Just thought that I'd add some pictures in since it has been awhile. Owen turns 2 in two weeks!

Owen, our little man...

It's hard to believe we haven't updated Owen's site since Christmas... (My apologies! However, it's a miracle if most days I'm showered and in one piece, so there you have it.)

In the nine months since we last posted, our little guy has turned one, started walking, started talking, become officially ours (our adoption hearing at the Dane County Courthouse was June 25, whereby he legally became our son), visited the beach house at Two Rivers, WI for our annual China Reunion, moved to a new house, turned one-and-a-half, toured a dairy farm, had a great summer splashing at the local pool, eaten all manner of non-food items (including but not limited to wood chips, bugs, dog poop, and tin foil), and spent many an hour chasing his adored older sisters around our home, which I'm glad to say is now large enough for our family.

Owen is a delight. He is tender and affectionate but also quite a boy, meaning he loves to hit and throw and dash away from me in busy parking lots, etc. He is stubborn and independent but loves to be held and snuggled. One second he is in my arms, enjoying a book with me; next minute he is pulling every piece of toilet paper off the roll/drinking toilet water from a dixie cup/rooting around in the kitchen garbage/trying to chew on Daddy's crocs/beating Mookie with a stick, etc. (And the sad thing is, I'm not exaggerating here.) Owen definitely keeps us on our toes. I cannot let him out of my sight for any period of time...

It was a year ago, if you can believe it, that we were waiting any day for our travel call to go to Seoul to bring Owen home. The stress of that time was unbelievable. Furthermore, after we finally did return home with Owen in early November, we faced a difficult transition and seemingly endless sleeping problems... So I'm very glad to say that after all this time, life has smoothed itself out: we are a happy family of five, Owen is a terrific sleeper, and Jane and Caroline have flourished as big sisters. It all took quite a bit of time to reach this new stage of normal, but we're here and we're VERY thankful.

Love to all, and happy fall.

A word from Mom

I desperately love my son.

In the seven weeks we have been home with Owen, he has sprouted a lovely head of hair that actually sticks to his head (as opposed to sprouting out like peach fuzz), developed a delightful vocabulary of sounds ("mama," "dada," "nana," and "boom boom" are his favorites), and learned to wave, clap and eagerly look at books. All on our watch.

It's encouraging as well as breathtaking to see that the love and care we are giving him on a daily (and nightly) basis are somehow making a difference. Admittedly, Chip and I spend most of our waking hours in a daze from getting up with Owen in the night, so it's very difficult for me to see the forest for the trees. But when I am able to step back for just a moment, I get a clear view of how my son has grown, and how his confidence, humor and independence have flourished. I can also see how he has changed me.

I am humbled every day by Owen, as he teaches me about patience and tenderness. Because of him, I am learning to slow down, to enjoy the holding/rocking/bouncing that he requires so much of, to laugh more, to not sweat the small stuff.

I thought I knew what it meant to parent a baby, but Owen has challenged that and made me a better mother. He's also made Chip a better dad and Jane and Caroline incredible big sisters. He happily watches the flurry of activity in our household as he sits and drools over his blocks and stacking cups -- and I get the sense there is nowhere else he'd rather be. This is no small thing, seeing as though we took him from the only home and family he'd ever known. He has come so far. I'd like to think that I have, too.

Ode to Owen

I find myself with a bit more energy than usual, which I attribute to Owen sleeping late this morning (5:30 a.m.)... While I have this rare burst of clear-headedness, I wanted to share some updates about our precious little guy.

Aside from a few sleeping issues that we are working hard to straighten out (some days with success, others not), Owen is thriving. I sense that he finally feels at home with us, confident to explore our house and get into everything possible. He finds endless entertainment in his toys, sisters and dog, and he watches the flurry of activity around him with great intent. He is very happy and well-adjusted, and I'm grateful beyond words that he has attached to Chip and me with no apparent problem. He is absolutely delightful, and he has a mother who is officially in love with him.

Owen loves to move around and crawl, and he is already standing on his own for up to 30 seconds. This leads to me to believe we might have an early walker, which I have mixed feelings about. (Just one more little creature for his tired mom to chase after!) Man, is he quick. More than once, he has crossed the kitchen floor with his speedy crawl and gotten very close to consuming Mookie's dog food.

On our very first day with Owen in Seoul, he got his first tooth. (Thank God we've been able to experience at least one major milestone with him so far.) In the short time since then, he is now preparing to cut his fourth tooth, which Chip tells me is rare and also explains why Owen stuffs everything he can into his mouth -- from newspapers to Mookie to my very own nose -- and drools without ceasing. God love him, I can tell he has serious discomfort from such intense teething, but he continues to go with the flow.

According to our pediatrician, Owen is a very healthy baby who is in the 85th percentile for weight and 90th for height. Finally, Chip will have someone in the family to see eye-to-eye with! He is a darling little chunker with yummy rolls of fat on his arms and legs, but he is not nearly as huge as we thought he'd be. In fact, he's just perfect.

Love from the Birds.

Settling in...

Eight days home and we're starting to settle into a family with three kidlets. It's been exhausting, exhilarating, messy, frustrating and fabulous.

Repeatedly, I breathe a sigh of relief as I look at the precious little faces climbing/crawling/running/singing/dancing/shrieking/drooling underfoot and thank God for the opportunity to be their mother. My life with them is chaotic and good.

Owen is doing amazingly well in his new home with his new family. He has had so many changes hurled his way in the last week or so, and he continues to take them in stride. We have had some predictable bouts of grief along the way (for his foster family, etc.), as well as some significant sleeping challenges, but overall our son just might be the most mellow little boy around. He is observant and interested in all that's happening around him; once he feels secure, he begins to babble and explore, which is great to watch. He loves his sisters but possibly adores Mookie even more... He crawls as fast as he can to keep up with him, and if given his way would do all his teething on Mookie's back and ears.

Caroline and Jane are hanging in there. All things considered, they, too, have taken this huge adjustment quite well. I think Caroline spends a lot of time contemplating and analyzing the new "arrangement"; whereas Jane approaches the situation with her usual aplomb and indifference. They all seem to be comfortable around each other, which is all I can ask for at this point, and I know that their affection for and protectiveness over each other will continue to grow.

Thanks to all for the support and love over the past few weeks. We've needed it. Everything still feels so strange and new, but I'm confident in the days ahead we'll fine-tune our crazy, wonderful life together.

The Family Is Finally All Together

Jane and Caroline gave Owen a "Hello" kiss The family all together

First meeting with Mookie
Going out for a walk (and Dad looking jet-lagged)
The Bird kids (and Mookie)

Today was a big day for the Birds, as Owen got to meet his dog Mookie first, and then later his big sisters Jane and Caroline. They were excited to see him and wanted to play with him and show him some of their toys. He was just staring at them (they are absolute bundles of energy and constantly moving) and getting to know their voices. It all went better than we could have expected and they wanted to hug and kiss him to welcome in to the Bird Clan. Laura and I were of course relieved that it went smoothly, as we were concerned about how they view this new "guest" in the house. We all sat down to dinner (with Grandma Cindy and Aunt Liz too) and got to all know each other again. It was quite a night.

Sleepwise, we are only doing OK. Poor Owen's schedule is all off after the 14 hour time difference, so Laura and I have taken turns sitting up with him. We got him out for a walk today in hopes that the sunlight would help reset his body clock a bit (and ours, too). Once he gets on schedule, we all should have a chance to catch up on the lost hours. I'm sure that there will be some adjustments on everyone' spart to come, but I'm glad to say that the first meeting and few hours of interaction exceeded our expectations!

Day 6/7: The Trip Home

Owen waiting to be checked in at US Immigration
It felt good to get in to the bath and some new PJ's
Jane and Caroline had made welcome home signs for us and Owen

Well, we made it. Our last 24 hours in Seoul was spent by having us all get to know each other, and preparing for the long trip home. We took a few more walks around the "neighborhood", taking in the sights for the last time. It was a bit bittersweet as we knew this would be the last time that Owen would be in his homeland until several years down the road when we can return with him.

We had a two hour ride through Seoul traffic to Incheon airport (to our delight, Owen is a good car sleeper!), checked in for our flight, and had our last bit of Korean food for a while. Our flight left right on time and was very full, so we were glad that our request for a bulkhead seat with a bassinet was granted, and we all settled in. Owen was a bit fussy at first, but a bottle and a walk around put him to sleep and we placed him in the bassinet and all got some decent rest.

We landed at O'Hare a bit early, and made it through immigration and customs without incident. We got into the car around 7:30pm (Owen took a bit of time getting used to sitting in a car seat for the first time, but nodded off again), and we made it home after 9pm. We got unpacked, gave Owen a bath and got to sleep (sort of).

The time change and jet lag has gotten to us all, and the first night at home was spent with Laura and I taking turns sleeping and sitting up with Owen. On the bright side, we got all of our mail opened and laundry done, so it wasn't a total loss. To add a bit of extra confusion, the daylight savings time change happened last night. It wil be interesting to see how long it takes all to get back on track sleepwise, as I return to work on Wednesday. The girls we will be back home tomorrow, as we had them stay an extra day with Grandpa and Grandma Merritt since we knew getting back home would be a big adjustment for Owen. I am really glad that we did this, and hopefully it will be easier for all.

We will post pictures of the girls first meeting with their brother, and his first meeting with Mookie. It sure feels good to be home again!