Court and a Holiday Tradition

Yesterday we had an appointment in court to begin the process to finalize Eli's adoption. It was a special day because we are eager to make this sweet boy legally ours forever! We used the same lawyer that we did for Joel's adoption, and things went very smoothly.



Joel couldn't believe how small the cars looked!

The judge gave each boy a beanie baby and a sucker.

After our appointment, we headed to the Arboretum to see their Enchanted Railroad. We've done this with Joel the last couple of years, and it was fun to have Eli there this year, too. He watched the trains intently and pointed at them a few times.

We're seeing this excited and happy look from Eli a lot lately!

 

After watching for awhile, we headed to our favorite Korean restaurant for lunch. This was the first time we've been out to eat as a family since bringing Eli home. Let's just say it may be awhile before we attempt that again. ;) Eli chowed down about three plates of food, and we enjoyed it, too. We can't get enough bulgogi, bibimbop, and mandu! Yum.

 

Celebrating the birth of Christ this season brings us much joy because of our two very special and amazing boys. We are beyond blessed and so grateful for them every single day.

Foster Family Package

 

We got the best package in the mail today! As soon as I saw that the box said "Korea Post" I couldn't wait to open it. We love having contact with Eli's foster family and anything that comes from Korea with love is so special to us. We were so thankful for all the care and gifts that were included! The boys had a great time opening it and seeing what was inside. We received some Pororo toys, Korean folk tale books in English, Cars toys, some very warm and stylish pants for both boys, a very nice winter coat, and some special toys that Eli liked to play with at his foster house. The most special things were the letters from the foster mother and brother that brought us to tears.  We are beyond grateful for their generosity and the love and care they showed Eli Taeho. They are truly a special and wonderful family.

 

 

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Six Weeks Home

Six weeks ago today, we arrived home as a family of four. In some ways I can't believe how quickly the time went, and in other ways it feels like forever. It's remarkable how far we've all come in that time, most of all Eli. He is a completely different child than he was when he first joined our family. We are seeing all sorts of smiles and laughs, interactions with us, lots of love for our dog, and a spark in his eyes that wasn't there before. He is a funny little guy and tries to make all of us, especially Joel, laugh. He'll make faces, or blow raspberries, or fall down on the ground on purpose, or play peek-a-boo. We're also seeing very positive language signs. In fact, he said Mama, and we are pretty certain he meant it. He walked up to me with his arms held out and said it. He also said Dada when Travis got home the other day. If those words were meaningful and not just babble, that is pretty amazing! He also repeats a lot of sounds, babbles, and is starting to understand many English words. All in all, he's doing great! Not to say that there aren't still challenges (sleep being one of them), but the positives far outweighs the negatives at this point.

I took some photos of Eli at the park to send out as an announcement. Some of them turned out really cute!

Here are some other recent photos.

We're thankful for what he has brought to our family so far and look forward to many more memories as a family of four.

Hanging Out

For the last four weeks, we've been trying to "cocoon" Eli. We want him to acclimate to life here, adjust to his new surroundings, and attach to his new family. He's doing really well and showing lots of good attachment signs, so we are slowly introducing him to friends, family, and church. We still don't want to overwhelm yet, so we're doing lots of just hanging out. The boys are getting better about playing without too much upset, but there is still plenty of fighting, wrestling, biting, and hitting. :) I think this is normal with boys, though, right??

Even though the weather has been chilly, we try to get outside every day, either in the back yard or the park. The park is usually deserted, which is a plus. Eli loves to climb and tries to keep up with Joel, which usually results in lots of falls and owies.

 Lots of time is spent inside playing, playing, and playing. Oh, and fighting. Did I mention that? Eli also loves cars and trains, so they are usually both zooming vehicles up and down the coffee table.

Life with two boys is very exhausting, but fun too! They are keeping us on our toes and making life interesting. :)

Four!

Today our sweet boy turned four years old! We decided to forgo a large party this year and celebrated with the four of us. Joel enjoyed lots of his favorite things today: cinnamon rolls, time at Nana and Papa's, a trip to his favorite family fun place, ice cream, and a few presents.

Every day with Joel is a gift from God, and we love celebrating these special days with him! Happy 4th birthday, Joel Allen Hwan! We love you more than words can say.

Trick or Treat!

We had a fun Halloween! Joel picked out his costume, and of course he chose Lightning McQueen, his favorite character. Eli was a little monkey.

We carved our pumpkins,

 did some trick-or-treating,

and enjoyed some cupcakes.

Happy Halloween!

Learning

Since Eli Taeho joined our family, we have been busy learning all about him! He's really a sweet little guy, and it's been fun to get to know him and his personality. Here are just a few of the things we've discovered about him.

He loves music! We play children's music (mostly Korean) almost all day and I'll frequently catch him "dancing", which consists of smiling and swaying from side to side.

He is a dainty little eater. When a little piece of food doesn't make it in his mouth, he uses his fist to push it in.

Speaking of food--he loves it and has a huge appetite. A normal breakfast for him is two scrambled eggs, a piece of fruit, and a container of yogurt. I made him some seaweed soup and he inhaled that. He pretty much loves anything with rice and seaweed, although he also loved his Cu!ver's chicken fingers and fries. :)

 
When we pick him up, he pats us on the back. LOVE this!

He loves dogs and won't leave our golden retriever alone. We're working very hard on teaching him how to be gentle.

He loves water, just like big brother. The two of them could splash and play in the tub all day! He also loves the sink faucets and tries to climb on the sink to turn them on. I have happy visions of the pool next summer with these two!

He really enjoys putting things away (not always where they belong!) and putting lids on things like water bottles. He also likes to fill containers up and then dump them out. 

Along with learning about him, we are also learning how to live as a family of four. We've had our ups and downs and the past week has certainly brought challenges for all of us. We're trying to focus on the positive and do our best. Thankfully, we've got some very supportive family and friends that are helping us through.  His foster family has been in our thoughts frequently, and we are praying that they find peace and know that Taeho is doing well.