First trip to Nakorn

On October 23, our family of three flew down to Nakorn Si Thammarat with excited trepidation about the next couple of days.  We would finally be with our newest family member who we had "met" via Line messages less than a week before.  One who had been in our hearts and minds for many years.  

When we arrived into town, we checked into our hotel and then ate dinner at the hotel restaurant.  Tyndall was way excited and quite energetic, but after a bath (in a real bathtub!) in our room, he fell asleep pretty quickly.  It left Matt and I to have a quiet evening to ourselves, with lots on our minds.  

So many questions.  So much unknown.   Yet so much faith.  And joy.  It's all so surreal.  I tried not to have expectations.  But I've followed so many adoption journeys over the years that I certainly had thoughts about how things might go.   I was in awe of how it was turning out to be much more of an "international adoption" experience than I thought.  I was worried about who could hold the camera to capture the moment we first saw our son.  I wondered if he would cry or be cuddly.  I remember coaching myself as I prepared gifts for his nannies and the social worker.  I was telling myself not to have expectations, to not even worry about pictures, just to enjoy the moment.

As I prepared gifts and a photo album for Hudson, I was messaging with friends who could write and speak Thai for help with labeling the photo album.  I'm thankful for Faye and Moo and their help with writing "mom" and "dad" and "Tyndall" and "Hudson" in Thai so Hudson (and his nannies) can have help with getting to know our names.  And I'm thankful for my Thai tutors Dah and Aing who helped Matt and I learn most of the characters and sounds so things didn't seem quite so foreign.  

I thought it would be hard to sleep, but we all actually slept a decent amount.  Our friend P'Nui flew in early in the morning to be with Tyndall and met us at our hotel for breakfast at 8:30am.  We ate breakfast all together and then waited for the orphanage social worker to pick us up.  The main social worker I had been in touch with (Nan) sent me a photo of Hudson waiting for our arrival.  He looked so different from the other photos we had seen... I couldn't wait to see him in real life! 

It's A Boy!

14 hours.  I waited 14 hours from our social worker's Line message about being matched.  At 8:40 am the next day (I simply could NOT wait any longer!), I sent her a "good morning" sticker.  She immediately wrote back that she was not at the office and had to go to a meeting so couldn't tell me anything more until the afternoon.  Okay, I understood.  I resolved that I would be distracted by teaching for the morning and could wait a few more hours. 

But 25 minutes later, I noticed my phone started dinging like crazy.  It was during a weekly prayer time that I have with some friends, so I waited.  When we were done, I checked my phone and saw that they were messages from her.  So I went upstairs to Matt's classroom (it was almost time for morning break), and waited for his kids to leave.  There were a couple kids who needed help with math, so I helped for a minute but then told Matt that we had messages from K. A and asked if the kids could do the math later... :) 

We read the messages together and learned that we had been matched with a BOY! And that he was born in February 2015.  Matt said, "2015?! So he's 2?"  We were truly shocked by this as we were open to kids ages 2-8 and even sibling groups.  Our understanding was that most adoptive families preferred younger children, so we just expected we would be matched with older.  So, shocked, but very happily.  

She asked if we accepted the referral, and we wrote back, "yes, of course" and then immediately started receiving pictures of our handsome son!  His face, y'all.  The sweetest.  I mean, he is just.so.adorable.  (But we will not be posting any pictures publicly until the adoption is finalized, per the understood guidelines of adoptions in Thailand.) 

After the first time we said we accepted this match, we learned about his current orphanage and a little more about his birth family.  After we said we accepted again, we learned a little more.  

We stayed in Matt's classroom for a minute soaking everything in and reading the messages over and looking at the pictures.  Then we said we wanted to go tell Tyndall.  But as soon as we got downstairs and saw Krissy and Abby & Bryn standing right there, we had to tell them.  Krissy saw our faces and said, "you know?!"  And we ran toward them and did a big group hug and I said, "WE HAVE A SON!  AND HE'S 2!!!"  And we burst into happy tears and jumped up and down.  And took pictures.  Because we want our son to know that this moment...  This moment that we found out about him and "met" him through pictures was the very moment God placed him into our family.  Just like it was with Tyndall.  It is indescribably precious.  Even with students crowding around "why are you crying, Mrs. Tricia?" and other teacher-friends sharing in our joy, at that very moment, God sunk this son of ours in our hearts.  

Before we realized it, break was over and students were going into both of our classrooms.  We realized we had to do real life for a little while.  As my students came in and got settled, I did call my mom and send her a picture of her new grandson.  :) I then told my first graders that I had just found out I have a new son.  They didn't really understand, but it will be fun teaching them more about adoption this year.  That was the hardest English lesson I've ever taught, and Matt would probably say the same.  

Right after English is lunch time, so we went to find Tyndall in the lunch room.  We wanted to tell him he has a new YOUNGER BROTHER!  We told him and showed him a picture.  Right away, he grabbed my phone and gave it the biggest hug and then started showing his friends "This is my brother".   We spent a lot of time hugging and processing this news together (in the cafeteria filled with 1/2 of the school).  Other teachers were hearing our news, and we were able to tell people who have been praying with us for these last 2 years that God has given us a SON!  

Needless to say, Tyndall didn't go back to class.  He probably would have been too distracted and distracting to others.  Matt and I went to Chapel after lunch, and I could barely keep it together singing worship songs like, "My God is Powerful" and "By Faith".  I took the rest of the afternoon off, and Matt came home during his planning periods.  We tossed around a few names and then settled on a name we all liked as a family.  That will be another post.  

We learned more about him through the day (all through Line messaging) and just couldn't believe the way that God had given us another perfect boy to join our family.  

Little boy, you are so very loved already! 

Will you be praying for our boy?  Will you pray for his little heart to be prepared to meet his forever family soon?  Will you pray for us the next few weeks as our files go before the adoption board in Thailand for final approval?  It's possible that he will be home with us before Christmas.  It's a lot of change to happen in the next few weeks.  Please pray with us during this time.  

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!  

Spring Semester Recap!

Spring semester at GES brought more changes for us.  I started long-term subbing in Grade 1 for Kristin who was out on maternity leave.  Tyndall changed classes to K-1 since he was (mostly) potty-trained and needing a little bit more structure.  That meant he also changed to having a "farang" (foreign) teacher instead of just Thai teachers, so it also made it easier for us to communicate and understand how he was doing during the day.  He has loved being in the preschool class, and it's been a great change for him.  

Because my job changed from part-time to full-time, we needed a helper for Tyndall after school and around the house.  God brought P'Nui into our lives, and she has become more than Tyndall's nanny, our house-manager, shopper, dinner-prepper, Thai teacher, but an incredible friend!  She is a sweet sister in Christ, and it's so neat to get to know her heart for others and for Thailand!  She's one of the worship leaders at her church and helped lead Thai worship at our lower elementary chapel one week.  We are excited for her to start seminary soon, even though we won't get to see her as much!  George and his family also help us out a ton, mostly on Saturdays when we teach Joy Club.  We are so thankful for them as well and continue to learn so much through their friendship.  These friendships have been unexpected blessings, but definitely some of the most treasured ones of our first year here! 

My Grade 1 class was full of life and adventure.  I had (most of the semester) 23 kiddos who kept me on my toes daily.  I loved hearing different accounts of their days and having lots and lots of questions and opinions and comments from their little (and big!) personalities.  :)  Thankful that I was allowed to spend a few months with them and prayerfully show them more of Jesus.  I look forward to seeing a lot of those relationships grow over the years.  Now that Kristin is back from maternity leave, I'm spending time with the lower elementary ELW (English Language Workshop for Grades 1-3) teacher since that's what I'll teach next year.  

Matt has enjoyed teaching Grade 2 again (it's what he taught when we were here in 2008-2009), and he will be teaching Grade 2 next year, which means he will have a lot of the students I had this semester.  That should be interesting! I really love seeing Matt as a teacher!  He cares so much for the kids but also enjoys teaching them new things.  It's just neat to see!  

One thing that I've really appreciated too is that we live approximately 143 steps from our classrooms.  It's so nice to run home on breaks and (for me) have some alone time.  Most of my lunch breaks, I get like 20 minutes to myself which can help recharge me for the rest of the day, and I usually get a mini Thai lesson from P'Nui during lunch as well.  It's not always easy having the school right outside our home, but a majority of the time it's a blessing!  

In addition to teaching the regular daily school schedule (7:30-4:40), we both did a lot of tutoring and continued to teach the Saturday school, Joy Club.  This has had its pros and cons but overall, it's allowed us to get to know more students and build more relationships with parents as well as have more spending money and giving money. I think it also helps us enjoy our family time a lot on the weekends.  Matt and I typically have an afternoon date on Saturdays and then Sundays are full days with meeting with our church, eating lunch at Que Pasa with friends, naps, then hanging out in the evenings (lately we've been swimming in the evenings which has been fun!) and prepping for the week. 

We had our first visitors in March!  Emily and Sheila came to Thailand for their Spring Break, which was way too short.  They were troopers powering through jet lag and experiencing Thailand in such a short amount of time.  We didn't see them as much as we would have liked (in retrospect, we should have taken some days off), but we were super thankful for the time we did hang out.  Loved hearing about their adventures in Kanchanaburi and Cooking with Poo and their day trip to the beach.  My favorite was hanging out at their condo pool and getting dinner and foot massages on their last day.  Can't wait for our next visitors to come at the end of May! 

So thankful for friendships that have grown this semester! This stage of life with 2 working parents and an incredibly active little by would be incredibly draining were it not for life-giving friends.  The kind who bring coffee and random snacks to your classroom.  The kind you go get massages with.  The kind whose kids play with yours.  The kind who babysit for date nights.  The kind who come over for dinner and don't mind making themselves at home.  The kind who do games.  The kind who do movies.  We are thankful.  

Overall, we continue to love our new lives in Thailand.  Sure, we have rough days and days where the cultural differences and not knowing the language are hard and challenging and frustrating.  More of them lately with trying to do business-sy stuff. But that's part of living cross-culturally.  And we understand a lot of those things better this time around.  The cockroaches and spiders and snakes and smells and heat... still not our favorite things.  But it's easier to take the good with the bad.  

All that being said, we are super excited to have time in the States this summer.  We miss our family and friends A LOT and can't wait to see everyone and have quality time with everyone soon.  I'm also excited for everyone to see Tyndall and see how much he's grown and what an incredible little boy he is.  It's going to be GREAT to see him playing with his cousins and our extended family again. Only about a month away, and lots of fun to be had in the meantime! 

Pictures are on Facebook.  I'll maybe add some in here later for my own sake, but for now, I feel accomplished having gotten this done. ;) 

Six Months Old!

 Tyndall James is 6 Months Old!

Six Month Stats:Weight: 13 pounds, 9 ounces

Length: 24 1/2 inches
Head Circumference: 16 inches

STILL not on the charts, but growing well and on-track based on where he started. :) 

This month has been my favorite yet... by far!  Each has been special, of course, but all of a sudden this little baby is becoming a little boy filled with personality.  I LOVE being his Momma!  

Tyndall still LOVES his feet... and having them in his mouth.  He was doing this a little last month, but now it's all the time.  Still likes chewing on pretty much anything else as well. The doctor said it looks like his bottom teeth will break through any day now.  

A new addition is how much he loves toys.  He likes teething rings, rattles, stuffed animals, and basically anything else we will let him play with (cups, bowls, spoons, etc.)  He is pretty coordinated and can pass toys between his hands.  He can also rake things in and grab them.  

 

His Current Favorite Toy (Thanks, BeBe!)

Rolling over has become a regular thing... both from tummy to back and back to tummy.  Back to tummy has just happened in the last week or so.  He will get on a roll (pun intended) and move around quite a bit.  It's an adventure to see what position he'll be in when we wake up in the morning... it's hardly ever the same and definitely not how we left him the night before. Matt and I both like watching the monitor more and sneaking in his room for nighttime peeks. 

He started eating rice cereal right at 5 months old.  After a couple months of rice cereal, we added in vegetables in Stage 1 jar food.  First he had green beans, then peas, then carrots.  We wait a couple days between introducing new foods, but so far, he has done great with everything.  His least favorite seems to be peas, and he likes oatmeal cereal much better than rice cereal.  He has also had a tiny bit of sweet potatoes from a church potluck on Father's Day. 

Feeding him is hilarious.  He is a very ferocious eater sometimes and likes to 'help' with the spoon.  It is soooooo messy.  I'm still learning to be okay with this.  Bottle feedings are also a lot more adventurous.  Gone are the days when he would quietly sit while eating.  Now, he 'helps' hold his bottle and also tries to suck his thumb while eating from the bottle.  It doesn't work, but he tries. Every time.  

Sucking his thumb while eating his bottle.

He is so playful lately!  He loves to grab our faces and 'talk' to us and people he knows (like Papa and other family members he sees a lot).  He also likes to play with the dogs now and has even grabbed their faces a couple of times.  

Playing with Papa's face

The laugh is finally an everyday, regular occurrence.  The belly laugh is my favorite sound in the world, and I especially love hearing him playing and laughing with his Daddy.  But I confess I will do just about anything to get some giggles myself.  This boy is so silly.  He has started to like more 'rough' play like being tickled and 'dropped' and bounced.  It's so much fun!!!  

He has moved into Stage 2 diapers but continues to wear mostly size 0-3 month clothes. Just last week, he still wore a couple of newborn outfits, but I think I'm finally going to put all those away.  He's getting too long for them.  

He STILL really likes to stand up.  We try to get him to sit, but his balance is much better standing.  We need to work more on the sitting, so hopefully next month I'll have a good update about that.  I mean, look at this pick of him standing while playing with a toy.  We hardly even have to hold him.  And sometimes we let him stand by himself if he is holding onto the crib rail or something like that.  

Other Highlights and "Firsts" from this Month:

•  1st overnight with Momma away. Daddy did a great job taking care of him! 

• First Funeral
• First Father's Day
• Visited Uncle Steven at work

 

• Trip to Beaufort with BeBe (visited Great Aunt Mary Frances in the hospital and did some shopping.) 
  • 
     First time sitting up in shopping cart basket (probably a little premature).
    
    • Ryan and Kellie Cantrell Wedding 
      
      
      
      • Started sleeping 12+ hours almost every night.
      • Going to work at Friendship Baptist with Mommy
      • Playing/splashing in the bathtub
      • TV News Interview

Honestly, this little baby is the sweetest, most fun, joyful little boy!  We are so, so blessed and thankful that God chose us to be his family.  

Happy 6 months, Tyndall James.  We love you so much!  

God Makes Babies. People Don't.

Remember that one time I played an April Fool's joke and 'announced' that we were pregnant just a couple months after adopting our son?  

Actually, it technically doesn't say that we were pregnant.  But people assumed, which is what I wanted them to do...  Because I cannot tell you the amount of times we've heard, 'now that you've adopted, you'll get pregnant with one of your own'.  

Well, I thought it was funny.  I figured most people don't truly believe big announcements that are posted on April 1st.  
In fact, I had been planning it for weeks.  I even gave the immediate family members a heads-up so that they wouldn't have heart attacks.  Well, all except for my sister, Laura.  I forgot to give her a heads-up.  Sorry, Laura.

Within minutes, there were lots of very excited people.  Only a handful commented things that hinted to April Fool's... several even said  "I'm sure you wouldn't joke about something like this."  I realized pretty quickly that people would have been thrilled had this news been true. 


I texted or private messaged most people who commented, letting them know they had been 'had'.  Most responded lightheartedly.  But there were some who gave me a really hard time.  After only a couple hours, I posted the updated picture and came 'clean'. 

 

Some laughed.  Some didn't.

I didn't realize that my fun little prank was going to cause so much concern.  And then this picture appeared in my Facebook newsfeed.  Twice.

Ouch.

And I felt like a terrible person.  Why?  I can't fully explain, but I'm going to try...

A few years ago, it was my heart that ached and pricked a little bit every time I saw a pregnancy announcement.  It reminded me of my loss.  And made me wonder, when will it be my turn?  There was a season that I was a little bit bitter and resentful when I would find out about 'surprise' pregnancies.  Actually, there was one only a few months ago that definitely made me run to the Lord and pour out my heart to Him.

And I'm so thankful for those times.  It's helped me become who I am, and it's helping me be the Mom I am to Tyndall.  Motherhood didn't come easily for me.  There were lots of things that we could have done to try harder to conceive.  But we didn't feel led in that direction.  We felt called to adoption. And adoption wasn't God's second choice for us.  It was His first. 

We have friends who are pursuing infertility treatments. Going through painful surgeries and treatments in hopes of conceiving and becoming parents.  I don't want to discount the pain and yearning and longing that these friends, and others, are feeling.  It's real.  Still, that was not the road God led us down. 

But you know what?  Even if He had led us down that road, it would have been Him and only Him who created a child.  It's not timing or planning, or medicine, or vitamins, or procedures that create life.  God does that. 

Whether a pregnancy is planned, a surprise, free, or costly, God's behind it.  I've really and fully learned that to be true.  I've walked with enough friends through the heartache of waiting for pregnancy to happen (and experienced it myself).  I've also walked with enough friends through surprise pregnancies. 

There are no 'surprises' to God.  Tyndall was not a surprise to God.  He was created in God's perfect timing, grown and sustained inside his birth mother's body, then delivered at just the right time.  For us to be his parents. As the answer to so many prayers.  God made this child.     

A couple of people who are dear to me told me this was a mean joke to play.  Because there have been so many people praying for us and supporting us (even financially) on our journey to parenthood.  They talked as if being pregnant would be the answer to those prayers.  And I guess what I want people to know is: Tyndall is the answer to our prayers.  A biological child wouldn't be any more of 'our own' child to us than he is.    
 
If the pregnancy post had been true, I would honestly be freaking out.  I am jobless and have no health insurance.  And I have a 3 month old.  This would not be an ideal time for a pregnancy.  BUT, IF GOD chose to place life inside of me, then I would embrace it.  Knowing that God is the One who creates life.  Not us.    
         

First Month Home

Time is flying.  I gather from other friends' posts that this is normal, but wow... I do wish it would slow down.  We have now been home for a full month--as a family of 3, well 5 including the dogs.  

We have settled into a wonderful routine (for now) and are learning how to balance all things involved with this new life.  I'll let you know when we have it all figured out. ;)   

Matt and I were both able to be home for the entire first week.  We had lots of visitors, lots of meals from friends, lots of gifts, and lots of JOY!  We weren't even tired... just still euphoric over this tiny little blessing who is such a HUGE blessing!  

Matt returned to work one week after we got home, and I returned later that week as well.  We alternate work days so that one of us is always home with him.  This also means we alternate night-time feedings, so at least one of us gets a good night's sleep.  Matt works 4 days a week, and I work 3.  It has been WAY harder to leave Tyndall at home than I thought it would be.  I miss him during the day and often cry joyous tears when I get home to him.  I'm a nerd. 

It is so, so, so wonderful that Matt is such a wonderful, hands-on Daddy who feels comfortable and is competent enough to care for our mini miracle.  I LOVE seeing Matt with him and especially like catching them in their father-son moments when he thinks I'm not paying attention.  Watching Matt love our son has made me fall in love with him on a whole new level.  

Typically, on the days when Matt is working, Tyndall and I run errands, go to appointments and visit with friends.  Some days, I realize that we do too much, so I'm still trying to figure out how to balance being out and about and getting things done with resting and bonding and getting things done at home.  On the days when Matt is home with him, they do a lot of housework, napping, and watching cartoons and movies. 

Little Man has lots of nicknames and is developing his personality.  Overall, he's a very sweet baby and very easy-going.  He has recently started (right around the 6 week mark) looking clearly into our faces.  He also loves watching his mobile and the ceiling fan.  He likes his swing a lot and has recently noticed the toys hanging above the swing.  

As of Tuesday, he weighed 6 pounds, 6 ounces, so he has finally doubled his birth weight.  He still wears preemie diapers, but they are getting small.  He has outgrown (length-wise) most of his preemie clothes.  I can't believe his due date isn't even here yet.  I'm so, so thankful that he's here.  I'm so, so thankful for this last month!  

Meeting Our Son 1-7-2013

It was a long weekend between finding out about him (post 1 and post 2) and getting to meet him.  All I wanted to do was get to him and meet him and tell him he has a mommy and a daddy.  I wanted to cheer him on in his growing and talk to him and tell him how much he is loved.  I wanted to smell him and feel him and hear his cry.  I'm so glad I didn't have to wait much longer than I did.   

We woke up early on Monday, January 7th and finished packing and drove to meet Tyndall.  We weren't sure if the hospital would let us stay and visit him, but we packed our bags just in case.  We also had no idea how he was doing or if he would be close to coming home, so we packed everything ready for him to come home as well.  

It was a wonderful drive, full of lots of loving texts from family & friends.  It was beyond exciting with waves of nervousness followed by perfect peace.  Matt and I just kept saying "is this real?" 

We got to the hospital about 45 minutes early.  I had taken the virtual tour of the hospital, so we went to the NICU to see if we could peek in at him.  We couldn't see him, but I love this picture of Matt trying to catch a peek.  

We went back down to the main lobby to wait for the Bethany social worker, and thankfully, she was early too! We spent some time catching up with her and asking her lots of questions.  I was amazed at how completely sane and normal it felt (at times!).  She showed us more pictures, and we even got to see pictures of some of his birth family, which was very special.  

We had an appointment with the hospital social worker at 11:30.  She was also very kind and understood our excitement.  She walked us straight in to meet our son.  We entered the secure NICU, scrubbed up, then walked into his room that he shared with 5 other preemies.  

He was sooooo much tinier than he looked in pictures.  But soooo much more adorable and perfect!  We got to touch him and talk to him and introduce ourselves through the incubator at first.  It was magical. Surreal.  Amazing.  Our son was right in front of us! We could touch him. Thankfully, the social worker and nurses took pictures!

We got a crash course in preemie care from the wonderful NICU nurses.  They are so amazing at what they do!

After getting to know him a bit through the incubator and hearing from the hospital social worker that we would be able to stay and spend time with him, I thought it had been the perfect day!  

But God had so much more for us... we could hold him!  His current weigh was 3 lbs, 5.1 oz which was big enough to spend about 20 minutes per day in our arms.  

Tears of joy!!

It was amazing.  He is amazing!  We love you, Tyndall, and are soooo glad God chose us to be your family!