Activities in Our Home...

Let's start of with the successes here:

Ryan is learning to read and write his letters. He hasn't shown much interest before now but he wants to learn. He has some incentive which is very personal to him so I won't disclose it here.

Katie wore underwear overnight over the weekend and didn't wet them. We are excited that we might be getting out of pull ups for her soon.

Bella is asking to go on the potty by saying poo poo. She is now peeing on it as well. It's not consistent but I know that with a little work on her part and my own maybe just maybe we possibly get her trained by 18 months. I'm not holding my breath but keep your fingers crossed that this will continue.

Now for what we're still working on:

Ryan and Katie are still learning what each letter sounds like.

Bella--well let's just say that mealtime can be messy if she self feeds. We've tried Butternut squash and now we're trying corn. So far so good with the lack of reactions (the only exception being her reaction to dairy). We haven't tried tomato product yet with her along with a few other things like zucchini, summer squash, broccoli, cauliflower, and meats like ham and fish. We don't eat beef here for various reasons so none of the kids have tried it or tofu.

She still prefers the bottle from time to time so we are working on it. She doesn't like the original organic enriched rice milk so when we are done with the one we are working on, we are switching her over to the vanilla flavored organic enriched rice milk. Perhaps it'll be a flavor she likes.

Well today I going to make jook and make a chicken dish in the crockpot.

Back to working on writing letters on our doodle pros and potty training!!

~Jen

KAAN Conference 2008

Geesh when did the kids get on here????

Anyway I wanted to post to you all that have adopted kids from Korea that the KAAN Conference 2008 looks like it will be wonderful this year. I know...I'm doing another shameless plug for another excellent organization!! I would advise anybody reading this that was thinking of attending to sign up and attend. You will not regret it!!!

Jeff and I went last year to the one in Boston. It was our first conference and I know it won't be our last. We were able to chat with adult adoptees, social workers, parents to adult adoptees, parents to young adoptees, and if I remember right even grandparents. We learned SO much from this conference.

This year's conference is in Chicago. KAAN 2008 Conference Schedule looks like it's a good one. For those of you attending, I would recommend the More Than Just Love - A Dad's Transcultural Adoption Story and An Interactive Discussion Among Adult Adoptees and Parents. Both of these were very good last year and I learned alot from them. I also attended every session I could on First Moms and learned so much from Claud who spoke at last year's KAAN conference.

From this year's conference, I would recommend the session on Adoption Ethics and Social Justice - The Need to Mobilize our Community into Action (goes along with the posting from Third Mom) and the session on Meeting a Korean Birthmother. Both look to be excellent sessions.

So please consider attending the conference. It is a life changing experience.

~Jen

Camp Mujigae 2008

Mommy just got word that the camp registration is now up at their website (see Camp Mujigae). She has already printed out the paperwork and started filling it out. We are heading to camp this year with Mommy volunteering with the Rising Stars group. She is singing a Korean song or two to the campers.

We're not sure if only one of us will be with her in the Rising Stars group or if there will be two joining her. Unfortunately she won't have both of her singers with her for the song or songs.

If you have adopted from Korea, please consider bringing your kids to a Korean cultural camp. It'll do them the world of good to learn about their culture, to eat Korean food, to make Korean friends, and for them to learn that you love them enough to care.

~Ryan, Katie and Bella

Changes...

Sometimes change is for the good. Sometimes it's for the bad. And then there are other times when you're in the middle of it that you just don't know which one it is. There are many changes happening here in our home. Some of them are for the good...Bella going on the potty, Katie working on overnight potty training, Ryan and Katie singing London Bridges in Korean here at home to my parents, and more. Some of them aren't so good...Bella trying to feed herself (messy messy messy), Katie trying to carry Bella off of a toddler chair, and Ryan learning that he can ask Mommy the question why when I ask him to pick up his toys or that he can't have snack so close to dinner time and more.

As for those that you aren't sure if it's good or bad...we haven't come across those yet however Ryan did ask me why I didn't know how to sing more Korean songs to him and his sisters...all I could tell him was that I'm learning as fast as I can.

So for those of you reading this who have the romanized lyrics to Korean children's songs, send them my way. I'm trying to learn as many as I can.

~Jen

Our Bella is Growing Up!!

Bella yesterday morning went on the big kids potty!!! Our little girl, who is 13 months old, is already going on the potty. We did the happy potty dance here in our home yesterday morning. Okay we're silly but hey it made Bella really happy to see us dancing around and clapping and cheering for her.

Am I happy that we might be on our way to getting rid of the diapers and diaper changing here?? I miss having my little boy and my little girls but I'm so glad NOT about the prospect about not having to change another diaper again too!!

~Jen

Pictures of All of Our Children

Enjoy!!












~Jen

Pictures of Our Sister and her Tol

Here are a few of the pictures of Bella in her Hanbok on her birthday and of her Tol Celebration:























~Ryan and Katie