick-up routines (thanks Grandma!). For my part, I'm enjoying work and adult conversation and am slowly getting over the guilt associated with drop off.

We've been having lots of fun recently - trips to the pumpkin patch (see the "corn box" below) and Halloween of course. JM has a major sweet tooth. Which reminds me I'll have to make that dentist appointment soon.

Maggie was Nanny McPhee and JM was a lion. He didn't master "Trick or treat" but he did roar and say thank you.

Keith is running the New York marathon next week so we're all headed to the city to cheer him on. Should be a good weekend.

That's all for now - Thanksgiving here we come!

~Amy

Is it October already?

I can't believe we are well into fall, and the weather is finally feeling like summer has passed. We've been very busy keeping up with JM (and keeping him active) so I haven't posted in a while.

In the past few weeks we've had playdates with Adam and Rhea, trips to the parks, cousin Elllie's birthday party, an overnight with our friends at the shore in NJ (thanks Mark, Shira and Maya!), lots of tricycle riding, trips to Longwood Gardens with cousin Mason and more. We're all a bit tired but doing well.

I'll just add a few photos here as we have to run to the store before Maggie comes home on the bus! Beach photos courtesy of the Vergauwens (thanks!).

Love,
Keith, Amy, Maggie and JM

Getting into the groove

JM and I have our weekday routine down now:

Approx. 6 am - Wake up
Much to early for mom. I attempt to cuddle with him in the darkness/quiet (Maggie is usually still asleep). Sometimes he falls asleep again, sometimes not. Sometimes we resort to Elmo's World.

Get Dressed, Teethbrushing with Maggie, head downstairs to see Lucy
JM loves to brush his teeth. I will catch him a few times a day trying to do so in the kids' bathroom.

Breakfast, the first
JM usually has a vanilla yogurt, 1 scrambled egg, a banana and milk; Maggie sticks with cereal and fruit

Here comes the bus
We then walk with Maggie down the street to the bus stop. This happens after I convince JM to bypass his tricycle in the garage and jump into the stroller.

A short walk
After we see Maggie off and wave bye bye, we do a short loop around the neighborhood, during which time JM points out flowers, trees (a new word) and airplanes. Luckily the weather has been clear and we live near a small airport, so there have been lots of sightings.

Finally, bike time
It's now about 9 am and JM rejoices as pull into the driveway and he can hope on his bike,  blow bubbles, play with the stomp rocket (thanks Aunt Michelle!) or attempt Maggie's old skateboard.

Out and about
If we're going to leave the house, we have to do so now. If not, we'll have nap issues if he sleeps in the car. We've had a playdate with our friend Adam, gone to the park, library, grocery store, Target and Pete's Produce and other fun mornings. If we're out of the house or at home, JM is surely having a snack, or Breakfast the 2nd.

Back home, then, yes, eating again
With any luck, JM hasn't fallen asleep in the car. We then play for a few minutes and then he'll have lunch. He does like to eat! Tuna, PBJ, or leftovers usually do the trick.

Naptime!
It's an early nap here. Around noon we head upstairs. Last week Maggie didn't have school one day, so I let the kids play downstairs while I cleaned up the lunch dishes. JM fell asleep in our kids' egg-shaped chair. It was 12:15.

When it's just the two of us, we head upstairs and I try to convince JM that napping is a good thing. After a few minutes he usually complies. If, at this point I haven't fallen asleep (this has been known to happen) I'll sneak out and attempt to do a few chores. Or watch something on the DVR (which also has been known to happen)

Let's play, MORE! Oh wait, I need a snack first.
After nap JM usually starts looking around the house for his sister and yells "Maggie" everywhere. I try to explain that Maggie is still at school. Lucy is his backup, and he is usually happy to hug her, pull on her ears, etc. Then he walks over to his high chair and asks for yet more food. Tonight he climbed into his highchair himself. I have to keep an eye on him all the time.

More play, if we're lucky, outside. Then we head back to the bus stop for Maggie. They are always very excited to see each other.

4 p.m. - Dad will be home soon!
And thank God for that. The kids play, and usually have (yes, I know) a snack when Maggie gets home. I try to give something healthy I promise!

Keith comes home between 4 and 4:30 p.m. these days. I think I'm the happiest to see him of all!

Well this is probably more than you wanted to know! JM is learning new words each day and is very energetic. We're working on the typical toddler stuff ("please", songs, not throwing food off the high chair, tantrums, etc.) and it's great.

I'll try to post more soon!

1 month anniversary!

We met JM on August 2, 2010 and signed the paperwork which allowed us to care for him on August 3, 2010. So much has happened in just one month!

In that month, Maggie has also started first grade at a new school and lost tooth number 4 (the first from the upper deck)!

JM gets very excited when we meet Maggie at the bus in the afternoons.

He also loves all things water - bathtubs, swimming pools, fountains, and puddles. He's also a huge fan of jumping off and climbing on many things, which keeps us on our toes for sure.

He is taking to a new bike of sorts (see video). He also likes the playground, backyard swingset and sandbox and taking walks in the neighborhood. JM frequently spots airplanes at a distance - his eyesight must be great.

JM is an eating machine - eggs, yogurt, raisins (now a favorite), breakfast bars, and peanut butter, peanut butter, peanut butter!

It's only been a month but it's hard to remember a time without him. We can't wait for you call to meet our JM.

Last moments of summer

 

We're enjoying the last few days before Maggie starts first grade on Monday. Maggie has lost another tooth, this one the first on the upper row. We visited Grandma and Grandpa's house and did a little swimming, climbed on everything at the local playground and took a short trip to Longwood Gardens. 

JM loves to watch Keith, our neighbors, park landscapers, etc mow the grass. So he was excited to play with a mower at our friend Adam's house and at Grandma and Grandpa's.

Maggie is ready for school - her friend Sophia is in her class and on her bus, so that's making the transition to the new school pretty smooth. She's excited to buy her lunch in the cafeteria and ride the big bus. More photos of the first day of school later this week.

Getting back in toddler shape

We're starting to get back into toddler shape here - it's been a while since we've had a two year old running around the house (and driveway, and yard, and playing with the dog, and exploring everything.) It's exhausting and wonderful. 

JM is picking up some new words each day and some new songs. Though he is picking up new foods even faster. Luckily we discovered cantaloupe to add to his love of all proteins.

Maggie starts 1st grade on Monday. She's excited and we're thrilled that she'll have something of her own soon. I'm sure she'll run off the bus each day to see James though - right now she can't get enough of him. We'll have to remind her of this devotion in a few years!

Swimming

JM is taking to the water! He even pours water on his own head and doesn't seem to mind it much in his eyes. Parent & Me Swimming lessons start in September!

Week 2

JM has now adjusted to our time zone (yahoo!). In the last week we survived two illnesses (James and Maggie) and one birthday party - a much delayed gymnastics party for Maggie. New foods JM likes: eggs, tuna salad, ice cream and peanut butter. He's not a fan of Cheerios or raisins.

JM also is liking Maggie's old bike. All he can do right now is sit on it, but that seems to be enough. From time to time he tries the big wheel also.

Thanks to everyone who provided hand me downs also - I think the shirt below was originally Ben Housely's.

More later!

Getting settled

JM had a stomach bug starting Sunday, but I'm happy to report he is feeling much better. We also had a good visit with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's International Adoption Health Program - a great resource in our area for adopting families.

Now that he's feeling better, we're trying to get on a better sleeping schedule. Sometimes Mommy is equated with the "mean sleep lady".

So far, JM likes chicken, rice, applesauce (new!), bananas, mangos, puffs snacks, milk, apple juice, chocolate, donuts, guacamole, pancakes and green beans, anything with buttons (remote control, phone, etc.), Maggie and Lucy. His first understandable sentence was "No, Lucy."

More later!

We're Home!

Hi everyone - just a quick note to say we are happy to be home!

We'll post more photos up soon, but just one for now.

More later.

Love,

Amy, Keith, Maggie and JM

Korea, part 2

We're back at the Seoul airport, waiting to board our flight to Los Angeles. JM did well on the 4 hour flight from Manila to Seoul; we'll see how the 11-12 hour flight to LAX goes - fingers crossed!

We'll try to post from LA.

Manila - official paperwork and some fun

Yesterday we went to ICAB, the Inter-Country Adoption Board, to get JM's passport, visa and other official documents. ICAB is also the group that approves a child's match with a family. Our assigned social worker from ICAB, Cathy, also presented James with a Philippines Flag, a special book about the country, and a toy jeepney. It was a nice moment.

Next we stopped at Pearl S Buck Philippines, to meet the rest of the staff and Rosalyn Reyes, the executive director, and to see their new offices. At PSBP, JM received a great tshirt and a book about the various child care agencies in PI. We are pretty sure he is pictured as an infant in the Rainbow Village page.

In the afternoon we had some fun at the Manila Ocean Park aquarium. It's a new facility near center city, the US embassy, etc on Manila Bay. It reminded us a lot of the New Jersey Aquarium, but just a bit smaller. In the evenings they have a light/fountain show and there are several restaurants and shops on site.

Manila Ocean Park did have one feature that the NJ Aquarium does not - the fish spa! If you ever get the chance, you have to try this.

For the first 5 minutes we laughed so hard we couldn't breath. But, we both agreed that the fish did a good job; they buffed and shined our feet just as well as a pedicure and much more efficiently.

We hit a lot of traffic on the way back to the hotel. JM feel asleep in the van, but then (of course) woke up at the hotel. We hit the mall last night for some fish and rice, a bit of shopping and just walking around.

Today we leave to start our journey home. First stop - Seoul. Then Los Angeles. We have a long layover there before a red eye to Philly. Our plan is to make the best of that layover: try to walk around, get some sunlight and begin to adjust to the new time. That's the best case scenario at least :)

We've had a great trip here in PI and plan to visit again with JM and Maggie. But we're ready to come home, see Maggie (miss you!) and Lucy, sleep in our own beds, and start JM getting acclimated to Pennsylvania, his (our) new life and family.

Thanks to everyone for your support. If we can we'll post updates from the airports. If not, we'll try to get something up Sunday or Monday.

Love,
Keith, Amy & JM (and soon Maggie!)

Hanging out in Dumaguete City with JM

Yesterday we spent the day exploring more of Dumaguete and the surrounding area.  The three of us headed out to a nearby swim park and enjoyed a quiet, if a bit rainy, morning together. Though JM does not seem to like the rain much, he did like dipping his feet in the water and watching the tropical birds at the park.

Afterwards we took a stroll down the bayside walkway and watched the fishermen come in for the day. Our guide, Rolly, then picked  us up and took us downtown to shop.  Here we took our first "trike" ride, much to Amy's dismay. Trikes - motorcycles fitted with a large framed sidecar, dominate Dumaguete's streets.  We were, however, notably safer than the many families that travel by motorcycle sans sidecar. We actually saw one family of five on one motorcycle today - the Dumaguete version of the SUV.

James Matthew is really adjusting to us well.  Though quiet, words are trickling out a bit at a time. Today he said both da-da and na-nay (mommy) while looking at our pictures - a nice moment.  We are looking forward to coming home and thank you for your supportive posts and emails!

JM Day 2 and touring Dumaguete

Dumaguete Belfry - This was used as a pirate warning signal

JM at Rainbow. He and his buddies would have made good pirates.

After an extremely sleepless night without JM, we anxiously arrived at Rainbow Village to reacquaint each other, meet James' caregivers ("Ya-yas"), and make things official before taking JM back with us.  Clearly JM and his buddies have been in the best of care.  Mike and Sheryl, the program directors and missionaries from California, have carved a tiny oasis for these children that makes the best of their situation.  We could not have asked for better people to have cared for JM!

Afterwards, we headed to the center of Dumaguete City to explore. Dumaguete City is now a thriving university town with a bustling marketplace.  We were happy to have Sheryl drive us around as there seems to be no driving rules in Dumaguete: no signs, lights, turn signals, etc. Just a constant stream of motorcycles with passenger sidecars navigating out of sheer instinct and pluck. We walked through the marketplace and checked out the local churches, one dating back to the original Spanish mission church that was originally built in the late 1700s. We found it somewhat interesting that the name "Dumaguete" derives from the local word for kidnapping, as the pirates off the coast would maraud the city and snatch people up.

We brought JM back (without having to resort to marauding) to the hotel and he is adjusting VERY well to his new parents. His caregivers were very clear that JM is one of the most easy-going kids they have had and he has definitely lived up to his reputation.  Though quiet and shy, he will explode into smiles when playing ball or with his new truck. Playing with a ball is his favorite activity and we were surprised by his ability to throw and kick the ball.

A good night

We're happy to report everyone slept well last night. It's around 6 am and we're just hanging out and slowly starting the day. We're also trying to see who draws the short straw on the dirty diaper.

Right now JM is lounging in bed, playing with his car, ball and stuffed panda bear. He is a true boy - seems to enjoy making ramps for the car with the back of a wooden puzzle, stacking and balancing things and kicking the ball (he's quite good, I must say).

Today we're headed a water park of sorts to play and have lunch. Then back to the hotel for naps (yeah!).

JM!

 

Today we met James Matthew - or JM as he is called by some of his caregivers. They tell us he is all boy and very sweet. JM loved the small orange truck we brought for him and Amy's iphone too. He ate an entire piece of chocolate cake while sitting on our laps, so his reputation as a good eater is holding up so far.

We visited with JM today and then had dinner with some of the staff in town. Tomorrow we'll return and then bring him to the hotel with us overnight. Before we leave on Thursday, we'll have a good bye party at the orphanage.

We are exhausted, so we'll keep this short for now. It was a great, great day.

~Keith and Amy

1st Day in Manila

Rolly - our contact here - actually lives 3 hours away from Manila. He has a small room in Manila that he uses during the week, but travels home to be with his family during the weekends. So, after he met us last night (11 pm flight) he drove home to be with his family.

Since he wasn't going to be around today, Rolly wasn't keen on us exploring much of Manila on our own. But we did go over to the shopping center across the street. It was very Western. Many more American restaurants (McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy's, Kenny Rogers Roasters, Dippin Dots and more). So, although we ate fast food, we did at eat the Filipino chain, Jolibee. Barbecue chicken and rice, pizza, etc. We also watched a youth scrabble tournament - the Luzon qualifying rounds for the World Youth Scrabble tournament - and did a little shopping.

Basically, we're just trying to stay awake today so we're not completely wiped out when we meet James.

Rolly will meet us tonight at 6 pm along with another Pearl S Buck staff member. We'll review our plans for tomorrow (the big day!) and probably have dinner. He'll also travel with us to Dumaguete City. We're very excited and a bit nervous for tomorrow.

More later, hopefully with some photos when we finish uploading them!

p.s. - it is very warm and humid here, but not as much as it's been in Pennsylvania lately.

in Manila

We made it to Manila! We're at the hotel; it's almost 1 am but of course we'll still awake. We saw our first jeepney on the way from the airport http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepney .

The hotel is nice, so we'll probably relax here and in the area tomorrow; just want to adjust to the time change. Meeting with our contact tomorrow night to go over the plans for Monday.

We'll post more later!

in Seoul

We're currently at the Seoul airport, waiting for our next - and last - flight of the day to Manila. We started by heading to the Philadelphia airport at 4:30 am ET on Friday, July 30. Philly - San Francisco, then San Francisco to Seoul. The last flight was almost 12 hours - a bit much but everything turned out ok.

Our agency's representative, Rolly, in Manila will meet us at the airport. We'll have Sunday to adjust to the time and do a little bit of sight seeing. Then Monday afternoon we're off to Dumaguete City and to meet James. Rolly will be with us during this part of the trip also.

Hopefully the internet will cooperate on all parts of this trip and we'll continue to post here!

Tentative travel plans

We're tentatively scheduled to travel Friday, June 30 and return the following weekend. We will have firm plans by Wednesday.

Yahoo!

We'll post to this blog while we're away, assuming technology cooperates.

Thanks to everyone for your support!

Amy, Keith, Maggie and James

Quick Update

Hi everyone - just a quick update. The latest is that we're waiting for James Matthew's passport to be finalized. After this happens, our agency's rep can make his visa and visa medical appointments. When these dates are set we will have a better idea of when we travel.

Trying to be patient :)

Happy Birthday James Matthew!

Last Sunday, May 9th, James Matthew turned 2! His birthday was also Mother's Day, so it was extra special for me. We certainly thought of James often on the 9th, even starting the night before - "James is just getting up today, on his birthday!"... "I bet James is having cake now".  Maggie seemed to have fun imagining what he was doing. We think/hope he received our packages in time for his special day.

On Saturday we received our 1-600 approval, which means his paperwork is now at the National Visa Center. Tomorrow I will call the NVC to get his case number, which allows Pearl S Buck International's representative in the Philippines to schedule his visa medical other appointments.

We hope to travel sometime in June or early July!

Patience is a virtue

I'm a planner. Yes, I am starting preliminary research for our 2011 summer vacation. Ok, maybe I'm a bit of a control freak. So, I was a bit undone when trying to send James Matthew his first package from us.

Our agency and ICAB both encouraged us to prepare a photo album for our son, showing pictures of each of us, our house, his room, etc. James Matthew's caregivers will use the album to introduce us to him. Hopefully when we travel to see him, he may remember us from the photos.

But yikes - we didn't have his room ready! We were waiting for our referral to see if we were going to be blessed with a boy or a girl and how old the child would be before prepping the room. There was probably some self-preservation in our delay as well. The wait for James Matthew was hard. Walking by an empty child's room with no end in sight would have been harder.

So, during the week prior to Easter, I took some vacation time while Keith and Maggie were at home on spring break so we could work on his bedroom and get the photo album and his birthday gifts in the mail asap. On April 1st, after packing and repacking his package at least 3 times, I headed to the post office - a package in hand and a bundle of nerves. I almost broke down talking to the postman - I was stressed. 6-10 business days until delivery to our agency's office in the Philippines.

In the meantime, I ordered a larger, nicer photo album (the first package contained only a few photos) which I mailed about a week and 1/2 later.

Late one Saturday night we discovered that neither package had arrived in PI. On Sunday morning after church, we scrambled to Target and then to FedEx in an attempt to recreate package #1. After a brief meltdown on the phone with FedEx a week later, we were relieved to discover that package #3 had arrived to our contact in PI. Whew! The package would arrive to James Matthew in time!

The funny thing - ALL 3 packages arrived on the same day. Crazy!

Lesson learned - patience is a virtue. I think I need cede control a bit. I'll try to remember that. Now back to planning that vacation...

Cocooning

co-coon-ing  n.  Retreat into the seclusion of one's own home during leisure time, as for privacy or escape

We've spent months reading literature, watching DVDs and talking to fellow adoptive parents about attachment.  This is one of the most important aspects of adoption on which all adoptive parents should become educated.  We could bore you with all we've learned, the details about brain waves, neuro-development, the unspoken language between a child and his/her parents, but we will spare you the details.  Just know that it's important and that a better part of James' mental and emotional well being for the rest of his life depends on it.  At least, that's what the experts and years of research tell us so we're going to go with it.  

Attachment doesn't just happen.  As much as we might like to think so, James has not been waiting for us to come and get him.  As a matter of fact, he looks quite happy right now.  He's comfortable with his environment and the people that have been taking such good care of him for the better part of his life.  I doubt he's thinking that he can hardly wait to take 3 plane rides and spend nearly 24 hours, let alone the rest of his life, with people he's never met.  We'll sound, look and smell funny to him and he'll wonder where his "family" went.  We have to show him that he can trust us and that we are his last stop.  That we are his family.  He has to be secure in his relationship with us and learn that we are his parents.  He has to attach.  Here is where cocooning comes in.  

After we arrive home, we plan to cocoon for at least one week.  Just the two of us, Maggie and James.  No visitors, no outings, no parties. Just some very low key time for him to get used to everything that's new to him.  After approximately one week home, we'll gladly welcome visitors in very small numbers, but they will not be able to hold James at this time.  

By the fourth week, people will be able to hold James for short periods of time and we will be able to increase the holding time from there depending on his reaction to all of this.  All the while, we will be working on attachment exercises and activities. We'll be holding him and cuddling, feeding him if he'll let us, changing him, giving him any presents and, in general, meeting all of his needs for an undetermined period of time. We'll need to try this. We have nothing to lose, and he has everything to gain.      

A friend sent us a letter on an attachment that does a nice job of explaining attachment parenting to others.  We've customized it to James and thought we would share:

Dear Family and Friends, 

It's been great preparing for the arrival of our son. Yes, there has been paperwork and more paperwork (not always fun), but decorating James' room, preparing a photo album for him, buying a few clothes - and receiving fantastic hand-me-downs from friends - and talking with Maggie has brought us such hope and joy.

While all of these steps have been exciting and necessary, we have also learned that even more important is the emotional health of our new child.  In his short life, our son will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle.  While James may not consciously remember these events, research shows that infants and young children experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma.  

James has already experienced the loss of a birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers, a nurturing child care agency, as well as the sights, smells, and language of his birth country.  His world is about to turn upside down as he (hopefully) makes adjustments to his third set of caregivers and his first big sister. He will undoubtedly struggle once again with feeling safe and secure. He may lack the ability to trust that we will meet his needs, and our goal as his new parents is to assure him that we will.  We are prepared to meet James' emotional and physical needs so he learns that we will always take care of him and we will always keep him safe.  

The attachment process between a new baby and his or her biological parent(s) takes place over time.  Every infant is born with the ability to attach, and this attachment begins and continues to develop as the instinct within the baby’s brain is awakened and strengthened through baby/parent interaction.  In order to form a strong and healthy attachment, we will allow James to regress as needed so that he has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with us as his new parents, despite his chronological age.  Until he has learned that we are his parents, we will need to be his primary caretakers at all times.  While it may appear that we are spoiling him, we have been advised that it is best that we meet every cry and need quickly and consistently.  It is essential that we always hold him, feed him, and do all of the nurturing.  You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child.  We will follow James' lead and trust our instincts as his parents rather than worry about what society expects. 

We have all been waiting anxiously for James to arrive but he has not been waiting for us.  As a matter of fact, he has settled in quite nicely in his surroundings in the Philippines and has become quite comfortable with the caregivers by whom he is surrounded.  Once in our care, he may show his grief and confusion in many ways and we are prepared to help him through it and prove that we are a forever family and that this truly is his last stop.  We trust that as our family and friends you will help us to do what is best for James, and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding. 

Love,

Keith, Amy and Maggie

What happens now?

In a word, paperwork. Right now the immigration paperwork is being processed, first locally then in New Hampshire. We're waiting for some documents from ICAB. Keith and I have completed several documents, background checks and more on our end. Now on to insurance, wills, etc.

While we're waiting to travel, we've also prepped James' room - with just a few more items to go. Also reading and re-reading more on attachment, adopting toddlers and more. Additional info on attachment in the next posting.

Thanks to you all for your good wishes and support!

It's a boy!

This may be old news to some, but it's a boy! We got the call on March 9th and are so excited to welcome a wonderful boy who will be 2 in May into our family. We have so much to do - paperwork, preparing the room, photo album, and more - but we are thrilled each minute.

We hope to travel sometime this summer to bring him home!

Pacman Fever

While Keith heads to the Wrestling State Tournament this weekend, and as Villanova gets ready for NCAA post-season basketball play, I thought I'd write about the Philippines' favorite son as he prepares for his next boxing challenge.

Manny Pacquiao - or Pacman to his millions of fans - will defend his WBO welterweight title against Joshua Clottey this Saturday. The ultimate card, which might come next year, is Pacquiao v. Floyd Mayweather. If the fight comes together, it could be one of the highest purses in boxing history.

Pacman is undoubtedly the Philippines most famous athlete and probably one of its most famous citizens. In 2008 he served as the country's flag bearer during the Olympics opening ceremony in Beijing, even though he was not a competitor in the games themselves. He was listed at #57 in the 2009 Forbes Celebrity 100 - between Jim Carrey and Sarah Jessica Parker.

Also in 2009, he was a finalist in Time magazine's Top 100 list of influential people. Endorsed by Nike, Manny is also a frequent product pitchman, and sometime singer/actor. There is speculation that he will run for public office upon his retirement from boxing.

While I have heard of Pacman, I didn't understand the passion associated with his fans. That is until one of my coworkers, a native Filipino, kept asking me each day if I had seen the pre-fight press conferences of his last fight, the fight itself, the post-fight interviews, Hilary Clinton's prediction that Pacman would win, etc. He was so enthusiastic, and I found myself getting more excited just listening to him, so I started checking the internet for bout results and fan reaction.

Read more about Pacman at Manny's Official Site:
http://pacman.craveonline.com/

CNN.com

Just thought I'd share this nice feature from CNN.com. Certainly Filipinos have suffered more than their fare share of natural and man made disasters in 2010, but this article focuses on hope for the future.

Despite disasters, Filipinos upbeat, survey shows
read more...

Jeepneys

About Jeepneys
Very Colorful Public Transportation of the Philippines
(I hope we get to ride in one!)

I found the sites below describe them best:

"When American troops began to leave the Philippines at the end of World War II, hundreds of surplus jeeps were sold or given to local Filipinos. The Filipinos stripped down the jeeps to accommodate several passengers, added metal roofs for shade, and decorated the vehicles with vibrant colors and bright chrome hood ornaments.

The jeepney rapidly emerged as a popular and creative way to re-establish inexpensive public transportation, which had been virtually destroyed during World War II. Recognizing the widespread use of these vehicles, the Philippine government began to place restrictions on their use. Drivers now must have specialized licenses, regular routes, and reasonably fixed fares."
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeepney

"The undisputed King of the Philippine Roads is the jeepney. Since it first emerged after the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, it has become a fixture in roads all over the country so much so that it is now considered a symbol of national pride. Jeepneys are adorned with colorful designs that distinguish them from one another, with themes ranging from the serious to the outright silly, but all uniquely Filipino."
Source: Republic of Philippines Department of Tourism

Newer versions of the Jeepney are not repurposed vehicles and include air conditioning. Electrical Jeepneys are also hitting the streets of the Philippines. Read more...

Photo above courtesy of http://www.traveladventures.org/

Jollibee!

Jollibee is the McDonalds/KFC of the Philippines. The Jollibee mascot appears to be very popular with children! Jollibee restaurants can be found in several other countries. In the U.S., check out Jolibee's in California, Nevada and New York.

The menu consists of burgers, hot dogs and chicken, as well as noodle and rice dishes.

I don't think I'll be able to find much here (or at McDonalds) that is in sync with my new healthier eating plan. But I may have to try the Chickenjoy. According to the website, it's both "Crispylicious" and "Juicylicious". Who could resist?

Filipino Language

I've been trying to learn a few words in Tagalog (Ta-GA-Lug), which is the basis for Filipino, one of the 2 official languages of the Philippines. Thanks to translation books we received for Christmas and birthday presents, and with the help of a few Filipino colleagues and You Tube, I've been attempting to practice a bit.

While English is the other offical language, given the age we except for our child (0-36 months at referral) and depending on the Child Care Agency or Foster setting, he/she may not have been exposed to much English but may know a litte Tagalog. If our child lives on an island that speaks a different dialect, we'll at least have a few basics for our travel while in Manila.

We hope to learn a few basic words to help express our gratitude to our child's care givers and others who will be helping us while we are in the Philippines. A few words to start...

Please - the prefix Paki is attached to other words, so this varies

Thank you - Salamat po

Hello - Kamusta  (Ka-MOO-Sta)

Mom - Nanay, Nanang or Ina (mother)

Dad - Tatay

Sister - Ate (used for older sister)

Younger Brother or Sister - Kapatid

Magandang araw! - Beautiful day!

Mahal kita - I love you

Click here for more useful phrases.

As with the English language, there are many different ways to express the above. Some videos for your viewing pleasure, no tests, I promise!

Videos
Teach Your Kids to Count 1-10 in Tagalog/Filipino

Learning Tagalgo - Basic Phrases

Wikipedia on Tagalog: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagalog_language

Some of the many dialects can be found at: http://www.seasite.niu.edu/Tagalog/languages_and_dialects_in_the_ph.htm

About Pearl S. Buck

Hi everyone - no news on the referral front, so I thought I'd post a few links about Pearl S. Buck, the founder of Welcome House - our agency. She was a remarkable woman:

"Our founder was the first woman to win both the Nobel and Pulitzer Prizes. Upon her return to the United States after forty years in China, Ms. Buck dedicated her energy and resources to promoting tolerance, human rights and inter-cultural understanding, as well as fighting the impact that discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry can have particularly on the lives of children." from Pearl S. Buck International Website.

Additional info about Pearl S. Buck:

http://www.english.upenn.edu/Projects/Buck/
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1938/buck-bio.html

PSBI is comprised of Welcome House, Opportunity House (coordinates child sponsorship), and The Pearl S. Buck House. The grounds at PBSI are really quite beautiful. We are members, so if you ever would like to tour The Pearl S. Buck House, visit the gift shop or attend any of their events, please let me know!