Home Improvement

We started another home improvement project this week...installing hardwood floors in our dining and living room. I've come to realize (and I think my sister-in-law can vouch for this) that when you're married to one of the Paul boys home improvement projects are a way of life. I don't really mind since the results are always so nice. And, I've learned to lay linoleum, tile, laminate floors, and hardwood floors. I'm not planning to make a living this way, and I'm certainly not very good. Power saws scare me even though I can use them. It certainly is a good thing to grow up a farm girl. Our pictures are from the project. We brought in our boxes of hardwood and the boys thought they made a great stage. Here are the older Paul boys in concert.... Live and acapella. They really know how to belt out a tune.
Here they are again. If you look closely, you can see that Henry can really put on a show. For those of you who see the 'shy, quiet Henry'.... think again, folks. This is the real Henry!!
Mr. Safety Man. No...we did not really let him use the brad nailer. But, he got great practice learning to use a measuring tape.
Charles did a really great job lining up all the wood. Our type A son lined them up perfectly.
Here are the three of them posing for the camera. I'm surprised Andrew tolerates them so well. They are a little wild and noisy...most of the time...well, actually all of the time except for when they're sleeping.

We don't have much news. We did finish the flooring project tonight. Now, we want to start on the stairs. The carpet in the rooms we put hardwood, and on the stairs, landing, and our bedroom are all original and in questionable state. We have enough wood left over to do our stair landing, and apparently, per Uncle Gerad, the stairs are easy. I've refrained from ripping the carpet of the stairs all day. It is Easter tomorrow and Henry is terribly disappointed that we didn't decorate. We went to an activity at the Art Center today. It was making Korean wind chimes. It has been cold so we went a little early so the boys could run in the skyways downtown. They did great until we got over to the Art Center and Charles had a huge bloody nose. They did make wind chimes. Charles screamed when it was time to go and got another nose bleed. Poor boy looked like he'd been in a fight. We ran into some friends whose son is the same age as Henry. Zach and Henry came home about a month apart.

We're planning a quiet family day tomorrow after church. Henry wants to have an Easter Egg hunt which we will do.

***Baby James found out that the cancer has NOT spread to his lungs. He will have a liver biopsy this week. They are scheduled for Tuesday, but are hoping to be added onto Monday's surgery list. They are concerned because the chemo used to treat the liver cancer can be potentially toxic to his kidneys. James only has a portion of one kidney since the rest were removed due to the cancer. You can read their update on his site listed in my links. Please remember them in your prayers this weekend. This little guy has been through more than most people go through in a whole lifetime...and he just turned one!!

Wishing you all a wonderful Easter!!!

Please pray for Baby James!!

We've just received sad news that Baby James cancer has metastasized. You can read his blog on the link I have on our page. Please pray for him and his family. We are all completely shocked by this turn of events. They are needing our prayers and support more than ever right now. This little guy is amazing. It is awful to see him fighting so hard for something so many of us take for granted...life. Please..please remember him and his family in your prayers.

Food? You want me to EAT this stuff?

This is one of the expressions I get when it's time to eat.
This is the other one. Of course, there are times when he doesn't complain too much, but he is fairly uninterested in food right now. The best so far has been applesauce mixed with rice cereal. It was a food fest for him...he ate between 10-15 bites. Oh well. My guess is that he won't go to kindergarten drinking only formula from a bottle.
Henry with his chopsticks. He's doing well with them.
Charles, too, is liking to use his chopsticks.
Charles and Andrew.
Not much new here. We tore out the carpet in our dining room and are putting in hardwood. My home is in complete chaos right now. We had to move all the furniture and now, literally, all the rooms in my home are a disaster. I hope no one is planning to visit in the next week or so. You may not be able to walk in here. Since we've lived in this house, we've used only cell phones and had no land line. Today, through a special by Charter Communications, we again have a landline with unlimited local and long-distance calls. Tonight, Henry had to try out the phone and call Gramma and Grampa. When they got on the phone he kept asking what this phone was called.

It occured to me that our children had no memory of using a telephone with a cord. He couldn't talk very long since, for Henry, you have to be in constant motion when talking on the telephone. It's best to try to walk on all the furniture, jump from the chair to the stool, and hopefully stand on the cupboard while talking. Not much other news, a friend is having surgery tomorrow to remove a tumor from her thyroid gland. We are praying it will be benign.

Happy Birthday, Dad!! Min is 6 months old!!

Just a few pictures I snapped the other day before Andrew's bath. He LOVES his feet and always holds them when we take his socks off. Of course, I love his feet too. Who can resist baby feet and hands?
The boys frosting Dad's birthday cake. Henry's ended up designed like a basketball, and Charles' was very nice with a lot of blue frosting on one side. I love the concentration on their faces.
Andrew tonight when we went out for supper.

Not much to update lately. I've missed a few days because it's been so busy around with doctor's appointments. We are all well. Yes, it was Dad's birthday today. If you ever want to really embarrass someone, take them to Applebee's for supper and then ask about their birthday special. It's a free sundae with a very rousing birthday serenade by the waitstaff. It went something like this....'I don't know but I've been told... someone here is getting old. ....sound off..." There was more that I can't remember because I was laughing so hard. It was very embarrassing but... oh, well. It wasn't my birthday. And, yes... can you believe it? Our little Min Seong is 6 months old. WOW!! Where did the last 2 months go? It is amazing how much he's changed. He is so busy!! What a little maniac. He doesn't stop moving from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep. I don't know how he's ever going to gain weight. He doesn't care much for solid food. It takes about 20 minutes to eat 10 bites. He loves to stand and jump...preferably with someone holding him. It's very good exercise for Mom's arms.

I went to a meeting last night for Camp Moon-hwa and my friend, Chris, gave me a copy of the pictures she took in Korea. I spent about an hour last night looking at them. I'm really missing Korea. It's amazing how you can be homesick for a place you visited for 5 days. Yes, homesick. It is my boy's homeland, and I guess it makes it a little bit my home too. At least that's the way it felt when I was there.

Shiny, Happy People Laughing!!

I didn't really do this on purpose...that the first picture really should be this one. Oh well!! I've never actually heard the song, 'Shiny, Happy People Laughing' but my husband said it was the team song for the Concordia Cobber Football team in Moorhead. We thought the title was appropriate for us today. (Sarcasm is dripping).
Our little gladiator. Isn't he scary? I always have to laugh when he dresses up like something scary because he always smiles. Henry gets into character and makes mean faces, but not Charles.
Oh, the fun of a big box. As you can see, we buy diapers in bulk at Sam's. I think Charles was pretending he was in a boat.
Henry is just trying to fit inside. What a great smile!

Oh yeah! I'm taking it easy. Henry and I laughed at this pose.

Not much new here. We had a very nice weekend. Good friends came over on Saturday for dinner. They have 3 little one's too about the same age as ours. They play really well together, so we actually got to have grown-up conversations. Not easy with 6 kids ranging from 5 months to 5 years (we had 5 1/2, 4, 3 1/2, 2, 7 months, and 5 months : D). Henry and Charles had appointments with our pediatrician on Monday...asthma follow-up. We go in about every 3-6 months unless they're sick. They've actually done very well this winter only because they've hardly been sick. We knew we were asking for it when we told him that. The next morning all 3 boys woke up with colds. We stocked up on kleenex, orange juice, and chicken noodle soup. So far they're doing pretty well, but I won't comment further since it's only been one day. They're behavior, on the other hand, was horrible today. Apparently there were multiple reasons which I won't go into, but it all seems to be sort of resolved. At least until tomorrow. That is why we posted with the title. All boys are sleeping now so we're much better. We're going to finish the day with the Wednesday Night Clothes Folding Party, and Lost. Mansei!!

Siolent Night, Holient Night!!

Apparently, with the 3rd child, you're much more relaxed. We bypassed all baby food and went straight for a giant pretzel. Oh, wait!! This is his favorite chewing toy...a giant rubber pretzel. It's perfect...the right size for his hand, the right size for his mouth. It was attached to a gift from a co-worker. Thanks!!
I just love this smiley face...crying face...serious face. It doesn't really matter...I love it. I still can't believe he's really ours. He's felt like our son since the moment we saw him, but I'm still so overwhelmed by how blessed we are. So many people come up to us and say...'Oh, they're (the boys) are so lucky!' What? Their birthmom couldn't parent them so they went to live with a foster family that they didn't know for a few months. In their baby minds they believe they're their family until some other people who look strange come and take them away on an airplane for an eternity. They come to a home where no one looks familiar, everything smells strange, and no one knows how to talk. They are permanently placed with a family in a country neither of which they got to choose. Wow! That sounds lucky to me. I'd say that WE'RE the most lucky, and the two most blessed people because we get to be their parents. Now that's lucky.
Min Seong eats!! His first bites of food. He spit most of it out, but has done better over the past couple days.

I'll explain the title. On Friday, we went to a friends home for dinner. I explained up front that we may have to leave a little earlier than usual since Andrew can only make it until about 6:30-7:00 p.m. before he starts to want his bed. We did great until, just like clockwork, 6:30 rolled around. We were able to keep him somewhat happy for about 1/2 hour before he began to ask for his bed in earnest. We got everyone packed up and headed to the 'train' (Charles name for the van). We got in and made it about 1/2 block before Andrew started crying, REALLY LOUD. This from a child who hardly ever cries. We told Henry, 'sing to him.' Henry started singing 'Rock-a-bye Baby,' and then switched to 'Siolent Night, Holient Night.' He did a great job, and we were so proud that we were able to keep our humor to silent chuckles. If you've ever heard your childs words to songs you know what I mean. Henry sang, 'Siolent Night, Holient Night. God is here. God is there.' ..... and then other words we didn't hear well. The most wonderful thing....Andrew stopped crying. Thank goodness we only live 1 mile away because we were about 1 block from home when Charles decided he was a train. The train whistle sounds coming from his mouth were NOT what Andrew thought was relaxing and he started crying again. We got home, up to his room with a nice bottle, and he was out in about 1 minute.

Sleeping boys

I had to put this picture in. When Henry was getting dressed, he grabbed Charles' jeans and put them on. You should have seen his face when he got them pulled up and realized they were WAY too short. I had to take a picture. Maybe capri's will be in style for boys.
Well, I am finally sitting at the computer and it is comnpletely quiet at 8 o'clock. This never happens. The boys were so worn from spending the past few days outside with a lot of extra exercise that it finally caught up with them. I laid down with Charles for about 5 minutes and he was sound asleep. I crawled up to Henry in the top bunk. I laid with him for about 5 minutes and he was sound asleep. All he asked me was, 'Why don't you grow whiskers?' And, then he fell asleep. I don't usually lay with my children until they fall asleep. I usually spend a few minutes with each of them after they are in bed to talk about their day...there was no talking tonight. Of course little Min is a different story. He sleeps great at night...no complaints there. But, he will sleep for only 1/2 hour at a time during the day. I did find out that when I put him in the front-pack he will fall asleep in about 10 minutes, and if he keep him there and move around he will keep sleeping for an hour or longer. My guess is that my little Korean son spent a lot of time in the podaegi in Korea. A podaegi is what Korean women use to attach babies to their back so that they are close when the mom is working around the house or doing errands. If you go back to my blogs from Korea, you can see Andrew in a podaegi with his foster mom. Henry and Charles both loved to be carried in the front pack as well, but they didn't seem to have so much trouble napping outside of it. Oh well. I guess it is a good bonding tool. I feel sort of naked without a baby stuck to me.
This has been our project for the past few days. The boys have been playing in the water for days. We've spent hours floating stick and leaf boats from the driveway to the drain on the corner. We even created a small dam by the mailbox for the boys to wade in . They thought it was great until they forgot that they shouldn't kneel. We did get the dam deep enough for it to be about 1 inch below the top of Charles boots.
Henry making a water dam.

We got to attend Baby James dol party. If you go to his blog, you can read all about it and see pictures. It was great fun. The boys didn't want to come home. And, we got to eat Korean food which is always a treat. We were honored to have been invited, and so thrilled to have been able to attend. Thanks Jen and Kelly!! As always, keep James in your prayers as he continues to fight cancer. He's an amazing, strong little boy and he has a wonderful family.

Our meeting

Andrew doesn't mind tummy-time so much if he can look at himself in the mirror. He doesn't particularly like it, but he doesn't complain too much.

Our meeting is complete, though I do have some unfinished paperwork to send in as well as the professional pictures that I pick up on Tuesday. I realized during the meeting that our home is a complete circus...zoo...animal house. You name it, that's what it is. Our social worker had done some other visits in La Crosse before coming here. She had another social worker with her who had worked with the families in La Crosse. Thank goodness they are so relaxed. (We have a really great social worker). The boys were INSANE!! Before they got here, Henry had tripped on the steps, fell, and had a big lip. Thank goodness we had time to clean up the blood. When they got here, the boys went wild. We were speechless. Henry, our usually shy, reserved child who we have to force to say hello to people, was talking nonstop, swinging swords, jumping off the couch, and chasing them around the house. Charles, of course, copies his brother. He decided it was time to show them how he can jump from the chair to the ottoman. Yikes!! ( I can remember when we did our homestudy for CHarles adoption, Henry was just 2. He was showing the social worker his room and then proceeded to show her how he could climb up the rocking chair and into his crib. We decided it was time to change him to a big boy bed.) He only did it once, and luckily he didn't hit his head on the entertainment center. He sat up in the social workers lap with his blanket. When they asked him if he liked his new brother, he proceeded to tell them about how he pukes all the time, and how he puked when he was a baby. What do you do? We started to laugh. When he started to talk about bowel movements, we changed the subject. Of course, they were so exhausted by the time they left that they sat nicely on the couch without saying anything. Charles asked dad if he could watch a little 'Polar Express' (his favorite because of the train) on the computer. A few minutes later I went to check on him, and this is what I found... an interesting way to fall asleep.

Lets just say that they slept very well last night. They talked about the social workers nonstop the rest of the evening, however. Apparently the behavior they showed while they were visiting is how they let someone know that they like them.

This is Andrew this morning. He has finally accomplished rolling over from front to back...and did it repeatedly whenever I put him back on his tummy. This was his expression when he saw how excited I was . What a great feat!!

We added a new member to our circle of friends on Monday. Our good friends, Lexi and Aaron, had another baby girl. We didn't find out until Tuesday, but Charles seemed to know on Monday night. When he was going to bed, out of the blue, he said, "I think Lexi is at the doctor so the baby can come out of her tummy." I laughed and said,'maybe.' The next morning I saw that I had a voicemail from the night before (Monday). It was Lexi calling at 8 pm (bedtime for the boys at our house) to tell us her daughter had been born. Interesting.

No other news for now!!

Take Care!!

Our Korean mothers

I have officially started working on post-pacement paperwork I. We have a visit from our social worker on Wednesday, and need to submit the required paperwork to Korea. The copy of the passport is easy. The progress report is also easy, just takes a little time. The letter to the foster mom. This should be fine...it's not done yet. The letter to the the birth family....well, that's a whole other story. Like my friend Chris, I struggle wondering what to say to the woman who just gave me a child. Thank you? It just doesn't seem like enough. Yes, I've done this twice before...but it never gets easier. As I got the boys ready for bed tonight, and rocked Andrew to sleep I spent a lot of time thinking about the women who gave me the chance to be a mom...who gave us a family. What a gift!! But I cannot imagine how incredibly difficult it had to have been. I try to imagine how hard things would have to be for me to make that same choice...and I can't do it. I can't imagine it. I can not imagine having to give my child to someone else. They were incredibly brave, and so much in love with their children. I have always hoped and prayed that one day we will get to meet them so they will know who we are, where their children are, and the kind of life they are leading. I hope they will be pleased. We've always wondered if they have gone to the agency to retrieve these letters that we've written and to see the pictures that we've sent. I try to send a letter and pictures every year always hoping that this will be the time they decide to respond. We have been so blessed to have such incredible kids. Of course, I think they are the most beautiful, wonderful people on earth...just like every mom thinks of her children. I think about how happy we are, and at the same time am reminded that in Korea there is a mom who is grieving for her child...our child. I can't imagine that they ever stop missing the child they weren't able to parent. I always pray that God will give them peace with their choice, and that He will give them comfort and the knowledge that their children are happy and well-cared for. If ever there are people who should be prayed for...it is the mothers who KNOW they aren't able to parent, who continue a pregnancy knowing they will not be raising this child, and who lovingly choose to give their child a life with a family who is able to parent. I think God must have a very, very special place in Heaven for these mothers.

You can click on the link to the P-B. It's not a different color, but it really will take you there.

Henry's in the newspaper!!

Henry's picture was in the newspaper yesterday. The boys daycare provider/preschool teacher has been caring for kids for 30 years. We managed to get the newspaper to do an article on her and they also took pictures. This is the link to the P-B article about her and to the picture of the kids. Charles, Chase, and Fleur were playing and weren't on the picture. Henry is there. This morning I showed it to him and he just sat there looking at it with no expression...shocked I guess. Then he just smiled and was so excited. He wanted to call Ja Neal right away to tell her, but he called Gramma and Grampa instead.

http://www.postbulletin.com/life/

Finally... a relaxing day.

I love that face!! He always looks like he's up to something. He usually is.
This is on the top of the snowpile between our house and the neighbor. It's probably 7 feet high. I love those smiles!
Henry is coming out the back entrance of the fort. You can actually slide right down into the fort. He informed me that you actually come out to throw snowballs and can then duck back down so you don't get hit.
Andrew doesn't really enjoy tummy time too much. And, after the first exciting roll-over with it's headline news....he's never done it again.
He is vain though....like all 5 month olds. He loves to look in the mirror. If you look closely, you can tell he's smiling because you can see his dimple.

Yes. Today was as relaxing as it can get with 3 boys. Travis went to study this morning as he always does on Saturdays. The boys and I hung out here and played. When Travis came home, we went to Fazoli's (a favorite of the boys....and us, too, for a fast-food restaurant) for lunch. Henry and Andrew crashed when we got home, and Charles just played in his room. Travis left again to meet with a group from school to work on a project. By the time everyone was up again, we all needed to get outside. It was a little chilly, but the boys bundled up well. Poor Andrew could hardly move. He was in his snowsuit with an extra cap and hood, in the front carrier, under my coat, with a blanket over the top. We weren't outside for 5 minutes and he fell asleep. The boys had a great time. Yesterday, Travis and Henry built a snowfort in the 7 foot tall snow pile between our house and the neighbors. Travis got home in time for supper. I was supposed to have an all-alone-mommy-mental-health-time today, but it never seemed to pan out. I finally said that I would be perfectly content if he put the boys to bed, and I got to have a Calgon-take-me-away bath with a good book. Well, I left for my bathroom and the only bubble bath I could find was Superman, berry-scented with a Superman bath puff ( I passed on the Superman foaming body wash in the shaving can). The bubbles were nice. You wouldn't be able to advertise the aroma as 'relaxing,' but you have to remember that it is Superman bubble bath. It worked for me. I made sure to leave the bathroom ONLY after the house had been quiet for 15 minutes. Then I had a good chance that the boys would be sleeping. Travis informed me that Charles had actually fallen asleep on the couch, and Henry had snuggled in just fine.

We heard from our pediatrician yesterday. Andrew's kidneys are fine, but he has earned himself a trip to the urologist anyway. We have an appointment for the end of March, but our pediatrician is going to see if they squeeze us in sooner.

A day at the Clinic

Henry loves to take pictures with Andrew. He and Charles have been so great with him. We couldn't have asked for two better big brothers. They're good helpers, too...though sometimes a little TOO helpful.

I haven't blogged for a couple of days, because... well, it's just been busy around here. A friend called Tuesday morning to see if we wanted to meet at the little play area at the mall. It was cold and snowy outside and all the kids had a little cabin fever. We agreed...it was good to get out, but I really wish it had been OUTSIDE in my own yard, or at the park. But, I guess in February in Minnesota you can't be picky. The kids had a great time, and when we got home the big boys fell asleep and Andrew did not. I had thought I MIGHT get a little nap, but apparently I didn't really need one. We took the boys to Target for pictures that evening. They did great!! I love the way the pictures turn out there. I do need to become a better photographer and invest in some photo editing software, and a giant sheet of white fabric for a backdrop. It would be so fun to turn out pictures like that.

Wednesday was quiet... I guess it was the lull before the storm...today. I ran outside at about 8:00 to chop up the giant snow rock the plow deposited at the end of our driveway. My neighbor, God bless him, was shovelling his driveway and helped me. I ran in and go the boys ready to go to Ja Neal's( our daycare provider and preschool teacher) for pictures. She has been doing daycare for 30 years, and the families managed to get Jen Koski to do an article on her for the P-B. One of our dad's is a photographer for the P-B and he came today to take pictures. She said he was coming at 10 so at 9:15 I was getting the boys ready to head to the car. She called to say he was going to be there in 10 minutes. Henry told here we were on our way. It takes me 20 minutes to get over there. I did manage to get there before the photographer... thank goodness he was late. No, I did not speed. Ja Neal said he would be there for an hour...(I had thought maybe 15 minutes). So, now Andrew and I had a whole hour or more to kill. We drove in to ABC Zone to browse, and then got called by our pediatricians office. He had ordered the necessary tests to check Andrew's bladder and kidneys. They had appointments available today if I could make it. I called Ja Neal...yes, the boys can stay all day...called the pediatricians office...yes, we can come. It was 10:30 and the first appointment was at 11. We made it!! However, Ja Neal called to see if Henry had any snowboots. No, because they were only go to have pictures so all they wore in were tennis shoes and coats...in addition to their clothes. But, no hats, mittens, boots, or snowpants. Sorry boys!! You'll have to play inside. Travis met us for the first appointment. Andrew had urinary catheter placed. And, then they filled his bladder with a dye to see if he had a urinary reflux. He did not. Of course, I'm leaving out all the details. Andrew was NOT pleased. It was now 12, and our next appointment was at 2. Travis got us sandwiches. Andrew fell asleep, and after buying a soda, and the Reader's Digest I wandered to our next appointment to wait. Of course, Andrew woke up for awhile but I managed to get him to sleep for awhile before he had a kidney ultrasound. Not a big deal for him. It was not invasive. But, we don't have the results yet. We finally left at 3. We went to get the boys, and picked up dad on the way home. When we drove up to the house, there was Pongo-dog on the porch. Oops!! I had let him out to go to the bathroom before we left for Ja Neal's. I guess in our haste after the 'He'll be here in 10 minutes' call, I forgot to let Pongo back in. Poor dog. It really snowed hard today, and there was sleet. After he ate his supper, he immediately went to bed and hasn't gotten up since. The boys have all crashed, and so will I : ) Tomorrow... we're not planning to go anywhere, or do anything exciting. We may be homebound if the weather forecast is right. Oh, another exciting event for the evening. We made snow ice cream. Henry's idea after making it with Ja Neal. I don't think it turned out as good, but it was fun to make. Of course, you have to use only freshly fallen snow ( we set a bowl outside last night)... not dirty or yellow snow : ) It was fun. Hope you all have a great night!!! Anyong!!

Haircuts!!

Well, it was haircut night at the Paul house. This is always an interesting endeavor. The boys need haircuts about every 3 weeks. So, I moonlight as a barber for the evening. I usually strip them to undies, set them on a kid chair on top of the table, arm them with a sucker and a movie if possible. I get my Wahl clipper with safety guards set up and go to work. I've gotten pretty over the past 5 years. Especially since they've all needed haircuts since they were newborns. Henry came with a shaved head so my dad, a real barber, trimmed it up. His hair is so thick and coarse it feels like brillo pad. Charles came home with hair most mothers of girls would be proud of. He could practically wear a ponytail. I thought it looked like a troll doll. We tried to trim it, but it only stuck up more. So, my dad pulled the clippers out for him too. His hair isn't quite brillo pad status, but close. Andrew came home home with the finest, thinnest hair ever. What he lacked he quantity he made up for in length. However, he received a haircut tonight as well. I talked to our hairdresser last week (a Korean woman) who said she couldn't trim it because it would just stick straight up. I asked what people in Korea do with hair like this, and she said they would just shave it off. So, we did. It was sort of sad to shave his head. But, I kept all his hair in a little baggie. Henry cried and said he wanted Andrew back. Charles followed suit only because he does whatever his big brother does. They are now all fine, but I'm sure Andrew will need to wear a hat for a long time. His head must be so cold. We think the boys must feel like their wearing fur blankets on the tops of their heads--their hair is so thick. But, poor Andrew. Well, I've always loved hats on babies so now I have an excuse.

The storm seems to be over. We had a wonderful time watching the snowplow nearly get stuck on our street, and a very close call with the mailbox.

Charles' Gotcha Day!!

Charles had climbed up on the cupboard to sneak something out of the cupboard. Look at that face. Doesn't it just scream 'mischief?'
Henry is painting a picture for Andrew's room. This was how we decided to decorate his room...with his brothers' artwork.
Mmmm...chocolate ice cream!
Mmmm! This cone is great!

Greetings all!! It was Charles' Gotcha Day today. Wow! I can't believe it's already been 3 years since he came home. We can remember it like it was yesterday. Henry wore his dalmatian dog shirt, and my mom and dad came with. Henry and my dad bought treats from the vending machine while we waited by the baggage carousel. Henry says they bought peanuts. Charles was sleeping when we got him. But, he opened his eyes long enough to look at his big brother and give him the nicest smile. Then he fell asleep again for a few hours. It always amazes me how you can be handed a strange baby and feel immediately like their parent. As if they had always been with you. Its always striking to me when people say, 'Oh, it's too bad you couldn't have had them younger?' In my mind I think... 'you mean I haven't always had them?' 'They weren't born to me?' No, I did not carry them for 9 months, and they were not born to me. But, I guess hearts are easy to confuse because it certainly feels as if I did.

The weather here has been crazy all day. Rain, sleet, snow, rain...the boys bedroom window is coated with ice. You can't see out. However, since we're of such strong North Dakota stock, we ventured out this afternoon to take Charles to supper. He wanted to eat rice, mandu, and ice cream. The only place you can find all that is at Sky Dragon buffet. The boys ate multiple mandu (it's not actually mandu, Korean mandu. It's Chinese fried dumplings. However, they are similar enough to be interchanged in the minds of 3 and 5 year olds). Charles picked cupcakes for dessert at home. Yes, I let him have ice cream at the restaurant and then a cupcake at home of which he only licked the frosting off. (This is not a typical day...it's a very special day and then it's okay to do things like that.) The boys did well until evening. Andrew had trouble going to sleep. I think he was over-tired and hopefully not getting sick. Henry was sad because he misses his family in Korea. Henry has a little trouble at his birthday and his gotcha day. We have a week or two of atypical behavior, sadness, and missing his family. This from a boy who is normally so happy and well-behaved. And, then about a week after his birthday/gotcha day, he seems better. This is the first time we've noticed it at Charles gotcha day. We'll have to watch as these special days arrive and pass and see if we continue to note this trend. Apparently, from things I've read this is not uncommon in kids who are adopted.

A thunderstorm in February?

A smiley boy
Watch out, Henry! I'm going to kiss you!
Me and my big brother.
Charles loves to do puzzles. And, play with trains as you can see in the back.
This is me in my new monkey towel. Appropriate since my mom and dad call me a monkey. Thanks Steve and Kelly for the towel!


Well, as a matter of fact, we are having a thunderstorm tonight. Complete with lightening. I really like thunderstorms...in April. This rain is going to freeze. We will be going out tomorrow though. It's Charles Gotcha Day. In the adoption world, gotcha day is a celebration of the day we gotcha. Tomorrow is the day Charles came home. We've had some interesting conversations about that lately...with both boys. Travis and I were talking about how glad we were to let Henry wait to start kindergarten. Travis commented that it was nice to have all the boys home at the same time. Especially since it will likely be the only time they'll all be home with no school requirements. It was good reminder of having perspective. One thing I learned when I was sick is that there is no guarantee, and that we need to enjoy life and the people around us as much as possible while we're here. So, I decided the most important thing is to spend time with my kids. With this as priority, it places things like housework a little bit lower on the totem pole. Just so everyone knows, if you come to my house try not to notice the dust on the shelves, the dog hair on the couch, or the dirty shoe prints on the floor. There will probably be sand on the rug, fingerprints on the window, and pictures taped to the wall by little boys and moms. There may be train tracks set up on the floor for weeks, and the laundry may take a few days to get folded. But, we'll be having fun, playing, and hugging, snuggling for books, and making grass and rock soup outside. We'll probably have pet worms, and the refrigerator may look like a giant collage of stuff. All visitors are welcome, but I hope you don't mind a lot of chaos and little dust. We're going to be having fun.

I have a great Charles comment today. All the boys had baths tonight. Travis was taking care of Andrew, Henry was taking care of himself, and I was helping Charles put lotion on. He was staring at his hands, and then yelled, "Mom! Mom! My hands are squish!" He had been in the bathtub too long : )

Also, baby James got out of the hospital today. I was relieved and thrilled to see his smiling face.

Question of the day

We had a relatively unproductive day. We did manage to go outside for about an hour. The big boys were bouncing off the walls, and we needed to get out before they spent the whole day in time-out. It worked!! They were much better behaved when we came in.

At bedtime tonight, Charles asked the question of the day, actually questions of the day.
Charles, "What if we had no food, or sink, or pans, or stove?"
Mom, " What would we do if didn't have any of those?"
Henry, "We could buy food."
Charles, "We would have no glass."
Henry, "We could buy vegetables and plant them in the garden and grow food. And, we could buy a cow for milk."

Next question"
Charles, " What if our silverware were corn?"
Mom, "What would we do if our silverware were corn?"
Charles, "I would have to eat my spoon."

These were asked with all seriousness and after a great deal of thought. I've gotten very good at keeping a straight face.

Sorry, no pictures today. We have some but will post tomorrow.

Slimy kisses and baths

Andrew has been into this open-mouthed, slobbery kissing thing for the past few days. If you let him, he will try to suck on your cheeks. Henry is getting the treatment here.
And, another kiss for big brother. Henry's face was soaked with spit after this.
Ahh. A kiss for mom. Yes, open-mouthed and slobbery. This our happy boy after his bath. He's particularly happy because I haven't put clothes on him yet.
And, when he's particularly happy he gives us a smile that looks like this.

We had a regular day at the Paul house. That is, after waking up at 5 and realizing Andrew hadn't woken up in the night. Of course, I had to go check and make sure he was alright. Then I went back to bed. Yes!! Another few minutes of sleep. He woke at 6. We'll see if this continues. I think it won't. We received a call from a colleague of our pediatrician (he's on vacation) with the results of Andrew's urine test. Apparently, it's growing E. Coli. He has a bladder infection. It's not so common among infants, especially boys, but the bacteria is common. We received a prescription for Bactrim. And, when our pediatrician returns next week, we'll be set up with some tests to make sure that all is well. Even with an infection, Andrew was in good spirits. He was laughing and wiggling around and giving kisses. I guess it is a new definition for a 'spit bath.' The boys all had baths...with water and soap. Andrew gave a great show after his bath when I got the pictures. Nothing else new at our house. We're all home tomorrow, and are hoping to enjoy the weather again.