Random Cuteness from the Summer of 2009

There are no accidents

(Above Kate at one year. Below the first picture we ever saw of Kate when she was 2 mths)

I intended to finish this blog with the last post. However, today I was rifling through some papers and I found something that I wrote on January 30, 2005. This was a full year and a half before we started the adoption process. Sam was over 3 years old and Luke was 15 months. Dan thought we were done having children, but I was really hoping for one more. Specifically, I really wanted to adopt a daughter from Asia. I was thinking China at the time, but that was before I knew about Taiwan. I find it interesting that I found this letter on the one year anniversary of THE VERY DAY we accepted our referral of Kate. But, perhaps there are no accidents. Here is what I wrote over four years ago:

To my daughter should we ever meet,

In this lifetime I have been blessed beyond measure: blessed to be born in a prosperous country with parents who could well provide for me;blessed to grow up in a world of much beauty with an abundance of friendship and love;blessed with time to relax and learn and wonder; blessed with a loving husband and two glorious sons who are my very heart. With all these blessings I have no right to wish for anything more than what I have in this moment. And yet...there is a longing in my heart. You see, I feel a little lost, a little alone without a daughter as you may feel without a mother. I know that I can never be the mother from whose body you sprang and it pains me to think you may never hear her name nor see the shape of her face. But how honored I would be if you would let me be the mother in whose heart you grow to be a strong, healthy, joyous woman. I honor your mother for the love, courage and strength she mustered to bring you forth for I'm sure her choices were limited and her prospects bleak but she knew you needed to come for you are blessed child of this earth and in that way we are truly and forever bound as family. I promise you this, if you cry out to me when you are born, I will come to you. I will gather you up in my arms and never let you go. Sometimes I think I feel you already. Always I am waiting to hear your voice. Much love, your mother.

Penultimate Post

The Sullivan kids in the pool

Thanks for the ride Luke!

This is my friend vacuum

Nothing like a good book!

A chat with my dear friend Francie

Doing dishes is great!

I began this blog in September of 2007 in anticipation of adopting our daughter. We completed our home study in the fall of 2007 and were officially placed on the waiting list with Journeys of the Heart for a baby girl from Taiwan on December 3rd. Pei Jung was born on June 6th 2008 and referred to us just two months later on August 7th. Our court hearings took place on October 16th, November 18th and December 5th . We were united with our beautiful daughter on December 18th when she was just 6 1/2 months old in Taichung, Taiwan and brought her home on Christmas eve. Never will there be a Holiday as joyful as Christmas 2008.

At one year, Kate weighs 16 lbs 4 oz. and is in the 3rd percentile for height. She is an avid crawler and loves to pull herself up and cruise. It looks like she is going to be a climber. She is a great eater with a highly diverse appetite. We are constantly amazed at her love of spicy foods. She is very social and sweet and would love nothing more than for someone to sit with her all day and entertain her. She is a good sleeper who rarely wakes in the night and takes a 2 to 3 hour nap each day. Her temperament is happy, curious and calm. She plays "so big" and "Peek A Boo"and babbles throughout the day. She seems to be saying mama and dada but I am not quite convinced it is totally discriminate yet. The siblings get along very well and the dog tolerates them all. She has 7 teeth and about 5 more coming in, bless her little heart, it's not much fun. She has definitely been the easiest baby of the three (no offense boys, you are VERY easy children) and truly is a joy.

What an amazing journey this has been! With three wonderful children, our family is complete. If we were younger (and less tired!) and wanted more children we would adopt another child from Taiwan. We adored Taiwan and cannot wait to take the whole family back for a visit within the next decade. We feel honored and fortunate to have the opportunity to incorporate this fabulous culture into our lives. We are now Irish, German, Taiwanese Americans and proud of it. While the adoption process was emotionally challenging, in the end it was a very enriching and fulfilling experience both in terms of the education we received and the amazing people we were able to meet. Words of love, wisdom and support buoyed us throughout and came from family, friends and strangers literally from across the world. What a rare and wonderful glimpse into the essential goodness of the human spirit. To the wondrous Kate Pei-Jung, I have said it before but I will say it again, you have enriched our lives immeasurably and we feel incredibly blessed.

With our busy family of five, I never seem to find the time to post. So, sadly, this blog must come to and end. I am hopeful that I will be able to start a family blog in the future. I hope that anyone who is considering adoption or is in the process can find advice or support from our experience. Blessings to all of those on this complex extraordinary journey! I think you will find that great happiness awaits you!

To our beloved daughter on her birthday!!!

Kate with "Auntie Sara" and her birthday cake

which (hopefully) says "Happy Birthday Pei Pei"

Kate's birthday dawning
Kate with grandma Sue B. and Sam on her birthday

Kate's Zhua Zhou "pick for the future" She picked an orange
indicating wealth and a book indicating literary interests.

To our darling Kathryn Pei-Jung,

Today you turned one year old!! What a blessing!! For your father, brothers and me it was the first time we could relish your birthday, smother you with love and whisper sweet nothings into your ears, regaling you with stories about the great joy you have brought to our lives. For you, of course, it was a second birthday. Your very first birthday took place in a far away land in the dawning hour of a new day. We were not with you then, but we were dreaming of you. We were not able to sit with your birth mother; to hold her hand, comfort her, look into her eyes and thank her for giving you life, but we wish we had been. We did not watch you slip into this world and take your first breath and for that we will always be a little sad because we are so sorry that we were not there to care for you EVERY SECOND of your precious life. We are so grateful, however, that you were able to spend time in Taiwan, the country of your birth. What a gift that your birth mother was able to hold and cuddle and coo to you when you were born and even in the months that followed. She made her deep love for you clear by nurturing you in her body for nine months, bestowing upon you a beautiful name and allowing you to become the treasured daughter in a family who could care for you in a way that she could not. We take such comfort in knowing that your early months were spent with a loving foster mother, Mrs. Lee, whom we had the great pleasure of meeting when we were in Taiwan. She was a lovely woman who emanated love and warmth and wept with joy and sadness when she placed you into our waiting arms. How exceptional that you were able to marinate for 6 1/2 months in the incredible sights, sounds and smells of La Isla Formosa, a country that enchanted us from the moment we set foot there. How thrilling it will be to return with you to visit this fascinating land.

We want all three of our children to enjoy rich satisfying lives, which may or may not include having children. There is really only one reason that we hope you might have children (in the VERY DISTANT future, mind you) and it is entirely selfish. Only when and if you have children of your own, either through birth or adoption, will you be able to FULLY comprehend the immeasurable unparalleled and profound sense of joy and fulfillment that a child brings to your life. Only then will you truly understand what a gift you have given to us simply by being. You are so loved dear Kate Pei Jung. Happy Birthday sweet daughter! Thank you for letting us love you. Mom and Dad.

And a few more pictures...

Aww! Springtime in the Rockies! (late March)

Luke clowning around with Jack Panda
Sam and Dad at the top of Big Sky
Kate enjoys a dip

Dying Easter eggs (and look, the snow is gone!)

Oh Where Has The Time Gone???

The good shepherd Look mom! One hand!

Ski weekend at Sophie's cabin

I love my bath!!



Playing with my friend Ellie

Well, I find it absolutely unbelievable that I have posted nothing in almost 2 months! Where has the time gone? I feel like we are enjoying a golden era in our family. Everyone is healthy, happy and busy (knock on wood, throw salt over shoulder) Sam and Luke will be wrapping up their school year in June, Dan can breathe a well deserved sigh of relief after finishing our taxes and Kate is growing in every way every day. Me, I am just basking in the joy of my wonderful family. We are so very blessed. I guess I don't have to much to report at this point so I'll just get to the good stuff and post some pictures.

Notes from the Peanut Gallery

Just sitting around with my puppy
Kate has a playdate with pals Sara and Lewis

Swinging with my brothers

Really mom, don't you think I'm outgrowing this hat?

Geeez! I can't believe it is already the end of February! So, I need to sneak an update in before the end of the day. The shift from two to three kids has been easier in some ways and harder in other ways that I could not have imagined. Kate is such an easy good natured baby that her transition into her new life has been much smoother and more seamless than we had anticipated. In addition, her sweet nature makes her a total joy as a daily companion. The jealousy that I thought would ensue on the part of the boys after the honeymoon of her arrival had worn off has failed to materialize; they just love her. The difference is this: I just feel BUSIER! A lot busier for some reason. The laundry seems to have grown exponentially, I run the dishwasher twice instead of once a day now, the dog has gotten the short end of the stick in terms of consistent exercise (now that I think of it, my fitness routine is not going that well either) the house is definitely not as clean as it used to be, I'm behind on all my correspondences and I can't seem to keep the pantry stocked. How can this be with just the addition of one little person?? I don't know the answer to that. I can only tell you this has been my experience. Despite being more tired and busier than I have been in a while I am thoroughly delighted with our family of five!