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! 

Flagler Family Asia Adventure! Part 1-Thailand

Stephani and Steven arrived in Thailand late on May 26th. Their flights were smooth, and all their luggage arrived with them, which made the reunion at the airport extra sweet!
We came right back to GES where our friend Sarah was staying with Tyndall who had been too excited to sleep!  So he got to have some aunt and uncle snuggles in the middle of the night and stayed up a couple of hours because everyone was so excited.  We ate nachos and Face-Timed Mark and the girls and eventually settled in enough to get some sleep.  

Matt and I were still working the next day, but we took Steph and Steven to P'Nee's for lunch and to 7 for drinks and for a tour around the school.  When we were done with work, we took them on a tuk-tuk to the pier where we caught a water-taxi to KhaoSan Rd.  

At KhaoSan, Steph and I got fish pedicures. And we did some shopping and lots of snacking (coconut ice cream, fruit shakes, waffles on a stick) mostly while walking around in the rain.  For dinner, we met the Boydas at the robot restaurant at Central Westgate then had Coldstone.  Tyndall and I caught a ride home with the Boydas, but Steph, Steven and Matt went back to KhaoSan for more adventures.  

The next day was a Saturday and Matt and I taught our last Joy Club.  Steven and Stephani went exploring at BigC that morning while we taught.  For lunch, we went to SamSep, which is a restaurant owned by one of our student's family.  The food is delicious, and we ate a ton of it! Stephani said it was the best fish she's ever eaten. After lunch, we went to Chatachuk Market to explore but got lost and turned around more than usual. (It's the largest outdoor market in the world where we have gone quite a few times but still manage to get turned around, especially if looking for something specific.)  Amidst the wandering around, there was still lots of shopping and snacking.  After JJ, we came back to get Tyndall and then went to The Mall for dinner.  We just ate at the food court there and were going to get massages, but they didn't have any availability.  And then we were going to see a movie, but that didn't happen either.  So we came home to get ready for our next adventures.  

Sunday we took it easy in the morning while we packed for the upcoming travel.  We went to check-in to our hotel downtown Bangkok where Matt and I had an Adoption Seminar.  After checking in, we went to Beirut for Lebanese food.  Though we had a slight sidetrack at "Le Beirut Cafe" which is more French food, we eventually got pointed downstairs to the real Beirut, and it was sooooooooooooooooooo good.  I had heard about this place for years, and yes, it is worth the hype.  So, we all ate a ton of food to the point where we were too miserable to do much else.  But we headed to Siam Paragon to walk around.  That was such a cool thing because I had envisioned going there with Stephani and Steven for so long.  As expected, the luxury hall was ogled over, and the car stores (in the mall!) were drooled over by Steven.  From there, Tyndall and I head back to the hotel, and the siblings went on a tuk-tuk food tour which they all loved!  They went to a few different stops for different types of food but also got to visit different wats (temples) and learn about Bangkok history in between food courses.  

Monday, Matt and I were in Adoption training from 8-5.  We were a little bummed that this training fell during Steven & Steph's visit, but it also worked out because it meant Tyndall got to have some special time with them.  While we were in training, they slept in, had breakfast and then explored Siam Paragon on their own.  They went to the aquarium, had high tea, and did shopping.  Apparently Tyndall was a perfect angel.  We met up after training at Terminal 21 and ate dinner at Sunrise Tacos and then had leg massages (and a manicure for Steven) across the street before heading back to our hotel.  

Tuesday, Matt and I still had training, and Steven and Steph were sick of malls.  So they arranged for a Grand Palace tour with transportation by boat.  But there was some mixup (and probably tourist trap), so they didn't end up doing the Grand Palace but saw some of the temples downtown and went to some markets where Steven had some pants tailored.  

After the training and waiting around for said-pants to be ready, we made our way back to GES. Sadly, we got back after most of the local restaurants had closed, so we had a hodge-podge of a dinner while we packed for Cambodia and Malaysia.  

Five Months Old!

Tyndall James is 5 months old!

Five Month Stats: 

Weight:  12 pounds even

Length:  23 1/2 inches

I definitely intend to do more blog updates than just T's monthly progress reports, but man, the days just fly by.  I will really try to do better, but at least I'm managing the monthly updates, right? :) 

So, this was a very full month.  All of a sudden Tyndall James has become very active, observant, and playful.  He's always been very alert, but he's reached a whole new level.  He just looks all around the room he's in, smiles at everyone, 'talks', and now he will entertain himself.  He's also not usually content to lay in someone's arms and be talked to anymore.  He likes to 'sit up' and be interactive. 

He likes touching his feet and reaching them into his mouth.  He continues to drool a lot and chew on his hands, but no signs of teeth.  Just lots of chewing and gnawing and drooling. :) 

He LOVES playing with toys.  The toys on his car seat. The toys we give him, the toys on his bouncy seat and exersaucer.)  They all go in his mouth if he can get them there, but he also enjoys playing with them too.

He has laughed a few times, but it's still not a regular thing yet.  He also still isn't rolling over, but I think he's getting close. He is really working with pulling his feet and legs up to his chest. :) It's so adorable.  

He has had a LOT of 'first' experiences this month.  (Let's see if I can remember everything). 

• First Kid's Birthday Party (Hailey's 2nd at the Little Gym)
• First golf cart ride with the Petersons
• First day at the beach with Mommy & Daddy (was very windy and kinda chilly, but he did really well!)

• First sporting event. Charleston RiverDogs Baseball game (and fireworks!)

 

• First Zoo Trip (to the Greenville Zoo on Mother's Day)

• First Aquarium trip (to the SC Aquarium the next Sunday afternoon with Daddy, Mommy, Uncle Steven, Uncle Mark, Aunt Stephani and Hailey)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

•   First time falling asleep while playing (vertically)

Other Special and Significant Happenings this Month:

• Another Road Trip to BeBe's house to celebrate Mother's Day.
• Met Uncle Charlie, Aunt Betsy, and Nonnie (Mother's Day Lunch)

 

• Final Home Study Visit 
• Started playing in the exersaucer (feet don't reach the ground, but he still likes it)

 

• Road trip to Goldsboro to meet lots of Tyndall family (Met Great-Grandma Tyndall, Uncle Kenny and Aunt Karen (who he shares a birthday with), Cousins Julianne, Matt, and Ethan (10 months old), Cousins Jeannene and Gus. Short trip but tons of fun meeting lots of special family! 

 

• Spent the night at Clay & Gail's and slept in a Pack 'n Play for the first time
• Found out your Baby Cousin Goldston is a GIRL
• Outgrew the Snuggle Nest and started sleeping in the big crib
• Started sleeping 10-12 hours at night and eating lots more during the day

We are so in love with this precious gift from the Lord!

Trip to BeBe's House

We have just returned from Tyndall's first road trip, and it was truly "Over the river and through the woods... to grandmother's house".

Mom/BeBe has been down several times to visit, but she has been looking forward to having us up there.  It worked out for us to go Sunday-Wednesday of this week.  At first, it was just going to be me and Tyndall, but Matt was able to switch with someone at work so he could go with us.  AND Valerie joined us for a bit which made it even more special.  

We got up there late Sunday night and just settled in.  Mom had just gotten a pack-n-play that she setup in the other downstairs bedroom for us.  Tyndall did well sleeping during the night, but Matt and I are not used to sharing a smaller-than-double-sized bed.  We slept in different beds the other nights. :) 

Unpacking... :)

Monday morning, Mom made cinnamon bread, and we just hung out around the house.  We were putting together a nativity set that she got us in Israel and started organizing her pantry.  We had frozen pizzas for lunch and just enjoyed playing with Tyndall and hanging out.  We did venture out in the cold for a short walk to visit the horse and the goats.  

Getting bundled up to face the cold...

Cute bundled baby

Tyndall not interested in the horse... who looks like the feeling was mutual.

Staying warm with his hot daddy

The goats... Stella, Dot, and Sebastian

Inside working on the nativity set... about to conquer the pantry.

Cute Farmer BeBe :)

Later in the afternoon, Matt's long-time friend Amanda came up from Greer to hang out with us.  She got to meet Tyndall, and we got to catch up.  We took her to downtown Saluda, but everything was already closed.  So, we went back to the house and played cards.   Valerie showed up in the evening, and we were all hungry so found a place to go to dinner.  We went 'down the mountain' to Tryon and ate at Side Street Pizza. Yum!  After dinner, Amanda headed back home, and the rest of us went back to Momma's house.  Matt went to bed early since he took the night shift with T-man, and Mom took care of Tyndall while Valerie and I tackled some Mary Kay business.  We were up late working on stuff and then talking about Baby Goldston!  It was a very special night that I hope to never forget. 

Matt, Amanda, and Tyndall

I slept upstairs with Valerie since Matt was taking care of the baby, so I slept almost allllll night, uninterrupted, which was a glorious, glorious thing.  In the morning, as I was walking downstairs, I happened to witness Tyndall ROLLING OVER onto his stomach on my Mom's bed.  I'm so glad I happened to be walking down the stairs at the time.  :)  I found out later that he started on his side-back instead of all the way on his back, but it was still the first time he had rolled over that much.  Then we talked more Baby Goldston and tried to find where the 'peach-sized' baby is inside my sister.  Whenever we would say "Peachy", Tyndall had the biggest smile... it was so cute.  

Special time with Aunt Valerie

Valerie left mid-morning to head back to Columbia, and Mom went out to babysit for a few hours.  Matt and I watched a couple movies while we watched a little bit of snow fall outside and while I was working on Mary Kay stuff.  I stayed in my pajamas alll day, and it was great!!  We had my Mom's BBQ beef for dinner and then just watched tv in the evening.  We also got the first ultrasound pic of Baby G which was so exciting and got to watch as Val & Zeb shared the news with family & friends through texts then Facebook.  I was a nice evening.  Matt and I switched nighttime roles, so he got to sleep upstairs while I was up with T who must have thought it was daytime. :) 

By Wednesday morning, we were ready to get home and back to normalcy.  We got ready then packed up.  Mom had to be at work at 10:30am (she is a caretaker for a sweet elderly lady), but we went over there to introduce Mrs. Mary to the baby and so Mom could have a bit longer with Ty.  Mrs. Mary LOVED being able to hold and love on a little baby.  I'm so glad we were able to meet her and let her love on Tyndall.  And I like being able to picture where my Mom works too. :)  After visiting there, we got on the road.  

We were going to try and see family in Spartanburg, but we weren't organized enough to pull it off.  So we decided to stop in Columbia and visit the Bethany office.  We got to meet the office manager and put a face to the name and voice we've had so much interaction with over the past 2.5 years.  And it was so great to be able to see Mrs. Bert who is the social worker for Tyndall's birth mother.  We got a little update on how she is doing which was great.  It was a short visit but definitely worth it.  

Overall, it was a pretty laid-back trip but wonderful!  It was very cold, but we were able to hunker down in the house most of the time.  I did learn that I need to pack more baby clothes and burp cloths next time.  I thought I had plenty, but learned my lesson. :)  I also wish I had taken more pictures, but my family would probably disagree.  Afterall, who needs pictures when you have a blog to remember every.single.detail., right?! ;)  

P.S.  If you actually read this whole thing, you deserve some sort of prize.  This is definitely one of those posts more for the memory than the newsworthiness. :)