For This Child I Have Prayed...

Today we celebrated Gavin's Baptism.

Shell from the Gulf which was used to pour water on Gavin's head during the ceremony. 

Our minister was very kind and allowed my father to perform the baptism. My father has performed the baptism ceremony for all of his grandchildren.

Gavin was wonderful during the ceremony. It helps that he's "totally in love" with Auntie Ali.

We are very blessed, and this little guy is one of our greatest blessings.

Seoul Sisters...

Last week a very sweet friend traveled to Seoul. She was gracious and offered to travel with items for my family in Korea.

My sister and niece said that they would be willing to pick up something from the front desk of the hotel where she was staying. 

However, after a phone conversation, she actually met 2 of my sisters!



I am so grateful and thankful that she had the time to meet with them! Her days were packed from sun up to sun down, so a big THANK YOU goes out to my friend Karen! You can follow her journey
 @33foramoment. I know she will be backtracking and documenting her trip once she gets back home.



My 2nd sister is on the left and my 3rd sister is on the right. We did not have the chance to meet my 2nd sister while we were in Korea, so it made me very happy that she was able to meet my friend.

When we were younger, my 2nd sister and I looked like twins...and we also look a lot like our aboji. 

But now I think I look more similar to my 1st and 3rd sister.

Not the best pics...but there is not doubt in my mind that we are related.

When I was younger, that is the one thing I wished for. I wished I had a picture of my birth mother and father, to see why I looked like the way I do. 

I have to admit when I first saw pictures of my family in Korea I did not think I looked like them at all. I guess I had it in my mind that we would look like clones of each other?!?! ...which is silly, since for any family sometimes there can be a very strong family resemblance and other times just traces. 

I think of my family in Korea every day...and I think that this meeting between Karen and my sisters validates that last April was not a dream...

Pumpkin Patch...

Last weekend we decided to go to a pumpkin patch...so,we thought we would try going to one that was only a few blocks away in the front lawn of a nearby church. It started out like this...

But once Gavin saw this playground that he could not get into it turned into...

this...so we left...and of course he fell asleep in the backseat as we drove away.

Well...I admit I was determined to get a pic of him with a pumpkin where he wasn't scowling. So later that afternoon...

At first the interesting gourds caught his eye...

And then I was able to steer him towards the smaller patch...

...and we found one that was "just right".

September Recap

September-Where did you go?

We can't believe how quickly you came and went! I'm definitely not keeping up with the blog, so I'll just try to squish everything into one post.

Mid-September we traveled to Newport, RI for my brother's wedding. It was a memorable weekend. This was the first time that Gavin got to meet the rest of the family and his cousins. Gavin had a blast! The weather was absolutely perfect. The wedding was a blast!!! I will say that we probably pushed it taking Gavin on a big trip. He was clingier to me and he would not go to Matt like he does at home...but we would not trade that weekend for anything in the world. 

Gavin also turned 2 this month! We had a party, and this little boy knew exactly what to do when the candles were lit and people were singing for him. In fact, he was a candle blowing machine! 

......

And I guess this is where October has crept into a September post. 

October 1st marked Gavin's final post placement visit. I admit I felt a little weepy saying goodbye to our social worker. It's hard to believe that our process is almost finished.  

We were happy to report that:

Gavin is doing great at school. He loves playing with the other students and doing activities. 

He is beginning to like more vegetables.

If there is such a thing as a watermelon addiction, this boy has it. 

He will listen to us read stories to him. Before, it was just let's see how many pages we can get through and now we can actually read 2 or more books at a time.

He's beginning to repeat what we say.

...and we are not ready to go on the adoption roller coaster ride, right away. But you never know...

Gavin also had his 2 year old check up. As you can see he is an active little boy. These moments were captured as we waited for our pediatrician. 

Gavin is 35 1/2 tall 60% for height and 32 lbs 90% for weight

I am totally copying another friend when I say this- he is already over half way to my height...so hopefully he will be taller than me!

...he got also got 2 shots...and he pretty much let the whole practice he did not like the shots, lol. 

So we are officially living with a 2 year old, and although people say 2 is tough, I can only think that 2 is going to be a great year!

........

one last tidbit...one of my online adoptive mommy friends is over in Korea right now. She graciously took some things to the adoption agency as well as for my birth family...originally she was just going to leave the items at the front desk of her hotel, but it turns out she is going to meet my niece tomorrow!!! Sometimes I feel like it's a dream that I actually have family over in Korea due to the distance and language barrier, but knowing that someone else is going to see someone from my family really warms my heart and soul.