less is more

Six months ago today, we met in an apartment in Taiwan.  We didn't know much about each other, or speak the same language.  But he'd seen our picture and we'd seen his and, somehow, we turned into a family, right then and there.  

Our lives are so different now, than before we knew him.  We do less.  We volunteer less, we plan less social activities, we accomplish less in a day.  We sleep less, the house is much less clean, and I think I even eat less, because someone is always stealing my food (he calls it "sharing").  

And I think that it's one of the big mysteries of life, how less can feel like so much more.  We added one small person to our already happy family of two, but our joy has been multiplied tenfold.  

Today we are celebrating by reading books and eating tacos (and maybe M&Ms!) and just generally being together.  Being together is the best celebration of all.  

Summer Recap: the luckiest

This is part three in a series of posts about the summer we became parents.  You can read parts one and two here and here.  

All in all, we had the most magical, unusual summer.  Steve got to be home with Arthur and I and, as we are both completely crazy about Steve, you can imagine how much fun that was.  

We actually did a fair amount of travelling, both because we could and because we wanted to show off our awesome new kid.  We visited lots of friends and family and enjoyed the beach and the mountains.  Arthur made lots of friends and got to play with everyone else's toys and was pretty much a champ the whole time.  He doesn't love being in the car for more than an hour or two, but really- who does? 

As I mentioned before, my shop continued to be busy throughout the summer, mainly with bow tie sales.  I sewed during nap time, I sewed after bed time, and my little helper takes the packages outside to the mailbox for me each morning.  I started on a new line of ties for boys and we spent a couple of funny afternoons bribing our model with grapes to get a few good shots.  

It's been fun to learn all about our son and I think that is one of the really interesting things about adopting an older child- they are already a person with likes and dislikes.  Arthur is a great eater and is willing to try almost any food.  We've watched him devour eggplant lasagna and collard greens and all kinds of things that I doubt his peers are eating and we're thrilled.  He also loves to clean, loves trucks and dogs (consider it a banner day if we see a dog riding in a truck), will sleep in until 8am every day if we let him.  He is kind and funny and wants to be a part of every conversation we have.  He stands at the front door and waves to all the neighbors (and their dogs) and watches for the mail truck like it's his job.  

If you'd asked me when I was younger what I wanted to be when I grew up, my "career" type answers would have varied from a scientist to a brain surgeon to president of the United States, but the one thing that I always wanted to be was a mom.  I wanted to be married to a good man who would go to work and provide for our family and come home and kiss me and be proud that I stayed home all day with our babies, cooking and cleaning and keeping the house running.  And it doesn't escape me now that not many people get to realize their childhood dreams and I think about the two guys who now share my home, my life, my heart, and the Ben Folds Five song runs through my head- 

           Now I know all the wrong turns
           The stumbles and falls brought me here
           And where was I before the day
           That I first saw your lovely face?
           Now I see it every day
           And I know
           That I am...
           The luckiest

Summer Recap: the early days

This is part two in a series of posts about the summer we became parents.  You can read part one here.  

During our first week home, we slept any time and any where we could.  We slept on the floor.  We slept on the sofa.  We slept in the car, parked in the garage (no joke).  

We kept the "Survival Chinese" book that my mom gave us out on the coffee table and referenced it multiple times a day.  There was a lot of pointing and head shaking and somehow, we all seemed to understand each other fairly well.

The weather was, blessedly, gorgeous, so we spent hours in the yard.  Arthur, who had never been outside much before, got an awesome tan.  

Steve and I laughed at the fact that we used to be productive people because suddenly, we couldn't figure out how to accomplish anything.  If we all three got dressed and ate meals, it was considered a good day.  

After just a few weeks at home, we took our first family vacation to the beach.  It was awesome.  We marveled at the fact that our newest family member fit right into our usual beach routine- he loved the water, loved the seafood, loved walking to get ice cream.  

Slowly, we started to get our bearings as parents of a toddler.  I think we managed to vacuum the house for the first time after we'd been home for about a month.  If you know us, this is kind of shocking.  But we were (and still are) so happy to make up for lost time with our little guy and spend hours playing together and getting acquainted.  

Lots of people have asked us if there were any big surprises with our adoption and we both will say the same thing- we were surprised by how quickly we bonded as a family.  It was the best surprise I could have hoped for.  

Summer Recap: the trip

As I've though about getting back into blogging, it has been hard for me to decide just how to do it. To recap the last three months seems completely overwhelming, but to pick up right where we are today with no mention of what has passed seems like I'd be leaving out a huge chunk of life.  (You can read more about our adoption here.)

So, as a compromise, I'm going to give a brief synopsis of our summer this week and then get back to normal.  Or as close to normal as I can get.  

Travel day.  We already look tired.  In the 24 hours after this picture was taken, we'd be in three different countries, run through two airports, learn that we really can't sleep on a plane, watch three movies, and I may have gotten patted down by two timid Japanese airline security girls, but I actually can't remember the specifics of that encounter anymore.  I also used an airplane bathroom for the first time.  And the second time, and the third time.... 

We made it to Taiwan and slept like the dead.  Our hotel room was nice and big and everyone at the hotel was super, super friendly.  Actually, everyone in the whole country that we met was super, super friendly.  

We ate beef noodles with Mr. Yeh (our driver) and did a bit of sightseeing.  The food in Taiwan is  tasty, but burn-your-face-off hot.  I found myself sweating during most meals.  

The next two days are a blur of: hours spent in a taxi, picking up our boy, playing cars in the hotel room, eating many plates of fried rice, searching for water.  You can't drink the tap water in Taiwan and it seemed that we were constantly on a hunt for more water.  

What stands out most is how brave Arthur was, how he held my hand and got right in the car with us, how he recognized us from our pictures that we'd sent, how he slept on my lap the whole three hour ride back to the hotel and I couldn't stop thinking, "There's a baby sleeping on my lap and he's ours."

After getting Arthur's visa, we hopped back on a plane to head home.  I just typed "hopped" and then remembered that there was one point while we were standing in line at the airport checking in that I was looking for a safe place to set my child down so that I could pass out.  So maybe "hopped" was a bit too energetic.  We dragged ourselves onto the plane and survived the next 24 hours of travel.  It was probably almost exactly how you'd picture 24 hours of travel with a two year old that you've just met.  

Our friends picked us up from the airport, made a welcome home sign for us, and had a hot dinner waiting at our house.  We were so amazingly happy to be home that I could have kissed the ground.  Or their feet.  

Tune in later this week for more about our first weeks at home!

I promise I'm coming back

Friends, there have been so many times over the past two months (two months?!? really?) that I've wanted to blog about all we're experiencing, but something else always seems to win out.  Sometimes it's cooking or cleaning or showering, but most often it's playing trucks or running in the yard or snuggling.  

But I've had so many sweet friends over the past few weeks mention that they have been checking the blog for updates, so I thought I'd post a quick one and hope that there is time in the future for more.   

There's so much I'd like to tell you about our trip to Taiwan and the weeks that have followed, but for now I'll just say that life is so, so good.  Sure, we have sleepless nights and I manage to end up with big gobs of lotion in my hair at least twice a week, but we are living the dream over here.  

The other night, the three of us were in the kitchen cooking dinner together.  We had music playing and were laughing and talking (some English, some Chinese, lots of babbling) and I had one of those rare and precious moments where you look around you and realize that you have exactly what you've always wanted.  I just wanted to stay in the kitchen with my two best guys forever.  

So that's the short version.  Soon, perhaps, I'll regale you with tales of international wonders and trying to sew bow ties with a toddler.  I've had several people ask if the shop is still open and I'm pleased to say that it is and I'm actually working on a few new items this month.  I've also got some great stuff in the Sale section that you should totally check out because I need to move it out of the house now that we fill our closets with things like diapers.  You know.  

With any luck, I'll be seeing you again soon.  

and away we go

Our house is a whirlwind of suitcases and piles to be packed and lists right now.  I must have seven lists going, simultaneously.  I can't really say if that is helping or hindering my trip preparation process. 

Yesterday felt like at least three days rolled together.  6:30pm found me finishing up a round of bow ties and Steve still at work.  9:00pm found us at Walmart, trying to buy another inflatable travel pillow.  10:00pm found us rearranging our bedroom furniture to accommodate a crib. 

 

Today has been no less exciting.  We started off  with an awesome business meeting and can't wait to get on the plane to have time to discuss some ideas.  We've run errands and mowed the lawn and I am jiggling my leg impatiently as if that will somehow make the washer and dryer produce clean clothing at a faster rate.  I'll let you know how it goes. 

By this time tomorrow, whatever didn't get done will have to stay undone and I find that kind of comforting.  I'll try to pop in for an update once we're back and settled in.  Oh!  And if you want to eat anything delicious in our honor this week, try these Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes- we've been eating them for three days straight and they are amazing! 

two week room

 

 

I'm a project person, by nature.  Steve and I both are, actually.  We have different methods and strengths, but we both love a good project. 

 

So it comes as no surprise that I would want to do a ton of projects to prepare a room for our first child.  I could have worked on that room for months, easily.  But due to the uncertain nature of adoption and my own super-cautious nature, I couldn't bring myself to start on much of anything months ago. 

 

 

So I started about two weeks ago.  You know- around the same time we were buying luggage and shopping for plane tickets, because it seemed pretty certain at that point that we'd be getting a child.  Any sane person, knowing they were leaving the country in three weeks, would have bought some furniture and curtains and things for the walls and called it a day.  I kind of toyed with the idea of doing that. 

 

 

But then I accidentally had some coffee late one afternoon and spent the entire night with my mind racing as I tried to sleep.  I thought up project after project that I really really really wanted to do.  Really.   

 

In the morning, when I was thinking more clearly, I told myself that I should pick a couple projects out of the seven or eight I'd thought up and just focus on those.  But even as I told myself that, I also knew that wasn't what I was going to do.  I was going to do every last one of them. 

 

 

Some things, like the curtains and the fabric bunting and the framed book pages, took just a few hours.  Others, like refinishing the dresser, bookshelves, and wall shelf, took days. 

 

If I had more time this week, I'd love to give you detailed instructions for each project.  But I need to pack and clean the house and do other responsible things, so I think I'll just have time to go into serious detail on the bookshelves.  

 

 

One thing that I am especially excited about though and just have to share is the re-upholstery I did on the chair.  This chair has been in my family since before I was born, I think, and has been mine since I was in high school.  My parents even let me get it re-upholstered at that point and I picked a sensible navy blue.  I have never regretted that decision. 

 

But once we put it in the room, I felt like the navy combined with the dark wood was just too dark.  I wanted to make new covers for the cushions, but needed to keep it both cheap and very child friendly.  So I bought a 6' x 9' canvas drop cloth from Lowe's and was able to cover both cushions with plenty left over!  I love the color of the canvas, it's plenty sturdy, and super washable.  Depending on how messy this kid is, I may end up doing something similar to our sofa cushions. 

 

Here is a quick list of everything I made/updated and a few sources:

 

Curtain: made with fabric scraps cut into 6" wide strips and sewn together

Bunting: same fabric scraps, cut into triangles and sewn together

Wall Art: pages cut from one of my childhood books, put in white frames we already had (Target), purchased charcoal mats at Michael's for $2.99 each

 

 

Mirror: used unframed mirror we already owned (Lowe's).  Bought two 1' square sheets of small white tiles for $2.55 each and one tube of silicone adhesive for $3.48 (Lowe's). 

 

 

Wall Shelf: used wooden shelf we already owned.  Used leftover milk paint and stain from dresser project.  Bought two pieces of scrapbook paper for $.12 each (Michael's), cut to fit, and attached with spray adhesive. 

Chair: used chair we already owned.  Covered cushions with $13 canvas drop cloth (Lowe's)

 

 

Dresser: see this post

Bookshelves: more details coming later this week

 

 

What have we learned here?  Mainly that I am a force to be reckoned with when I set my mind to something.  And possibly that I have trouble showing restraint when it comes to home décor projects. 

 

I'll be back later this week with more details on the bookshelves- they were an Ikea hack that I'm particularly proud of!

Plan A

Steve and I became parents this week.  It was fairly quiet, as far as entrances to parenthood go.  We received an email informing us of the joyous, long-awaited, news. 

I called Steve at work.  "So, I guess this means we're parents now," I said. 

"Oh yeah...congratulations!" he said, sounding surprised. 

I dare you to come up with a less exciting intro to parenthood story. 

 

But for us, it was very exciting.  We've been working to complete an international adoption for longer than I care to think about and we have almost made it to the finish line.  This time next week, we'll be on an insanely long plane flight, on our way to a pair of chubby cheeks that I can't wait to squeeze.  I can't wait for so many things about getting to know our son. 

 

I can't wait to tell him all the stories about the crazy past three years we've spent, trying to get to him.  I can't wait to tell him about how we rushed out to buy a fire extinguisher so we'd pass our home study; how we spent an afternoon at the Secretary of State's office, whispering in the lobby about different ways to alter legal documents; how we sped around town to three different banks, trying to find a notary that would sign our paperwork before 5pm and how we treated ourselves with ice cream when we managed to do it. 

 

But mostly, I can't wait to tell him about how much we wanted to adopt.  We've dreamed of adopting a child since before we were married.  I know that's not how it is for some people.  I know that for some people, adoption is a sort of last resort.  Everyone who adopts comes to the decision in a different way and I don't actually think that there is a wrong way to get there.  I mean, orphans need families, right?

But for us, adoption was never Plan B.  The process has been long and rocky and not at all what we expected and we would choose to do it all over again.   And it's not because we're "good people" or any of those other things that people tend to say when they hear we're adopting.  It's because we love children, because we want a family, because there are so many children in this world who need both love and a family.  It's that simple. 

Understandably, I'll be taking a bit of a break from blogging.  And sewing, and shipping, and probably a few things I'd rather not give up, like sleeping and washing my hair.  I have a few posts scheduled for next week with some pictures of the bedroom I've been working on for our little guy.  The dresser, the bookshelves, and many of my other projects from the past two weeks have all been for him and I'm so excited about how his room is turning out. 

I hope your weekend is wonderful.  We'll be packing and enjoying our last bit of time as a family of two!