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!