Isaac's Nursery

Isaac's nursery is finished--about time, right? I actually was finishing up a few things on Wednesday, which was his travel day. Nothing like waiting till the last minute--but what else would you expect from me? ;o) I still might change a couple of things, but I am very pleased with how it turned out.

Isaac's room has an international theme, which fits his background--as well as a "For God so loved the world theme," which I pray will fit his eternal heritage as well. I love this because, well, it's John 3:16. But not only that ... it is perfect in so many ways. For God so loved the world ... that He gave his one and only son ... that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. This verse is from the Gospel of John--the book and apostle for which Isaac is named. You see, his given Korean name (which we are keeping as his middle name) is Yo-han, which is "John" in Korean. His referral paperwork indicated that he was named for the "book of John" in the Bible.


I love the wall decal, which I ordered from etsy. (It is one of those that you cannot move once you place it on the wall. Otherwise, I would probably change the position just a little, but it's OK as is.)


His quilt I also ordered from etsy. It features the Korean alphabet. The globe pillow is from Orvis. Too bad Isaac does not enjoy being in his crib. At all. ;o) He has been sleeping in our bed with us, which is just fine for now.


Above the crib is John 3:16 in Korean. I looked for a "For God so loved the world ..." wall decal and considered doing a custom order when I couldn't find what I had in mind. However, when I saw this online, I thought I could work with it (not to mention, I was running out of time because Isaac's travel call came sooner than expected). I printed out the verse and mounted it on scrapbook paper I already had. (See Seoul there on the bottom?) I thought about framing the verse in a photo frame but worried that it might fall off and hit Isaac on the head while he was in his crib, so I just stuck it right on the wall. (Side note: I apparently didn't worry about this with Kate, as she had wooden letters spelling her name hanging above her crib. I am not sure why I have this new concern, but I digress ...)


To the left of the crib is this side table, which used to be in our living room. Inside are PJs, socks, blankets, etc. The city magnet board is from Pottery Barn Kids, as is the lamp shade. The black lamp was used in Kate's nursery--it is a white lamp painted black by Aunt Robin. The metal cross is a special gift from family friends. There is at least one cross on every wall in Isaac's room.


Going clockwise around the room, here is the wall with windows. The shelf above them was already there, and I love how the London skyline decals turned out!


It's hard to get a good photo of this, so I apologize for the picture quality. Anyway, I got the London skyline decals on clearance at Target for $3-something! (BTW, these are the kind that you can reposition, which is a good thing because I put them up all by myself. LOL!) Isaac's birth father is from Europe, so the nod to London isn't just by happenstance. I love the urban look as well. The skyline features crosses in it also.


Another view. Also on the shelf are some ABC blocks from Hallmark, wooden Korean bride and groom figures, some wooden animals and a wooden taxi. I went shopping around our house and in our play room for things to display. I spent a long time trying things out on the shelf and switching things around--which I still might do some more. hahaha


In the corner across from the crib is a little reading nook with a few small toys. And here is the next wall--the closet with a cross above it as well as the time-zone clocks.


Another view


The cross I bought at a Christian bookstore in Johnson City when my sister Cindy was visiting from Spain. Love it!


The clocks are from Target--I really like the look of the clocks, and seeing the current time in these three cities is neat. I couldn't decide how to label the three times/countries I wanted to highlight, but eventually settled on printing out flags. I may re-do this; we'll see. This also was finished up on Wednesday as Isaac was making his way to us. Sorry for the photo quality.


Next up ... the diaper changing area/dresser. The globe I bought at Target in the back-to-school area. It already has fallen on the floor during a diaper-changing session. LOL! Good thing it's not heavy.


Another view. The canvas features the alphabet, international-style. Love the colors and the concept. I suppose between this and the quilt (not to mention the ABC blocks) ... we could have another sub-theme going. Yes, I am crazy. Yes, I am over-thinking this. hahahahaa


Jesus loves Isaac. And we do, too.


Hanging above the door to Isaac's room is a blue cross from Aunt Robin that reads: "A baby boy sent from up above is truly blessed with all God's love."

We hope Isaac enjoys his room as much as we enjoyed putting it together for him. When I was working on it, I would sit in there and think of him, wondering what he was doing on the other side of the world. It's hard to believe he is here now. We are so blessed. And thankful.

New Blog Post

http://tannathemanna.blogspot.com/

I will try to update the blog soon, but in the meantime ... Tanna updated his yesterday. :o)

Here is what he shared:

THURSDAY, JULY 29, 2010

adoption

Our little Isaac has finally made it home after a 20+ hour day of travel. He and Karen are both asleep on our bed and Kate's supposed to be asleep but is reading books out loud. But at least she's in bed ... except when she's getting out to get more books. With what will likely be a rare window of semi-stillness in the days ahead, I decided to post a few thoughts. Nothing better to do that with than a glass of scotch in hand, my way of celebrating Isaac's arrival. I should be trying to catch up on my own sleep but oh well.

The whole experience is surreal. I keep asking myself, "What in the world just happened? Someone went and dropped us off a kid!" Our family instantly grew by 33%. It's even more odd that we have this 10 1/2 month-old on our hands and we don't really know much about him. Sure, we got well-baby reports over the past few months but his habits, mannerisms, daily activities, likes and dislikes we have to discover on our own and we have a lot to catch up on! They do send some info with him about naps, meals, etc. but that can only help so much.

I don't think I have the time to go into the whole adoption idea and philosophy, especially how it pertains to Korea, right now but I do plan on doing that in the future. Suffice it to say, as joyous as it was to see the escort bring him down the runway, there are of course many sad aspects to the adoption process. One I didn't think about much until a friend of mine recently asked what stuff will come with him. Essentially, it's not much--a small carry-on bag, half of it filled with toys and other gifts that we sent over to him while he was in Korea. It's sad that adoption even needs to exist, it's sad that he was born in a culture that makes it so hard for single, unwed mothers to raise a child alone and it's sad that this little boy traveled halfway around the world, seemingly with nothing to his name, his worldly possessions fitting inside a small carry-on. Such a stark contrast with the roadtrips we take where we have the trunk and most of the backseat full of stuff.

I say seemingly nothing to his name because the truth is he has a lot going for him. Most importantly, he has love--from us, the adoption agency, the foster families, the escort who brought him here, his biological mother who made such a difficult decision, and most importantly from his heavenly Father. He has an adoptive mother who would and will sacrifice her own life for his.

I posted this video on my fb.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zI3lXSOt3c
It's by MercyMe, one of the better bands to come out of CCM (contemporary "christian" music, another topic itself) in the past 10 years. I read all the comments, mostly on Karen's fb page, about the tears shed on hearing and seeing pictures of Isaac's arrival. So much emotion. And as touching those tears and kind words are, I think of how much sweeter our final reunion in heaven will be. It definitely fuels the fire of longing for that time and to have others share in that journey.

The other interesting, unexpected thing is how much bigger Kate seems all of a sudden. Not just in size, because as we all know, she is a giant, but it's like she aged 5 years instantly. She's a big sister now. You forget how dependent these little ones are. I call Kate a big baby all the time when she's whiney but she can feed herself, throw things away in the trash, count, solve some puzzles (sort of), talk, sing; all things that seem light years from where Isaac is. And she just turned 3! I can't imagine when they really grow up.

We decided on his name Isaac some time ago. After we pared down the list to a few names, I started taking a liking to Isaac but I kept Karen out of the loop until it was time to turn in the official papers. She kept bugging me for days but I just acted like I hadn't thought of it much. Cruel, I know. I like Isaac for several reason. In Hebrew, it means "he laughs," a reference to ol' Abe having a child so late in life and he found it pretty freakin' hilarious. Laughter is something that I feel describes our family well. Karen is probably the funniest woman I have ever met so Isaac will fit right in. Kate's a pretty funny little girl as well. Also, as far as other famous Isaacs are concerned, who can forget Isaac Newton? Hello, I invented calculus. I mean, who does that? So, Isaac has a good name pedigree. Don't let us down little man, you and Kate have to make it big so we can live off you in our old age.

Home

The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. --Psalm 126:3

Thoughts and Prayer Requests

Here we are, one day before Isaac's travel day. Our days have been very busy, and my thoughts have been very scattered. But this morning my thoughts are in Korea, where it already is Tuesday night. And that means Isaac's time with his foster family is drawing to a close. I can't help but think of this incredible family who has taken care of our son for the last several months. He is their first foster child, and I cannot imagine how difficult it will be for them--and for his foster mother, especially--to say goodbye. I get teary just thinking about it.

We would so appreciate prayers for Isaac's foster family as well as prayers for:

• Isaac as he travels tomorrow--please pray for safe travels, for health, for a transition that is as smooth as possible
• Isaac's adjustment--he will be taken away from everything and everyone he knows to live in a place that is very strange and unfamiliar to him with new faces, new sights, new smells, etc. Please pray for him as he grieves all that he has lost and adjusts to his new life here with us.
  
• Isaac's escort--please remember this woman as she travels tomorrow and cares for Isaac. They have a very long journey ahead of them.
  
• Us--we would be so grateful if you would pray for us as we learn to parent an adopted child who will be grieving as well as adjusting to a new environment. Also, please ask God to give us wisdom and patience as we learn to become parents to two.
• Kate--please pray for Kate as she becomes a big sister.
• Isaac's birth mother--as his first birthday approaches, I cannot imagine what she must be feeling. Please pray that God would guide her, comfort her and give her peace.
  

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR PRAYERS. We appreciate them more than you know. XOXO

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. --Philippians 4:6

The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. --James 5:16

Marathon Week of Fun!

Last week was a marathon week of fun! As I mentioned previously, I wanted to get out of the house and do fun stuff with Kate as much as possible before her baby brother arrives. And that is what we did--every day last week, we had an activity. On Monday, we hit the sprayground in Roswell. I did not realize that kids there aren't supposed to have outside toys (or cups)--I took this photo before we got called down. (Sorry about that, sprayground people. :o))


Here is Kate with Sarah Cate--two tall girls! Can you tell it was really bright out that day? I took three pictures like this one, and this was the best of the bunch.


Amelia showed up, too.


Holding hands ...


Katy Jo and Amelia soaking up some sun

_______


On Tuesday, we met some friends at the zoo.


First we met up with Jennifer, Evan and Liam ...


... and a little later, Helen and Grace met us for lunch.


Kate, Evan and Liam enjoying their suckers


Baby Grace is in the house!


This one cracks me up!


Getting the beloved panda stamp


Brothers--so sweet!

_______


On Wednesday, we headed north for a visit with Mrs. Amy, who had invited us up to her neighborhood pool a while back. (Although, for the record, I am not sure if "neighborhood" is the most accurate term for where Amy and Sam live. I don't know that I have ever seen such a large "neighborhood." It is like a mini city!)


After a tour of Amy and Sam's beautiful home, we were off to the pool!


Waving from the water


Check out the slide!


Having fun in the fountains! Kate had a blast at Mrs. Amy's pool--thank you so much for having us!

_______


Thursday morning, we were off to HippoHopp--Kate loves that place!


Jamie and Mrs. Diana were there, too! YAY!


These girls have so much fun together.


There is much fun to be had at HippoHopp!


Come back and see us!

_______


Our Friday-morning outing was to the children's museum. Kate didn't get to paint the last time we were there, so that was our first stop last week. The girl loves to paint, that's for sure!


We met Lee Anne and her grandmother (and little Sam, too).


Another Samantha with Mommy Donna :o)


The kiddos making some moon-sand memories


Cooking up some fun ...


Gone fishing!


Time to milk the cows ...


We saw some other friends, too! YAY!

What a full and fun week--so thankful for this time together!

Saying Goodbye to the Paci: One Week Later

What a big girl! Kate's first night without her paci was last Sunday (July 18). Looks like it was good timing, as our pediatrician suggested we get rid of the paci before baby brother comes. Little did we know ... just a few days after the "last day" we would get our travel call!

Anyway, we decided last Sunday would be the big day. We had been talking about it to Kate for a few days beforehand, so she wasn't blindsided. When the time came, we gathered up all the pacis we could find. (I found another one in my purse a few days later--LOL!) Tanna came up with this little ceremony. He had all of the pacis in front of Kate and told her that she could hold or suck on each one for five seconds. Then she had to put it in the bag he was holding. She really got into it, too, and we counted to five for each one before she placed them in the bag. Some of the pacis she put in her mouth, and others she just held or touched to her nose. (Kate liked to touch the end of a paci to her nose--I think this came from when the Gumdrop paci was so big on her face when she was a baby and part of it would actually touch her nose. When she got a little bigger, she would actually turn it vertically so that the end of it would touch her nose when it was in her mouth. Also, she liked to hold pacis in her hand and rub the tips of them with her thumb and/or finger. When Kate would sleep, she sometimes had a paci in her mouth and one in each hand.)

But back to last Sunday ... After we went through the pacis and they were all in the bag, Kate threw the bag in the trash. When you ask her where her pacis are, she will tell you that they are "in the trash!" (I later found out that Tanna got the bag out of the trash! LOL!) Anyway, there was some crying, of course, and I don't think she has taken an afternoon nap here at home since she gave up her pacis, but that is OK. She still asks for her pacis every day. And when we are out she is quick to point out other children who have pacis. But she has done pretty well, considering how bad her addiction was. (It was BAD!) The worst part has been the couple of times she has woken up in the night and didn't have anything to help her get back to sleep. That hasn't been very fun, but we've gotten through it.

That night, we read a little book about giving up the paci, and she slept in her new big-girl room (the above photo was taken that night at bedtime). We had been working on it for a few days, so it wasn't the first time she slept in the bed--but it was the first night with the new bedding and wall decor, etc. We continued to add a few things this last week. I will have to take some photos of the completed room soon.

Anyway, that's that! No more pacis for Kate! What a big girl! (We have no idea if Isaac takes a paci--guess we will find out soon enough. :o))