December 2008

Happy holidays to all and to all a healthful and joyful New Year. As I write this blog entry Max is dancing to one of his favorite Wiggles song. He gets such a kick out of dancing. One of his school teachers said he's a very good dancer.

Max adapted quite well to attending school full-time and has made many friends. He's learning so much there.

He continues to be in-love with the dog (Gauss) who seems to have adjusted to having a little brother.

Max is continuing to develop a broader vocabulary and every once in awhile links two words together. Here's a rundown of what he's up to developmentally:

• he lets us know when he's soiled his diaper (he's 18 months) so we're going to start potty training
• he is quite good at feeding himself
• lately he's gotten good at asking for what foods he wants: cookie, cereal bar, cup, cheese
• he can ask for his "baby" which is his baby doll
• he loves to put lids on and off of Tupperware
• he really loves to help Mommy and Daddy - when he doesn't want his diaper changed I just tell him that I need his help and then he complies
• he's really good at cleaning up his toys

Pictures coming soon!

Best,

~ Robyn

Finalization Date is Set!!!

Great news! We're scheduled to be in court to finalize the adoption a lot earlier than we expected! The fabulous Ms. Sutton from the Middlesex County Court Surrogate's Office notified us by mail that due to some logistics with this adoption, we can finalize this calendar year! Not just that, but on Middlesex Counties National Adoption Day on Thursday November 13th!!! We're elated :)

Here's what's on their website:

New Brunswick
Middlesex County NJ Adoption Celebration
Middlesex County Courthouse,Court Room 201
JFK Square
58 Patterson Street
New Brunswick, NJ, 08901
November 13
8:30 AM
Contact:Louis Kady - Middlesex County NJ Bar Foundation732-740-9878 loukady@aol.com

Event Details: A joyous celebration, honoring children being adopted and their new families. This yearly event is hosted and sponsored by the Middlesex County Judiciary, Honorable Travis L. Francis,Assignment Judge, Presiding, the Middlesex County Surrogate, Kevin Hoagland, the Middlesex County Bar Foundation, and the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services. Activities include a welcoming ceremony by the participating groups, dignitaries, and public officials,followed by adoptions throughout the day. The newly adopted children and their families are individually recognized and presented with flowers, balloons,teddy bears,recognition plaques,crayons, coloring books and children's story books. Adjacent to the courtroom is a private reception area where the families being honored can enjoy light refreshments, while stories are read, books are colored, and congratulatory hugs and hand shakes exchanged. The happiest day of the year in the Middlesex County Court House.

Finally to Finalization

We are finally eligible to request a court date to finalize the adoption! In fact, this morning I hand-delivered the paperwork to the Court Surrogate.

In the meantime, Max is doing so super fine! I "think" he strung two words together yesterday, he very well may have and it was a fluke, or maybe he's progressing to using more complex language? He said, "purple ball."

He is doing really well at school and hugs and kisses the teacher when he arrives.
More pics

All for now,
~ Robyn

It's been awhile

Yes, it's been awhile since our last update. What can I say, we're so busy chasing after our future collegiate athlete that we have no time!

Max is doing just wonderful! He's running, drumming, laughing, learning new words, catching every virus that circulates through daycare and bringing infinite joy to our family.

Here's a synopsis of some developmental milestones:

Word Usage (e.g: he says them at appropriate times):
ball, bird, duck, nanna (for food), baba (cup), hi, bye, ball, bear, quack-quack (when he sees a duck), growls (when he sees a dog), meows (when he sees a cat), monkey sound (when he sees a monkey), car, truck, bus, blue, red, more (he also uses the sign-language for "more"), sock, head, tushie

Words that He Repeats:
turtle, A, B, play

Commands that He Understands and Responds To:
dance, hug, kiss, splashy-splashy and he brings us various things when asked to, throw the ball, kick the ball

Body Parts that He Identifies:
feet, tushie, belly, (David taught him "blubber" for belly, too), his private part : ), face, mouth, nose, eyes, ears, head, hands

Colors that He Identifies:
Blue, red, yellow, orange, green

He's sooo dexterous, agile and coordinated! We've started to color and paint. He loves to play with Tupperware and take the lids on and off. He runs fast, kicks the ball AND climbs up the "rock wall" at the playground. Oh, and he drums!!!!

Check out our latest pictures and videos and as always, thanks for checking in on us~ ~ Robyn
More pictures

End of Summer

We're nearing the end of our first summer with Max, but endings merge into beginnings and soon it will be our first fall with Max. There are a lot of fun things in store for us/Max, including two mornings a week at daycare, apple and berry picking, a visit to Maryland and a visit to Florida.

Yesterday Max painted a beautiful picture!!! I'll try to take a picture of it and post, but you can see him creating it : ) http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=179291220011401011/l=425671314/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

His sleeping has improved significantly (knock-on-wood) - he sleeps longer and is learning to entertain himself in his crib when he wakes up.

All for now.
Best,
~ Robyn

Soccer Player?

Yesterday I successfully taught Max how to kick (http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=524201219271833524/l=414436753/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB). Being that any ball is his toy of choice, this is exciting as we now have yet another method for entertaining ourselves. He's really physically strong and quite agile and also learned to climb the climbing wall on the playground. He continues to amaze us : )

Best,
~ Robyn

Hi

Hi Everyone!

We're so busy having fun and learning new things that I've been neglecting our blog : (

Since the last posting we've been to Bethany Beach in Delaware (http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=412161218882266702/l=414301423/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB ). Max LOVED the sand but was a little spooked by the ocean. He had a great time with Cousins Rachel, Nicole and Jacob.

Yesterday Max spent his first morning in daycare and did really well.

He continues to awe many of us with how engaging he is; affectionate; funny; and how quickly (knock-on-wood!) he seems to learn.

Max still associates making a growling noise with dogs which is really cute and he seems to be aquiring more words: bird, leaf, car.

Every single day I am overcome by how blesssed David and I are to have Max as our son. It's true that The Universe's/God's timing is always perfect because we couldn't have been matched with a more perfect child for us. I do think about his birth mother often and send her good thoughts hoping that she's well.

Thanks for chekcing in on us!

Best,
~ Robyn

It's been awhile

Hi!

We're all having a great summer! Max and Daddy flew to Chicago to visit Uncle Douglas, Aunt Erin and Cousins Lauren and Mathew. David received many kudos from fellow fliers for his bravery in flying solo with a 13 - month - old.

This past weekend we visited with Cousins Sharon, Mark, Hannah and Sammie at their Connecticut vacation home. Max fell asleep in the backpack during our hike, it was too cute. He played in the pool and chased his favorite toy: the ball, around the patio pool. Check out our pictures http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=884281217258383195/l=413751540/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Max has added three new words to his vocabulary in the last week: nana, dada and car.
Nana means food and drink : ) It's incredibly helpful that Max can now communicate what he wants/needs.

Dada is seems to be "just" a word and Max hasn't yet associated it with his dada.

And just yesterday he started saying car, although we're not sure if he associates it with an actual auto.

He grows sweeter every day! This boy is like a little Casanova with his kissing. Right now I'm seated at my desk, one leg crossed over the other (think Eagle Legs if you can) and he is giving my thigh kiss after kiss. Over the weekend he ran around pulling up shirts to kiss tummies. I think that if all of the bad people in the world could spend five minutes with Max, they'd change their ways.

Lately he's been snorting a lot - not so much like a pig, but more of a rapid breathing in and out of his nose. He does this when he's excited.

He continues to be enamored with Gauss : )

Thanks for checking in on us.
Best,
~ Robyn

Milestones

Max continues to amaze all who cross his path with his warmth, charisma, curiosity, intellect and physical capacities.

He kisses and kisses and kisses, it's THE SWEETEST thing EVER.

His vocabulary has expanded from "ball" to include: mama, hi and nana (for banana). David and I are both Mama for now.

It's hard to remember him ever crawling and not walking. He zips from here to there with great speed and balance. Not only does Max walk really well but he is incredibly dexterous and strong. His newest favorite thing to do to play basketball. He has a Little Tykes basketball hoop and is quite adept at shooting hoops.

Honestly, the magic in all of this... in witnessing his growth and development is in his smiles and laughter. I swear, if I could bottle Max's laughter, the world we be a better place, but for now, it is a better place because he's here with us.

To view the slideshow that I created for his birhtday party, click here (link expires on July 11): http://www5.sendthisfile.com/d.jsp?t=sBL966XHlsNaxh83hHDxVOda

Slide Show of Max

I created a slide show that chronicles Max's life (includes pictures of him in Korea, Airport Day, to the present) and it's synced to music. The show was shown at his party but the light interfered : ( if you'd like a copy of it, just send me an email and I'll send it through a secure FTP site.

Best,
~ Robyn

Max's First Birthday Party

Today was Max's first birthday party and what a good time! http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=61641215215358256/l=405745156/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB


He celebrated with about 65 friends and family; received his Hebrew name and completed the traditional Korean First Birthday Tol Ceremony.

Max's Hebrew name is Feivel Zissa: Feivel was my father's Hebrew name and Zissa was my Grandma Sophie's Hebrew name. Thanks to Rabbi Michael Klein for facilitating another wonderful ceremony.

The Tol Ceremony is supposed to predict the child's future. Our Tol table included some items seen on the traditional Korean Tol table and some things that are relevant to us. Max chose the rice which according the the lore means that he'll be rich. I wonder what kind of richness he'll be... rich in mind? Rich in spirit? Rich in intellect? Or rich materially?

He wore the Korean Hanbok sent home by his foster family and the pictures of him wearing it are too cute! After dressing Max in his Hanbok, David wheeled Max out to the party in is favorite buggy : )

This was really a wonderful day.

Pictures from Max's first birthday : )

http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=484171213701370266/l=400744233/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Max Turns One!

Max's first birthday is in just a few hours and in the last two weeks or so, he's really grown a lot and looks like a one-year-old.

He'll spend the early part of his day at the Mikvah, getting converted so that he's officially a Jewish Baby. His Great-Grandmother Sarah will be there along with Papa Steve, Grandma Estelle, Grandma Marlene, Mommy and Daddy and Rabbi Michael Klein and his lovely wife Annie.

We'll have lunch and then hopefully Max can go back to being a baby and play in the pool with Gauss.

People keep asking me if I'm excited that Max is turning one and of course I am on a certain level, but it honestly doesn't feel as monumental as it "should" or maybe does to biological parents... probably because he's only been with our family physically for 3 months? I feel like his second birthday might seem more relevant to me as a milestone.

I'm a bit surprised to find myself thinking about his Birth Mother (BM) lately. Of course this is triggered by his birthday, but I have honestly thought about her daily since Max came home. I just hope that she's okay... that she's employed and healthy and happy. The culture around adoption is shifting towards being more supportive and positive in Korea and I sincerely hope that she's benefiting from this change.

Have a great day,
~ Robyn

Max is Rescued by Barbie and Ken

Yesterday I put Max in for his afternoon nap - things went as usual: babbling, fake-crying, silence and then it sounded as if furniture was being moved upstairs. After climbing what seemed like the 100th flight of steps that day, I found Max standing in his crib with nearly all of the contents of his crib thrown to the floor. I also found the humidifier pushed to the floor from the table.

Things were reordered and I went back downstairs, but not before reminding Max that he needed to "take a big-boy nap."

I went back to unloading the dishwasher and cleaning the kitchen (not what my social worker meant when she advised me to use nap-time as "Robyn time") and listened to Max babbling through the monitor. But then the babbling turned to full-blown SCREAMING. SCREAMING like I've not heard before from anything that lived to tell.

Back up the stairs I went where I found Max's right knee stuck between two bars of his crib. He was screaming bloody murder and his face was all contorted from either panic or pain - or perhaps from both. Honestly, I can't remember the status of his lower leg and foot... I "think" they were through the bars.

After a quick attempt at trying to free him from the crib I knew that I wouldn't be able to. I started to panic too... called a neighbor, nobody answered; called mom, not home; called a friend who offered to come over but was at least 15 minutes from my house... then I dialed "911." Max was still SCREAMING, not even his bottle would soothe him.

I quickly explained the status of Max's leg to the dispatcher who asked, "Is that your son screaming?" After I told her that that was Max she complimented him on his lungs. "I'll send someone over," she told me.

In reality it probably took the police less than five minutes to arrive but of course it seemed like eternity to me. Nothing I did could comfort Max. With Highland Park not being a raving metropolis I couldn't fathom what the delay was.

And then Barbie and Ken arrived. Yes, Barbie and Ken... I wish that I could link this blog to a photo of the two police officers who rescued Max but I can't find one - but if there were a Barbie and Ken police duo, these two would be them. Both were very good looking, tall, bronzed and blond/blonde. It was really quite ridiculous.

Both were sans any sort of hacksaw or tool that would cut the bars, curious I thought. But then Ken requested liquid laundry detergent which I had but since the baby oil was handy I asked if that would work. (Please note: lesson learned is coming) Turns out that since baby oil is absorbed into the skin it wouldn't work as a lubricant.

In no time, Ken applied the laundry detergent and Max's leg was freed! I picked up my baby and two seconds later he was giggling. Maybe thinking "hehehe, I scared Mama?"

Ken asked if he could use the bathroom to wash his hands and I was grateful in that moment that my mom is such a Type A and has drilled into me to keep things neat at all times "because you never know..." While he washed I apologized and also told Barbie how embarrassed I was.

"Oh, don't be," Ken assured me. "We both have kids. My son ate a light bulb," he told me. And with that I caught his eye gaze and said along with giving him my best wink, "I guess he's not too bright then?"

It's hard to believe but Max has been home for 3 months!!! On one hand it seems like he's always been with us and on the other hand it's as thought he just arrived and time is flying. In a sense I really believe that he's always been with us - maybe not in the physical body but certainly in our consciousness and hearts.

We've been having a lot of fun playing outside in our little pool. Today Max's friends Eva and Zack came over to help splash around. Take a look and thanks, as always, for checking in!
Be well ~ Robyn
http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=60581212969669769/l=392994637/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

First trip to the beach and boardwalk

Greetings!
Yesterday was Max's first visit to the beach and the boardwalk. Mommy, Grandma and Max went to Point Pleasant and had a terrific time. The weather was perfect and being a weekday there were no crowds.

At first Max literally just sat quietly and looked around everywhere. He seemed to be deeply engaged with his senses - after all there were all new sites, smells and sounds to say hello to.

We ate lunch at Martell's Tiki Bar and then introduced Max to the sand. He seemed to enjoy touching it and sifting it and then he crawled around in it.

Max and Mommy rode the carousel. When he first sat upon the horse he pet it and looked all around. He was content to just "pet" and look. Once the ride started and the horse went up and down he became uncomfortable and climbed off into the safety of Mama's arms. He did really great for his first time.

After the beach we surprised Cousins Josh and Brad (Aunte Beth, too!) and had fun playing with them. Here's the link to our fun-filled day: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=13541212575955887/l=392777737/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

The Latest...

Max continues to delight with his light energy, curiosity, smiles and his adorable diaper walk. Today Papa Steve visited and took some AMAZING snapshots of Max. Check them out: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=8011212366760186/l=392676297/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Max Kisses Gauss

As I've mentioned in previous posts, Max is sometimes a little too interested in Gauss! Yesterday he held Gauss' Nylabone for him while he chewed on it. If I'd had gone for the camera Gauss would've gotten up. I did, however, get a video of Gauss giving Max a kiss : )



http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=999291212100156947/l=388541540/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Max's First Memorial Day Weekend

What a memorable Memorial Day for Max! He visited the National Zoo in DC, played with his cousins and splashed around in his pool. http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=786271211889349105/l=388425925/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Big-Boy Shoes

Someone's Grandma Marlene bought them Big-Boy Shoes!! Click for pictures: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=430221211453375458/l=388275085/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
Max is doing so many things and awes me every single day. He will now slap Mommy five and hug his piggie. I sooo wish that I could be him for five minutes. Thanks for checking in on us!
~ Robyn

Max was visited by his Savta (Hebrew for Grandma) last week and he had so much fun. Savta and Max had a marching band and spent a lot of time learning to play nicely with Gauss. Poor Gauss, his days of peace and quiet are over. Check out our latest snapshots: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=571191211231920542/l=385853939/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Max is getting ready for his first birthday by wearing his Korean Tolbok http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=750181211148763649/l=381310566/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB .
He's walking, walking, walking and teething, too! Lots of fun for Max. Lately he's been calling "Mama" a lot which makes me smile.

Mother's Day

My first Mother's Day was lovely. Max and David woke me with chocolate chip pancakes, smiles and giggles. I taught my two morning yoga classes and then hosted family and friends for a brunch.

This was the first Mother's Day without my Grandma Sophie and her physical absence did weigh on my heart but I was able to include her in our celebration at least symbolically by using her dessert bowls for the hummus! Her generation probably never even ate hummus!

On Saturday Max's friend from music class came over to play and that was so much fun! Max was very curious about his friend and insisted on a lot of physical contact. I'd love to think this was affection-driven but I suspect it had more to do with being territorial. Alas, we had a great time and here are the pictures: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=580111210550557045/l=380639244/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

"The" Surgery.

On Wednesday, Max was circumcised at St. Peter's Hospital. He did great! As usual, he tolerated the delays and waiting a lot better than I did : )

The procedure took about thirty minutes and David and I were busy bringing toys to the Pediatric Unit during that time so time flew.

When I first saw him in the postoperative area he was crying/whimpering and seemed very disoriented from the general anaesthesia, but that didn't last too long and before we knew it, he was asleep in my arms.

We were then moved to a proper room in pediatrics (our room was called "The Blue House") where Max napped in the crib for about an hour. After he ate some Cheerios and drank his bottle we were set to go.

David and I accidentally put Max's clothes in the car so he was sent home in his hospital gown which was really quite cute.

Years ago when I imagined delivering a baby and bringing him/her home, I couldn't wait to learn how to swaddle my newborn in the standard white flannel hospital-issued receiving blanket that has the blue and the pink stripes (I tried to find one online to link to but to no avail). Having no tolerance for discomfort or pain, I knew that home-birthing wouldn't be an option! That blanket just seemed like the epitome of babyness and I pined for that time.

As we all know, rather than bringing my baby home in said blanket, I picked my darling son up at Newark Airport where he was dressed in a white, velvety warm up suit : ) So on Wednesday when we were departing the hospital and the nurse asked if I wanted a blanket to cover Max's thin gown with I immediately said, "Yes, please!" I had no idea what the blanket would look like, but it was "the" blanket... the white flannel blanket with the blue and pink stripes. So I got to bring my baby home from the hospital as planned long ago.

Max's Latest Milestones

Max is seriously maturing at record speed! His total presence seems a lot more mature than just last week and his motor skills and listening/response are really rocking! Max can clap "on demand," which is great because this means that he understands English! His walking is coming along and today he took 5 unassisted steps!! (http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=96951210024343092/l=378377594/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB ) He has learned to go to bed at night without crying and he's even learning to nap in his crib. This is especially helpful since he wakes up between 4 and 4:15 AM :( Starting tonight I'll wake him around 11pm for a bottle to see if that helps. Thanks for checking in on us!
Best,
~ Robyn

Milestones

Everyday Max does something new and it's such a joy to observe. Here's a tally of the last few days:

• Sunday April 27th, 2008: Max discovered that his pointer finger fits into his nose
• Monday April 28th, 2008: Max engaged in a game of passing the ball back-and-forth with me
• Tuesday April 29th, 2008: Max observed me placing the ball into various boxes and muffin pans and copied my behavior
• Wednesday April 30th, 2008: Max detected his first pattern - I passed the ball to Erin, she passed it to Max and he passed it to me and then we reversed the sequence and he got it immediately
• Wednesday April 30th, 2008: Max took his first complete steps without holding onto someone or something!

For his latest snapshots: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=526301209601122195/l=378131755/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Monday

We've been having so much fun! Now that the weather is nice, we go for long walks nearly everyday. It's really amazing to walk through the park that I've run through so many times because I see things that I never saw before. For example, on sunny days, the rocks are loaded with Mommy, Daddy and Baby Turtles. They're soo cute! Energetically I feel like a completely different person as I stroll through the park with Max and often with Gauss. Depending on what time of day we walk, we see many of the same people daily. One man joked with me a few weeks ago that between Max and Gauss, I had "quite a load to manage." I saw him a few days later with David along for the walk and said, "I have a helper today!"

David was home last week and Max and I really enjoyed his presence. We played outside on the deck a lot (http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=696281209380262594/l=369433663/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB )and Max loves when we blow bubbles into his face. This kid defines resilience!

Max is clapping his hands; waving his hands hello and goodbye (although not necessarily at "proper" times); he likes to share his food with us and gets hysterical when we allow him to feed us; he continues to make hilarious sounds with his lips/mouth; AND he's discovered that his finger fits up his nose : )

Thanks for checking in. I hope you all are well. ~ Robyn

Today Max got literally, one step closer to walking! He's doing this pivoting on his foot thing (video: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=704211208821951119/l=369020626/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
). It's really just amazing to witness his process of learning and doing.

David said sarcastically today, "Max doesn't laugh enough." The kid is constantly giggling, it's soo cute.

I took a lot of cute pictures and videos the last few days (http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=704211208821951119/l=369020626/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB
).

A colleague recently sent this adoption poem to me so I thought I'd share it here.

Thanks for checking in : )

~ Robyn

Not flesh of my flesh,

Nor bone of my bone,

But still miraculously "my own."

Never forget for a single minute...

You didn't grow under my heart,

But in it!

Anonymous

Sunday

Wow! Max is doing GREAT!!! In just a few days he's:

• become increasingly verbal (for videos and pictures: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=867121208043440501/l=364569352/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB AND http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=262131208110937512/l=364587019/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB )
• clapping his hands
• has taken two naps in his crib AND (knock-on-wood)...
• sleeping 11 hours before we have to get him!!! THIS IS HUGE!!! It's so funny how parenting changes people. I was always the most high maintenance sleeper - requiring at least 10 hours a night and anything less made me anxious. Now, I'm functioning on far less and feel just fine.
• Oh, and he co-taught a Vinyasa Flow Yoga Class with me on Friday! We were a last minute sub for his Auntie Erin and he did GREAT tucked away in the Baby Bjorn, just taking everything in. When I got too warm and put him on the floor he just crawled around, checked out some of the ladies and their mats (he likes the texture of yoga mats) and played with some props
  

Firsts

It's only 6:30 AM and Maxwell's already had two firsts today!

• he figured out how to take his purple bouncy ball and balance on his belly
• he figured out how to bring his bouncy ball upstairs by holding it with two hands and placing it on the step ABOVE the step that he crawls to! Sophisticated thinking, huh?!

The "Specimen" Lab...

This if for Michele M...
*First draft, subject to grammatical edits from my mom :)

Maxwell's pediatrician prescribed a number of stool samples to be done. She wanted to collect baseline data and make sure that he didn't come with any parasites. It took David and me more than 3 weeks to collect the 9 samples, but we finally collected them all by last Thursday morning.

Off to the lab Max and I went to deliver the jars of stool. Let me set the stage for how this went... first Max screamed like a crazy person when I put him into his car seat; then he fell asleep. The road to the lab was closed because of a fuel spill so we had to take a detour. Anyone who knows me knows that I barely know which way is up and the detour was um... quite extensive for us.

Max screamed bloody murder when I took him out of his car seat but quited down once he nestled himself close to me. Off we marched to the lab, me with Max being held by my left arm, and me with 9 jars of poop in a plastic baggy labeled "BIOHAZARD" in my right hand.

As expected there were like 900 people in the waiting room, but I waited patiently (standing room only of course), with Max in my left arm and the poop baggy being held in my right hand. I didn't meet anyone's eye gaze. People blatantly talked on their cell phones at ridiculously high volumes despite the multiple signs prohibiting cell phone usage.

Finally we were called, "Mazwell Himan," called "the lady."

"Maxwell Hyman?" I asked with a slightly raised right eyebrow, figuring that body language is a universal language and she'd understand me.

She shuffled through some papers and yes, she was in fact looking for us.

I explained that I had 9 stool samples to drop off (and you thought your job was bad?).

"Where is the prescription?" she asked me.

No pun-intended but "%$#*!" I thought.

"Um, you guys have it. The lady who distributed the jars made a copy of it so it's in my son's file."

"No, no, Mamasita," I was told. "You must have the prescription. I can't take any specimens without a prescription.

No pun-intended again, but "%$#*!" I thought again.

"Um, but I gave her the prescription when I came here three weeks ago. Why would I be sent home with it?" I asked incredulously. "I mean, come on, I have 9 jars of poop here that I'm not leaving with."

She and "the other woman" talked it over in a huddle by the fax machine. Meanwhile, Max, being the superstar that he is waited patiently in my arm. I on the other hand began pacing a small perimeter near the registration counter. With, of course, my 9 jars of poop. Still not able to meet anyone's gaze. While the women talked and I paced I realized that this was my first outing with Max in which at least 5 people didn't comment to me about how cute he is. I guess 9 jars of poop have a certain effect.

The huddle broke up and I was expected at the counter.

"Mamasita, I'm sorry, we cannot accept the specimen without a prescription." My right eyebrow arched a bit higher than before, I took a deep breath before speaking and then began, "Are you kidding me? I have 9 jars of poop here and I am not leaving with one jar of poop. Find his file and figure it out. I am NOT leaving with one jar of poop!" That's when I became aware of several things: suddenly nobody was on their cell phones; the dull hum of waiting room conversation had subsided AND I spotted a white piece of paper in the baggy that contained the 9 stool samples.

Still balancing Max with one arm I managed to retrieve the piece of paper from the plastic bag and saw David's handwriting on one side and um... the prescription on the other. I'm a humble young lady and can admit when I've made a mistake.

"Just kidding!" I yelled, "I found the prescription, here it is! See! I told you I wasn't leaving with any poop," and I left the baggy and prescription on the paper and off Max and I went.

Eating and Sleeping

We've had a tough time with Maxwell's eating and sleeping. He refuses to allow us to feed him b/c he's really independent and capable of feeding himself. However, until recently he'd only feed himself Cheerios. On Saturday we went to a friends for a playdate and her 10.5 month old son eats like a sumo wrestler! His mom cannot shovel the food in fast enough for him! Max observed Rowyn's fabulous eating and before David and I knew it, Max was standing at Rowyn's mom's leg begging for food. We quickly learned that Max likes green beans.

Today was a day of progress. My mom was able to feed Max more than he's ever eaten at one sitting today. He FINALLY ate his soy yogurt!! BIG NEWS in my house! He's also liking black-eyed-peas and David's "special" pancakes. After noticing that Max was having a difficult time moving his bowels, David decided to add pureed pear juice and flax seed to the pancake batter. Max loves them. Oh and it did the trick :)

Sleep... we started with the Ferber - cry-it-out method. Controversial, we know. We'd have Max fall asleep in our arms and then place him in his crib which ultimately woke him up and he'd scream for 10-15 minute. It was tough AND he'd wake up every 3 hours which came with more cry-it-out. David recently read that we should put him in his crib just before he falls asleep and we've done this two nights in a row and it's like a magic pill!!! He slept for 8 hours straight last night. PHEW!!!

His personality is just divine. So fun and curious and overall a really happy kid. I hope I don't mess this up!

I know that I'm a Mom...

I know that I'm a Mom because Maxwell threw up on me twice this morning and I didn't mind. Of course I felt terrible for him, but I loved being there for him. The puking tuckered him out and he fell asleep on me on the couch. Ahhhhh..... true love.

Three weeks...

Tonight at around 8:15 it will be three weeks since Max came home to his forever family. In some ways it feels as though he's always been in my/our lives and in others it all feels brand new. I think the not feeling so new part is because this little boy is truly an old soul (from Seoul!). I can't explain it with words but when I look into his eyes I just know that he knows so much more than I do and that he's here to teach me and others. In just the short time that he's physically been home he has really brought out the best in David and me. We're better people because of Max.

This little miracle of a boy continues to bring a million smiles to faces of our friends and family. My friend Erin is particularly smitten as is Max with her. Yesterday the three of us had a great time in the Macy's shoe department. Always looking for a teachable moment, Erin taught Max about the variety of materials used to make women's shoes such as patent-leather.

On Tuesday Max and Mommy went to their first class at "The Little Gym" and had a fun time. We met other nice mommies and are looking forward to our weekly class. Music class starts next week!!

I think that Max has a natural propensity towards music because he really is soothed by it or inspired. By inspired I mean that he get so happy when he hears music and busts out one of his three dance moves and a lot of giggles.

His babbling continues to make us laugh. His "MamaMamaMama" is quite impressive and is now interspersed with "Dada." His seemingly favorite sound to make is the growl that he learned from the dog.

Uh oh... someone's crying.... thanks for checking in, more soon! Peace ~ Robyn

Saturday

Wow, it's been two blessed weeks with Maxwell. Everyday we learn something new about our precious baby boy and he continues to learn about ten knew things per day! Yesterday he had two milestones:

• he mimicked the number of times that I tapped the floor with my hand
• during a meal he pointed to his bottle to indicate, "no more carrots, I want my bottle."

All for now!

~ Robyn

My Dad

When my dad was dying in January, 2004, the idea of living my life to its fullest - robust with experiences, milestones, ideas, moments, joy and sadness without him, weighed heavily on my heart like a harbinger. But very quickly I recognized his presence within me.

For many weeks I wore the necklace that he received for his Bar Mitzvah on his 13th birthday. The first time I saw him take this necklace off was when he entered the hospital in October 2003. Wearing the necklace made me feel warm, loved and safe. The necklace was always under my top layer and not visible to anyone else. It was just there across my skin to keep me at ease.

Why am I thinking these thoughts and writing about them in this blog? Because while waiting for Maxwell to come home there were many days and nights where I didn't think I could tolerate not having my dad physically present to witness this joy. Moments after the referral phone call came in November, I cried because I so badly wished for both of my parents to witness this sukah, or joy.

The night before Max arrived I suddenly became aware of what to do to make my fabulous father an active part in this time. Many years ago my dad spent several days stripping Pepto Bismal-pink paint from an antique rocking chair that I purchased at a flea market. Moving this rocker into Maxwell's room solved several issues: it created more space in the living room; we needed a rocker or glider in Maxwell's room but didn't want to buy one; and it brought my dad into the experience.

And then the other day I thought of another viable way to bring Papa Floyd into my experience of being a mother. Since the house is all hardwood floors I've been wearing the socks I got in the hospital during my surgery in December - the ones with the rubber on the bottom to prevent skids/sliding. Having one pair is not enough so I found the socks that I took from my dad's time in the hospital. They're on my feet right now so in his own way my dad is helping to keep me warm; helping to keep Maxwell safe and helping me to stay on solid ground.

The Library

Today was Maxwell's first visit to the Highland Park Library. I'm such a supporter of the public library system and am saddened by our libraries decreased funding. Max and I looked at some books and checked out a couple of Children's CDs and DVDs, as well as three books for me to read so that I can continue to (at least academically!) learn to be a Mommy. I do know in my heart that I am learning to be a good mom every second by listening to my inner wisdom and by observing what Max likes and dislikes. I do hope, sincerely, that he'll become a lifelong reader and lover of books.

Thanks for checking in!
Best,
~ Robyn

In Awe...

Maxwell continues to awe us. I'm incredulous by how happy he is. He delights in almost everything and let's us know by smiling his delicious little boy smile with his two bottom teeth peeking through. He also smiles with his beautiful almond eyes as you can see in his pictures.

What are some of the things that I love about this boy, my son?

• his easygoing temperament
• his giggles and laugh
• his curiosity
• his interest in the dog
• his smile
• his soft, silky baby boy skin
• his giggles and smiles when he recognizes his mommy or daddy
• the way his bum wiggles when he crawls
• how big his hands and feet are
• all of the sounds that he makes - laughter, babbles, making bubbles with his saliva, screaming when he's excited or happy
• watching him play
• watching him sleep (especially when his bum is in the air, think balasana yoginis/yogis!)
• feeding him and playing a game where mommy feeds him one spoonful and he does the next
• his burps!
• seeing how much fun he has playing with his food and being awed by my tolerance for how dirty he gets
• mornings... oh I cherish morning time with him... this is when he babbles the most and is sooo soooo sweet in his morning innocence

About Airport Day (and the Pediatrician)

Hi! Thanks for checking in. Now that Max is asleep on the couch, I can finally write about Airport Day.

Everyone arrived in plenty of time which was great it was nice to experience the anticipation with all! We quickly located his flight on the arrival board and he was scheduled to land at 7:36 PM. All eyes were fixed on the arrival screen and when I saw the status of Max's flight begin to change I yelled, "He just landed!" It was a false alarm; the flight was delayed until 8:15 :)

A greeter met us at the airport. She has adopted three children through our agency and was a pro! Our friends and family had to stay off to the side but David and I were permitted to stand just outside of the security gate with others who were waiting for the flight.

As our crowd grew larger and larger (we ended up with 25-30!) and my cousin Sharon and her family arrived with a wonderful large sign that said "Welcome Max" in Korean, other people who were waiting for the flight to arrive became curious. One man asked me, "Who is this Max that everyone's waiting for?" We have pictures with him in them taking his own pictures of the event with his camera phone.

The plane finally landed and David and I waited anxiously with the other friends and family of passengers. It was so exciting and I felt so loved and blessed in the final moments before Max arrived.

When I saw a woman walking out with a baby in a carrier, I screamed to our group, "He's here!" And as I finished my sentence I began to worry that maybe that was just another passenger from the plane who also had a baby. But nope, it was our adorable, loveable, wonderful, Maxwell Shumer Hyman.

David and I began to cry, we were so completely overcome with joy and love. We had been anticipating this moment and it was finally here. Finally ours to feel and live.

We walked over to the where the greeter met the escort and saw our baby for the first time. David and I continued to cry our happy tears (this after I said on the ride to the airport that I don't cry when I'm happy). And then the escort handed Maxwell to me and I held him. For the first time I felt the soft, silky baby skin that I had dreamed of. And I made eye contact with my new son and felt his warm baby breath. My life changed instantly.

I didn't know where to turn first, to the escort to thank her or to our friends and family. I don't know what I decided, but I did eventually let everyone see Max and flashbulbs went off – his first exposure to the paparazzi! Maxwell was PERFECT the entire evening, he never cried (until his first exposure to the car seat) and just looked around and smiled at everyone. He was incredibly calm and perfect.

The escort spoke English and told me that she sang to him during the flight and it soothed him to sleep. She was crying as she had been with him for nearly 24 hours and formed a bond. She held him again and posed for pictures. We brought a Polaroid with us so that she could have some photos to remember Maxwell.

As mentioned, Max didn't like the car seat at all. But what I've learned in my short time with him is that he voices his disdain for things but quickly adapts and stops crying. For instance, his first couple of times in the highchair he'd whine for 30 seconds or so and then he was fine. This is how he seems to be with everything.

When we got home we put him on the floor to crawl around and he immediately crawled after the dog. He is VERY interested in the dog and often follows him around. We have some great photos of him hugging, Gauss.

I know that his first visit to the pediatrician doesn't count towards the Airport Day entry, but I thought I'd post it here anyway. We had to sit in the waiting room for about half an hour and Maxwell handled it so much better than I did. I was antsy and irritated while he just sat and looked around the room. Amazing! When it was time to undress him for his weigh-in, he cooperated, sat in the baby scale and GIGGLED. The nurses couldn't believe how well-behaved he was. The only time he wasn't giggling or at least smiling was when the doctor looked into his ears with her otoscope. Other than that, he was fabulous. He weighs 18 lbs and is 28 1/8 inches long. Developmentally he's right on target (although my mother-in-law thinks he's ahead and who am I to argue?) – I think he'll probably take his SATs soon (not to set up unreasonable expectations or anything!).

He is a true joy. He's full of delicious personality and a wonderful temperament. He simply radiates and is a blessing in its truest sense.

Day Two

Max is doing great! He's such a nice little boy. Happy and fun. He is able to indicate what he likes and doesn't like. When he tries something new or is directed to a new activity from what he's engaged in, he cries (no tears though) for a minute or so and then he's super happy again.

He's a little monkey! He LOVES to be held and climbs as high as he can onto whomever is holding him and gets really compact and holds on with a VERY strong grip.

We're trying to regulate his internal timeclock. His nights and days are currently mixed up. I feel really bad keeping him up during our days but we have to. Getting him to sleep/nap when we want him to is tough... he insists on being held and walked around. Just when I often think that my arms can have a rest and we can sit down, he cries. I've quickly learned to wait 5-10 minutes after he falls asleep in my arms before I attempt transitioning to the crib.

He has a lot of fun in his highchair! It's really cute. We have some great snapshots of him in there. He also had a BLAST in the tub.

Right now he's napping and after he wakes up I'll attempt a short drive in the car so that he can get accustomed to the car seat.

Check out our latest photos at: http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=36891205077043923/l=355387984/g=124666915/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB



Thanks for checking in on us!

Max Pictures

Airport day was AMAZING! I promise, more details to come SOON, but for now, Max is finally asleep and I need to got watch him : )

Here is a link to pictures taken by his Papa Steve:

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8YctnDRu3Y9g

Best,
~ Robyn

Maxwell's in the US!!!

His flight from Seoul landed in San Francisco at 10:38 AM EST and he's scheduled to depart San Francisco at 2:13 PM EST, landing in Newark at 7:39 PM!!!!

Interesting...

• Maxwell's plane departs Seoul on Friday March 7, 2008 @ 3PM Seoul time - that's 1am EST
• His escort's name is Cho Myung Soon
• As I write this Maxwell's flight is "in flight"
• His Seoul to San Franscisco flight is approximately 9 hours and 19 minutes long
• His San Franscisco to Newark flight is approximately 8.5 hours long
• He arrives in Newark at around 7:45 PM
  

After teaching my two morning classes I took a nap. I rested on the couch and listened to the roar of the fire from the pellet stove. David took the dog to Rutger's Gardens and then to the pet store to choose a treat (today is Gauss' 6th birthday). I marveled at the notion that I was experiencing several "lasts":

• last nap because I wanted to nap
• last time that I'll have the house solely to myself for some time
• last Sunday that I'm not a mommy

And then I realized that for me, "lasts" have always been difficult times for me... usually representing the end of something good. But today's "lasts" are leading me towards a path of firsts and I feel so lucky.

Next week this time I'll be a mommy to someone other than Gauss :)

TRAVEL CALL

Maxwell is coming home next Friday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Holt Oregon (National Office) called my mobile phone and it just came up as "Oregon." So instead of saying, "Hello," like a normal person, I yelled, "ARE YOU CALLING TO TELL ME THAT MY BABY IS COMING HOME?!"

The lady said really calmly and warmly, "Is this Robyn Shumer?" So I shouted, "YES. WHEN IS MY BABY COMING HOME?!" And then she gave me all of the details and was really lovely.

I jotted everything down but keep looking at the incoming call log in my phone to make sure that I didn't imagine it! He comes in on Friday night!!!

Maxwell has a VISA!

Yippee!!!!

Look how big I am!

On February 4, 2008 I weighed 17.4 pounds and was 28 inches long!

VISA UPDATE

After reading on the Holt Bulletin Board about several Visa Interviews being scheduled, I mustered up the nerves to call DC AND MAXWELL'S VISA INTERVIEW WAS TODAY! Dear God, bring our baby boy home!!!!

Visa Update

Hot off the press! Our agency finally connected with the agency in Korea to find out what the bleep is going on with Maxwell's Visa.... "...the VA (Visa application) is arrived and he is on the way for the visa since yesterday. We expect to get the visa coming Friday. I'll keep you posted re flight schedule. Thank you."

So of course that wasn't enough information for me! I asked whether Korea works on travel plans while they process the Visa and the wonderful answer is YES!!! Getting closer...

The Visa...

Where o' where is Maxwell's Visa??? We've been patiently waiting since January 30th ... yesterday I finally got a response from the director of our program and she said, "I will ask Holt-Korea today if they have found the visa approval at the Embassy and if they can make a guess as to when the baby might be ready for travel." Say a prayer!!!