What Am I Doing While We Wait...

As we wait, I have been keeping myself busy learning the Korean language - there is a lot to learn!  I hope to at least be able to understand him (simple sentences or words) and communicate.  To some this would be a scary thing, but to me I find it an adventure and want to represent our country and agency well (so I am even learning all about the Korean culture).

I have also been learning how to cook Korean food.  I figured the best way to know what I will want to eat when we arrive is to try cooking it myself.  It will also be a great way to connect with Jacob and help him hold onto his culture.  The good news for us is that we have a World Market!  Such an amazing place.  I was able to find Korean cookies, seasoning packets for different Korean dishes, and other amazing things.  So far my cooking adventures have went well.  I am taking it slow, but it is so much fun!  So far I have cooked hoddeok (sweet pancakes), bulgogi (Korean barbque), and salgussam (walnuts wrapped in dried apricots).  Everything I have cooked we have loved (so a success)!!!

Salgussam (walnuts wrapped in dried apricots) - an appetizer or snack (very yummy)!!!

The cookies I found at the World Market (so good - chocolate in the middle)!!!

 

My take on bulgogi (Korean beef barbque) with rice - cooked the meat with a seasoning packet for Korean barbque and decided it smelled so good to cook my veggies in that seasoning too (so so good)!!!

Birthday Care Package and Korean Cooking

We went shopping yesterday and got everything we needed for Jacob's Birthday Care Package (today he is 22 months old, so in just 2 more months he will be 2)!  I am very sad that it appears we won't have him here before his 2nd birthday, but at least he will have a birthday gift from us.  Check out the package below:

This is care package #6 for our little guy.  As you can see, his siblings picked out a red car that looks like Lightning McQueen for him, some snacks, birthday boy shirt, cheetah shirt, a red fish/blue fish birthday card, and a puzzle.  Yes - all that will fit in a gallon sized ziplock.  Plus we are putting a picture book together of us saying Happy Birthday through pictures (that is going to be fun to put together)!

I am still learning some Korean (especially since our agency sent us a list of common words) and as much as I can about their culture so we will be good ambassadors for the USA.  I am also beginning to learn to cook Korean food.  This morning, I cooked hoddeok.  I know it is typically a street vendor food, but it sounded yummy and looked like it would serve as breakfast for our family (since my children love pancakes).  Hoddeok is sweet pancakes with brown sugar syrup filling.  They turned out really good and my kids loved them.

 

As you can see, my first few kind of broke open (still very yummy - but I was learning)

 

Final product!

 

Happy kids - success!!!

Not sure what I will try to cook next, but I want to continue to learn how to cook Korean food.  It will be a great way to help Jacob know where he came from and honor his heritage and maybe help him not be so home sick.  I do know hoddeok found a place in our house as a meal or a snack!

 

Jacob's skin

So, we got an update on Jacob's rash (keep in mind this has been going on since Nov. 2011).  We were informed it couldn't be scabies.  I was resting better when they thought it was scabies.  The encouraging part of our update was that he is itching less and they have cut him back on his oral meds since the rash looks better.  The discouraging part is that they don't know what is up with his skin and it doesn't seem to be going away completely.  Please pray we can get him home to get this resolved soon - I really wonder if he isn't just allergic to something in his environment (soap, food, etc.).  So hard to sit here and know you can't do anything - except pray.  God is with him and will take care of him (I totally believe that and it is the only way I can rest with Jacob not being here with us).  Anyway, hopefully I will get some pictures soon - our little man will be 22 months old on the 26th (maybe he will be in some of the clothes we sent him).

On a good note, I did go shopping today for our little guy and got him a birthday onesie.  Guess that is the first item in his birthday package.  Trying to figure out what else we want to send.  I know his brother and sister want to fix him some homemade cards and they each want to select him a gift.  Maybe we can find a snack that tastes like birthday cake that we can send (that would be cool)...  :-)

Snacks, Books, & More...

Care package #5 shipped today!  Below is a photo of the care package.  As you can see - we did send him a little car (Mason selected it).  He also got some PJs, a little baseball outfit, no skid socks, blueberry puffs, a Big Bird book on colors, a fun pirate book with Bert and Ernie, and freeze dried strawberries and bananas.  The package also includes a drawing by Rebekah of Jacob doing Taekwondo (sooo cute).

 

Guess the next care package will be a birthday package for our little guy.  This one will arrive close to when he turns 22 months.  I really pray and hope we have him home before his 2nd birthday, but that does not look like a reality (who knows, we'll see).

21 Month Update

Found a sweet surprise in my e-mail a few minutes ago.  A 21 month update of our little guy and some pictures of him with 2 of his care packages (they must have arrived very close together).  Made me smile to see he got all the stuff we have sent him and he seems to really like the spider man spoon we sent (he is holding it in the picture below):

Jacob with all his last 2 care packages (I don't think he knows what to think of all of it - seems to like the spoon the the Cars sippy cup, he is keeping those close by)

They also sent us his measurements.  Jacob is doing very well.  He now weighs 26 pounds and is 32 inches tall!  Our little man is getting bigger.  Can't wait till the next pictures - I'm sure the foster mom will dress him in some of his new clothes.  That will be so sweet to see!  So glad to get these pictures - it was good to smile and see his face again (we love you little man - we are coming to bring you home very soon)!

Also, as promised a new picture of our boys' bedroom (it is all Cars now)!  I'm so happy with how it turned out.  As you can see - Mason's bed is now all Finn McMissle as he requested.  He loves it!  Hope Jacob will love his bed as much as Mason loves his.  I'm sure the boys will outgrow their beds quickly (especially Mason). 

Care Package # 5

I'm currently working on care package #5 for Jacob.  This package so far includes: another little photo album, a pair of Cars' PJs, Car's socks, baseball outfit, baby snacks, and a little book.  I'm hoping to finish the package up with a toy of some kind (probably another little car).

We did order 2 night stands for the boys to replace the current changing table.  I finished getting them upstairs tonight, installed the drawer pulls, and decorated with Cars' stickers (they look great)!  Now we just need to anchor them to the wall to prevent injuries (that will be done tomorrow since Mason is a climber - didn't know these little night stands were so top heavy).

We also had some more redecorating to the boys' room today.  Mason told me yesterday he wanted Finn McMissle on his bed instead of Thomas the train.  I immediately told him, "No problem!"  He went with me today and picked out the fabric for his bed's blanket.  I then spent the evening making the blanket and removing the Thomas stickers from the bed and all Thomas pillow cases and sheets.  The room looks so good now.  It looked cute before, but now with all the Cars stuff in that room, it looks amazing!  I will post a picture as soon as my husband removes the changing table from the room.  So glad that Mason is starting to move on to other toys to play (Thomas was getting old around here).