Matched!

It was a normal evening in our home.  Monday, October 16, 2017.  

School was finished, and I had just dropped off dinner for our friends who have a new baby.  Then I cooked/heated up dinner for us.  Kraft mac and cheese, edamame, and leftover meat from Beirut (a yummy Lebanese restaurant).  Super gourmet!  P'Nui, Tyndall and I had eaten and Matt came home after he finished his parent conferences.  We were talking like normal, and then I glanced at my phone.  I hadn't heard the notification.  

Here's what I saw.  A Line message from our social worker:

I gasped and put my hand over my mouth and screamed with joy.  The rest of the family started saying, "what? what?!"  And I said, "We were matched!" Then screamed again (sorry, neighbors).  And we told Tyndall, "you're getting a brother or a sister soon!" We started dreaming out loud.  Boy? Girl? Both?  "Tyndall, do you think it's a brother or a sister?" Tyndall was running in circles and dancing around the house.

Talk about shocked!  We did NOT expect to be told about a match through a message, nor did we even know that the matching board was meeting.  Shock!  Excitement!  Nervousness! 

Later in the evening, we were talking with Tyndall.  "Remember, T, your brother or sister probably won't speak English.  They will be nervous, and they might be scared to come into our home.  We are going to have to be very patient."  T says: "That's okay.  'Member when we were Thai and someone learned us how to speak English?"  I posted that statement on Facebook, but it's even better knowing the context.  He's practicing empathy for his future brother/sister.  

Then we started calling (and waking up) family in the States.  P'Nui told the Wattanabanjonkuls when she was leaving, so they came over to share in our excitement.  We called friends and cried tears of joy.  So much unknown, but soooooooooo much joy!  

Had a hard time going to sleep that night, and I found this picture on Pinterest.  The words were absolutely perfect.  

You are loved, little one, and we can't wait to meet you!  

Interview with Tyndall on his 4th Birthday

Well, the day after his 4th birthday.  

1. What is something mommy always says to you? Don't eat something.
    What is something daddy always says to you? You're not having the balloon. (Note: ?)
2. What makes you happy? When I don't have spankings.
3. What makes you sad? Nufing.
4. What makes you laugh? When you tickle me. 
5. How old are you? Four!
6. How old is Mommy? 12.
7. How old is Daddy? 16.
8. What is your favorite thing to do? to play! play trucks, tracks
9. Who is your best friend? Keaton! and Ezra, and Eddie and Elinor. No, not Elinor. (Note: Sorry Ellie)
10. What do you want to be when you grow up? Daddy!  (Note: awwwwww)
11. What are you really good at? helping
12. What are you not very good at? not helping
13. What did you do today? Go to Children's museum (Note: that was yesterday)
14. What is your favorite food? Chocolate cake.
15. What is your favorite song? Jesus Loves Me.
16. What do you want for your birthday this year? another teddy bear, please
17. What is your favorite animal? Horse. No, not horse.  Lions!  Do you like lions, Daddy?
18. What is love? I hate.
19. What does daddy do for work? Nufing. 
20. Where do you live? at Thailand.
21. Where is your favorite place to go? That's too many questions!

Tyndall James is 3 Years Old!

I wrote his last milestone update half his life ago.  That's crazy.  And, now he's 3.  So, I was due for an update. I love looking back on these already, so I assume they'll be really special 10, 20, 30 years from now.  When he's my age.  Oh dear.   That will happen soon enough, but for now, he's 3.  

On a boat on our recent trip to Chiang Mai

Nicknames:  T, T-man, T-baby,  Bubba, "Kendo", "Tindon"

Favorite things to do:  Play outside, play trains, watch Play-Doh videos on YouTube, watch shows, go on adventures, drink milk, play with friends, go to Nursery, "ride" his tricycle (he is just now starting to pedal instead of scoot), read books, play hide & seek

Looking through a new book on Christmas morning

Favorite books:  We're Going On a Bear Hunt, Jamberry, God Is Bigger than the Boogie Man, God made You Special, A-Z Alphabet book, 5 Little Monsters, There's A Nightmare in My Closet, Jesus Storybook Bible, (and lots of other books about construction trucks and animals) 

His Bedtime Buddies

Favorite toys:  CinnaBear! (might even be his best friend), other stuffed animals (Pig, Shark, Octopus, VanillaBear, Monkey, Cocky, etc.), matching game, cars, Play Doh, train set, play kitchen, dinosaurs, Connect 4 in Daddy's classroom, games on Mommy's phone. 

Favorite TV Shows/Movies:  Peppa Pig, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood, Frozen, Despicable Me 1&2, Play-Doh videos on YouTube (especially DCTC), Jake & the Neverland Pirates, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, The Lion King, Curious George, Spongebob, Horton Hears a Who

Favorite Foods:  PB&J sandwiches, eggs, cheese, fruit, broccoli, protein shakes, chicken, fruit shakes, rice, noodles (Apparently he eats a lot at school but not too much at home.), ice cream, quesadillas

Friends:  Boyda boys (Keaton, Landon & Trevor), Ezra, Emma & Ellie, Rooney, Alisia, Sa, Meacha, In-In, Shita and many more! 

Ring-around-the-rosie with the Boyda boys

Basket swing with Ezra and Keaton

Favorite Sayings:  What is this?  Why?  I want to hold you.  Let's go outside.  Will you play with me?  Can I have some?  Why?  Can I watch ...?  I want to play a game on Mommy's phone.  Let's play...  Why?  "I Tyndall James Flagler", There's monsters in there?  Why?  Monsters can't get us here.  That's not scary.  Why?  No, thank you.  

silly face on the swing

Things he doesn't like:  Fireworks, Thunderstorms, swimming, being told "no", bugs, 

Things that happened while he was 2:  Kept going to MMO and made good friends with Khyla, Capers, and Aaron.  Went on the boat with the Petersons.  Spent lots of time with family and cousins Hailey, Kayte and Sadie.  Loved our back yard at our old house and playing in the yard with Zoe and neighborhood friends.  Started bilingual preschool at Papa & Gigi's church.  Had 2 visists to the ER because Mommy thought he ate some Tylenol (same week). Went to BeBe's house for July 4th weekend.  Moved to Thailand.  Started going to Thai nursery 5 days a week.  Went to Thai ER for falling 5-6 meters off a ladder.   "Helped" Mommy teach an English club for 3 year olds on Saturday mornings.  Loved going to church nursery and playing "Play-Doh".  Fed giraffes.  Performed in first Christmas program on a big stage. Rode on an elephant.    

Hanging with Hailey right before we moved

with Grandma in July

with Sadie in the moving boxes in July

first tuk-tuk ride

playing with Ezra after school

with Daddy in Thai style

first elephant ride

This has been a big year for our boy!  I love watching him grow and his personality develop.   He has handled an international move like a pro!  For the most part, he jumps right into things and is quick to make friends.  He's fearless, adventurous, and brave.  He loves trying new things.  In Thailand, his blonde hair and fair skin really stand out from a crowd, and Thai people are quick to notice him.  I've lost count of the number of people who have taken pictures with him, touched him, kissed him, and asked to hold him.  He handles it well, for the most part, but can be grumpy about it sometimes.  We are discovering that he is a true extrovert by getting charged up from being around people.  He looooooooooooooves being around people and laughing and making others laugh.  He keeps us giggling and moving! He is not a boy who likes to stay still, especially outside.  Thankfully, he can also enjoy relaxing, chilling and watching some shows or snuggling and reading books.  Recently, he has started saying, "I need a break from..." whatever he's doing and then he will change gears.

Christmas Eve 2015

Even this last month, his growing vocabulary and skills are blowing me away.  He can say all and recognize most letters of the English alphabet and even say most of their sounds.  He can also do the same for a few Thai letters, though Mommy and Daddy don't work on those as much at home (since we don't know them yet ourselves).  He can count to 10 (most of the time) in both languages too!  It's fun to watch him learn and grow! He is currently mastering going to the potty exclusively and riding his tricycle. 

He is kind.  He is loving.  He is fearless and brave.  Others describe him as wild and busy.  We are thankful to the Lord that he is healthy, strong-bodied and strong-willed.  Well, at least, people tell us we'll be thankful for the last one eventually.  For now, he keeps us laughing, busy, tired, but full of joy.  And we remain incredibly grateful to the Lord for creating and sustaining his life and choosing us to be his parents.  

Happy 3rd Birthday, Tyndall James!

Birthday cupcakes at dinner on 12-28-2015

Stats Catch-up and Walking Videos!

Because one day, I know I'm going to want to have these. :)

One Year Stats:
Weight: 16 pounds, 6 ounces

Length: 28 inches
Head Circumference: 17 inches

Started WALKING right after his 14 month birthday!!

 2/28 5 steps in a row

 3/2 Took several steps and never looked back!
I will be forever grateful that we were ALL home together when this happened!

Here's a progression of videos. 
 

You'll notice we eventually took the footie pajamas off. 

Literally, since that morning, our lives have never been the same!
He has been busy, busy, on-the-go!

15 Month Stats:
Weight: 17 pounds, 14 ounces

Length: 29, 1/4 inches
Head Circumference: 17, 1/4 inches

18 Month Stats:
Weight: 18 pounds, 8 ounces

Length: 32 inches
Head Circumference: 18 inches (?)

Tyndall James is 18 months old!

So, the last time I 'blogged', he had just turned 9 months and looked like this: 

He was crawling and pulling up, and I thought life was more 'active' back then.  Ha!

Now, he looks like this: 

He's walking, running, climbing, getting into everything, and now I KNOW life is a lot more active. And wonderful.  And some days tiring, but I'm absolutely LOVING it! 

Let's see how I can sum up the past half of his 18 months in this world. :) 

In October, our 2nd cousin Noah moved in with us, and Tyndall had a blast having another person to entertain and to get attention from. 

Tyndall was Santa Claus for his first Halloween.  It was kind of by default because I waited until the last day to find a costume, and it was the only thing near his size at the consignment store, even though it was still waaaaaay too big.  But he was sure cute. And liked trick-or-treating for the few houses we did.

For Thanksgiving, we traveled to Atlanta to be with my dad's side of the family.  It was wonderful being with them. There were lots of adults, 4 kids under 4, and lots of fun.  We were missing lots of family, and unfortunately, Tyndall was pretty sick during the visit.  But, we had a great Thanksgiving and loved being able to be with extended family. It was absolutely adorable watching him fall asleep at the highchair during Thanksgiving dinner. 

Sometime in the Fall, Tyndall started going to a Mother's Morning Out program at a local church 2 mornings a week.  He LOVES it because he gets to be around other kids, and mommy loves it because I get some concentrated time to work or recharge, and he always takes an epic nap afterwards. :)  Bonus is these adorable little crafts they do and the pictures they send home. 

The rest of the holidays were really fun.  For years, we had dreamed of doing Christmas-y things with a child of our own, and this year was amazing.  Tyndall was at a fun age of being expressive and mobile but still very sweet and cuddly and containable. ;) 

We spent a few days with my family at mom's house in the mountains which was very fun, especially with Tyndall and baby Sadie there.  Then we spent the traditional Christmas morning and day with Matt's family.  That was extra fun this year with 3 kids under 3!  We especially liked having a longer Christmas break with Daddy and love that his teaching job gives him so much time to spend with us around Christmas. 

Especially since Tyndall's birthday is also during that time!!

On January 3rd, we celebrated Tyndall's first birthday with a 'small' family gathering at our house.  We made chili and had cornbread and cinnamon rolls with other chili fixings and had birthday cake.  It was very simple but VERY special.  Tyndall LOVED his smash cake and absolutely demolished it.  

We loved having the family over and celebrating our precious son.  We didn't plan it this way, but we actually had the celebration on the 1 year mark of finding out about him! 

The rest of the Winter was filled with lots of indoor fun. And everyday stuff.  We had a pretty good routine where we would get up and get ready, take Noah to school, come home and play until nap time.  During nap time, Mommy would get ready for the day, and lots of times Miss Erin would come over to help with office stuff.  Tyndall looooved Miss Erin and especially loved 'helping' us work. After work and nap time, we'd go get Noah and usually spend the afternoon out and about with him.  Then dinner, then bath (which he loooved), then bedtime. 

Tyndall continues to be a fun-loving, happy, funny little guy.  He's full of laughter and silliness and his own special sense of joy.  Even when he's fussy and cranky, it doesn't take much to get him distracted and laughing again.  This was especially a blessing since we were also living with a moody, emotional, teenage boy who Mommy and Daddy didn't know what to do wit most of the time.  Tyndall's relationship with Noah was a special blessing no one could have predicted would have been so special. :)  Noah moved back in with his Mom in May, and Tyndall definitely misses having him around.

Speaking of special relationships Tyndall has, this boy LOOOOOOVES his dog, Zoe.  One of the first questions he responded to was "Where's Zoe?" and he would point outside or point to where she was.  :) He often takes his snack/milk to her dog bed and curls up with her to relax.  He looooooves playing with her inside and outside and crawling on her and sharing food with her and 'reading' books to her.  Lately, he's been getting a little more rough, so we are giving her more breaks, but more often than not, the two can be found in close proximity.  It's one of my favorite things.

As soon as it started getting warmer, we started doing more and more outside, and I think we created a monster.  Tyndall James looooooooooves being outside.  He likes it even more if he's not wearing clothes.  Sometimes we feel very redneck.  We have had lots of wonderful days at the nearby parks, at the beach, at the pool.  Tyndall doesn't love water as much as he used to, but we are hoping that will change.  We're going to keep trying.  He does love walking around outside, going down slides, riding in his cars or on his trucks and chasing Zoe.  

(Last year's first beach trip compared to this year's first beach trip.)

Hanging in the bounce house with the Peterson cousins. :)

 In June, Matt, Tyndall and Uncle Steven flew to California for a family reunion for Matt's dad's side of the family.  So Tyndall had his first plane ride and first full week away from Mommy.  We survived, but it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  I think Tyndall was in heaven, though, because he had LOTS of doting aunts, uncles, and cousins t walk around with outside, and he was without clothes for most of the pictures I've seen. :) 

We are enjoying our adventurous, tenacious, mini-but-mighty, loveable, fun-loving 18 month old.  He's starting to repeat a lot of words and respond to our questions.  He has the sweetest, softest but sometimes scratchy sounding voice, and I'm loving that he says new words almost everyday.  

The emotions are intense. The moods are quick to change, and this stage of parenting is one that I didn't know to expect.  But, it's an honor and a privilege to be raising this awesome boy, and we continue to be thankful that God chose us to be his parents.