Sweet Ending to a Rough Day

Today wasn't exactly the best day since we've been home. I still am not feeling 100 percent and I don't think Jay-R was feeling all that great either. Neither one of us ended up sleeping that well. He was up before 7 this morning. We went to storytime at the library this morning. He was shy which is to be expected...we've only been home a little over a week. He enjoyed playing on the little childrens' computers in the children section of the library. I don't think he has probably ever been on a computer. The little mouse for the computer is tiny so it fits his little hand. He played some matching, counting, and alphabet games and did really well after I showed him what to do. He catches on fast. It was after lunch, the meltdown began. He was upset about his fruit being thrown in the sink...mind you he had already thrown it in the sink and had no intention of eating it. He was one unhappy little boy. The meltdown ended in a 2 hour nap for him which he needed...I could tell he was tired. Later he was upset because I wouldn't pick him up when he wanted picked up....I've been carrying him all day and I needed to take a quick restroom break!!! So, that set off the start to another meltdown. Basically, he just wasn't real happy today. When Ate Ashleigh came home from school, he seemed happier and enjoyed interacting with her. We played some games after dinner as we awaited our visitors. Tonight, a Filipino exchange student, the coordinator, and another exchange student from Mongolia visited. Jay-R was thrilled with the gifts they brought and the cake. He was slow to warm up as usual when meeting new people but once he warmed up, he began talking up a storm. He chatted in tagalog back and forth with the exchange student. It was so good to hear them talking. He took her upstairs to his room and she read him a story in tagalog. He sang his song from the youtube video for them and then he sang some other songs in tagalog we found on youtube. He really needed this tonight. I know he misses his friends, his language, everything that is familiar to him. It has to be so hard and frustrating as a 5 year old to not know how to express what you are feeling or even to understand what you are feeling. I know the exchange student enjoyed interacting with him and using her language again. We plan to get together again. Right now I can hear Daddy reading stories to Jay-R and unfortunately, he doesn't sound too tired. Hopefully, bedtime isn't a fight but I think he is winding down from an evening he really enjoyed. It is so important to both of us that he maintain his culture, his sense of identity. That is who he is. He may be living in America now but he will always be a Filipino. We are hoping to host a Filipino exchange student in a couple of years, too.

Jay-R's World

Each day is full of new experiences for Jay-R. Our weather is 60 one day and then snowing the next so Jay-R experienced his first snowflakes of his life on Sunday. He was riding his bike with his Ate and some friends and came running in the house to tell Mommy, "Snow! Snow! Snow!" Ate had saved him some snow from an earlier winter blast in a freezer bag so he had fun playing with that, too. Goodness knows we had enough of it this winter! He had a busy weekend meeting the family and then went to church last night. He has done so well with new experiences. Today was also his first Mommy and Jay-R day and we had a good day. He wore off some energy this afternoon running around with Ashleigh's soccer team. He is quite the popular little boy!

We learn a little more about him every day, too. Like he likes eggs...surprised us all. We had breakfast for dinner tonight and he ate eggs...even asked for more! And he has acquired quite a liking for dipping things in ketchup just like Mommy and Ate!

Tonight, Daddy read him stories. This is a special Daddy and Jay-R time especially since Kory went back to work today. Kory read him a few stories tonight and he said Jay-R said, "Night night. Elo (light) off." And he went right to sleep. I am sooo thankful he goes to bed easily and tends to sleep 11 hours a night.

The pictures are from the past few days of meeting friends and family. As you can tell from the one picture, he looooves making things with playdough. (He is wearing a mask).When meeting new people, he is quiet at first, then warms up and shifts into show off mode! He is quite the little entertainer. He is loving all this attention just on him!

Love Technology!

Hello! We have almost been home one week and in that time I have managed to fall down the entire flight of my stairs, twist my ankle, and lose my voice! I would say what's next but someone told me to never ask that!

Yesterday was awesome...we were meltdown free. He just had a really good day. Thursday and today, we had meltdowns. I think he starts missing his friends and everyone at the orphanage and he doesn't know how to process or share those feelings with us so his meltdown mode sets in. He pushes us away and won't make eye contact. We just hold him close and tell him we love him and it's okay to be sad and miss his friends. The only thing that snaps him out of a meltdown is watching the videos from his orphanage (the love of technology!). They are from February so they are very recent. They just seem to bring him comfort and then he's okay. I always start crying during the videos because I know as much as he loves his new family, he is missing his old life. So many changes for him in such a short time. During the meltdowns, he tries to push us away, and that is soooo hard. We love this little boy and we will see him through each and every meltdown no matter how emotionally draining they can be!

He has met his lolos, lolas, titos, titas, and cousins this weekend. He did really well meeting all his extended family. Tonight while reading stories to him, Ate used names of his friends from the orphange and Jay-R also renamed some of the characters lolo and lola. There is such a bond between these two siblings. He held onto Ashleigh's shirt tonight...he was not letting her leave with the cousins!

I will try to post some pictures tomorrow of this weekend. He got a bike today with training wheels so Mommy and him will have lots of fun during the days ahead. Daddy goes back to work Monday so it will just be him and Mommy during the day.

One Day at a Time

Today was a really, really good day except that we were all exhausted and dealing with sore throats. Jay-R woke up at 12:30 last night and took forever to go back to sleep. I discovered he was itching his legs and further inspection, I found scratch marks on his little arms. The poor little guy had such dry skin probably from a combo of bubble baths and the furnace heat which he is not used to. I bought some good quality baby lotion and baby bubble bath for him and we see improvement already. After a failed attempt to get him back to sleep at 8 am, Kory and I decided to try very hard to not let him take a nap today. We played Play Doh, spent a long time at McDonald's play area (it was raining), visited his church so he could be familiar with it before we actually take him on Palm Sunday, took him to the doctor for his check-up, the park (it had stopped raining), and then the dinner and bath time routine. He was out by 7:45! We are all going to bed early tonight! He was happy today, very loving...he must have said, "I love you mommy" and "I love you daddy" a hundred times today. We had only the onset of meltdowns but he was easily diverted except he refused a bath tonight and would only allow a quick bath. I think he was beyond tired. He fell asleep during stories. Adoption is definitely a journey and each day we learn a little more about this amazing boy and ourselves, too. God is definitely the strength that gets us through the trying times along with the encouragement of others!

I am posting a few pictures. Jay-R loves to carry his Ate's umbrella. I told Kory I think it is something familiar to him. So many ladies carry umbrellas in the Philippines to shield themselves from heat so he has seen this before. The other pics are just silly pics of our family and then a pic from lunch today.

Okay, I have to get to bed. The advice, sleep when the baby sleeps also applies to newly adopted 5 year old boys, too!

Quick update

I have a quiet house....no dogs barking (they came home today) and sleeping children and a husband! Ahh...

Jay-R has had meltdowns, mainly when he is tired and when he doesn't get his way. He punches us with his little fists, bites, pinches....we just hold him tight and let him cry it out. We reassure him that we love him and will be there for him. These meltdowns are exhausting...

but there is joy, too...he goes to bed without any problems..goes right to sleep after a few stories, some quiet Bible song music in the background, and a goodnight kiss. Kory has been lying in bed with him until he falls asleep but he goes right to sleep. That is a huge blessing! He folds laundry with me, too, and nothing beats hearing, "I love you Mommy."

Ashleigh goes back to school tomorrow. She took Monday and Tuesday off to recover from jet lag, a sore throat, and an upset stomach. I jokingly told her she couldn't go back to school, that I would home-school her...I will miss her during the day...she is such a wonderful help and so good with her brother.

Oh, a little clarification...Ate is pronouced "Ahtay" not ate, the past tense of eat. I've talked to a few people who thought it was ate, past tense eat. Ashleigh wanted me to clarify that.

Okay, I"ll try to post some pictures tomorrow. He poses for the camera and it's so cute. I have taken some cute shots since arriving home so I will try to post tomorrow. He has his first doctor visit tomorrow so we are hoping all goes well.

Home Sweet Home Never Felt So Good!

We're home and oh does it feel good! The last night in the hotel was trying. Jay-R had a meltdown and Ate Ashleigh who is a genius found the one and only thing to bring him comfort...Youtube videos from the orphange. He watched and sang along. Here is the link to the video he particularly liked. He is the second boy from the end on the right. These videos and songs brought him so much comfort. We know he is greiving the loss of his friends, caregivers, and former life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTn_tO27SEQ

This is worth sharing... we went through 3 security points in the Manila airport. We had to go through our third round of security before we could even sit at our gate. Kory and Jay-R had to go to the bathroom which required going out of the security zone. Kory said two airport workers handed him paper towels and then wanted a tip. Meanwhile, Jay-R ran out of the bathroom. The workers would not let Kory through until he tipped them. Then, he had to find Jay-R and go through security again. We were all so ready to go home. We had a few meltdowns on the plane, but overall, he did really well and he was really excited to go home!

Okay, after an emotionally draining night last night and going to bed at 5 pm...we were all exhausted....we were up at 4 am. Thomas is on Ate's TV and he is ready for breakfast. We were so lax in what we allowed him to eat while in the Phils so we need to make him eat food besides sweets and French Fries. He won't eat rice...amazing!

Okay, I am going to post some of our favorite pictures of the little man. The three shots of him with us individually are at the initial meeting at the orphanage. The one is from Star City amusement park and the other one is at the Church of God in the Philippines. I will post more later, too, and if you are on Facebook, I am going to post pictures, there, too.

Kory is the best daddy ever (by ashleigh)!

The Countdown...

Our countdown to home has officially began! We are all so ready to go home. Today, we met with a woman on the Board of Directors at the orphanage and her father for a tour of the Intramuros, the walled city. We had a nice time seeing the old Catholic churches and toured a museum. We even were able to get a glimpse at a Filipino wedding. The men in the wedding were all wearing their barongs. We had planned on going to the Manila Yacht Club for lunch and were looking forward to eating lunch by the bay. However, the traffic in Manila changed our plans. We sat in bumper to bumper traffic for over an hour because the city decided to close a major road, the road in front of our hotel. Our guides had a 2:30 meeting so we did not have time to eat. They had to drop us off at the corner near the hotel and we walked back to the hotel among all the people. It's some sort of anti-drug festival. I have attached some pictures-I honestly have never in my life seen so many people in one location! The festivities are (they are still going on right now) occuring in front of the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

We decided to eat lunch at the restaurant at the hotel. It was a very good international buffet-cost us $60 US dollars to eat there!!! Good food, though. That's the problem, we can't process in our minds how much we spend until after fact, but there was no way we were venturing into that crowd to find lunch!

At the swimming pool, we had a slight issue. Mr. Jay-R decided to spit water at another little girl in the pool. He did not like it when Mommy took him out of the pool. He had a "time-in" for a punishment. Mommy held him on the chair. He was not happy. I got the "time-in" idea from another adoptive parent's blog. Children in orphanages are self soothers and time-outs alone don't work for them-they are good at soothing themselves. So, instead, we are making him stay close to us for the duration of the punishment time. Afterwards, he swam just fine and we had a nice time despite the breeze. Helicopters kept flying above and one even ejected confetti which just amazed Jay-R.

Our lives are forever changed by this trip in so many ways. We have met so many amazing people. The hospitality of the Filipino people is so warm and friendly. We have seen the vast differences that exist from poverty firsthand at those who reside in shacks to the large westernized malls with Gap and other stores. We have seen young children in tattered clothing begging on the streets, the vendors weaving in and out of traffic with their goods to sell. The traffic-it takes an hour to get a few miles! People-people are everywhere! We have eaten delicious Filipino food. And thank goodness, no one has gotten sick. We did not experience the usual constipation of adopted children-our fruit boy is very regular! And most of all, we are experiencing the unconditional love that comes from opening one's heart to adoption. We know we will experience challenges once we return home as we all adjust to being a family of four but we all love this little boy. Just a few minutes ago, he said, "Love you Mommy!" My heart swelled with love.

The next time I blog, I will be in the homeland of USA! And I will post pictures from our trip of Jay-R. As we adjust some, we look forward to seeing all of you soon! And Philippines, we hope to return here in 10 years for a homeland visit for Jay-R. Thank you all for your continued prayers, support, and love.

Love the Philippines but ready to go home...

Hotel living anywhere is not fun...its too confining and we have just about reached our limit! We had a wonderful day today but tonight, we are a little stir crazy confined to this room. We love the hospitality of the Filipino people but we miss the familiarness of our American life. We know we have a looong plane ride ahead of us but we are looking forward to returning home. We appreciate everyone's comments...it helps us feel connected to friends and families afar.

So, anyway, Friday, we enjoyed a wonderful day with the Director of Children of Promise in the Philippines. Children of Promise is the child sponsorship program through the Church of God. We sponsor a girl here in the Philippines and prior to our trip, arrangements had been made for us to visit. We were picked up this morning around 9:15 am. We went to the home of girl we sponsor. It was a very touching moment for both us and her family. We were given the opportunity to see some of the ways we have been able to help her family.

Twenty-five dollars goes far in the Philippines. Please consider sponsoring a child...here is the website: http://www.echildrenofpromise.org/Default.aspx

We visited the Church of God here and then went to the Chinese cemetary. Very interesting. Our church back home is very mission minded so we enjoyed visiting this church and talking to the people there about people we know back home. That helped ease some homesickness, too. We then went to the Mall of the Asia, the largest mall in Asia. We ate delicious Filipino food at Gerry's Grill. A feast of various Filipino dishes was set before us-wonderful food! We then toured the Mall of Asia via golfcart-people kept looking at us and a few even took pictures-we felt like celebrities-weird! We had an awesome time with Fely and her staff. It was an absolutely wonderful day!

After returning to the hotel, we spent the night swimming, spending some time in the Traders Club lounge, and watching TV. We ordered Pizza Hut again-it was good and familiar. Tonight has been somewhat trying. We have had meltdowns for apparently no reason. He starts crying and has been hitting and throwing things. When he doesn't get his way, the meltdown begins. I have more patience than I even realized I had. He tends to take these moments out on Kory more than anyone and that is hard on Kory. Right now, he is looking at his lifestory book from the orphanage with his Ate. I know he is dealing with grief, transition, and missing his friends and doesn't necessarily know how to share that with us. When we get back home, there will be new transitions and things to deal with, but at least we can try to establish boundaries and routines.

Okay, I will post a few pictures-Pizza Hut!, Jay-R's playroom at the orphanage, and
Ashleigh with the girl we sponsor-isn't she beautiful!

Day 5-Homesickness is setting in...

Hello! It's 6:30 Friday morning. I am finding this the easiest time to blog b/c Jay-R is still sleeping! When he is awake, it is hard to do anything...he is so busy! Yesterday, we had our meeting at ICAB-the Intercountry Adoption Board. They are responsible for matching children to potential families. We met the social worker who helped match us to Jay-R. Jay-R was Mr. Shy and buried his face in his hat. After ICAB, our social worker from Parenting Foundation took us to an authentic Filipino store to buy some gifts. We received 60% off all non-sale items b/c Parenting Foundation families receive discounts. Okay, I have two children who love to shop. Ashleigh kept finding all sorts of things and Jay-R put item after item in the basket. We are not used to Filipino hospitality. The stores clerks were helping us find things, telling us about everything...we found it a bit overwhelming. And then we were ready to check out and pay, the total was over 7,000 pesos. My mind does not convert into dollars that quickly and I am thinking-"Oh my goodness, how much did we just spend?" We had been adding item after item-I tried to find things so each birthday, we can give Jay-R one item from his homeland. We did not have enough pesos so I had to use my Mastercard. It wouldn't go through. They had to call the bank and then I had to speak to the credit card representative. I had called before we left the US. Apparently, there was a hold or something placed on my card, the number was potentially compromised-I am getting so frustrated with this! Finally, the card went through and we were on our way 20 minutes later. Oh, by the way, we figured we spent approximately $150 US dollars.

After arriving back to our hotel and bidding our social worker farewell and thank you, we faced another dilemma, what to eat. Nothing is really within walking distance, we didn't want room service, and we were hungry. So, we tried Pizza Hut delivery. We received a large 1/2 Meat lovers, 1/2 Veggies Lover (with pineapple), 4 pieces of garlic bread, and 2 large bottles of pop for only $14 US dollars. The pizza was awesome and helped ease our homesickness some. As for Jay-R, he does not like pizza and ate a mango and Nutri Grain bar for lunch. He turns his nose up at food he doesn't like and makes the funniest face. After lunch, we swam for 2 hours. It was so warm outside, a little breezy, but oh, so warm. Jay-R is a fish like the rest of us but sticks mainly to the kiddie pool. He did venture to the adult pool a little bit.

Last night, I wanted out of the room. I am feeling cooped up with four of us in this tiny room. Across from our hotel is Star City, a mini amusement park. At night, the ferris wheel is lit up and both the kids wanted to go. I convinced Kory to venture out so we got ready, exchanged some more money, and grabbed a taxi and went. It cost us 1200 peso for all we could ride, around $20 US dollars (that's for all 4 of us together). Jay-R's eyes just lit up-he was so excited! We rode a variety of rides-bumper cars, carosuel horses, ferris wheel, and other rides. The kids had hotdogs, Pringles, and bottled water for $4! The prices amaze me here! When Jay-R told us he was tired (he placed two hands under his chin to indicate he was tired), we decided to walk back to the hotel. It wasn't far and we followed what looked like a bunch of Navy men. Shortly after (well, we had to wait for a new comforter to be brought because Jay-R spilled water all over ours!), we went to bed.

Another day planned. We are meeting our Children of Promise sponsored child today. Our time is dwidling. I will try to post some pictures and as soon as we are back in the states, I will post the pictures you are all waiting for!

Day 4-some challenges

Okay, let's try this again! I had an entire entry ready to post last night and my connection was lost. By then I had lost all patience to retype it! Jay-R kept walking from the bed to the bathroom to fill water bottles and he must have bumped my internet cable out of the connection. Oh, well such is life!

Anyway, we had an overall good Wednesday. We went to the province of Muntinlupa, about 45 minutes away, to the Parenting Foundation, our US agency's liason agency. We met the director and received Jay-R's important documents. The director and our social worker treated us to lunch at a nice Chinese restaurant. One of the challenges we are experiencing is his potty training, and when we are in new situations, he does not tell us he has to go. So, we had a bit of a mess when we arrived at the restaurant but nothing we couldn't handle. We have learned two imporant words, not sure if the spelling is correct, but we understand them and that's the important part-ee=pee and tatay = poo. Very important words! After lunch (I was thrilled Kory ate Asian food and liked it!!!!) we endured a looooong drive back to our hotel. We saw the US Embassy so that was neat. We spent the remainder of the day swimming and relaxing in the room. The Nickolodeon station has cartoons in tagalog so Jay-R loves to watch cartoons and he talks back to them. It's cute! We ate room service and are loving the fact we can all eat room servcie, ice cream included, for around $20! Last night was a bit of a challenge. Jay-R started repeating everything we were saying and hitting. He said, "No, daddy, No!" as if telling Kory not to do something, then he would start laughing. It is hard to tell him not to hit because it is hard to make him understand with the language barrier. The most important thing is to keep our voice calm and even and do our best to make him understand. He was very wound up last night. Finally (after I lost my blog entry), we decided 8:45 pm was a perfect time for all of us to go to bed. After 4 drinks of water, he decided to go to sleep!

We expect challenges-this is a huge adjustment for him. We are taking everything in stride. His personality is fun-loving and easygoing but he is fiercely independent. I think he has been used to doing things on his own, that he likes to be independent. He does allow us to help with some things like opening his banana, etc but he likes to do on his own what he can. He always ask permission before taking things like cookies, etc. so that is good. I love when he wakes up in the morning. He looks around and then shouts "Mommy!" We have had a few tearful moments-I'm sure he misses his friends and caregivers but he is easily calmed. I am finding it challenging to divide time between two children. He is very demanding of our time right now but I know Ashleigh understands and she loves her little brother. It is also hard to establish any sort of routine given hotel living. My arm hurts from carrying him but I love holding him and think that is important for the bonding. He weighs just a little over 30 pounds- not too much more than little Franklin our puppy (who I miss!).

A little bit more about our son: He loves magic tricks and did some "magic" tricks for us yesterday. He's a picky eater-so far, we know he likes, fruit, pancakes and the like, peanuts, ice cream, pancuit, and French fries. He loves mangos but these mangos are 900 times better than the mangos back home! He is ornery! It takes a hotel key in the slot by the door to operate the room lights. I was in the bathroom and all of a sudden it went dark on me. I could hear his laughing on the other side of the door! He is a fish and loves the water! The social worker at lunch commented, "It's like he found his home." He was on daddy's lap laughing and very content.

I forgot to mention the other day that we bought him a barong, the national attire for men in the Philippines for special occasions. We plan to have him wear it when he is dedicated at church. I love the Philippines, the people are so warm and friendly. At the store, there were sales clerks everywhere-I'm not used to that much hands on help when shopping! The thing that amazes us besides the traffic is that street vendors walk through the traffic to sell their goods! I was afraid the other day just to cross the street! There is also security guards and police everywhere-stores, banks, hotels, on the street, by the toll plazas on the streets. We are homesick for quiet-there is seldom quiet here. We are used to hearing horns and motorbikes constantly. Even 17 floors up in our hotel, I can hear traffic outside.

Well, we have a meeting this morning and I need to get a shower if we are going to eat breakfast. So, yes some challenges, a little homesick although I love it here, but we love this little boy and can't wait for him to walk into everyone's hearts when we return home!

Philippines Day 3

I am very tired right now and am forcing myself to blog before bed so I don't forget anything! Today was very busy. We woke up around 6 and he woke up around 7 am. Only once in the middle of the night did he wake up crying but he was easily calmed and went back to sleep. It rained all morning so after breakfast (which he did very well at-he's a fruit boy!), I called my co-worker's brother in law. He had offered to take us around. They picked us up around 12ish and we went to Mataki, the business district. We saw an entirely different side of Manila. We went to Glorietta Mall and did some shopping. I think we spent around $60 US dollars but we got 4-5 clothing articles for both Ashleigh and Jay-R as well as more pull-ups. (The potty training is in progress but the transition of the adoption has resulted in a few steps back. We anticipate it won't take long once we return home). Anyway, we ate at Jollibee, a Filipino chain similar to McDonald's only they specialize in fried chicken, rice, and spaghetti. Jay-R ate spaghetti and ice cream, two of his favorite foods. We went to their house and visited for a while and met the family. We then went to another mall-Market Place and he played on the playground and bounced on an inflatable for 30 minutes! This boy has endless energy! He would come to the entrance of the bouncey area to make sure we were still there. He also walked with J, my friend's brother in law for a while, but he kept turning around and making sure we were there. We went back to their house and ate milkfish, the Filipino national fish, BBQ hotdogs and pork, and of course rice. They also served mango and I think Jay-R ate 3 mangos today! Today allowed us the opportunity to see different sides of Manila. While at our friend's house, we watched a game of soccer in the street. The houses are side by side and you can scream at someone from your window and they can hear you. There are cars and people everywhere. We saw school let out at 6 pm (they have morning and afternoon sessions to accomadate everyone) and also everyone at the outside markets buying food for dinner. This look into his culture is priceless. It was also helpful having them help us decipher some of what he was saying! The language barrier is a bit of a challenge. He seems to understand a lot more English than we do Tagalog! Oh, one big difference from the US-there is no carseat law. I love the fact that I can cuddle with him while we are driving down the road!!! The traffic may be insane but everyone is respectable of one another-people just walk on the street and drivers stop. (They do have a helmet law for all motorbikes).

Overall, the bonding is progressing. He appears very comfortable with us. He loves being held and cuddled. Today, he was constantly looking for one of us if he couldn't see us. When he met my co-worker's family, he was shy and buried his head in my shoulder. He soon warmed up, though. He is so easy going and social. He is not so happy when he doesn't get his way but he is easily diverted to something else. I think our orphanage did an awesome job at preparing him. They told us that he carried our photo albums everywhere, made up stories about us, and told his friends at school that Mommy, Daddy, and Ate were coming in an airplane. Secondly, his personality also makes this transition easier.

Okay, we need to get this little boy to bed. We have another full day tomorrow. We love you all and will see you soon!

We're officially new parents....

Wow...where to start. It's almost 8 pm here and Jay-R is still wired! Here's our journey today...

Our social worker met us here at 12:15. We rode the 20-30 minute ride in crazy Manila traffic to the orphanage. When we arrived, Jay-R was still sleeping, so we had time to talk to his social worker from the orphanage about his routine, likes, etc. Another couple from the Netherlands arrived to meet their son as well. Jay-R appeared about 20 minutes after our arrival. He came right to me. He was quiet but not hestitant at all. His photo album we had made for him was clutched in his hand. He soon went to Kory and then Ashleigh as well. We took time walking around the grounds with him, playing cars, and meeting his friends. We received a tour of the orphanage, too. He hung tight to me and loved being carried. He is just so absolutely sweet. They said he loves to be cuddled and hugged and it is apparent. We had a Mass and Turnover ceremony. Ashleigh taped it for us. Jay-R's close friend served as the altar boy. The orphanage treated us and the other family to spaghetti (his favorite food), sweet bread, and mini hotdogs. The spaghetti is sweeter than ours but very good. They had given us a lifebook at the ceremony and before leaving, we received a SpiderMan backpack filled with clothing and other small items. They also gave him a Sponge Bob gift bag with goodies in it for him. We hugged the social workers and told everyone bye before leaving. The ride back was during rush hour traffic-people were everywhere-at the market, leaving school, crazy! He was very excited to get to the hotel. We told our social worker bye and went upstairs. Kory showed him the view from the window and he saw the swimming pool. We had to go swimming. Although it is warm here, the breeze had picked up so we swam only briefly, until he was shivering. We came upstairs and had snacks. He has said some cute things:
"I know English." "Tom and Jerry" (the cartoon is on) "I love Mommy" "I love Daddy" "I love Ate" (ate is the filipino word for big sister)
He called the Manila Bay a swimming pool which cracked us up. His English is here and there. He speaks primarily in tagalog but seems to understand English.
We have noticed food hoarding. He stores things under the pillow. Under Kory's pillow, he stashed 3 packs of cookies, 2 apples, and an orange. The orphanage staff told us he often put things under his pillow. Kory was just hoping his soggy mango didn't end up under the pillow! He is a fruit boy! The hotel provides fresh fruit daily in our room. So far, Jay-R has eaten 2 bananas, 1 mango, and 1 apple since we've been back!
Well, we need to work on getting him to bed. Tomorrow is a free day to bond and have fun with our little man! God is good!

Day 1 Continued...

Hey...We woke up early (4:30 am) since we went to bed at 7 pm. This time change is hard to adjust to. We ventured out a little last night. We wandered to a park and were approached by three little boys...it broke our hearts to see children on the street. We know that very well could have been Jay-R's life. We said a prayer for all the children when we returned to our room. We decided to do room service for dinner. The three of us ate room service for around $20 and it was good food. We are posting a few pictures of the view from our hotel window and some of you have asked what a jeepney is so we are posting a picture of that as well. We will meet Jay-R this afternoon (or while most of you are sleeping!). I feel nervous, excited butterflies in my stomach...this is the moment we have been waiting for!

Day 1 of our Philippines adventure

Hello friends and family! We made it safely to the Philippines. It was a long flight. It felt like we were never going to get off and at one point it felt like I had always been on the plane-weird feeling because you are literally trapped in that little seat and beyond a trek down the aisle or the bathroom, you are stuck. But, we made it. I met a very nice Filipino woman on the flight and enjoyed chatting with her. We had a short layover in Nagoya, Japan-long enough to get off the plane, go through security, use the bathroom, and board the plane again. We arrived in Manila at 11:00 pm which is 12 hours ahead of our Ohio friends and family. It was fairly easy navigating through the security checkpoint, luggage claim, and customs. Even finding our way to the hotel transportation was easy. We arrived to our hotel-it is nice. We crashed into bed after finding out we couldn't use our calling cards from our room and int'l calling would cost us a small fortune. Oh, yeah, and Kory reminded me it took a good 5 minutes to figure out how to turn on the lights in the room. It required a hotel key inserted by the door to activate the switch. Who knew? We made ourselves sleep which wasn't too hard due to 18 hours of being on a plane. It was about 1 am their time. I woke up around 6 am. The traffic here is like nothing you've ever seen unless of course, you've been here! The streets were packed at midnight and I have decided this is a city that never sleeps. Even at 6 am, the streets were bustling with walkers, joggers, and others. We enjoyed a good breakfast and were elated to discover we can access internet in our room via internet cable. And the laptop adapter to charge it can be charged up to 240 V...yeah! We have one 110V outlet in the bathroom which is handy to use my straightener. Now, we are vegging in the room. Honestly, we don't feel too tired just stiff. We need to sort through what we want to take to the orphanage tomorrow and figure out our week. We have some contacts here in the city who are going to take us sightseeing one day. We plan to go swimming today-its in the high 80s. I want to venture and walk some but Kory is a bit more reluctant. Kory and Ash are on their way to the lounge-a nice feature of our room is we get free drinks-pop, juice, etc. This experience is going to be a week to remember. We never in our lives have been in the minority. We're from smalltown America and we're now in a huge city which in and of itself is unnerving. And although all the staff speak English, they don't always necessarily understand what you mean. We look different, we talk different and people around us are speaking a different language. One look outside of our window shows the vast differences of the city-tall buildings and then shack like structures. I am determined to make the most of this trip and absorb as much as I can of my son's culture. I will try to blog daily since we have the convenience and privacy of in room internet use. Well, I am going to drink my Coca Cola light in my 330ml can and enjoy the sights out the window. We are overlooking Manila Bay, 8 lanes of traffic, a pretty green park. Well, this is long but I want to journal our experiences for everyone so you feel like you are along with us for the ride because I know in thoughts and spirit...you are all! We love you all and will see you soon.

We're registered!

I just finished registering on the US Embassy website. One more thing to check off the list. Today was my last day of work until June 1st. My co-workers gave me a wonderful send-off with a potluck of all my favorite foods...yum! It was hard to tell everyone good-bye but I promised to visit and I will as soon as he has adjusted some. I appreciate the time I will have off work to spend with Jay-R. My social worker told us that bonding is hard work and I am prepared to pour my whole heart and soul into this. I'm not really sure what to expect but I know God will be with us through this all. I can already feel the strength of prayers!

I have tomorrow to finish last minute things and then Friday we'll be leaving on a jet plane!

Flying High...

not in the sky yet...but emotionally and with sugar! I have the best bunch of co-workers ever...they treated me to pizza today and Scotcheroos...my absolute favorite. (I know, Linda, you told me not to eat too many, but I'm feeling lightheaded from a tad bit too much sugar!). Everyone is so excited for us. To have so many people praying for us and sharing in our joy and excitement is a tremendous comfort. I'm not feeling very nervous at all (for the moment)!!

I checked my email after work. Our social worker had emailed us our itineray for our trip. We will arrive late Saturday and meet him on Monday. Sunday is a free day for us to rest up. We will attend a Mass and Turnover Ceremony at the orphanage Monday. We have a few other things planned for us and a couple of free days to spend. I've made some connections in the Philippines through people I know here in town that have family/friends in Manila so that is a comfort as well. We are soo exicted, this week can not go by fast enough!

For now, I'm going to drink some peppermint tea to calm a stomach filled with too much Italian and Scotcheroos!

A Surreal Moment

Well, the flights are booked. We are leaving Friday the 13th...good thing we're not superstitious! I have so many things to do at work and home. I'm an Activity Director in a long term care facility so I'm used to planning for things months in advance but I don't know if it's March, June, April...my head is spinning with the many things that need done. Our daughter is traveling with us so we've been in contact with the schools so she can take her homework. We have felt that keeping Ashleigh involved is very important to helping her adjust as well. I have crying moments, overwhelmed moments, exhausted moments, excited moments...this is worse than being pregnant! There are so many emotions that exist...it's hard to put in words. We've been working, praying, dreaming for this day for 2 years. We've been praying for this little boy for 6 months. Everything is falling into place. God is so faithful and it amazes me every day He is blessing us with another child. Adoption has always been close to my heart. I believe God planted those seeds a long time ago. Lots of people make the statement about how blessed Jay-R will be to have a family. I think we are the ones who are being blessed with the gift of a precious child to love. We'll keep you all updated...

Philippines here we come!

The visa is ready...need I say more! I have flight reservations to make, bags to pack, so much to do but Jay-R we're finally coming!!!!! I can't believe this day is coming. We'll be in the Philippines soon!!!