Noah, Noah, Noah! :)

Noah is doin so well at times :) Sleep is still a major issue and I believe it is because he thinks we will leave in his sleep or something. He wants to be held to sleep but will fall good asleep roll out of my arms and then just a short while later wake up SCREAMING! Boy can he scream loud! heehee poor guy! He is doing so well, much better than we thought he would be able to :) He has learned some english as far as comprehension goes. It amazes me how much he appears to comprehend. He had his FIRST Early Steps Eval and did amazing :) The intake coordinator said she saw things that were VERY encouraging and good signs to his ability to learn! Which I KNEW he could learn cuz he is daily! :) She figures him at about 9 months old developmentally at 17 months of age. She says his behaviors and such are that of a 9 month old. She is concerned about his feeding, thinking he should be able to eat more and bigger items and such. Course he only has 5 and half teeth and all are front teeth so he is behind on teeth. That does NOT bother me :) Celeste did not even have her FIRST tooth at this age and she has NEVER had a cavity :) She says he would definitly benefit from intervention but he has 3 more evals from different ones to go through before the decision is made, it is not all her. I know at least 1 of them is an Occupational Therapist. It will probably be at least a week before anyone calls to set up the next step because she says they are way overburdened with intake right now.

Anyway, here is a video of one of the things we taught Noah to do! :) heehee My 17 month old can't speak at all but HE CAN KISS! :) We are talkin to him all the time and he does comprehend but so far no words in english or chinese! In the video try to look at NOAH and what he is doin and NOT ME or the HOUSE! heehee

Also here are some pics of some other things Panda Boy is doing :)

Noah has discovered the TV! LOL it is so funny. We have to really watch him because he will run to it and try to touch it, stand and just stare! I know he is thinking, HOW did they get in there! LOL

Here is a picture of Noah and Samuel on the first day we kept Samuel. :) I guess one of the benefits of being in an orphange is social skills. Noah is 17 months, Samuel 2 years and 4 months and Noah has MUCH more social skills. He will intiate play and try and share and offer his water bottle and everything. Samuel is not so sure about all this. He actually acted sad a bit this week. He use to LOVE to look at NOah's pictures and would smile and try to say Noah and all but now that Noah is real and STAYING he is NOT so sure about this! Above is a rare moment I caught where he actually engaged with Noah! :) Praying Samuel forgives me for bringing Noah here! It is funny but he wanted NOTHING to do with me for the longest. Noah is fine with Samuel unless I hold him in the rocker or change his diaper. Noah will scream! It is funny watchin these guys! :)

As Always Jei Jei has a blast with Noah and Samuel! :) They just love to rough house :) Both of them :) You should pray for me when these two rowdy boys are both climbing on ME! :) heehee

Noah LOVES his baba for playtime especially and as he does with all of us when we are on the floor he loves to climb and crawl on us :) Baba will have to leave to go get something and Noah will fuss in my lap and when Bobby comes back he gets these amazing smiles and Noah toddles to him arms in the air! It is adorable and I am almost jealous, BUT Noah wants me all the time so IF I even try to use restroom without him when I come back he is SCREAMIN and arms up! He definitly has connected to me as security. I PRAY IT IS ATTACHMENT and healthy! He much prefers me when tired, or feeding, or diaper changes. Like he already knows Baba will be goin to work and Mama will be primary caretaker :)

I just LOVE this photo. Noah is at my legs and he is studying a toy INTENTLY. I am not sure you can tell that. He is SOOO curious and he has to figure everything out! He has already watched me try and fix the pictures in his little picture book enough that now he has figured out how to take them out! uggh :) I have to tape them hin there now and tape the flaps closed! He is ALL boy as in havin to take it all apart :) He seems very interested in tv though when I am watching cooking, old dragnet or adam 12, or medical shows! We are joking that he will be either a chef, a cop. or a doctor! Don't matter what he is , he is MY SON! :) I just LOVE to look at THAT FACE! :)

Well, just thought I would share NOAH NOAH NOAH! :)

Till next time WE send you kissses in the wind!

2 Smiles and....

I must say that I have been shocked and blessed that I was given several awards recently!!! :) I was given 2 smile awards and an I love your blog award. Tiff and Melissa each awarded me wit a smile award!! so sweet :) and Melissa also gave me an I love your blog award :) Thank you so much to both of these ladies for thinking of ME! :) WOW! :) I am honored!

Here are the Smile Award rules:

1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator.

2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.

3. You must choose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself.

4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award.

5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.

6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.

7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:

1. Must display a cheerful attitude (not necessarily at all times--we are all human).

2. Must love one another.

3. Must make mistakes.

4. Must learn from others.

5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world.

6. Must love life.

7. Must love kids.

Ok, now for the hard part. All of the blogs that I read are awesome and they all deserve to receive some type of recognition. This is goin to be tuff! So, here goes my pick of 5 worthy bloggers who I award the smile and the I LOVE your blog award. But I will warn you I had to do 6! and it was HARD to stop there! All of these are blogs I HAVE to check EVERY day adn wait with baited breath to see a new post. I am having such a small amount of time online lately because Noah so needs me with him every second but before I collapse in bed I have to check my bloggy friends :) Forgive me if these are repeats.

Jackie over at Taiwan On This is Jackie's blog redo after brringing Miss Lucy home from Taiwan! Jackie and her hubby Jeff shared Gotcha Day with us and it was a wonderful experience. I have learned so much from her on her blog and in person! :) She is such a dear friend and I am blessed to call her friend! :)

Judy over at Anatomy of a Family. This is Judy's new blog now that Mr. William has been home! Judy has been a wonderful friend and one of the first bloggers I followed and WATCHED bring home her boy! :) She is always there for me with a kind word and I am so blessed to have met her :)

Holli whose blog is private! Holli is SUCH a dear friend. She is the mama of Miss Breelyn Chia-ling who Noah was such good friends with at St. Lucy's. It was said of the 2 of them Always together! I love reading her blog when she is able to post and followin her journey to bringing Miss Breelyn home! She is such a dear friend, is always checking in on me and Noah! :) Again I am incredibly blessed to have met her in this journey :)

Lora over at Waiting for Allie Girl! I have so enjoyed reading along on the journey to Allie :) I love seein what she is doing and getting to know my wonderful friend Lora better and better. I am so blessed and honored that God has brought Lora into my life as my friend!! :) She is always their to offer advise or just an kind word :)

Marina over at Over the Rainbow Heart! :) Marina has shared her heart with me and her experience of spending time at St. Lucy's after her daughter Sarah had surgery! I was so blessed to have a glimpse into the world of my son before we brought him home. Marina's is another one of those blogs I just have to check EVERY day in hopes of a new post! I am so blessed to have met her and been invited into her journey to Sarah! :)

And last but definitly NOT least my dear friend Ramano! Ramona has a new blog at 2 baby beaus though she had a different blog before and I LOVED reading it too! It allowed me to get to know her adn her family and follow her journey to Miss Jaden! :) Again I am so blessed to have her in my life.

And I also LOVE my friend TIFF's blog! She and I have become so close over the internet world thanks to the blogs and messenger :) She is the one who gave me the award but she deserves it back as well! :) She definitly is one who can put a smile on my face! AS are all he friends listed above! :) I am so amazed at all I have gained for me personally on this journey other than my NOAH :) He is blessed with some sweet Auntie's who are raising his friends! Can't wait for the reunion with them all some day!

Friendship, Frienship, its a perfect blendship!

God has so blessed me in this journey to my Noah with some new friendships! I am so blessed by all my faraway friends in the adoption journey with me and was totally blessed and honored to share our Gotcha Day with one such dear friend! I had to go across the ocean to meet my special friend Jackie and her sweet hubby Jeff! They were wonderful and it felt like we had known them forever :) I treasure the time I had with Jackie and Jeff and if not for them being there would have NO VIDEO of meeting my Noah as our little video thing that Bobby was using did not work and we have NO VIDEO on it! Anyway, we shared several wondeful breakfasts with Jackie and Jeff and such sweet fellowship :) We were blessed to witness them getting Miss Lucy and will always treasure that as well! :) It was very sad to say goodbye to them as they traveled home to reality. I KNOW that someday we will see each other again :) I asked Jackie for copies of pics she took of us because I wanted reminders that it was real and I did get to meet her :) I hope she is ok with me posting them there :)

Here is Jackie and I on Gotcha Day Morning! Can you tell we are a TAD excited???


Here we are at St. Lucy Center with our sweet babies! They are what it is all about! God gave me my sweet Noah and MANY new good friends! :)


I can NEVER thank Jackie and Jeff enough for how sweet and kind they were to Bobby, Noah and I while we were a world away from home. We shared a cab ride of a lifetime :) and a bond that will always be there! I will hold them in a special place in my heart FOREVER! :)

I also want to send out a very special thanks to all of Noah's Aunties who are mama's to his St. Lucy Center roomies! :) I am so blessed daily by your friendship and by your generosity in helpign to bring Noah home and sending gifty's to Noah and Me! :) It is like a whole new addition to the family with all y'all :) I pray God will richly bless you all and I look forward to the day I meet the rest of you! :)

God has so grown me over the years. There was a time I could not truly allow anybody in close enought to be a friend, now he has blessed me with friendships that are so prescious here in own town and across the United States and even the world with the internet! :) I am blessed by the MOST amazing Church family on the planet. They are not just our friends, They are our family! :) Noah will be so blessed to grow up in such love!

thanks for allowing me this time to in some small way honor all these special friendships! Just be glad you can't HEAR me sinign the song! Friendship, Friendship, its a perfect blendship! :) heehee

Noah Celebration, First Sunday at Church, and first Cici's trip!

Happy Sunday Evening all! :)

Yesterday Noah decided he would get down in his room for a FEW minutes and look at some books and play with some of the toys! Freecycle, sell it site, garage sales and goodwill have been so good to us over the past 10 months of gathering! I had worried he would not be happy with what we had gathered and all but he seems to love everything :) The piano in the picture was CELESTE'S along with a few of the other items! I can't believe he is playing with things Celeste did and I managed to keep a few of them all this time through all we have been through :)

Also, Yesterday my mother took Bobby, Celeste , Noah and I to Chili's (our fav restraunt!!!) to celebrate NOAH! :) She wanted to treat us to something special and have a celebration! :) She is just SLIGHTLY excited about this new grandson of hers! :) Here is a picture that Celeste caught of us at the restraunt. We hold hands around the table before every meal to pray. Well, Panda Boy does NOT like us to hold his hands, so Bobby and I just touch him in some way to include him in the circle. I had no clue Celeste was taking this picture but here is what she got of Noah during the blessing of our food at Chili's:

Is that not the CUTEST thing you have ever seen? I wonder if he has been watching us since we began this and noticed we all close our eyes so when we touch him for prayer and he closes his eyes now! :) Maybe its a fluke but either way it is so cute! :)

This morning was our first day back at Church. Every since we got home we have taken time away from the normalcy of life to kinda seclude ourselves at home and get to know Noah and allow him to know us. We were not goin to Church or any regular activities or having any visitors

durin that timeframe. I was sad to see it end but at the same time missed my Church family so was happy to see them today! I am not ready for what the coming week holds and am VERY apprehensive about it and loosing this special time we have had at home but have made a commitment that I will learn to say no when I need to so we can be home more. I do NOT plan to raise my son in the car! Anyway, as I started to say, today was the first day back at Church. Here is a WONDERFUL picture of Bobby and Noah in their Sunday Clothes! :) It is not the best shot of Noah's little suit but a WONDEFUL shot of his face! :)

Isn't that smile AMAZING!!! :)

This is me TRYING to carry Noah into the sanctuary for service! Little Jon Luke Hutson is so enthralled with Noah he is visiting along the way!

This picture is just so gorgeous of his face I had to share! LOOK at those eyelashes!!!!

We took some pics of Celeste and Noah together but they did not come out. Tryin to get use to this different camera and pics come out odd sometimes. Here is one she is probably gonna kill me for posting! :) She is acting silly and like MOM enough with the camera! :) LOL

After Church we were treated to Cici's Pizza for lunch! Here is Noah and his first experience with Pizza! :) He basically liked it! lol I had to break off tiny pieces for him to eat as he only has 5 and half teeth and is not real good with solid food it seems. But we had to try and put a peice in his mouth to see what he would do! :) so cute :)

I don't know if you can see or not but his rash or whatever on his cheeks that he has had from when we got him is getting worse. At first they were just so rough, now they are rough and red. I am wondering if it is exzema or something? He now has a rash under is arms, you really can't see it but you can feel it. Maybe its heat rash. It is hot here in Louisiana but it was hot in Taiwan too so I am not sure what it is. His hands and knees and feet are sooo dry and rough. Never felt a baby with such rough skin. I am on a mission to research if there is a special way I should be caring for his little Taiwanese skin.

I am not sure if I posted this picture yet or not but it is a result of the new camera we are trying to get use too. Do not ask me HOW we did this but I think it is kinda neat! Anyway, see for yourself :)

Well, I best post this and check blogs and a bit of email quickly before Noah wakes up for a bottle and I have not been to bed! Pray for us tomorow. We are babysitting my friend Liane's 2 year and 3 month old son Samuel starting tomorow again. Pray that they get along and that I have the physical stamina for all I need to do. I have been tryin to lay down when Noah naps and that wont happen with Samuel here unless they both happen to nap at the same time. Also I need despretly to get laundry done and the house in order, but Noah is not pleased if I am not right with him and of course that is where I WANT TO BE! :) Off to finish up online and watch him sleep till I fall asleep :)