End of a Chapter

Yesterday, we went to Carlisle for a 3:00 p.m. hearing where Sarah’s adoption was finalized at the Cumberland County Courthouse. With Carlisle nearly three hours away, it was an all-day event! Yesterday’s finalization was the final step in the legal process. It not only marks the end of Sarah’s adoption process, it also marks the … Read more

Memories of Korea

We spent 8 full days in Korea in February 2008 when we picked up Ethan and 4 full days in October 2009 when we picked up Sarah. We wrote a number of posts while we were there both times, which has helped us remember more than we would have remembered otherwise. It was an especially … Read more

Adoption Adventures Slideshow

We put together a slideshow for the reception time following Sarah’s baptism a week and a half ago. You can watch it here …

Sarah’s Language Development

Sarah is at the point where we’re expecting hear the transition from babbling sounds to words. Recent experiences have reminded us of something we learned when we welcomed Sarah into our lives in Korea. In Korea, we were told that Sarah’s foster family played peek-a-boo in Korean and they told us the Korean version of … Read more

Six Months with Sarah

Six months ago today in Seoul, Korea, one day after meeting Sarah for the first time in her foster family’s home, we welcomed Sarah into our lives. The six-month mark is a milestone because it’s only after this point that we can legally file our petition to finalize the adoption (although, for legal purposes, the … Read more

Ethan’s Signs of Caring

If you’ve been following our journey (i.e., most recently, welcoming Sarah into our family), you may recall that Ethan has struggled in this process, especially in the early days and weeks. Now that Sarah has been with us nearly six months, we’ve noticed recently that, while Ethan still has his moments, he is starting to … Read more

Adoption and Bonding Dynamics

Six weeks after bringing Sarah home, we reflected on bonding the second time around. Now at five months, I recently visualized the difference in dynamics between the two experiences. When we brought Ethan home, Ethan entered a circle of two people, but when we brought Sarah home less than two years later, Sarah entered a … Read more

Sarah’s Laugh

Sarah has been with us almost five months. When we first met her, she smiled and laughed a lot. But it struck us a few weeks ago, that she wasn’t laughing or smiling as much. We felt we had to work fairly hard to make her laugh. But I also realized today that Sarah is … Read more

Sleep Adjustments

It’s been a while since we’ve posted an update on how Sarah is adjusting (last two posts were Family Leave Report and Checking in on Sarah). Sarah has been with us a little over four months now, and all along, we’ve been saying that she is adjusting really well. The two areas that were perhaps … Read more

Ethan’s Second Gotcha Day

Two years ago today, while in Seoul, Korea, we welcomed Ethan into our lives. Two years ago, we “got” Ethan. In some ways, it’s hard to believe it’s *only* been two years — it feels like he’s been part of us so much longer! Ethan began the day with a couple chocolate chip muffins, blowing … Read more