Leaving Friday!!

I have kept my other blog up but have failed to inform those of you who may only check this one...

We are leaving on Friday to go to my parents house (8 hours away). On Saturday we will leave Evan with my parents and fly out of Denver. We will arrive in Vietnam on Monday morning (their time) and get to meet Ethan that day! The travel time itself is about 25 hours.

I can hardly wait to meet and hold my little Ethan Loc!! I will be updating this sight with pictures of the orphanage and other pictures of Ethan. but if you want all the details of the trip you'll have to check out my other blog, Beautiful Moments.

Pictures!

I have a friend who is in Vietnam at the moment. Today she sent us some pictures of Ethan! She said she has more she'll send when she gets home. This is what she had to say about him:

"...We went to the orphanage and I got to see him. He is so adorable!!! ...Tam Binh 1 is very nice and the caregivers clearly love the kids. He is being well taken care of until you and your husband can get here. He seemed so very sweet and looks really great...."

Thank you Gayla!

How cute. He's a thum sucker!

I love this picture. Next to him is a little girl named Jenna (well, that will be her name soon). Her family is also waiting to travel. They have been waiting longer then us and probably will be waiting for a while due to problems with the paper work. Please keep them in your prayers.

Here we come Ethan!!

We got the call!!!!!! We are going to go to Vietnam in 2 weeks!! The CIS is making exceptions for families who travel before October 16th and our G&R (Giving and Receiving Ceremony--when Ethan becomes our officially in the eyes of Vietnam) is the 13th so we can still make it! We will be allowed to file our I-600 and get permission to bring Ethan back while in country. I'm really excited and have a TON to do. I can hardly type much less think so I'll post more later. For now we have to go to town and send our visa application! YEA! Thank you God!!

More Paper Work!

(For those who read both my blogs, this is the same post that I just posted on Beautiful Moments so you don't need to bother reading it unless you have way to much time on your hands!)

Well...we are getting very close to travel! I got a call today from the Vietnam Coordinator. The CIS (Citizenship and Immigration Services) has recently changed their policy in how they process they I-600 form (this is a petition to classify an orphan, in this case Ethan, as our immediate relative). For those who are already lost...it's ok. All that really means is that there is one form that must be filled out and approved BEFORE we go to Vietnam instead of WHILE we are there. The only concern is that we are very close to travel and we can't go until we get approved. The CIS has the right to investigate Ethan's case, if they wish, to determine that everything is legal and he is truly an orphan and this can take up to 60 days. But I'm hoping for a quick approval.

SO, with all that said, we will be working as fast as we can to get this in order. Nicky, the VN coordinator, thinks we'll be in the next group to get travel dates. If all goes well, and we get CIS approval quickly, we could be in Vietnam around the middle of November! Nothing is official but we are moving along!

Sick and Tired but Ready!!

I talk about it more on my other blog, Beautiful Moments, but I'm down with pneumonia. Our agency's update last week said they hoped to have more families traveling soon. Last time they said that several families got the "call" the next week. Well, our time is VERY close so I'm hoping for a call this week. Ha, wouldn't that be my luck, sick with pneumonia and trying to get ready! But on the other hand, I'm ready!!

Checking out the family!

We finally got pictures of Ethan with the monkey and album! Although I was hoping for some smiles, it is still so good to see him looking at the things we bought and made for him. It's cute to see him looking at Evan in several of these pictures. The little guy has know idea how much his life will change soon. Since we've yet to see any kind of smile I've wondered what Ethan is like and if he's a serious type. I can't wait to meet him! The update from our agency said they were hoping for more travel dates soon so maybe we'll get a call next week...I'm sorry, I'm really rambling. I'm still sick and the fever does this to me!

New Pictures

We got new pictures of Ethan a few days ago but I'm so sick I haven't had a chance to post them. He received the monkey and photo album we sent him but they aren't in the pictures. CHI said they'd try to get pictures of him with the gifts as soon as they can. I think it's amazing to think that he now has seen pictures of his family for the first time!

Here are a couple more pictures I thought were cute. Once again Ethan was hiding in the background of Caroline's pictures. They are a little on the dark side.

Kozy Moments...Baby Slings

Update: I just added one more sling to my site today.

When we first decided to adopt we thought we could do it without going into debt. However, because we accepted a child with special needs our time frame for raising the funds was cut in half. We are now, not only in debt for the first time, but also we are anticipating surgery for Ethan once he is home.


With that in mind, I have decided to start selling baby slings. These are great for those of you who are adopting (we were actually discussing them on the yahoo group a while back). They would also make great shower gifts. :) At this point I have only made one and I'm working on a second. As I finish them I'll post pictures on a new blog I have. I'm only going to start off with a few to see how well they sell. So if you are interested please click here on Kozy Moments or on the picture. Also, I would love it if you could spread the word. If they sell well I'll make more!

Still no smiles...but pictures none the less!

We have pictures...thank you Jessica! :)

He looks so deep in thought here

Ethan with his friend and the spoon again!!
Wow, he really looks different in this picture.

I can almost see what he'll look like when he's

a little older and his hair grows in!Big Bite!

A visit to Ethan

The wait to get our little man has been especially hard lately. We have now entered the time frame in which we could expect the "call". Although this would still be early it is not unrealistic.

One of my friends picked up her daughter yesterday and had the privilege of meeting Ethan. She took video and pictures which I'll post as soon as I get them. However, for now, this is what she said about him:

"...He is a sweetie, very strong, walks and runs great! When I went to his room he was having his lunch...When he was done, the nanny let me hold him, but he wanted nothing to do with me. I think he just wanted his mom. I told him you would be there very soon. He has a lot of friends there especially one little guy who I have a picture with. I want you to know in person his head does not look as big as in the pictures you have and his hair is growing in. he is very alert and active. I think it may have to do with the camera. in pictures the rooms seem big to me when in reality they are quite small. There are lots of playmates for him and lots of staff in his room who really dote on them..."

Thank you Jessica! Congratulations on your beautiful little Lily Jane!

Pictures

We got new pictures today! He looks a little sad. We went to the parent educational meeting with CHI in Kansas City yesterday and got to show off our referral for Ethan. It's a long drive (4.5 hours) so we probably won't go again until he's home.

What a sweet face

I love this picture of him with his

little tongue hanging out and his little elbow.

Two Years Old!

A little boy awakes to a fresh day. He opens his eyes and is ready to go with all the energy of a child just turned 2. Little does he know a young woman, soon to be his mommy, is half way around the world and dreaming of him as she falls asleep. Happy birthday son...

The child plays and runs through his day just like every other, probably never realizing this day is different. Some where, not to far from him there is another woman. Perhaps she too is dreaming of him. The boy she lost...two years ago.

If only she know how much we already love him.Now he has just fallen asleep and his mommy has just woken up. She is praying sweet dreams his way. Happy birthday son!

Bringing home Ethan...on tshirt at a time!

There is a little boy just waiting for us to come get him! I am ready to go...but our bank says differently.

So...I'm selling some t-shirts to help with a little of the cost. I get a percentage of every one sold so check out what I have! I have posted pictures of three of them and the rest can be viewed HERE.

Name Change

Well, up until yesterday I THOUGHT my sons name was Doan Phu Loc. The agency has been sending me a few updates with a slightly different spelling. Come to find out his real name is Doan Phuc Loc. Yes, Ph says "f"...yes, I like the first version better...no, please do not comment!! I'm now trying to find a way of pronouncing it slightly different (I'm not really sure of the correct pronunciation but I have a feeling) so it's a name he can share with pride and not get teased over.

On the plus side, I can now find it in the Vietnamese name books and it means "luck or blessing", same as Loc. I guess he's a double blessing. :)

Spoon!

Yesterday we recieved updates on Ethan's height and weight. He is now 22.55 lb and 33.7 inches tall. Since the end of May he's gained 3 pounds but has only grown half a cm! I wish I could get a head measurement but I'm afraid that will have to wait till he's home.


We also got pictures today! I had a feeling that he was losing his hair and now I think I'm right! He seems to be growing up before our eyes. It's amazing how his face has changed in the pictures during the last 3 months! I think these are about the happiest pictures we've seen of him, I love his look in the third one. We can't wait to bring him home! :)

"Spoon!"
"...see?"
"Look at me wave the spoon!"
"What do you think...am I cute?"

Surprise Apperance

I have had the privalage of meeting a couple of other families are also waiting to travel for their kids who are in the same room as Ethan. It has been fun to see Ethan pop up in a few of their pictures. Funny thing is it is always his back, the side of his body, or the top of his little bald head! One time I saw him hiding behind another kid. If you go to previous post you can see both Jenna and Caroline in some of the pictures I have. But here are a few of Ethan's cameos in Caroline's pictures (thanks Laura!). Oh, and notice how much this kid moves and is never in the same spot...no wonder he never gets his face in the picture. :)