The First Meeting: Two Years Ago

Two years. Nearly how long we waited to bring Oliver home! Today marks two years since Tony and I met Oliver.

November 22, 2013 at 10:30 am (Korea time): Tony and I were scheduled to be in Family Court in Seoul. In preparation for this court appearance we (FINALLY!) were set to meet Oliver for the very first time.

November 18, 2013. We had met with our Korean social worker to go over some paperwork and then she led us to an elevator. When the doors opened and we stepped out, there was Oliver! Two years ago today we finally got to see and touch the little one we had been watching grow up via photos over a 22 month span. Our world changed completely that day. We left our first meeting overwhelmed -- with joy (he's real! We just met him!), with fear (he's got way too much energy, how are we going to do this? This is very.very.real!) -- and excited. 

As I recall that day, those first moments, tears fill my eyes. I remember the big smile he flashed us when he first saw us, the trepidation he showed as we tried to play with him, how easily he could use our phones, how the bubbles helped us break the ice. Here is one of my favorite photos from that first meeting:

And here he is today. He has changed so much over the past two years; overcome so much. And is so loved. 

Posing in the hall -- he chose the pictures to add here

Silly guy!

Tony and I are so blessed to be parents to this wonderfully energetic, funny, smart little guy.

Happy first meeting day, Oliver!

Sneaky Sneaky!

Oh how sneaky a four-year-old can be. Friday morning Oliver asked if I had any change in my wallet for his bank. I checked and had three coins to give him, which he promptly put into his bank. A few minutes later I saw that he had my wallet out and was looking to see if there were any other coins I had missed on my initial look. Needing to get out the door soon, I asked him to please put the wallet back in my purse right away so that I didn't leave the house without it. 

Can you see where this is going yet? 

As we hustled and bustled to get ourselves out the door, I didn't remember to confirm that my wallet was back in my purse. We had a busy morning ahead of us and I was making sure I had everything else in order -- Oliver had school and was then going to Oma and Opa's. I had a dentist appointment, coffee date and then needed to do a boatload of shopping. All before mid to late afternoon.

The dentist had asked that I be sure to bring my health insurance card in case the special x-ray I needed would be covered. When I dug into my purse to pull out my wallet, it only took a moment for me to realize what happened....no wallet. It hadn't been returned as requested. When I got home it took me a few minutes to find the wallet. Oliver can sure be sneaky! Here's where I found it:

Wedged between two chairs...my purse was not anywhere close to this spot!

Luckily I could email a picture of my health insurance card to the dentist, and my neighbor sweetly paid for my coffee. I didn't get to shop as much as I'd hoped to, but the day ended up okay. And now...

Lesson learned. 

What a silly goose we have on our hands! 

The Difference a Week Makes

A lot has happened over the course of the past week, much of it sparking a rather challenging internal debate. It all began last week, early Tuesday morning. I received an email from someone I had recently been in touch with, someone I knew from working at The Collaborative. He wanted to set up a call for later in the morning to discuss a possible job opportunity, so before lunchtime my world was tipped on it's axis.

That conversation sparked such a mix of emotions I ended up with my first migraine in over 6 weeks! Should I return to work? What about how wonderful staying home with Oliver has been? Is it better to use my talents in the workplace or focus them at home? What might happen to the work Oliver and I have been doing if I go back to working outside the home? Who is going to clean the house, run the errands, cook the meals, etc.? WHAT IF I CAN'T DO WHAT IS ASKED OF ME? 

Turmoil. Turmoil that millions of mothers have faced, often with no "right" or "wrong" answer. At the same time, how wonderful it felt to be pursued! To have an experienced and successful businessman believe I am the right person to step in at the ground level of a start up and help it grow. After 5 months of working for a 3 then 4 year old, often being under appreciated for my efforts, to have this kind of professional attention is flattering, to say the least.

On Friday we had a second call, then set up a meeting with the two individuals currently working full time for the company. Significant prayers were sent up for God's direction, His peace or His closing the door on this opportunity. The internal turmoil continued, and when I headed off for the Tuesday morning meeting I was just desperately clinging to the hope that God would show the way.

Lo and behold, the meeting was comfortable, even fun. I left there at 11:30 and received an offer of employment at 12:30.

I accepted and begin Monday!

I begin as a contractor for about 20ish hours a week -- two days in the office and some working from home. A nice way to transition myself and the family into my return to work. The ultimate goal is to be a full time employee and to grow my role as the company grows. I've worked for small companies for a long time, but this will be my first adventure in the purely start up world. 

Oliver burst into tears when I shared the news with him, but he did celebrate with me and enjoyed a little frozen yogurt. So, here's to changes and how life can unexpectedly go in unimaginable directions! Praise God for opening doors, and sending continued prayers for His help during this time of transition. I have a feeling it will be much more challenging for me than when I returned to work right after Oliver came home.

A Busy & Fun October

It has been a very busy month -- lots of fun family time, a trip to St. Louis and (finally) the big night...Halloween. Let's go in reverse:

HALLOWEEN

Oliver has been so very excited for Halloween. For more than a month we have been doing crafts, decorating the house, talking about costumes and trick-or-treating, and watching Halloween themed things on TV. He is always asking to bring home spooky things, keep saying that we didn't have enough decorations around the house, and has been counting down the days until the special night. With this we have also seen Oliver struggle with lots of nightmares, trouble sleeping, and a general fear of all things. It's been a tough balance this past month! We had a great night, but I have to admit I'm pretty happy to move on to more upbeat holidays.

We carved two pumpkins this year. Oliver pick both of the patterns, which Tony did a great job executing! The one on the right was particularly hard and I was impressed with his talents using the tiny pumpkin carving set. 

Halloween began at 5:45 am for us -- a certain four year old was ready for the big day and couldn't sleep another wink! After dinner, Tony stayed home to hand out candy while Oliver and I went trick-or-treating with one of the neighbors. He went as a fireman that had fire engine tattoos on both of his cheeks. I went as a black cat. The boys did great and made it for almost an hour! He had a fantastic time and enjoyed diving into his loot once we were home. He also had fun handing out candy to the later trick-or-treaters. 

Can you tell he's excited!?

ANOTHER DAY OF BEING CUTE

Just A super cute photo of all of her hanging out one day recently! Yes me to take this picture of him with his bear.

I love that he uses his snowman blanket year round too!

CRAFTS

Oliver has been more into crafts lately, so I began saving toilet paper rolls. I thought we'd find a fun Thanksgiving craft, something cute, to make together. Then he came to me "with a great idea. Let's make a bazooka!" Now, I had no idea how to make a bazooka. I couldn't even picture it in my mind. Lucky for me, he knew exactly how we needed to make it! Several toilet paper rolls and duct tape created just what he was wanting...his first homemade bazooka. Here is the final result:

Once it was made we got to play army!

ST. LOUIS

The three of us spent a weekend in St. Louis with my family. It was another busy trip to the 'Lou, and lots of fun was had by all. Oliver begged to go back to the Magic House and this time Tony got to come along. Here are a few shots from our trip to the Magic House:

Yes, this is the President. I'd like to order  pizza.

The Supreme Court Judge singing Jesus Loves Me into a live microphone. Pretty funny!

Scooping up ice cream with PawPaw

We also went to Boo at the Zoo. We went last year as well...maybe this will become a family tradition!

Meow!

Oh no, the Headless Horseman!

It has been a great month, though so very busy. I'm looking forward to things slowing down just a tad in the next few weeks...and perhaps getting more time to blog. Enjoy November!