Wahe's World

2009 In Review (aka the Christmas letter we never sent)

What a quick year! It seems like yesterday that we became parents. And now we will be celebrating Alex’s second birthday next week.  But what did 2009 bring us?

Alex brought us much joy and happiness. We are amazed at how much he grew physically, mentally and emotionally over the past 12 months.  We can’t think of a day that Alex didn’t bring a smile to our faces. The three of us are honored and lucky to call each other a family.  Alex enjoyed swim lessons, a trip to Florida, his first camping trip, geocaching, the Madison Zoo, music and much, much more. In the upcoming year Alex is planning on more swimming, a trip to Arizona and of course becoming a big brother.

Alex’s grandparents would drop anything to come and spend time with Alex so that we could take care of work related or other tasks.  Alex’s best friend to date is his Grandpa Max.  Thankfully we planed ahead when finishing off the lower level so that the grandparents and other visitors have a comfortable place rest.

We developed a deeper appreciation of our family, friends and neighbors.  Their support and kindness has truly been amazing. Our friends and neighbors really came through in supporting our fundraiser for our second adoption. Over 30 families donated items for our garage sale fundraiser. There were many more who came to the sale and bought many of the treasures, donated a little extra and provided kind and supportive words. We are also thankful for the neighbors who not only helped with the fundraiser but also helped take care of our pets when we were out of town, rescue our lost cat and also provided bright smiles and playful words to Alex.

We are proud of our other accomplishments in 2009. Stefan was promoted at work where he is now the Chief Security Office and supervises a great team of 10 IT security professionals. Michelle had many successful sales events and was able to clear through many of her designs. Michelle lost 30 pounds by following the weight watchers regiment.  Stefan lost 15 pounds through exercise and better eating habits. However,  those pounds have found their way back during the holidays. Back to the gym with him!

The best news of the year, of course, came this December when we received the referral for our second son.  We are blessed to have received a referral for a healthy, cute little guy.  We hope to bring him to his new home by mid-June. We will continue to post updates as we receive them.

As 2010 starts we know our lives are in for another change with the addition of Michael (name subject to change). Alex will learn a lot as a big brother and he will also become a teacher (actually he has been teaching us a lot).  Michelle will continue to work on her business while taking care of the two boys. Stefan will have more opportunities to develop his technical and leadership skills at the University of Wisconsin and will continue as a part time instructor at MATC.

We know that 2010 will bring us a lot of joy but will always remember 2009 as a remarkable year for our family.

What a Year!!!

I can’t believe what a year makes.  Twelve months ago Alex, Michelle and I got out of the cab we took from Easter Social Welfare Services and stood in front of our Seoul hotel. It was the first time we stood as a family of three.  And to be honest, all three of us were utterly and completely scared as we entered the hotel lobby.  We did not stay in the room long.  It was too unfamiliar for Alex and too confining for us.  We found ourselves walking the streets around the hotel for the next several hours.  This provided Alex comfort by seeing people that were more familiar to him than the two people were now responsible for his care. It also gave Michelle and I the opportunity to hold and comfort him.  All of that seems so long ago and far away.  Alex seems like he has always been part of our lives.  I sometimes find it hard to remember my life without him.

I am so proud of both Alex and Michelle. Together they have filled our home with love and joy.  It is so great to be able to come home from work and be buried in smiles and showered with laughs. It is so great to wake up on Sunday mornings and play on the floor.  It has been a great summer taking daily trips to the park or for ice cream.  Alex and Michelle have enriched my life these past 12 months.  It is so great watching Alex explore and learn.  I even don’t mind the rapid fire, “whatz dat?” from sunrise to sunset (even through I am hoping it is a short lived phase).  I am so grateful that Alex is so amenable to shifts in schedule and routines and his willingness to explore the world around us.

For most of this week Alex has been going to bed earlier than normal.  He has been very persistent with Michelle on when he wants to go to bed.  Earlier this week he called for bed at 7:00 and 7:30.  His normal bed time is at 8:00. But Wednesday night Alex and I had a boys night.  We had the baseball game on the TV.  We ate dinner and played.  He was so engaging with me and communicated so effectively.   At one point I went to stand up when he was distracted with something else.  Once he noticed me standing he garbed my shirtsleeve in his little hand and pulled me back down. When the clock displayed 7:30 I asked if he wanted to go to bed.  This question was answered with a definite shaking no of his head.  We continued to play with blocks. We shot baskets at the hoop. We chased each other and laughed.  It was 8:00 and I asked my question again.  “No,” was the grunted response accompanied by a few head shakes and off we went.  We played with the blocks again and we read a bit. 8:15? Nope.  He continued at high speed wanting to rough house a little bit.  We listened to some music.  Right before 8:30 he was showing off and had the type of spill that is common in young boys going in high gear.  He cried and I comforted him.  I reminded him to breath deep, which he did, he stopped crying and sighed.  I then ask, “Alex, are you ready for bed?”.  Alex was ready.  As we got ready for bed he asked for his blanket, asked “Whatz dat?” numerous times and then he told me a story.  He then did something he hadn’t done with me for a long time, he laid in my arms for a long time before wanted to go into his crib.  I have many stories like this about Alex, Michelle and I.  But this was the story that best illustrates how far we have come since that hotel in Seoul one year ago today.

I love my family – Stefan

Flordia Vacation Day 1

This is the first day of the first vacation that Michelle, Alex and I have taken as a family.  We came down to Nokomis, FL to visit Michelle’s grandmother (Alex’s great grandmother).  Those who have been followed Alex’s journey know Alex to be busy little boy.  That is the word Alex’s foster mother used to describe him those eight months ago.  He has not slowed down since.  To say the least, he is not taking the slow paced vacation that Michelle and I are used to.  And it is a good thing.  Alex wants to explore and learn.  This started with boarding the plane in Chicago and has continued with every waking moment.  He has explored the nice little beach retreat we found.  He tested out every button at Michelle’s grandmas house.  At the restaurant he wanted to play with the drinking straw more than coloring with the crayons. And then this evening he enjoyed his first beach experience.  He explored the sand, the seashells and the surf.  He did notice the giant sandhill crane the swooped down next to him, but only long enough to smile and then watch the next wave watch away his little footprints.  We hope that tomorrow will bring us good weather so that we can spend the morning playing in the sand.  There are a lot of seashells for Alex to pickup, turn over and put in his little pail.

Fix that Lawn Mower

Well Alex must be as excited about spring as the rest of us.  The other day he decided to attempt a little mechnic work on his toy lawn mower.  In actuallity his mother was simply changing the bateries so that the toy would make all those great sounds we love so much.

We wanted to share with you the action shots of Alex’s Small  Engine Repair Shop.  As you can see, not only did he fix with lawn mower but he helped his Dad assemble the new floor cleaner.  It is actually scary how good his dexterity is with a screwdriver.  Well considering that he is only 15 months old. Of course, as you can tell, he already has the “plumber sag” going.

Alex’s First Baseball Game

Last weekend we had the opportunity to take Alex to his first baseball game.  If you ask Stefan it was Alex’s first Cubs game.  If you ask Michelle she will say it was Alex’s first Brewer game. Overall Alex did very well at the game considering he had no afternoon nap and he was up well past his regular 7:30 bed time.

Michelle taught Alex how to follow the ball from the pitcher to the batter and from the bat to the fielders glove.  Since bat and ball are among Alex’s first words he caught onto the concept quickly.  However, after three innings Alex was ready to start mingling with other spectators in our section.  He swapped stories with the two 20-somethings sitting next to us.  For some reason he kept pointing to their beer and making the ASL sign for more.  He kept interrupting the date sitting behind us by making googly eyes with the young lady.  And he made friends with the father and son sitting in front of us.  Alex is truly a social butterfly of sorts.

Alex did not have his first baseball park hotdog.  Or if he is a Brewer fan, his first Brat with “Special Stadium Sauce.”  He did split an ice cream sunday with Michelle during the fifth inning.  This was also a great opportunity for Alex to people watch.  He watched the ushers come by at the half innings. He watched people walk by along the concourse and later in the game he watched as two fans a section over get into a fight.  Alex waved goodbye to them as they were being escorts from the stands.

Alex also got to pay his respects to the old Milwaukee Stadium where his grandfather took his father to watch many Brewer-Yankees games.  This was also where Hank Aaron hit is last major league home run as well as many before when lead the Milwaukee Braves during their championship seasons.

The unfortunate part of the game was that we left after the eighth inning in an attempt to avoid getting stuck in the parking lot of an hour.  We missed the Cubs coming back for the win.  However, today Alex made up of the missed theatrics by watching the Cubs beat the Cardinal in extra innings.

We hope to be able to take Alex to a couple more games this year.  Afterall he gets in free!

What is Alex working on?

Painting a Happy Birthday Pic

So I am glad that Alex has developed such good communication skills.  On Sunday he and I were going to go off on a secret mission, to paint some pottery for Mom’s big birthday.  He got up from his morning nap and I was feeding him lunch.  I told him our grand plan as Mom was downstairs working on her projects. In between bites of avocado and cheesy noodles, Alex offered a better suggestion.  He reminded me how much Mom loves to paint and create and how Mom might be remiss if she did not get to experience the creation of his first birthday present to her.  So I cleaned up Alex’s lunch and we went to invite Mom along on our trip.  A good thing too,  I probably would not have been able to explain Alex’s paint covered arms, hair and cheeks with the claim of stopping by the hardware store for light bulbs, a cotter pin and a furnace filter.  Alex painted Mom a beautiful trivet (a thing to put hot pots on).  He elected to use a palette of pastels containing blues, greens and yellows. He left a dark blue dark blue hand print.  The pottery shop will fire it in the kiln.  It will be ready for Mom by Thursday.  It was a great way to spend the afternoon.  Alex says his next project is to create a hand print garden stone.  What a creative little guy!

One Day per Week of Daycare!

Hey y’all:   I wrote this back in February, and forgot to post it.   So here’s the new from February:

We have recently enrolled Alex in daycare one day per week. We have found it necessary so I can do work for my business. We also have come to realize that Alex is a very social little guy. We thought daycare would provide him an opportunity to play with other little people, as well as expose him to structure and boundaries within a setting outside our home. Well, he’s been at daycare for 2 weeks, and (drum roll please)……….

He loves it! He has caught on to their routine, and walks around the place like he’s been there forever. He engages with the other children. When we took him to daycare, he was walking 3/4 steps at a time. After 2 days at daycare, he is walking across the room! After witnessing him with the other kids, I thinks it’s because he’s trying to keep up with all the other/older kids! It’s really fun to see him interact and play in a different way than what Stefan and I expose him to. He watches everything that goes on around him, and then mimmicks the other kids. Each time, he’s missed his morning nap because he doesn’t want to miss anything. He also like playing with the toys, and he’s learning the concept of ‘sharing’, ‘patience’, and ‘ it’s not good to throw your food on the floor’. ….oh….the power of “the group”!

Swimming with Alex

Alex and Dad Swimming

A week or so back, Michelle and I had the chance to take Alex swimming for the first time. Since he likes baths so much we thought he might take well to the big pool.  He did amazingly well.  I took Alex into the water while Michelle recorded the event.  Luckliy the Y had a ramp to walk into the water.  We were able to take it slowly.  He was very courious but still held on tight for the first 15 minutes or so.  We walked around the shallow end.  Alex got to throw and chase mini-floating beach balls and splashed.  We watched the older kids hang on to the wall as they scooted into deeper water.  When Alex saw that he wanted to hang onto the wall, but only if I stayed close.  I tried to teach him to kick his legs but that was a no go.  I did prove to him he could float on his own.  However, he was a little apprehensive at that trick.  He needs a better floatation device.  I can’t wait until we can go again.  I guess I am the son of two teachers.  I really enjoyed exploring the pool with Alex and showing him all the cool stuff can do.

Max the Dog

Michelle Here.
We have a new visitor, and his name is Max. He is a 10 pound terrier/poodle PUPPY. We are dog sitting for friends. Max adds a ‘whole nuther’ dimension to the menagerie of animals in our home. He has not made friends with the cats, and therefore there is a lot of hissing and chasing going on. He runs around the house like a wind up toy. There are no boundaries between Alex’s and his toys; they are one in the same. Alex, for the most part, watches him and shares his toys. Alex also shares his food. He drops it from his highchair, and watches Max as it barely hits the floor. Max has thrown the previous animal-hierarchy out the door. This is Day Three of the visit, and Max still thinks he should be on the top of that hierarchy…..the other animals disagree. Our three cats, usually arch enemies, have teamed together to form an alliance to keep Max in his place. Max hasn’t understood that cat communication yet. Meeka, our 80 pound dog, fortunately has taken to doing her best at ignoring the little wind up toy. We feel very fortunate because she could have Max for lunch if she really wanted to. Well, better go back to being the referee, and try to control the mayhem……….

Alex is ONE YEAR OLD!

Alex turned one year old on January 9th. Where has the time gone? We had a small get together on Saturday where Alex opened lots of gifts and played with Grandma and Grandpa.   He also wore the traditional Korean Hanbok that was given to him from his Foster Mother.

Here’s the funniest part of the day…….we had a big birthday cake for Alex. We put the entire cake on his high chair in front of him, thinking he’ll immediately dig into the cake, right??    WRONG.    He played around a little with the cake. We tried to get him to eat a little frosting.   No go!!!   I then took a little frosting to his lips and he grimaced.   So we think….hmm…..maybe he just doesn’t like the frosting.   We put a piece of the cake in front of him (without frosting).   He picks it up, puts it to his mouth, and grimaces AGAIN!    Well, that’s it for the cake.   We then give him a dry piece of toast, and avocado…….and he’s happy as a clam.    He picks out the toast and avocado from the remnants of the cake,   and we call it lunch.   Maybe I’ve taken this vegetable/no sweet thing a bit too far….he won’t eat something sweet…..OK, maybe not.   I’m sure this will be the only birthday in his entire life where he passes up birthday cake.    Oh well, more for Mom and Dad to eat this year.

Alex is walking more and more each day.   He’s now taking about 4 steps consistently before falling to his knees.   He’s more daring with his walking too.     Of course, he’s been falling more,  but the kid rarely cries.   Sometimes he’ll fall flat on the floor, look up, and get right back up and continue walking/crawling/playing/whatever.    Sometimes Stefan and I hold our breath, just waiting for him to start crying, but he rarely does.

Pictures of the big day are posted at https://wahe.us/wahepics/main.php?g2_itemId=959