I am sooo excited

and scared...and nervous...and heartbroken. My babies are big boys now!!!
It was Noah's first day at preschool today. I had fully prepared him for this day, but I guess I forgot to prepare myself for all the emotions I would go through this morning when I dropped him off.
Isn't he cute!













Anyway, he was only there for half the day and according to his teacher he did very well...except for one small incident. Noah is a very mischievous little boy. He is also a tad defiant and stubborn. So at one point, the teacher explained to me that he refused to join circle time with the others. My guess is that he was having way too much fun exploring his new world filled with new toys. So after repeatedly asking him to join them, she stood up to try and bring him to the circle. Well....my boy...being who he is...ran under one of the preschool tables trying to hide from the teacher. He did finally give in...after a lot of convincing. I guess I'll have to have a small talk with him tonight over milk and cookies.

Tomorrow is Liam's turn...first day at kindergarten!



My Big Boys!

Have we told the kids?

Nope! They do not know they will eventually have a sister. To this day, the amount of time we will have to wait for our daughter has yet to be determined and the whole process is moving at a very slow pace. Therefore, we have decided to tell them only when we feel the time is right.

Meanwhile, we thought it would be fun to broaden their horizons (never too young to do that) and introduce them to China and its culture. There's a show on TV called Ni*Hao*Kai*Lan and it's aimed at preschoolers. My kids looove it! The show is a play-along, think-along series that weaves together Chinese language and culture, preschool-relatable stories and interactivity. It's kinda like Dora but it has its own spin. Below is a synopsis of the show (found online) and a small video. They will both give you a good idea of the show.

About the show
"Ni*hao!" That means "hi" in Mandarin--and that's how Kai*Lan greets you every day! Kai*Lan Chow is an exuberant Chinese-American preschooler, almost 6, who wants you to come play with her and her best friends. Kai*Lan's world is infused with Chinese culture and is brimming with magical sights and sounds, and everywhere you turn there's something amazing and beautiful to see. Along the way, she and her bilingual buddies speak in English and Mandarin, but they always need kids' help to find creative solutions to the daily dilemmas that come their way!
Click below to see what the show is all about.




My kids have already learned a few words in Mandarin and are using the words at unexpected times. I gave some juice to Liam the other day and he said thank you in Mandarin...very cute :0)
I also recently bought the following DVD:




In this movie, Kai*Lan and her friends take a trip to China to meet Kai*Lan’s favorite Great Aunt (Gu nai nai). While they are there, the little ones learn to face new experiences such as foods they have never tried, clothes they have never worn, and adventures they have never faced before. They learn about a different culture in both city and country settings and meet some pandas. As they do all this, the kids learn how to say the word “happy” and how to introduce themselves in Mandarin.

It's a great movie and my kids love it! It also gives me a break from hearing I'm the Map (Dora) every 3 minutes ;0)

Here I go!

After reading so many adoption blogs in the past year, I've finally decided to start one of my own.

This will be a place where my husband and I will keep our family and friends updated on our adoption process. I am also hoping that this will be a place where I can share my thoughts with others who have embarked on this wonderful journey.

So where did our journey begin...My husband and I met 10 years ago through work. We fast became friends and eventually started dating. We got married in 2003 and immediately started talking about expanding our family. We talked about how many children we wanted and also discussed the possibility of infertility since it had been an issue for some of our family members. Although I was told that infertility is not hereditary, it was a possibility we could face as a couple. We then talked about adoption...and that is when a seed was planted in our hearts.

In 2004, Liam was born. Soon after in 2006, Noah was born. And in 2007, I was pregnant again with our third child. We could not have been happier. We found out it was a boy and decided to call him Nathan. We told everybody we were going to have our three musketeers. At my 5 month routine checkup, the doctor couldn't find the baby's heartbeat. He reassured us that it sometimes happens (because of the baby's position) and sent me to the hospital for an ultrasound. The ride to the hospital felt horribly long. The ultrasound confirmed our worse fear...Nathan's heart had stopped beating. I gave birth to him the next day (I was induced) and we got to hold him and say goodbye. The sadness and loss felt raw in our hearts for quite some time. And although we hated hearing others say that time would heal...time did help. I found a quote that best describes our healing process. “It's possible to go on, no matter how impossible it seems, and that in time, the grief lessens. It may not go away completely, but after a while it's not so overwhelming.”

And in time, our desire to have another child resurfaced. However, being pregnant again filled us with fear. Loosing Nathan was the hardest thing we had ever gone through in our lives. For many reasons, we both knew that we could not go through that kind of loss again. That is when the seed of adoption planted in our hearts began to grow. We eventually attended a meeting at our agency and started our paperwork soon after.

The joy this journey has brought to us so far has been over the top. Signing up with our agency and paper chasing was exciting...finally handing over our dossier was exhilarating...AND finding out our dossier was sent to China and getting our LID was soooo thrilling!!! All the emotions we have gone through have compared to the pregnancies of our sons. We are filled with love and anticipation.

We have been waiting for 9 months. And although we know the wait will be much longer, we also know it will be worth it. I named this blog Two Brothers Waiting because this blog will mainly be about the mischievous happenings of our two children as we wait. It will also be about the hope we have of one day being united with our daughter.