A JOURNEY OF THE HEART

KINDERGARTEN

2010-09-11T15:51:00.002-04:00

So my little guy has started kindergarten. It is a bitter sweet moment for me. I feel like just yesterday we were walking off a plan from China holding my hand a sooooo unsure of what was going on around him. Now, he walked up to his teacher with his back pack on not holding my hand and very sure of himself. He turned around once, to give me a wave and walked into school.

I know I should be happy that he is adjusted and ready for this next chapter of his life and I am happy, but I want to hold on to just a little piece of that little shy boy who still needed me to make it o.k.

Next week he needs to start after care, I am already having aniexty of him walking out of school and not seeing me and having to go across the street to the after care program. I don't know how I am going to explain this to him.

Here are a few pictures of my little guy.

I'M BACK!!!!

2010-08-31T16:13:00.001-04:00

I have come to realize how important it is to document our family journey. Looking back at all my old post is so wonderful.......

Can't go back and make up for it but I can move forward and continue.....

CAMPING TRIP 2010

2010-08-31T16:12:00.000-04:00

2010-08-31T16:10:00.000-04:00

CAMPING TRIP 2010

Neglecting my Blog

2009-12-08T13:47:00.002-05:00

I've been a very bad blogger lately. I am going to try to maintain this site much better. Tonight I will upload pictures, I have so many that are not on here.

Tonight we are going to back cookies, I am going to try two new receipes I found on a fellow blogger site. Wish us luck, they seem easy enough.

Owen had his left ear tube replaced on Friday and happy to report he is doing well. No issues at all, we also both got our H1N1 vaccine over the weekend and no side effects so far, except for the occasional snort that I seem to make! LOL

More updates to follow, super busy at work but really wanting to get this back on track.

FEELING A LITTLE DOWN TODAY

2009-09-21T13:51:00.002-04:00

Maybe not just today, but for a few weeks now. I am not sure why it started but I have become very sad that Owen is going to be an only child and that I will not have anymore babies. I know that I am very lucky to have Owen and that should be enough but I am having so many emotions. I am sad that he will be an only child, I am sad that someday Bob and I won't be here and who will he have? I am sad that I will never again change diapers, have a first day of Pre K or first words. I am sad.

I know that not all siblings are close as they get older, my husband and his sister are perfect examples of this, they don't speak. But as a parent I would do whatever I could to be sure that they were close and that they understand that in the later years they are really going to need eachother. A better example is my sister and me. We are very different, have nothing in common and not sure if we weren't sisters that we would be friends, but she is my sister and we are friends and there wouldn't be anything that could make me not speak to her again. I am going to need that relationship later in my life. My son will not have this opportunity. That makes me sad.

Someone posted on another site a statement that made me a little angry today, she said "It's easy to become a mother but not easy to be a mother" I disagree, I spent 10 years, a lot of money, a lot of paperwork, a lot of tears and traveled half way around the world to be a mother, it was not easy. And because of that I won't be a mother to another child. So not any part of that was easy.

I know this feeling will pass, but for now I am going to allow myself to be sad for what I won't have but know that there is so much to be happy for what I have.

Grandma passed away!

2009-08-05T10:39:00.002-04:00

My grandma passed away this morning, she was 89 years old.

I have mixed emotions right now, she was sick, in pain and ready to go and for those reasons I am relieved for her that she will no longer have to endure that. But she was still my grandma and the only grandparent I ever knew. And although she had her ways, I loved her very much and I know that she loved me and truly loved my son.

So today, I remember a beautiful women who forever will be in my heart and know that she is happy with her daughter, my wonderful Aunt Marie and her husband, my grandfather who I unfortuantly never knew.

Good bye Grandma, we love you and already miss you!

OWEN HAS A CRUSH

2009-08-04T13:57:00.002-04:00

Owen has a new girlfriend, it's Cindy Bear from Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground. LOL

We've gone camping there twice, I each time he gets more and more excited about seeing Yogi, Cindy and Boo Boo.

I just LOVE seeing him smile.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POOKIE

2009-07-14T09:46:00.003-04:00

Today is Bob's 45th Birthday!!! I can't believe so much time has gone by!!

Happy Birthday to a GREAT husband and a FANTASTIC father!!! Owen and I love you SO MUCH!

Hugs!

MY DADDY

2009-07-13T14:38:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was my dad's 67th birthday! He has been through so much this past year, he fought prostate cancer, a bout of depression, and even panic attacks. None of which you would have ever expected to see my dad go through if you knew him. He is the rock of our family, the problem solver, the one person who could fix anything, yet we've found ourselves trying to fix him.

Owen loves his Papa, and Papa seriously loves Owen. I love to watch them together it is a special bond.

So, just when we think our superman has come out on top and has turned the corner we get more bad news. He has been complaining about a pain in his breast. We've all been taking it lightly but he really has pain and so he went to the doctor today.....He has to go for a mamorgram. Apparently there is a mass and they need to do more testing to see what it is. How could this be??? We have breast cancer in our family, my Aunt Marie died of breast cancer, my mom, sister and I go for our yearly mamorgrams to be proactive and catch anything early, but we NEVER thought that our father would have to be concerned about this.

I am sad, I just don't know how much one more man is suppose to endure? How much is one family suppose to endure?

I don't want my daddy to be sick anymore, I want my loving, free spirit, funny daddy back.

2009-06-27T20:52:00.002-04:00

I just can't seem to find the time that I used to for the blog. It's not from a lack of interest it's just that Owen consumes all of my time. Between Speech Therapy and OT Therapy, work, birthday parties, playdates, etc. I just can't keep up.

Owen has made so many milestones, we are fully potty trained, he speech is amazing it's clear and full sentances most of the time. He can now spell his name and write it all by himself, he knows all his shapes, colors, abc, and numbers. When you leave him he says I love you and i miss you, it's the sweetest thing. His favorite shows are WOW WOW WUZZBY, Backyardigans and the Wonder Pet's and still LOVES ELMO but we've crossed over to big boy interest now as well like Dinosaures, Monsters and Cars.

I can not believe that in 3 short months my little guy is going to be a BIG FOUR, and in September he is going to Pre-K. Is this really possible?? It feels like yesterday that we were waiting to travel and bring him home.

When Owen was placed in our hands he was a shy, quite, baby. He has transformed into a Outspoken, Friendly Boy. He has many friends in Daycare, when he arrives most kids are already there and they all call out to him "Owen's Here, YEAH" It's so cute to see and makes me very proud that my boy is popular, that even though he is still behind many of the kids at his age level he is able to keep up, make friends and be one of the crowd. That warms my heart.

This morning Bob and I had a conversation about Owen's birth mother, we talk about her often but this morning was a saddness of what she has lost, looking at him and knowing that when I look into his beautiful eyes I am really looking into the eyes of a women that I could never know, I could never say Thank you and more importantly let her know that her little boy, our little boy is doing wonderful, he is a well adjusted happy boy.

I am going to try my best to keep this blog more up to date!

Owens First Dentist appointment

2009-05-10T21:31:00.000-04:00

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY!

2009-05-10T21:26:00.002-04:00

Hope you all had a great mothers day!!! I certainly did, thanks to a wonderful women half a world away in China. THANK YOU, birth mother for giving me the honor of raising our son!!! You would be so proud of him!!!

The three of us spent the day getting ready for our first camping trip in our new pop up. Everytime I think we have everything we need to make another trip to walmart or target. And I still think we will get to the campground and be missing something.

I've been a little behind with posting and adding pictures, I blame this on Face Book, it has taken over my life. LOL

I've added a few pictures of Owen, I have a lot more to add and will in the next couple of days. I've finally figured out how to get the pictures of our camera and on to the laptop. This laptop is not as easy to download from.

I also wanted to say CONGRATUALTIONS to Joni, John and Sofia on their wonderful news of a 2nd daughter and a new sister!!! We are so happy for you!!

2009-05-10T21:21:00.000-04:00

HAPPY EASTER

2009-04-09T10:53:00.002-04:00

We are heading out of town for the holiday weekend, spending Easter with my parents in the Poconos. Tomorrow we will drive into the city and drop my car off at our adoption agency, we decided not to sell it but instead donate it to the agency so that something good can come from it. I figure my dad is helping us by giving us his truck we should pay it forward.

It's a great car, almost brand new on the inside and out. Bob and I took very good care of it and it holds many memories, it's the car that we drove Owen home in from the airport, that means a lot to me. That's why I couldn't see selling it to someone that might not appreciate that, but to know that our car will be used to transport babies to and from social worker visits, doctors appointments, etc. really makes it special.

From there we will drive up to PA and spend time with my family and I am sure have lots of Easter festivities! There will be egg painting, egg hunts and eating lots of candy I am sure!!!

Hope all my blogger buddies have a great holiday weekend!

MOMENTS LIKE THIS.....

2009-04-04T22:50:00.002-04:00

I am in bed on wireless and my little guy is sleeping soundly next to me, it is a moment like this that I realize just how complete my life is and how happy I am. Bob is working this weekend and won't be home until 11:30 p.m. me and Owen came up to bed and had our normal before bed time ritual...ice pops!! But before Owen finished his ice pop he was sleeping. So, I am letting him stay until Bob gets home and he can transfer him into his bed.

I am watching this perfect little person sleeping, little breaths of air coming out of his nose and can't help but stare at him, can't help but want to hold him and never let go. But more importantly it's moments like this that I can't help but think about the women half a world way and wonder what does she look like, does Owen have her eyes? her nose? Is it her that he gets his amazing personality? He is such a gentle caring soul, he had to have amazing birth parents.

I know that the life that Bob and I give him now is going to help make him the person he will grow up to be and every day Bob and I do our best to be sure he becomes a great man, a loving, caring man but his foundation is what started him on that path and his foundation is in China.

The love that I have for him is unmeasurable, the lengths I would go for him are unmeasurable and forever our hearts will be one.

Happy Friday!

2009-03-27T10:00:00.004-04:00

I am so happy that it's Friday! Life has been a little stressful the past month! I work for a hotel Company and we had lay off's a few weeks back. My very good friend and co-worker was one of the people let go. I am so sad to not have her working with me everyday! We still see eachother outside of work, she has a son about the same age as Owen and they really do love playing together! To say work is stressful right now is a BIG understatment, I am now the coordinator for five people and also have ALL of my own work that needs to be done. At the end of the day I am TIRED but need to keep going so that Owen has quality time with me!! Thankfully I am still off on Friday's, it's whats keeping me going!

On happy note, we booked our first family camping trip! We are going Upstate New York for Memorial Day weekend, we picked a Yogi Bear Campground because they have a lot of things for Owen to do and a great pool with a water play area. I am sure a fun time will be had by all!

My mom and dad bought a new truck so we are getting their old one! It's a Dodge Dakota Sport with the Club Cab, we are very excited this will make camping so much easier then trying to fit everything into a car. Now we have an entire back of the truck to fill up with camping neccesities! We are going to PA this weekend to spend sometime with my parents and to bring the truck home.

Here is Owen with the easter bunny!! He is just SO CUTE!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

2009-02-24T10:21:00.002-05:00

There hasn't been a whole lot to blog about lately. Life has pretty much fallen into a routine and that's o.k. with me. I like the norm.

This weekend I have my high school reunion, I went to an all girl catholic high school, my graduating class was 42 girls and I had been with the same group of girls for the entire four years. I suppose my dad thought I needed structure of an all girl Catholic high school, maybe he was right. I made a few good friends from high school, girls that I am still friends with today. My very good friend Heide has been in my life since I am 12 years old, we've shared many memories together, some really really good and some not so good. I am god mother to her daughter and really glad that our friendship was able to with stand the early years.

My mom and dad are coming down Saturday night and sleeping over so that they can watch Owen for us while I am at my reunion lunch on Sunday, Bob has a class that he must take in order to maintain his EMT instructor licence. I am very lucky to have such great parents that always make time for us and love to spend time with Owen, not sure what we would do without them.

Speaking of my parents, my dad is in his last full week of radiation treatment. THANK GOD he has made it through this with very little side effects, we've been so lucky. He has the rest of this week and three days next week and that is it. It's been scary to have this to deal with but we made it through as a family and he was never alone. How could he be alone with two daughters, a wife and two grandchildren that think the world parts for him.

Owen continues to be the perfect little boy, we really couldn't have asked for a better child. He obviously doesn't have our DNA, LOL He is such a kind caring boy, he wants everyone to be his friend and thinks the world is one big sunshine, I hope that never changes for him.

Random Thoughts

2009-02-03T09:29:00.003-05:00

It's been awhile since I've been on here with an updated. I've been more then consumed with facebook.

I have found so many old friends, mostly from high school but a few from grammer school. It has brought back so many great memories. We are having a mini high school reunion in March. I went to an all girl catholic high school, my graduating class was 42 girls and I was with the same class for all four years! So we really got to know eachother. I am looking forward to seeing everyone in person.

As for Owen he is doing great!!! Speech Therapy is going really well and so is Occupational Therpy. He is speaking so much and in full sentences. We have to watch everything we say! The other night watching super bowl I said Arizona sucks right out of his mouth came Mommy Arizona Sucks! I laughed at first but then realized it's not so cute. So we changed suck to stinks and now he walks around saying Arizona stinks! Certainly better.

Sunday was a year that Owen had his cleft palate repair, I can't believe it's a year! He is not the same boy he was then.

Here are a couple of highlights that I want to make sure I don't forget in years to come.....

When he takes a nap at daycare he takes his shoes and socks off and puts the socks on his feet and makes sock puppets, he sleeps with them on his hands and when he wakes up he looks at both hands and says "morning puppets"

He still loves ELMO but Thomas the train is a close second and may even bypass ELMO. He calls him Tommy. I think this is because my brother in laws name is Tommy.

He loves to share and when him and his daddy are eating snacks (donuts, cookies, etc.) he always brings me one and says "here mommy for you"

He now understands, mad, happy and yelling.

We are still working on the potty training, he does it at daycare and at home only if you keep reminding him to go, part of this is because I don't think Bob and I have been really strict about it, we probably should.

His favorite songs right now are wheels on the bus, itsy bitsy spider and twinkle twinkle little star, but when in the car loves to listen to Pink, Beyonce and many others.

He is a momma's boy but loves his daddy, and still very close with his Nana, Papa, RaRa and Matthew

When he goes to sleep at night he says a prayer and extra prayers for all his "peeps"

Everyday he continues to amaze me how one little boy can handle all that comes at him with such enthusism. His Speech Therapist said what makes Owen such a good learner is that he is so eager to learn, he want's to know everything.

I guess that's about it for now, I am sure I am leaving things out but I will update as I remember.

I have to get some new pictures off my camera and up on this site. Just not enough time for everything!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!

2009-01-26T09:23:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year to all our friends with little ones from Asia! We hope that the year of the OX brings much joy and happiness into your lives!!

I'VE BEEN INVADED

2009-01-20T09:52:00.002-05:00

By FaceBook!!! I had no interest in this a few weeks ago and even made fun of Bob for doing it. But must admited over the weekend I have become consumed by it and can't seem to stop! LOL

I've re-connected with old friends from High School which I haven't been in touch with in almsot 20 years!

So now the trick is to be able to find time to blog, facebook, work and be Owen's mommy! Somethings going to have to suffer a little.......WORK! LOL

A LOT OF HYPE OVER ONE PRODUCT

2009-01-13T12:42:00.002-05:00

Well, I finally got it!! The WII FIT!!! I have been trying since Thanksgiving. I don't know about other parts of the country but here in NYC it is HOT. I have a Nintendo store across the street from my office at Rockefeller Center and I couldn't get it, they were sold out.

Well, yesterday I went there with the hope that they would have the Wii Fit!! Of course they did not but the guy who worked there was very nice and said that they would be getting a shipment tomorrow! YEAH! Now the trick was to get there before they sold out. The store opens at 9:00 a.m. but I am sure the line would be forming much sooner then that. So, my very good friend and co-worker agreed that she would get there my 8:00 a.m. and wait in line until I got there at 9:00 a.m. (I drop Owen off at daycare and would have never made it there before 9:00 a.m) She was number 15 on the line. I got there just in time for the doors to open and there it was the WII FIT!! I am sure I heard the angels singing!! O.k. maybe not that extreme but pretty close!

I am very excited, I've been doing Weight Watchers but need the exercise.

FIRST POST OF 2009

2009-01-02T17:26:00.005-05:00

Can 2009 really be here? I feel like we just started 2008! Can Owen really be home more then a year already??? There was a time not too long ago that I truly doubted that this process would end with us really being a family, yet I have the greatest little gift running around my house and he calls me mommy!

Here are some highlights of 2008!

Owen received his cleft palate repair at Cornell Hospital in New York City
He started speech therapy in February 2008 and wasn't saying a word, today he speaks in sentences and clearly understand everything said to him
He had his first real birthday party and all his friends and family attended, he still gets excited every time we pass Funworks and yells "MY BIRTHDAY PARTY"
Owen was baptized Catholic and has two very special godparents, my sister RaRa and my cousin John
We had our first family vacation in the summer
We purchased a camper for many fun family vacations
He truly bonded with his nana and papa and in the past year has developed a relationship with them that will carry him through his life
My husband continues to amaze me with his unconditional love for our son and for me
Owen began he potty training phase, which is mastered as long as we are home, when out of the house we are working on
Owen will begin Pre-K in September 2009

Wow, what a year it could possibly be the best year of my life and I am looking forward to 2009 and all the milestones that Owen will reach.

In the coming year I have set some personal goals for myself, I started weight watchers in 2008 and have really made the commitment to finally win the weight battle for the last time in my life in 2009.

I am no longer going to allow myself to be disappointed by certain people in my life, I am going to further distance myself from them and allow myself to believe that I am better off with it that way.

I am going to appreciate every moment I have with Owen, because before I know it he will be all grown up and this special times will be gone.

I am going to tell the people that are most important in my life that I love them more often and that I appreciate everything that they do for me and for my family.

So I guess that's it, I have high expectations for 2009! These are a few of my favorites of us with Owen.

Hope everyone had a great new years eve and that 2009 brings much love and happiness and most of all that we can find peace in our world and in our lives.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR

2008-12-28T21:40:00.002-05:00

I'm a little late with the Christmas greeting, but as you can imagine the days following up to the big day were a little crazy.

Christmas eve Owen had to visit the doctor, he has a double ear infection. Thankfully we got him to the doctor and on antibiotics quickly and he was still able to enjoy Christmas day. We drove up to PA to spend Christmas with my parents, of course Owen had a wonderful time and Santa was very good to him, we had two very large garbage bags filled with toys plus the ones that didn't fit in the bags.....his play room is overflowing with toys.

Once again my mom did an outstanding job with all the cooking, how I managed to follow weight watchers while there is beyond me but I did manage to do it.

New Years Eve is going to be quite, our neighbors are coming over for dinner but other then that we will probably barely make it to midnight, I don't think we made it last year, we were all still trying to adjust to our new roles and sleeping was definitely the priority.

This is going to be another hectic week for all of us, so if I do not get to post again this week we wish all our family and friends a very happy, healthy New Year!!!

NANNY AND PAPA PARTY

2008-12-22T21:25:00.002-05:00

Saturday night Bob, Owen and I went to Bob's cousins house for a "Nanny and Papa Party"

His cousin Lee decided that he would have the entire family over for a traditional family dinner, apparently when they were younger Bob's family (his mother, father and sister) would have dinner with Lee's parents and his sisters and brother and both set's of grandparents. Unfortuantly both sets of parents are no longer alive so it was more of a honor their grandparents and have all the traditional food they would have for dinner.

It was alot of fun, and truthfully we never spend anytime with this side of the family which is very sad they are all such nice people.

As you will see from the pictures below all the cousins were there and Lee's parents and of course everyone's children. Owen got to meet all his cousins for the first time.

Missing from the party was Bob's parents who live in Arizona now and one other person, Bob's sister. You probably have not EVER heard me speak of her because as far as I am concerned he is an only child which is very unfortunate but reality. Bob has not spoken to his sister in 8 years, why you may ask?? We really have no idea which really does make it worse but we've spent way too much time trying to figure it out and just have come to the conclusion that it is what it is and you can't force someone to be a part of your life even if it is your sister. It was reassuring though to know that she has given up all of her family with the exception of her parents, not one person has received any correspondence from her in years!!! O.k., I've wasted too much of this blog on her so let's move on.

Back to the fun stuff, Owen had a great time. He ran around with everyone and was exhausted when it was all over, you know it was a success when we didn't even get off the block and he was sleeping.

Below are some pictures of the day and one of Bob as a baby with his parents.

A Fun time was had by all, and we truly thank Lee for inviting us and including us in his Nanny and Papa party!

BOB AS A INFANT WITH HIS MOTHER AND FATHER

2008-12-22T21:23:00.000-05:00

PICTURES FROM NANNY AND PAPA PARTY

2008-12-22T21:20:00.004-05:00

BIG NEWS IN OUR HOUSE!

2008-12-17T11:18:00.002-05:00

Owen is doing pee pee and poop on the potty!!!

We just started to begin the potty training on Friday, I decided since we were going to be home all weekend I would let him run around the house without the diaper on and hope for the best. Right away he would run to the potty when he had to pee, he did this all weekend. As long as he doesn't have a diaper on he will run to the bathroom and use his little bowl. We haven't gotten to the point were he will tell us that he has to go, I guess that is the next step. He hadn't gone in the potty for poop though he has always had a diaper on when he did that deed. Well, last night we are home and I hear him in the bathroom washing his hands, Bob went to investigate and he had gone poop in the potty and was trying to clean himself up, of course he made a VERY BIG mess, but who cares he POOP IN THE POTTY!!!!

This morning I wanted to put a pull up on him but he didn't want too, he kept telling me "no mommy I want that one" which he was pointing to his diaper. So, I guess the next step is getting him to wear pull ups and telling me when he has to go.......

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I am not trying to rush him I've always said that when he is ready that is when we will do this, but he definitely seems ready.

OH MY......CAN YOU SAY CUTE???

2008-12-09T11:07:00.002-05:00

I just LOVE this picture of my little guy....He looks all grown up which of course makes me a little sad.

OWEN GOES HORSE BACK RIDING

2008-11-29T08:28:00.002-05:00

This is so funny, he went for a pony ride at the fall festival but try to get him on a horse on the merry go round and the screaming starts.

He really did enjoy this, something we will definitely do again.

PUMPKIN PICKING

2008-11-29T08:16:00.001-05:00

OWENS 1st HALLOWEEN HOME!

2008-11-29T08:12:00.002-05:00

Leaving the house for his 1st. Trick or Treating adventure....Not sure who was more excited me and daddy or Owen! :)

2008-11-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

OWEN'S FAMILY DAY CAKE

2008-11-29T08:03:00.000-05:00

OWENS 3RD KIDDIE BIRTHDAY PARTY

2008-11-29T07:56:00.002-05:00

Scrambling for candy from the ELMO pinata!

2008-11-29T07:54:00.000-05:00

Making a wish!

2008-11-29T07:53:00.000-05:00

Kiddie Birthday party cake, of course it's ELMO.

2008-11-29T07:50:00.003-05:00

Here is a group picture from Owen's kiddie party, not all the kids are in this picture. The older crowd didn't want to be included in picture taking....

I guess being 9 it isn't cool to be with a bunch of 3 year olds, LOL

OWENS 3rd FAMILY BIRTHDAY PARTY

2008-11-29T07:48:00.002-05:00

Owen's gifts from his family birthday party, do you see the commom gift??? Yes, ELMO!

2008-11-29T07:46:00.001-05:00

My two favorite boys, Owen and my nephew Matthew.

2008-11-28T20:10:00.003-05:00

The gang at Owen's family birthday party

2008-11-28T19:38:00.004-05:00

This is Owen's birthday cake for our family party, my mom baked it to look like Elmo.

I think she did a really good job and so did Owen.

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR ON THIS THANKSGIVING DAY

2008-11-26T09:21:00.006-05:00

I noticed that my recent posts have been pretty negative and sounding down in the dumps so I have decided enough about that, we have so much to be thankful for and I want to share that....

1. I am so THANKFUL for Owen's birth mother - without her I wouldn't be a mommy to a wonderful child, she gave him life and I get to help him live it.

2. I am THANKFUL to the PEOPLES REPUBLIC OF CHINA for allowing us to come to their country and bring one of their children home.

3. I am THANKFUL for my husband, he is a wonderful father, a supportive husband and my best friend.

4. I am THANKFUL for my nephew Matthew, he made me know what it means to love a child unconditionally and with all your heart

5. I am THANKFUL for my sister, who allowed me the opportunity to be like a mother to Matthew, she knew how much I long to be a mommy and allowed me to have a big part in Matthew's life.

6. I am THANKFUL for my parents, they taught me how to be a great parent and are very supportive of everything I do.

7. I am THANKFUL that we have a home to live in, jobs to go to, and food to eat.

8. I am THANKFUL.................

HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK

2008-11-24T09:36:00.002-05:00

I can not believe it is the Monday before Thanksgiving??? Hasn't it really been almost four weeks since I posted to this blog??

So much has been going on and none of it good. It's been a rough month in our household. I broke my toe and had to have my toe nail removed, a had a minor fender bender (not even since no fenders were bent) but the guy that stopped short in front of me got out of his car screaming at me and calling me names that you only here at truck stops. When the police arrived and saw that we had NO damage, I was scared out of my mind and had my three year old son in the car they were not happy with him, they even warned him to stop or they were going to write him a ticket for road rage. Then we were shopping at a mall in Jersey and my entire pocket book was stolen from the baby's stroller. We hadn't even realized that they took it until we were at the car loading up our packages and I realized it was gone. By then they had 3 hours to use my credit card and wipe out our checking account using the debit/credit card. Finally, Owen has been sick with a respirtory infection. We went to visit my parents, when we left in the morning he was fine, he took a nap in the car and woke up as I was pulling into my parents driveway and sounded horrible. By night time he was having trouble breathing. I called the doctor she told me to give him a hot bath, over the counter cold medicine and if he wasn't better in the morning to bring him in. Well, 3:00 a.m. in the morning I woke up to him seriously having trouble to catch his breath. I packed up the car, woke up my parents and told them I was driving home to take him to the hospital. I called Bob and told him that I was on my way home. When I got home Bob and I went straight to the hospital. They almost admitted him but decided that he would probably do better at home as long as we gave him an nebulizer treatment every four hours and followed up with our peditrician, which of course we did. Long story is that he is much better today, but it's been over a week. He is still on antibotics and still getting the nebulizer treatment.

It's been a rough month.

FAMILY DAY

2008-10-29T19:11:00.004-04:00

Today is family day....the day Bob and I became a family. I look at our son today and can't believe how much he has change and how far he has come from the first time I saw him being held by his nanny at the Civil Affairs Office.

To say that Owen has completed my life wouldn't be enough. He has made me a better person, I had no idea how much my life was going to change on this day one year ago. I had no idea how one little person who started his life half a world away from me would fill my life with so much love and happiness. I had no idea just how much one person could love other person.

Becoming a mother has shown me what it means to wear your heart on the outside, every time I am not with him I leave my heart with him, he is my life.

I haven't figured out how to upload pictures with my new computer, I am challenged. I will hopefully figure it out soon and post pictures.

UPDATE AND OTHER THINGS

2008-10-16T11:32:00.002-04:00

Dad is doing o.k., he is home from the hospital and although not himself definitely on the right track. It has been a very scary 4 days and truthfully very overwhelming for me because he is such a strong support to our family and always the one that we go to in time of crisis but this time he needed the support in his time of crisis.

Our laptop decided to stop working over the weekend, we got that the dreaded blue screen. Thanks to my very generous mother and father in law we have a new one on order. They are giving us an early Christmas present and buying us a new laptop!!! Thank you so much Irene and Bob, we really do appreciate it! I think they decided on the laptop because without it they know that we can't upload pictures of their grandson and since they live in Arizona they need their fix of Owen through pictures! LOL

On a happy note, Owen's 3rd birthday party was a HUGE success!! All the kids had a great time and he got so many nice presents. We are so lucky to have so many people around us that love our son as much as everyone does.

As soon as a WONDERFUL NEW LAPTOP arrives the first thing I will be doing is posting pictures of the little guys birthday celebrations.

Thanks again for everyones concern regarding my dad, I truly value all the friendships that I have made along this journey and through this blog.

e mail down thanks for your e mails will update u by end of week

2008-10-13T18:25:00.002-04:00

WE GOT THE NEWS

2008-10-13T10:53:00.002-04:00

Not exactly what we were hoping to hear, Dad has 2 cancer spots in his prostate. They biopsy 13 different areas so the big picture is that it's good news since only 2 of the 13 spots showed up as cancer but still you do not want to hear about any.

The problem right now is that he still is not peeing on his own. The doctor took out the caththier but he doesn't have high hopes that this is the end of it. If he does not go to the bathroom by 3:30 p.m. they he needs to go back to the doctor and have it reinserted. This is VERY bad news, my dad is not handling this caththier situation very well and neither him or my mother have slept in three days.

Thank you once again for all the emails, please continue to think about us.

I NEED MY BLOGGER FRIENDS....

2008-10-10T15:04:00.002-04:00

I am feeling very sad right now and really need everyone to please keep us in your thoughts. My dad hasn't been feeling well since his biopsy last week but insisted he was o.k. and didn't need to go back to the doctor. Apparently, he is not o.k. he was sent to the ER last night with horrible pain, they needed to insert a catheter because his urine flow is not adequate and he has an infection. We still have no answers about his biopsy results, I really do not understand what is taking so long.

Right now all I really want to do is go be with him but tomorrow is Owen's kiddie party, so I need to stay home and prepare for that.

Please keep him in your thoughts and prayers, we could use all of them.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN!

2008-10-07T15:44:00.002-04:00

Today Owen turns the BIG THREE! We are preparing for our family party tonight, Nana and Papa are on they're way and Owen has been helping me prepare dinner, he really is a mommy's helper!

Today is definitely one of the best days of my life for me, I finally get to celebrate my son's birthday and we are giving it our all to make sure he has a special birthday.

I think it is equally important that we mention his birth family on this special day, without them we wouldn't have a reason to celebrate today. And while we are a half a world away celebrating there is a women out there that is mourning the lose of her son, not just any women but my son's birthday mother. When Owen blows out his candles tonight I am going to make a special wish of my own, I am going to wish that some how in China his birth mother will feel a sense of piece and in her heart know that our son is safe, happy and very much loved.

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY OWEN, MOMMY AND DADDY LOVE YOU SO MUCH!

RANDOM THOUGHTS

2008-10-06T10:21:00.002-04:00

Tomorrow is Owen's big THIRD birthday! I can not believe a year has gone by since I was preparing his birthday package to be shipped to the orphanage. Now I am preparing all the celebrations that we are having for our little guy.

This weekend was the first of many birthday cakes to come for the Prince, we were at my mom and dads house and sang Happy Birthday and he received his first round of gifts. Right now my sister is number one in the gift department according to Owen, she bought him the Little Tykes Scooter. He LOVES it. My nine year old nephew has the real thing and now Owen thinks he is a big boy like Matthew. When we sang happy birthday he was clapping and when we got to Happy Birthday to Owen, he yelled OWEN! Very cute.

Tomorrow is his actually birthday and we are having the "family" celebration. My parents, sister, nephew and very good friends Ken and Allan will be over for dinner and cake. Saturday is the kids party and right now we are up to 20 kids, YIKES! I did not realize my little guy is so popular. Everyone invited RSVP yes. I am happy about it though because I really wanted him to have a great birthday party and I am pretty sure it will be pretty great. After the kiddie party we are having another "family" dinner this time with my parents, sister, nephew and then Owen's godfather and his family.

Sunday is our annual pumpkin picking expedition. I am thinking by Sunday night I will want to crawl into bed and not come out! If only that was an option.

I will do a posting of all the birthday pictures at one time after the closing ceremonies on Sunday evening! :)

No update on my dad just yet, we are still waiting for the results of the biopsy, hopefully in the next day or two. He's in good spirits though and that counts for a lot.

Not sure how much I will be able to post in the coming days, hope everyone has a great week!

SOCIAL WORKER VISIT AND OTHER STUFF

2008-09-25T10:53:00.005-04:00

Wednesday Bob, Owen and I met with our social worker for the last "official"time. We had our one year follow up visit which is required by China, it is the last one that is required to complete the adoption process. It is so funny to me that we as adopted parents need to be followed for a year by a social worker when there are many parents that have biological children that walked out of a hospital and never need to be seen again! I can name several of these parents that need to be followed but aren't. Anyway, back to our visit.....We had a very nice visit with her and she could not believe how far Owen has come. He was being his adorable self as usual, this visit she really got to see his personality, our last visit was right after Owen's Cleft Palate Surgery and he was still not back to his normal. Bob and I both felt a little sad that that chapter of our adoption journey is over, our agency has been a HUGE part of our lives for the last three years, It is almost exactly three years that we started this process. Not sure if I ever mentioned that the day I wrote the check to our agency was the day that Owen was born, of course we had no idea that our son was being brought into the world just as we started preparing to be a family!!!

Of course we can still be very much involved with with them, they have functions through out the year and we do plan on attending as many of them as we can.

Saturday we go to pick up our camper, we are all very excited and can't wait to get it home. We have our first adventure already planned, we are going to Hershey Park and staying at their camp group for two nights and going to the Hershey Park Halloween Festivities. I am hoping a fun time will be had by all! My parents plan on meeting us at the RV store and perhaps look into buying a new camper themselves. They currently have one but are thinking of upgrading to a bigger one.

Sunday is the Annual Decorate the House for Fall/Halloween!! I LOVE this time of year!!! The weather is perfect, pumpkin picking and apple picking is so much fun and you get to wear all the great fall sweaters and jeans!!! Last year we decorated but we were still waiting to travel to China to pick up Owen and I was a little less in the spirit because I was really wanting to travel and meet the little guy.

Next week is a busy week for the McGrath's, Owen has two appointments one is for Early Intervention and the other is for the CPSE which is early intervention but for the 3 year and up crowed which is what he will be next month and my dad is going for his biopsy, can not wait for that to be over, still have fingers eyes and toes crossed that all comes out fine!!! By the way, thanks for the emails sent to me asking me about my dad, I do appreciate them!!

UPDATE ON MY DAD

2008-09-16T15:38:00.004-04:00

He needs to go for a biopsy on October 2nd, so we wait again. True to my dad's nature he is handling all this so well, of course the rest of us are not. He is such a wonderful man, the thought of him possibly being sick is just too much for me to bare. Owen needs him to be around for a very long time, he has so much to offer him and Owen loves his Papa. I've attached a couple of my favorite pictures of the two of them.

KEEP US IN YOUR THOUGHTS TODAY

2008-09-15T09:36:00.002-04:00

My daddy is going to a specialist today for some test, please keep us in your thoughts and prays that the news is good and he is going to be o.k.!

Thanks!

MANY FAMILY VACATIONS IN OUR FUTURE!

2008-09-14T13:44:00.003-04:00

We took a ride yesterday to upstate New York (about 3 hours away) to look at a light weight pop up trailer. Bob and I have always loved camping but hadn't done much of it. We both went camping with our parents when we were younger, we both love the outdoors and we wanted to share that with Owen.

We looked at this pop up about 2 years ago but decided to wait because we knew we would be traveling to China and had to save all our money for that trip but now that we are home and our family is complete we decided that now was the right time.

We were suppose to go to the RV show in Hershey, PA this weekend but the weather wasn't going to be very nice and my parents couldn't go with us and we usually go with them, so we decided instead to take the ride to see this pop up, boy are we glad we did. The salesman was very nice didn't try to up sell us in any way, definitely a plus in my book. We knew as soon as we looked at it that it was the pop up for us so we did the necessary paper work and we are the proud owners of a 2008 Livin Light Pop Up Trailer. I forgot the camera so I downloaded pictures from the website, but it is the exact pop up as the one we bought.

Unfortunately we won't get any use out of it this year but next year I know we will be spending many fun weekends in the open air making lasting family memories.

Remembering 9/11

2008-09-12T13:21:00.002-04:00

I am sorry I didn't post sooner, it has been a very busy few weeks in our house. I did not want to let this sad day go without remembrance.

Last year on 9/11 Bob and I were in lower Manhattan getting our finger prints taken again, it was a day of excitement for us because this would be the last time we would need to be fingerprinted for our adoption, we would be traveling to bring Owen home just a few short weeks later but it was also a day of sadness and overwhelming feeling of lose, it doesn't matter that it is 7 years later I still carry a feeling of sadness that I know will never be lifted.

This year was a little different then past 9/11 anniversaries, usually I watch all the ceremonies and news cast relating to this day. This year I did not, I felt that Owen is too young to understand and I know that I would not be able to watch without crying, I just didn't want to expose my son to that just yet. He gets very upset when I cry and will run over to me and wipe my face with his hand. So instead this year, I went to St. Patricks Cathedral said a pray had my moment of reflection and went on with my day.....being Owen's mom.

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY

2008-08-20T12:57:00.002-04:00

I was sitting in my office and the phone rang, the person on the other side said "I HAVE YOUR LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE" I almost past out. Finally, the piece of paper we had waited for 3 months to arrive from China had finally made it to us and it was confirmed, Fu Qiao Haung was our son, it was one of the last few pieces of paper that kept us from traveling to bring home our son!!!

I have so many great memories of this journey, and reflecting back on them brings a smile and tear to my face.

HOW FAR WE'VE COME....

2008-08-13T18:55:00.002-04:00

Owen is 34 months old, I can't believe that in 2 short months he will be 3 years old. We went to the diner tonight for dinner and talked about the night that we got our referral for him. After we left the agency Bob and I were so excited and realized after calling our family to let them know we hadn't eaten all day. So off to the diner we went around 8:30 p.m. We couldn't stop talking about our little boy, all the plans we had for him and how we couldn't wait to travel to China.

We've come so far since that night. Owen has been home for 9 months, his cleft palate repair was done in February, he's speaking in sentences, smiles all the time, loves to be held, give kisses and read books. His favorite activity is dancing and talks to everyone. His favorite toy is Elmo and takes him everywhere he goes, Elmo was his first word that he said clearly. Anyone that is around Owen loves him, he makes friends everywhere he goes and is always happy. He's been sleeping in his own bed since February and most nights sleeps through the night. He wakes up smiling and giggling, he will eat almost anything but his favorite meal is chicken mcnuggets and french fries, he also loves McDonalds Sweet Tea and ice cream.

Owen is a thinker, and loves toys that make him use his mind like puzzles and books. He is definitely a family kid who loves to spend time hanging with them. He is extremely close to my parents, his Nana and Papa and his cousin Matthew. When we get close to my parents house Owen will start reciting all the names of who he will see there, Nana, Papa, RaRa, Matthew and even Katie the dog. Papa is his favorite though, and will go up to him and give kisses just because Papa is there. He makes Nana beg for a kiss but that's because he knows she will and he thinks it's funny.

In July of 2007 we received an update on Owen's measurements and at that time he was 26 pounds, and 27 inches tall at his last doctors appointment last week Owen weighed 31 pounds and was almost 35 inches tall. He is growing so fast, and barely resembles the baby that we brought home 9 months ago.

I am very proud of my boy, I am not really sure what my life was before him but know that my life now is exactly what I want it to be and wake I up every morning thankful to be Owen's Mommy.

OWEN'S FAVORITE ACTIVITY

2008-08-05T09:00:00.002-04:00

Owen loves to dance, last weekend my girlfriend Amy and her son came to PA with me to visit my parents.

There was two 2 year olds in one house plus a 9 year old and a dog, you can only imagine what that weekend was like!

We had a great time, thank you so much mom and dad for having all of us.

OUR ALL AMERICAN BABY....

2008-08-05T08:58:00.001-04:00

Wrapped up in his red white and blue towel, he is soooooo American!!!! LOL

HAVING FUN AT NANA'S AND PAPA'S HOUSE

2008-08-05T08:53:00.002-04:00

My dad installed a swing in their garage for Owen, he loved it....I am not exactly sure why my mom put a rug under it, when I asked her she said to make it look nice. Mom, it's a garage!!!! lol

The big Elmo he is holding is yet another Elmo purchase from my mother, she know that he loves Elmo and every time we go there she has a new Elmo for him. Can you say spoiled???

HANGING OUT WITH DADDY

2008-08-05T08:51:00.000-04:00

THIS CUPCAKE IS YUMMY........

2008-08-05T08:49:00.000-04:00

CELEBRATING DADDY'S BIRTHDAY

2008-08-05T08:46:00.000-04:00

THANKS FOR ALL THE WELL WISHES

2008-07-29T08:02:00.003-04:00

Thanks to our friends and family that have been emailing and calling to check on our little guy! I am happy to report that Owen is BACK and making up for not eating for five days! LOL

Owen and I went to visit my parents on Saturday and Sunday, Bob had to work the whole weekend and I needed reinforcements with Owen by Friday I was exhausted. Owen started to eat on Saturday and by Sunday he was pretty much back to normal. I knew he wouldn't be able to resist Nana's cooking. Of course he had a great time and Nana and Papa spoiled him, I really get a kick out of him when he is with them. Sunday morning he stood outside Nana and Papa's bedroom yelling PAPA.......UP, how could he sleep through that!!LOL

I will post pictures when Owen takes his nap today.

FIGHTING THE COXSACKIE VIRUS!

2008-07-22T11:48:00.002-04:00

Owen has come down the with nasty coxsackie virus! We noticed a rash on him Sunday and by Monday it was looking worse and he wasn't eating or drinking all signs that Owen doesn't feel good. Bob took him to the doctor yesterday and she confirmed that he indeed has the virus and there really isn't much we can do for it but wait it out. She did give us a cream for the rash but other then that there is no anitbotic to take for it. Today he has soars on his mouth and a rash on his hands and feet and groin area.

I just hung up the phone with his cleft palate surgeon to be sure there isn't something we should be doing extra for him and he confirmed what our pediatrician stated and that was plenty of fluids, Tylneol ever four hours and rest, hopefully in three to five days he will be feeling better.

Last night was a LOOOOONG night and brought me right back to the days following Owen's surgery, the screaming all night, the moaning and the down right miserable. I had to just give him liquids through a syringe because swallowing is too painful for the little guy. It's very sad.

So, we've rearranged our schedules to make sure one of us in home with Owen this week yesterday was Bob today is me tommorrow it's Bob again and then Thursday and Friday me. I am really hoping by Friday he will be showing huge improvements.

We had a BBQ over the weekend and it was great, very hot but everyone had a great time. Once this crisis passes our house I will be sure to post pictures.

Send good wishes our way, we really need them.

MCGRATH FAMILY FIRST VACATION

2008-07-15T15:29:00.004-04:00

We were on vacation last week and had a great time, we spent 8 days in the Pocono's with my parents. And even after 8 days with Bob and me and our 2 1/2 year old son my parents didn't want us to leave, they must be very strong people! LOL

It was very relaxing and stress free, and staying at my parents house is like a bed a breakfast, you wake up in the morning to the smell of bacon cooking and when you go out for the day and come home your room is cleaned, the laundry is washed and folded and dinner is being made. Of course we played cards with my dad and you can't play without playing for money, even if it's only a $1.00, I think he does this to make up for all the food we eat.....we never seem to win! LOL

Our second family vacation will be in August when Bob and I are off for another week, so far the plan is to go back to PA but it might not be as much fun since my parents are planning on going camping that week and will not be home. Of course we could still go and spend the week at the house and do all our fun stuff but who's going to cook and clean for us????

Anywho, we had a great time and it really didn't matter what we did since all we wanted was to spend some quality time together.

Next year we are thinking CRUISE!!!

2008-07-15T15:24:00.003-04:00

Bob thought it would be a "fun" thing to go surfing at the flow rider attraction at camel beach.

Here he is getting assistance from the instructor.......

2008-07-15T15:23:00.003-04:00

and here he is immediatly following the instructor letting go of his hands...

I will give him so much credit for even trying it, there was a time when he would have wanted to do it but would never have actually done it. And from what I hear from his fans he got prettier good the longer he was there. Owen and I watch for a little bit but then went to the kiddie pool and floated around there....

I should also mention that there was a time when Bob wouldn't go near water, he was so scared of it. I finally couldn't take it anymore and forced him to allow me to teach him how to swim, once he learned there was no stopping him.

I am very proud of you pookie!!!

2008-07-15T15:19:00.000-04:00

CUTE FOR OWEN NOT SO CUTE FOR DADDY

2008-07-15T15:16:00.001-04:00

Owen thought this was so funny, and I was right there to take a picture

2008-07-15T15:14:00.001-04:00

We don't have many pictures of the three of us together, I'm usually taking the pictures.

2008-07-15T15:12:00.001-04:00

Owen thought it was hysterical that he fit into the dump truck.... He enjoyed that more then the pool.

2008-07-15T15:09:00.001-04:00

Papa loves his baby so much that he went into the pool with Owen fully dressed because Owen asked him too.

2008-07-15T15:05:00.002-04:00

Has anyone noticed that Owen is always wearing his "my mommy loves me" shirt??? I definitely have something to do with that!!!

FATHER AND SON

2008-07-15T14:59:00.000-04:00

THREE WORDS TO DESCRIBE ME......

2008-07-14T08:42:00.003-04:00

LOVE MY BOY!

I would hope that at the end of the day everything I do, everything that I say reflects that I love my son more then life it's self and because of him I want to be a better person.

My hope would be that when someone would describe me at the end of the sentence they would say "she loves her boy"

Kerri, sorry it took me so long to post this. We were on vacation all last week!!! I will post pictures soon!

2008-06-30T21:54:00.002-04:00

This is what happened when I left Owen in the care of my sister for 15 minutes....

I took her son Matthew on a water slide at Camel Beach and she was "watching" Owen in the kiddie pool. Apparently Owen decided to run out of the pool and his body went faster then his feet.

Of course we were off to First Aid when I arrived and saw he had a bump on his head and scratched up knees.

It's o.k. RaRa, Owen still loves you! :)

2008-06-30T20:50:00.001-04:00

Owen is taking a nap in the same position that my father takes naps.....

Papa is going to be very proud!

2008-06-30T20:42:00.002-04:00

The first picture was taken in China at the Zoo, the second is from last weekend at Camel Beach....Can you see the difference????

2008-06-30T20:40:00.001-04:00

Owen and Bob at Camel Beach, this was our first day there, Owen really doesn't know what to make of it all.

2008-06-30T20:35:00.002-04:00

Me and Owen at Camel Beach, Camel Beach is a water park in PA. In the winter it is Camel Back Ski Resort and in the summer they turn it into a water park.

Owen loves it there.

2008-06-30T20:30:00.002-04:00

Owen with his Uncle Tom (my sister husband) on Fathers Day....

2008-06-30T20:26:00.000-04:00

Owen coming in from the pool....I love this towel on the hood it says Owen.

2008-06-30T20:22:00.000-04:00

Owen and Matthew in the pool that we bought Owen for the yard....

A FEW OF MY FAVORITE PICTURES OF MY TWO FAVORITE BOYS!

2008-06-15T19:24:00.000-04:00

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!

2008-06-15T19:17:00.003-04:00

I want to wish my husband and best friend a very happy 1st. Fathers Day! I always knew Bob would be a wonderful father, he is very loving, very considerate and truly loves kids, that has been obvious the last nine years since my nephew has been in our lives. Bob and Matthew shared a strong bond pretty much from the start.

Now that Bob is a daddy of his own I love to watch him interact with Owen, he is so involved in his life, he would do anything to make his family happy, he is a hard worker and would do what ever it took for Owen and I to be taken care of.

My hope is that our son grows up to be the man that his father is and maybe even follow in his foot steps and share the passion of helping people, could we have a future paramedic in the making???

I am sure I do not tell him often enough how very important he is to me and how much I love him, I guess after 19 years together I figured he knows that but I should say it more often.....I love you Pookie, your son loves you and we think you are TERRIFIC!

SAD NEWS..............

2008-06-09T16:21:00.002-04:00

My heart is extra heavy right now, my very good blogger friend, Kerri from Bugs and Bows is losing her best friend and long time companion, her dog!

Like us, Keri and her family are animal lovers, her doggie is a member of the family!

What makes this even harder for me right now is that Saturday will be one year that we lost our furdaughter Bonnie. I still miss her everyday, I still cry remembering her. There is a part of my heart that will forever be Bonnie's and I will never be able to heal. I know for some that is very hard to understand and that's o.k. but for the rest of us the pain is sometimes to hard to handle.

Keri, I know what you are feeling, I know the overwhelming sadness that is going through your body right now, I also know that I can not say anything that will make this better so I won;'t try, I just want you to know that you are in our thoughts, prayers and we are wrapping our arms around you right now....I hope you can feel it!

DOUBLE CUTE....

2008-06-07T15:14:00.001-04:00

Owen and I went to my friends house for a play date, there son was adopted from Taiwan and turned one in April. It was very cute to see the two of them playing together, Owen had a great time with all the toys.

Hopefully we will be able to do it again soon!

DOES THIS MAKE MY BUTT LOOK BIG???

2008-06-07T15:11:00.001-04:00

He was not very happy with his new swim wear.

TWO OF MY FAVORITE BOYS

2008-06-07T15:09:00.001-04:00

Owen with my nephew Matthew, I finally got them out of the water and dried off.

JUST A LITTLE WET...

2008-06-07T15:06:00.001-04:00

Nana turned on the hose so that Owen could run through it, Owen couldn't wait until I put his swimming trunks to do this!

WHICH ONE IS THE STATUE???

2008-06-07T15:03:00.001-04:00

This is in front of Nana and Papa's house. Owen was soaked from the water fountain.

WERE DOES THE TIME GO.....

2008-06-07T14:55:00.002-04:00

I can't believe that I haven't blogged in weeks, I just don't know where the days go. You would think working three days a week I would be able to find time for everything but I just can't. When Owen goes to bed I am not far behind him.

Owen had his four month follow up with the surgeon on Wednesday and also a hearing test. On the last visit Owen still had some deficit in both ears but this time he is hearing perfectly out of both. He even was able to do the big boy test which included putting blocks in a bucket when hearing the noise. Dr. Ward said that Owen's mouth looks great and no problems there, he also said that Owen looks wonderful, healthy and happy. We will go back again in September for another check but for the most part the worse is behind Owen for now. Once he gets older around eight or nine we will need to start thinking about dental reconstruction, bonegraffing, etc. But we have time to worry about that.

This weekend is very busy for Owen, he has two birthday parties. Today he is going to Evans birthday party, a friend from daycare and then tomorrow is my girlfriend Amy's sons birthday party. By tomorrow night Owen should be all party out. I know mommy and daddy will be.

I am going to post some pictures, it's been awhile since I have done that.

Earthquake in China!

2008-05-15T18:35:00.002-04:00

I haven't posted anything about this because I really don't know what to say. It is a very sad situation and my heart hurts for all the people effect by it. So many deaths that it is too much to even think about. I am sure that there are families here that are waiting to travel to these provinces to bring their children home that now will not be able to travel, there children are in these effected areas and there is nothing they can do to help.

I know there are many orphanages that had serious damage and are without power or food.

I decided to make a posting about this because we received an email from our agency today and they have started a donation fund for all effected by this disaster they are partnering with Americares. Bob and I plan on making a contribution and hope that some of you will consider it as well. If you are interested in doing this please email me at phooket@aol.com and I will give you the information.

China and it's people will always have a very special place in our hearts, when their people hurt we hurt if we can even make a small difference then Bob and I feel that we need to do that.

Thanks

1ST. WEIGH IN....

2008-05-14T11:31:00.002-04:00

Well, it was a good week!! I managed to lose 5.8 pounds! I am very excited because it was Mother's Day Weekend and we did go out to eat and we spent the weekend with my parents, my mom's cooking is AWESOME! And she loves to bake. But I did it! And I am very happy of myself right now.

The new week begins and a new set of challenges begin. Saturday is my birthday and I will be in PA again with my family celebrating and Sunday is my nephew's birthday party. My mom always makes a big deal of birthdays, I have asked her to scale it down a bit and maybe make some "healthy choices" Wish me luck!

SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR

2008-05-12T13:52:00.004-04:00

First, HAPPY MOTHERS DAY to all the mommy's out there!! My first official mothers day was wonderful! Bob, Owen and I spent the weekend in PA with my mom. As always Owen had a great time there and didn't want to leave! For mothers day Owen gave me (o.k. with the help of daddy) a keychain that is a digital photo album so I can hold all my great photos of our boy! Of course it will be very hard to pick just 50 photos that I love but I will do my best. LOL

I say it is my first offical mothers day because last year on May 9th we saw our littles boys face for the first time. It was the Wednesday before Mothers Day!

I can remember the phone call I received from our coordinator like it was yesterday! She called me at work on Tuesday May 8th at 2:30 p.m.! I remember when my co-worker came to find me and said you have a phone call from your coordinator I almost passed out. I couldn't imagine why she was calling, the first thing that came into my mind was that we were being questioned in the review room. Instead she said "I think I have your son" I didn't know what to say, she even asked if I was still there. She had three boys files available, all had cleft lip/cleft palate the only difference was their ages. There was a 12 month old, a 17 month old and a 24 month old. We could only review one file at a time and we needed to make a decision on which one we wanted to review. I immediatly called Bob at work and told him. I said what do you want to do? He of course said YES!!! We decided on the 17 month old, for no other reason then his age was exactly what we were looking for. I called our coordinator right back and told her that we would be in to review the file. We made an appointment for the next day at 5:30 p.m.! That was the longest 24 hours of my life.

We went through his medical file first before seeing any pictures, then she showed us his face!!! I could only cry. He was perfect, he was our son. I can't explain the feeling, it is every emotion you can ever feel and feeling them all at once. I just stared at him, I couldn't stop staring at his eyes. We knew that we would be bringing Fu Qiao home, but went through the motions of having doctors review his file.

There were some family members that didn't think we were doing the right thing and expressed concern over excepting a child with a special need, I am VERY THANKFUL that we didn't listen to them, that Bob and I went with our heart. Because I can not imagine my life without him, he is everything I had hoped for and everything that I didn't know I was missing. Anyone that is a part of his life see's what a wonderful child he is, how he has overcome every obstacle given to him, and has done it with so much love.

I have so much to be thankful for, a beautiful baby and a great husband! LIFE IS GOOD.

I've attached the first pictures we have!

SUPERMAN

2008-05-05T20:20:00.004-04:00

That would be the word I would use to describe my daddy. I've always been a daddy's girl and in my eyes he can't do anything wrong, although I am sure my mother would disagree! LOL

A couple of months ago I saw a really nice kitchen table set, I really loved it. I hadn't mentioned it to Bob because I knew we really didn't have the extra money to spend on a dining room table that we really didn't need, ours was fine. I took my mom to the store and showed it to her and she of course told Bob about it and that I wanted this set. A couple of days later Bob suggested we go to look at it (dad is superman but Bob is a close 2nd and would work as many hours overtime necessary to buy it for me if I really wanted it) well, we got to the store and it was gone and they weren't getting another one like it. To say I was disappointed would be putting it lightly.

When I told my mom that they sold "my table set" and weren't getting another one she knew how upset I was about it. Of course she tells my dad and what does he do??? He builds me one that looks almost just like the one I saw, except better because Dad made it for me from scratch.

I know I take my daddy for granted, I know that I don't always say thanks for ALL the little things he does for me and for my husband and son. But I am sure he knows how much I love him and I am a better person because of him but just in case he doesn't I am letting him know now.....I LOVE YOU DADDY AND THINK YOU WALK ON WATER!!!

Here is a picture of what might be his best work ever!!!!!

HAS IT REALLY BEEN SIX MONTHS???

2008-04-30T16:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was our 6th month anniversary of becoming a forever family. We've come so far in these past six months, Owen has come so far in six months.

I can not imagine my life without my son, I truly don't remember what life was like before him. I must have had a lot of free time on my hands? He occupies all my time, and I wouldn't change it for one moment.

Over the past six month Bob and I have been told "Owen is so lucky to have been adopted by you" We really don't feel like Owen is the lucky one, we are. He has completed our lives, he rescued me and I didn't even know I needed to be rescued. Every night before bed I have two very grateful thank you's, the first is to his birth mother for making the ultimate scariface and leaving her son in a public place and the second is for China allowing us to come to their country and adopt one of their children.

Our son is perfect, there is not one moment that we think we didn't do the right thing, god definitely had a plan for us and Owen was it.

I love my son with every ounce of life in me, without him I am not me.

WEIGHT WATCHERS MY NEW BEST FRIEND

2008-04-30T14:31:00.003-04:00

I broke down and re-joined Weight Watchers. I've been a long time re-joiner, in the last 15 years I have probably lost and regained the same 100 pounds!!! It's so frustrating. I've come very close several times of being a life time member but always stop just short. Not this time, this time I am going all the way!

The final hint that I got that I am getting to heavy was the other night, Owen was sitting on my stomach bouncing up and down, this is something we've been doing since China. This specific time he stopped bouncing looked at me and patted my tummy and laughed really really hard. I suppose because it wiggled. He was laughing but I was crying....Seriously!

I'm really not sure why I allowed myself to put on so much weight, I suppose I can come up with several excuses. Like, I was happy, sad, excited because these are all reasons why I eat, no real reason just because.

So, I've made the first step to the new me....The first step to becoming healthy so that I can be a better mother, a healthy mother, most importantly a happier mother. Owen deserves that, I want that for him.

I hope you follow me on this journey and if you are looking for inspiration I hope I can give that too you.