Emma's Dol Party

Yesterday we officially celebrated Emma's 1st Birthday with a Korean American Dol Party. She did wonderful and loved all the excitement. I have been planning and preparing for a couple of weeks, hoping to make sure everything was perfect for our sweet girl. I always want to remember her birth culture and incorporate it into our lives. Family and friends joined us for the wonderful celebration of her birthday. There are many traditions associated with a Korean child's first birthday. We tried to include them as well as add some of our own. Here's some pictures of Emma's special day.

The Dol table is generally filled with fruit and stacked with items. This symbolizes prosperity for the child. We stacked fruit, gumballs, gumdrops, and cookies. It was a lot of fun decorating the gumdrop tree. Although I don't know how they get some of the items to stay in Korea. We used hot glue which meant the gumdrop tree wasn't for eating...

The backdrop was a quilt we got for Emma. I have made a tradition to get her a quilt on her birthday and other special occasions. I think quilts are a neat keepsake and she can use them later!

This is made from a styrofoam cone and 7 bags of gumdrop slices... and lots of hot glue!!!

A special thanks to SevenCupcakes for the cupcake toppers. They were adorable!!!

The cake was placed on Emma's great-grandmother's cake stand. I thought it would be neat to include something from each grand-grandmother.

The punch bowl also belonged to one of Emma's great-grandmothers as well as the utensil holders.

Instead of party favors, we decided to have a candy bar with treat bags for the kiddos to enjoy.

This is the Doljabee table. The items in the tray are presented to the birthday child and it is said that whatever she picks will signify what she will be in life.

Some were traditional Korean items...
Thread- long life
Wooden spoon- good cook
Money - wealthy
Book- scholar/excels in academics

And then we added a few of our own:
Microphone-Musician

Bible- ministry
Softball- athletic
Stethoscope- Doctor/Nurse
Apple- Teacher
Lineman tool- Linegirl (this was an item picked out by Uncle Zak)

She choose the microphone during the Doljabee. It doesn't surprise me as she loves music. She dances to music, sings at church, and stops anytime she hears music. That's my girl. The next item she chose was the stethoscope, so it seems she might be a musical doctor! Maybe she will sing for her patients... The softball was the third item, which makes Daddy and big brother proud!

In the Korean culture, it is customary to give our towels as party favors. We made these and gave them to the Doljabee raffle winner. The rest were given to those who answered questions about Korea correctly.

Another component of a Dol is to have a blessing/prayer for the child. We had guests write a blessing or prayer on the photo frame and will put a picture of Emma in her hanbok in the frame and hang it in her room. I thought this was a neat keepsake for her special day.

There is always a picture of the child and the Dol table. Emma was interested in playing with the cake since it was so close!

This head covering is worn at the Dol. She kept it on for a few minutes. Usually they are too big, but Emma is big for her age, so it fit pretty well.

The Dol table

She loved the balloons!

Doesn't she look beautiful!

Mommy and Emma

Our wonderful family. We are so thankful for Emma. She is a blessing to us and we know God has big plans for her!

Her birthday outfit. Running around in her tutu.

We gave her a set of training chopsticks from Korea for her birthday. She liked them...and used them as drumsticks...musical, I think so!

This is Giggles, an asian message doll. I picked this up at a local boutique. She is asian and has a opening on the base to place a note. We wrote Emma a note and she can look at it when she gets older.

Her own cake to destroy...

She didn't know about it at first...but with time she managed to smush it and get it everywhere. It was so sweet, she even shared with Daddy, Chase, and Nana.

This is a day that our family will always remember. I want to thank all those who came and share this special day with Emma. An extra thank you to those who came and helped decorate, made punch, stacked cookies, blew up balloons, donated gumballs, cut up fruit, and helped clean up after. Thanks so much, we love you all!

147 Million Orphans

That number should bother us. It should keep us awake at night. What can you do to help unite a child with a forever family? Pray, give, raise awareness, adopt...

You're Invited!!!

We would like to invite all of our friends and family for a celebration in honor of Emma. We would love to share this special time with you!

Korean Cuisine-Seoul Garden

In celebration of Emma being home 4 months and her first birthday coming soon, we decided to experience part of Emma's heritage by going to an authentic Korean restaurant. A blog friend recommended the Seoul Garden in Nashville. Thanks Bate's mom! We went with my sister-in-law, her husband, and two kiddos. Let's just say it was an experience! My brother-in-law braved all the "appetizers" that came out prior to the meal. We all played it safe by ordering beef and rice. The side dishes were interesting and somewhat spicy. The kids weren't impressed as they sampled the rice and beef.

4 Months Home

Emma has been home for 4 months and in some ways it seems like yesterday when we received the call that she was on her way home to us. I remember that day so vividly. It was Monday and I was teaching reading when my cell phone rang. Of course I don't usually answer my phone during a school day but I knew Emma had gotten her visa the Friday before and that a travel call could happen although not likely on Monday. Little did I know that she was already on a plane to the United States. The weekend and extra 14 hours difference in Seoul made it impossible to let us know any sooner. At that moment, I burst into tears and my second grade students were all cheering and clapping as they knew it was the call I was waiting for. Our agency director informed me that we must go to Detroit that day so we would be there when Emma arrived early the next day. After calling family and scrambling to get our clothes together (Emma's bag was packed that weekend) we drove to Michigan as a family of 3 and came back a family of 4. After arriving around 3 in the morning and getting little sleep, I remember laying awake that night talking to God and thanking Him for the blessing that I know I don't deserve. Love is an amazing thing especially when that love comes from Him. I've been asked by others, "Do you love her the same way you love Chase?" And my answer is of course I do. The love that I have for my children come from God and it's an unconditional love that doesn't considered whether or not they grew under my heart or in it.

Chase said that the time has flown by since she came home. It does seems like it. It also feels like she has always been here. Tomorrow we celebrate her birthday and I can't believe that she will be 1. She's learning so many new things and her personality continues to blossom. She's walking everywhere which means she is getting into everything! We love you Emma!

Bath Time, Birthday Plans, and New Hairstyle

It's been such a nice week being home with Emma. She is much happier with Mommy playing with her all day. The house is a mess and I could wash clothes for three days and still not be caught up, but it's not going anywhere and she is changing every day. She is crawling less and less and her balance is getting better. She still looks like a weeble wabble at times when she walks.

Emma loves bath time. She kicks and smiles when we ask her if she wants to take a bath. Her favorite is splashing in the water and playing with her bath toys.

I have been busy getting her birthday plans together. Her first birthday is going to be so special and we know how fortunate we are to share it with her. There are other families that dont' have that opportunity and we are going to enjoy it. Her birthday is on a Tuesday so we are going to celebrate the Sunday after. More details to come. I am still working on decorations and food. I want to incorporate the Korean culture as well as American traditions so it should be a neat experience.

As you can tell in the photos, Emma's hair is getting longer and I tried a new hairstyle today. She looks so cute but Mommy certainly needs to work on her styling skills.

Look at her go...

Snapping a few pictures in her birthday outfit for invitations

It doesn't matter what her hair looks like, she's still adorable!

Pigtails for my sweet girl

Staying at Home, Emma is Walking!

This is probably one of the most difficult posts to write. The past couple of weeks have been challenging to say the least. I went back to school, teaching, after being home with Emma for 14 weeks. Initially I thought the transition would be manageable. Emma had a very difficult time being with a sitter and after consulting with an adoption therapist, we decided it would be best for Emma if I stayed home with her. I am so blessed to be able to do this and also very thrilled to be with her during the day every day. As I told my teaching family, my hearts also breaks that I won't be able to fulfill my obligations to my students and see friends that I have grown close to as often. I know that God has a plan and he can see the entire picture of our life. With that said, I know He has something great in store for our family. We have been prayerfully considering an amazing opportunity within the adoption community and hope to proceed with it now that I have some spare time. More about that as things progress. So as I left school Friday afternoon, it was a bittersweet ending to a wonderful experience at a school where everyone loves and welcomes each other.

I am also in the process of planning Emma Tol party, her first birthday celebration. I've been researching traditional Korean customs and hope to incorporate those into a Korean American celebration. It's hard to believe she will be a year old in a few weeks. She is constantly changing and I think it safe to say she is officially walking as of yesterday! She's still wobbly and falls down, but it doesn't keep her from going where she wants to go!

Here's our little girl standing up on her own and taking a few steps...

She loves her sippy cup. It only took her a few minutes to learn to drink from a straw.

One of her favorite things to do is to pull everything out of the drawers in the kitchen. She does it very well!

Happy 11 Months Emma

Our sweet girl is 11 months old now! That is so hard to believe! She is growing, learning, and changing so much every day. So what is our big girl up to these days? Here are 11 things that our sweet girl is up to:

1. She is talking all the time. She loves to say "night night" at bedtime and yesterday she pulled up to me and said "take."

2. Her new favorite game is riding a horsey. We played it the other night and today she sat on my leg and started to jump. As soon as I began to sing the song and bounce, she giggled and smiled.

3. It is the sweetest thing to see her interact with her brother. She is quite the charmer when she blows kisses to everyone and winks.

4. Her walking skills are getting more and more defined. She is taking several steps at a time before stumbling over.

5. She is also standing up in the middle of the floor by herself by pushing up with her knee. Our sweet girl is quite strong!

6. I love the way she sits and plays with one leg behind her and the other in the front. She is so limber!

7. She tried Goldfish for the first time this week and loves them.

8. She mastered a sippy cup this month. Her favorite are the ones with a straw. She loves apple and white grape juice.

9. Emma's dancing abilities are amazing. She loves to dance to music and has started adding vocals. Her favorite Barney song is Deck the Halls and sings the fa la la la la on key! She also enjoys singing hymns during church.

10. Emma loves her baby doll and likes to hug and love on her like we do Emma

11. Emma is turning into quite the explorer. Her ability to clean out a cabinet, drawer, or laundry basket must be a record...

Snow Day

The snow came down overnight on Wednesday which allowed for a snow day!!! Not only did we get out Thursday and Friday of last week, but we have been out Monday and today this week! Chase enjoyed playing in the snow with his sled he got for Christmas last year. Emma wasn't sure about the snow at first, but enjoyed it after getting used to the cold. She was so cute all bundled up! It looks like we'll be back to school tomorrow as most of the snow has melted. Emma and I are staying warm and enjoying just hanging out at home. I've been getting things prepared for her big 1st birthday party coming up in Feb. 2. There is lots to do especially since this is her first birthday and the Korean culture places a great emphasis on the first birthday (Tol). She has a special outfit called a hanbok that her foster parents sent. This is the traditional dress that Korean children wear on special occasions. Hope all is well with everyone...Stay warm!!!

Emma wasn't a fan of sledding. She doesn't care for motion whether it is in a stroller, car seat, wagon, or even a sled!

3 Months Home

In some ways it's hard to believe Emma has only been here 3 months. In other ways, it seems like yesterday we received the call that we were matched with a little girl. In every way that matters, she has always been a part of our family and that is the amazing way God uses adoptions to bring together a family. God knew long before we did, that Emma would be our daughter and from the beginning, He prepared our hearts to receive her. We can't imagine life without her and as each day passes, she continues to amaze us with her personality. We have a very intelligent little girl that loves music, her brother, and parents. We are so blessed at how she has adjusted into our family. There were difficult times for her, but she loves her family and knows that we are here to stay. She has started taking a few steps and I'm sure will be walking soon. I love the way she blows us kisses and wakes up with a smile on her face. Her love for music is so cute and she has become quite the dancer swaying back and forth to the rhythm. As the new year approaches, we have so much to be thankful for this past year. I am so excited about what the new year holds as we prepare to celebrate Emma first birthday in February, finding a place to settle and call home, and looking at what other opportunities God might be calling for us to pursue. May 2010 be a year full of the renewed promise God has to bring you joy and happiness. May you find that happiness in Him as it will never be found in things... Welcome home 3 months Emma, to the family God created to love you forever!