Whittaker Woman

Sleep when they sleep.

All little babies are asleep in their beds, while mommy catches up on all of her blogs not yet read.
Yeah so I should be going to bed but I have to catch up! All the moms out there have heard this advice.  Sleep when they are sleeping its good but not always practical. I got things to do! I just wanted everyone to know  we are home, overwhelmed with love (if feels good so keep it coming) and so thrilled to be whole! 
If you haven't seen it watch the Goodbye post on Carlos' blog its the best yet. Thanks for all the love! H

The Weekend...

We had made plans to head to the mountains for the weekend. We had the Holt travel agency book the hotel, got directions on how to get there and on Saturday morning we were off. They told us to leave about an hour before so we did. It was about 45 minutes in to the subway ride when Carlos was looking at the papers and said, "Um what hotel are we staying at?"  Right then and there I knew in my gut that they never gave us info on the hotel. The agency printed out info on the bus and how to get there but no info on the hotel. Anyways from my research I knew that there are only two hotels in the area so we still attempted to make it. It was going to be an adventure. I was so mad at myself for letting this happen. We get to the bus station and look at the clock. It was a scene from a movie. We had 8 minutes and the line looked like it would take 45 minutes to stand in. So we  walked away. I was so frustrated! I knew if we went out town the weekend would fly by, plus I need to get out of the city. I need a little breathing room. But instead we headed back to the subway and back to the room.  Our weekend actually flew by. Saturday I was able to cook dinner which was so nice! And on Sunday we did a little shopping saw a movie in english and ate our last pickles and pizza. Its Monday morning now. Today is the day! We will see you all on the other side! Because of the lack of exciting adventures this weekend we really don't have any pictures. See you soon. H

Thanks for making me cry even more...

Thanks for all your love! I've cried every time I read my blog. All of your guys posts, emails and personal love on our girls has lifted me up. Thank you so much for standing here with us. We are so excited to get home. Carlos' mom said that there is going to be bad weather when we get home. We asked her what that meant and she said rain. We both replied thats GREAT weather. So not only do we get to see our family, friends, our girls, our bed, Mexican food, Oprah, and our church but we get good weather. I am so excited. Ahhh i cant wait until Monday!  I put up  the new Photos from Day 6. We had a personal tour. Her name was Seawon. She was adorable and talked with a British accent. We even began to talk like we were from England. Anyways things are good. Feeling better and trilled that its almost over. H

My heart hurts...

Yesterday was such a crazy day! If you have not watched the video stop right now and check it out.   I woke up so early 3:30am, there was no way that I was going to be able to fall back asleep. I was experiencing to many emotions. Finally we left the hotel and were on our way. My heart was racing, yet i still could not identify my emotions. I guess a mixture of excitement and fear.  Once we got to Holt it was crazy. There was no organization at all. We stumbled upon our baby. No magic, no moment we just were handed him. It was a little hard to digest what had happened in such a short time. We ended up in a conference room with  the director of Holt here in Korea and the foster mom. We asked all the fun questions and just held him for about an hour. Then we went to our new pad where we will be staying which is a part of Holt. It is actually really nice. It is a building that has a common area, kitchen and desk area. There is another couple and their son staying here. They are from Denmark and have one adopted son from Korea and getting another today!
OK so here is why my heart hurts. Its not because I was able to meet my baby boy and then he went back with his foster mom. No its my girls and family. Its Thanksgiving and we paid $56 dollars to get a skinny slice of turkey, and nothing else. no pie, potatoes, nothing else. It was just sad. All of our families are loving on each other and spending time and here we are in a country were we stick out like sore thumbs. I just miss you guys. And to top the cake, this morning we watched the girls watch the video  on IChat. It was so great to watch their reactions, and then at the end it happened. lost it. You could see her trying to stay strong and hold it together and then she just lost it. Bawling, and what mother could stand that. Watching her baby through a computer loose it. I couldn't hold her. I just had to watch her little heart break because her mommy and daddy have been gone so long and still wont be back until Monday. Oh my heart hurts. I want to go home today. I want to be back to my life. Start our new life. I want to hold my girls let them meet their brother, be at church. Just be home. Please pray for us that these next 4 days for the girls and for us will fly by.  We get to go to the doctor right now with Losiah. We will talk to you soon. H  Here are the pictures from today.

Day 4

We had a great day getting out of the city. We took the train to Suwon where we went to a place called the Korean Folk Village, at first I wasnt sure if I wanted to go. I have been to the polynesian cultural center on Oahu and thought it was to cheesy. But we went and really enjoyed it. The land was so beautiful. It was so nice to get out into the outdoors. We just had a great day understanding the culture a little more and just having fun together. We came back and did more shopping, at at TGIF's whitch was amazing. The waitress brought out a basket of chips and salsa and it was the best thing I have had since we have been here. Yum I realized its not American food its MEXICAN! I cant believe we get to meet him so soon! Wednesday was a great day!

Check out the picts.
Check out the Video.

Day 3

How did I miss a day. I don't know. I feel like I posted yesterday but i guess i did not. Oh i put up the pictures. Anyhow. If you haven't already seen it you can watch day 2 on Carlos' video. Day three was very lazy. We woke up at 6:30 again. Video chatted with the office on I chat and then the our girls. Technology is amazing! The girls get to see us! What an amazing gift! We then went to the gym and went to the pool. Went to breakfast. Walked around, came back and rested. From our hotel room we could see something going on down in a field across the way. We went to check it out and there were hundreds of woman making kimchee. (A spicy cabbage) We dont know why they were doing it? Maybe some kind of record? Then we went to dinner which was a little funny. Carlos wanted Korean BBQ I wanted Normal American Chain Restaurant. So I went with him to his dinner and he came to mine. The jet lag has hit me. I was tired and done today. Tomorrow we will do more tourist like things. H

AHHHHH!

Day 2: I woke up this morning at 6:30 so excited and I couldn't go back to sleep! We are here. It started great. Woke up got ready, walked out side and saw my breath ( A little fact about me: if you can see your breath I get a little giddy and happy) we then walked about 15 steps to a starbucks ordered a peppermint mocha and sat where I was able to see the fall trees while I listened to Christmas music. Really could this day start out any better. We than went on our tour to the boarder of North and South Korea. It was Crazy. Actually scary! I loved it (Another little fact: if people think you are crazy for doing something then i probably would like to do it) It was so stricked. This picture Carlos is actually In North Korea and I am in South Korea. This building is a meeting building that they use. It is half in each country. We were only allowed to be in there for a few minutes. And we were not allowed to touch anything on the North side. Confession I really do not know much about the world and its politics, however I do know that going on this tour made me proud to be an American. Proud that I live in a country that stands up for injustice. It was eye opening. We had a wonderful Korean Lunch Buffet. Yep you hear me Buffet. (Another fact about me: After I worked at the Mission Inn and worked the Sunday Brunch I pretty much dont ever eat at Buffets.) But this was part of the tour and I enjoyed it. We came back to the hotel and rested. We then headed out for a little walk that turned into a long walk that was very enjoyable. Then it hit... Lunch. Ouch. Walking around the streets of Korea with the smells of street vendors and the food that they make on the street was not good for my tummy. Anyways we had a wonderful day. Every time I was a woman in her 30's I kept thinking is she his mom? 2 more days till we meet him! love ya all! h    Check out our day.

Part 2

Its 1:19 am So Cal time, we are back on the plane from a quick stop in Japan.  We should arrive in Korea in about an hour and a half, then its about another hour to the hotel. So far I've stayed up. The flight has been amazing. We have talked to so many of our peeps over IM.  ITs been so cool I was on the computer for 8 straight hours during our first flight and this is what happened.

thats right its raw! Heys its like i tell the girls "You play hard you get hurt hard" Right? 8 hours on a laptop that hard work!
The flight was seemless. We have had a total of three meals. The first well you saw was Amazing!!! I would order it again and again.

See nothing left.
Our evening meal was alright. It was edible but i would not order it again if i was at a resturant.
Most of it was gone.
and then it happened. Our last supper was this...
yeah some kind of wilted veggie and fish plate. Yumm. nope i ate the jello and that was it. The farther we got from So Cal the worse the food became. I'm going to miss pumpkin pie! Well i am signing off. We should land in an hour and be in bed by 5 am So Cal time. We are taking a tour of the North Korean Boarder in the morning, so we wont be posting until the evening which is in the middle of the night for you. So it may be a little while ...So long. H

check out the picts for today...Korea day 1

God's Divine Intervention

God's Divine Intervention! Yes it is. Carlos and I left this morning for Seoul. We boarded the plane at 10:30 and around noon Carlos busts out his computer, and then it happened... He got a wireless signal. He was so excited. He looked at me and said " ok I have to say now how much I am willing to spend to have wireless internet." I said $30 he said $50 and then we looked... FREE. Thats right you read it right. Korean Air has free Internet for the rest of the year. Are you kidding? We were giggling like little kids. Do you know how many hours this is going to take off of this flight. I feel like I am flying first class! Anyways here we are starting things of and a good note!

This was scrumptious! I was so afraid of the meal on Korean Air but to my delighted suprise it was amazing! Yum so good.

My girls

Just wanted to let everyone know that the girls will still be here with Carmen. If you would like to go to the park or have a play date call my phone and then call her. Talk to you soon. We are leaving for the airport. H

Signing Off

I am going to go sleep in my new bed, I am ready and got to get some sleep. Thank you everyone who came and prayed over us it meant a world to us! We are so lucky to have a church like Sandals! We love you all. I am signing off until we reach Korea. H

Happy Thanksgiving!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

      Ingredients:
      1 whole chicken or turkey
      1 large lemon, cut into halves
      sprig of rosemary
      salt and pepper to taste
      butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer

      Heat oven to 350 degrees

Rub butter or oil over the skin of the chicken/turkey until it
is completely coated.
Sprinkle with salt and pepper and any other seasonings you prefer.
Take a knife and gently separate the skin from the breast meat;
Slide  lemon  halves  under  the  skin  with the  peel  side  up, one on each side.  This way the juice from the lemon will release into the breasts.
Place sprig of rosemary into the chicken/turkey.
Cover and bake for 30-45 minutes.   
Remove cover and continue to roast until juices run clear, basting every 15-20 minutes. If you've followed these steps correctly, your chicken/turkey should look like the one in the attached picture.

Done! No really Done!

Ok so after purchasing a painful hotel and flight package we are on our way. We leave on Saturday at 10:30 and return home Monday the 27th at 1pm. AHHHH!
I just wanted to give a little shout out to the ever Wonderful Brandi Mays. If you dont know her you should she is an amazing friend and always there for you. Thanks for all your help today girl! H

8:45 THE CALL CAME!!!

I know nothing except that at 8:45 this morning I got a "Private" call and Mike our social worker said Losiah was clear to travel. Now our new rollercoaster begins. We have to contact Holts Travel Man and get information on when the soonest day we could  depart on. I am hoping it will be Monday , if not tuesday for sure! What a relief! I  will post as soon as we know more info.  We Got The Call, We Got The Call!

Passing Time

So what do you do when you are waiting to hear from Korea on November 15th? You bring our Christmas decorations! Since we know we will be going to Korea at the start of the Holidays I decided to start early! No the tree is not up, but thats only because I am old school and wont do the fake thing.  But besides that  the Whittakers are singing jingle bells.

Done.

I don't have much to say except I am done, tired and over this adoption process. Please pray that we will not be stuck here because of the holiday next week. Weekends and holidays are my nightmare right now. Thanks for all the encouragement. I just want to bring him home. H

We Were Blessed Today!

If you have been to our house and have had the tour you would notice one thing missing... Our bed.  The Whittaker  family is growing and Carlos and I knew that we needed to grow from a Queen to a King size bed. So back in July when we had our Rummage Sale Fundraiser  we sold our  sleeping headquarters. Since we moved into our house in September our need to raise money for Korea is more of a concern than a bed.  We  need to make sure we can afford to go to Korea and pick up our son.  This has left us for the  last 11 weeks either in the girls bedroom on their bunk bed or on our couch. Until today. We were blessed with a trip to Wicks to pick out our new Serta mattress and this bed. I cant wait till Thursday when they deliver it and I will have a bed to sleep with my man on!

PS for all of you who know my oldest daughters talent with poles well she will be back in action with this bed!

Double D

Double Doctors!

Sohaila's first dentist appointment with the best dentist in the IE Dr Mohn!

Then the arm doctor.  They took off her cast took and took an x-ray.

She now has a purple cast!

One week!

Well we just got a voice mail from our social worker. He was passing along a message from Korea that stated that Losiah is almost ready for travel. His Visa will be submitted on Monday and they expect for it be approved on Friday or Monday the 20th. Its a lot later than I had planned and it looks like we will miss Thanksgiving this year but at least this will be over! Soon. We will see if we can leave early but I doubt that they would advise it. We will keep you posted.

Where's What Not To Wear when you need them?

 

She really did fall off the monkey bars!

And this time she jumped down our stairs only to be stopped by the wall.  Thank goodness our homestudy is over I am sure they would begin to question her injuries. A fat lip and bloody nose was the excitement for our night!

A little time with my girls

We went to Disneyland to get our, well ok my mind off of all this madness. It was nice, we tested out 's new stroller and had a great time just us girls!

Mary Poppins and her Beau sat on the  carousel, was her true self. She gave him  her look and cold shoulder everytime he glanced her way. Doesn't he know she takes time to warm up.  Kim, tj, Neal, Tasha, or anyone out there who has been the wrath of her cold shoulder can you back me up.  

ERRR!

Well we got THE CALL but it was not what we wanted to hear. Apparently Korea has not recieved our visa approval from Homeland Security. This is very annoying because this should have happened back in the middle of October. Who knows how much this will push us back. I need to figure out what happened and how to get it fixed. I am over this adoption drama! I'll post as soon as i hear anything else. H

Will it be tonight?

I remember when I was pregnant going to bed and wondering if tonight was the night. Would I be at home in the morning  or lying in a hospital bed in pain? Each time I felt something in my belly I thought what is that? Am I in labor. Is tonight the night?  I am going through the same things now. When I wake up in the morning I go straight to my phone to see if I've missed THE CALL, each time the phone rings I think this might be it. Oh I am driving myself insane. I don't know what to do. I cant make plans because just in case THE CALL comes. I want to be able to go straight to the computer and book a flight. Call all my friends and family and of coarse blog! I am ready and going nuts!

On another side note I do need some help. Each day while we are gone I want to have something for the girls to help them get ready for . For example I bought them a small globe so they can find where we are going to pick him up, I also got them a big sister book, and some books that they can write his name in and put in his room, but thats it. Oh i also have stuff for them to make a welcome sign for the airport but i need some other suggestions. Any creative ones out there?