Bye Bye Diapers!

Wow, I never thought the day would come when we would have both our boys out of diapers. It's true...Liam is now officially (mostly) potty trained. Besides the occasional accident, he now uses the "big boy" potty. We are are so proud and happy we could almost cry (but we are way too busy celebrating). :)



Both the boys are doing great. Besides learning to use the potty, Liam is learning so many other new things. He talks a ton and uses complete sentences now (although they are sometimes difficult for the untrained ear to understand). He can dress and undress himself, put on his own shoes and sox, tell his brother to go time out! He is growing up so much already. He continues to favor his mommy, but he gets really excited when I come home from work and wants me to hold him for a while. He is the perfect fit in our family...God really knew what he was doing when he gave us Liam.

Aiden is doing good too. We recently watched the "Dennis the Menace" movie and couldn't help but see some very strong similarities. He can sometimes wear us out...but he is so affectionate and loving. Not just to us, but to everyone. He has the ability to tell when people are sad and try to cheer them up...and also to celebrate with people who are happy. He is so sweet. He is very much a daddy's boy - and it is a good thing...I am almost hyper enough to keep up with him...almost! He is doing very well in school...we had our first parent teacher conference in October and we were very pleased with his teacher's report. He is so excited about Christmas and can't wait to see what Santa is going to bring.

Speaking of Christmas...we are all finished with our Christmas shopping, cards have been sent, and the Christmas tree is up. The kids had a blast decorating it and we occasionally catch them getting candy canes off it and eating them. It is a nice feeling to be ready for Christmas and just enjoy the season. We have been teaching the boys about the true meaning of Christmas...sometimes Aiden asks me to come over to the nativity so he can tell me all about it.

Our adoption process continues, we went on the waiting list in July and don't expect a referral for another 6-12 months...which is completely fine with us! We are going to savor every moment with our boys (especially the time without diapers!).

Overall, we are very thankful to God for the many blessings that we can celebrate this Christmas.

Family Christmas Photos

Photo Update

Happy Birthday Liam!

Well this post is quite late…but Liam turned two last Saturday. We have had such a busy month that we just haven’t gotten around to posting the update.

We just can’t believe how big Liam is getting. Last night after getting the boys tucked in bed, we went down to the living room to enjoy some “kid-free” time. About 15 minutes after we tucked the kids in bed, we hear a noise on the stairs…assuming it was our dog, we paid little attention to it. Next thing we knew, little Liam was running to his daddy carrying his blanket and Elmo doll. WOW – This had never happened. He scaled his crib (bringing both his doll and blanket) and opened the door (he can barely reach the door knob). So we laughed a little, kissed him and put him back in his crib…5 minutes later, he comes running to his daddy grinning ear to ear with the blanket and Elmo doll in tote. So I guess he is done with the crib and it is time to switch him to a toddler bed.

He is talking so much. In fact, he doesn’t quiet down much at all. He regularly speaks in 3-4 word sentences. We just can’t get over how fast he is developing. Our “Parents as Teachers” coordinator can’t believe that he was ever in an orphanage…he is on target and ahead with most milestones.

Slow Boat to Taiwan...

Time for an update.

First off, Liam's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching so we had to get pictures taken. Once again we went overboard and purchased way too many! Liam is getting so big and developing quite the personality. He fits so well in our family...sometimes it is hard to believe that he is adopted. He is talking quite a bit, but the words can be somewhat difficult to understand at times. He loves his brother, and wants to do everything that he does. It really ticks Aiden off sometimes...

Aiden is doing well. He started a new school last week and so far he likes it. He is getting more individualized attention as well as occupational therapy twice a week. We are very glad that he is getting the help that he needs to be prepared for kindergarten. He continues to do hippo therapy (horse therapy) once per week. He can ride forwards, backwards, and standing up. He really enjoys it. He is also incredibly sports minded (which is crazy since neither of us really get into sports too much).

We have not posted much about our adoption in a while so here goes... We are starting to realize that life with two small children (age 3 and 2) is crazy...and adding a 3rd right away would be sheer madness. Thus we have decided to take the "slow boat to Taiwan". We have elected a different program within Taiwan that has a much longer wait for referral (12 -18 months). This will give us more time to devote to our two boys (and allow Liam plenty of time to be the baby). It was a difficult decision because we both really want a little girl, but we believe it is what will be best for our family in the long run.

Now for those pictures...

Happy Gotcha Day Liam!

Yesterday marked the one year anniversary of Liam’s adoption. Wow, it is so hard to believe that Liam has only been with us for year. He fits in our family so well, we can barely remember life before him.

Liam will also turn two in about a month. He is getting so big. He says tons of words and several phrases. He can sing several songs from church and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. He loves his big brother, and loves to torment him. His favorite game is hide and go seek. He often quietly slips away and hides. He will stay hidden 5-10 minutes without making a peep. We often have to search high and low to find him. We walk around the house calling for him, waiting to hear him giggle. As soon as find him, he yells “Peek-a-boo”!

Happy Gotcha Day Aiden!

Monday, August 28th marked Aiden's 3rd gotcha day. You are probably thinking you yourself, "I didn't think Aiden was adopted." Well, you are right. Aiden wasn't adopted. However a few years ago when we decided to adopt, we also decided that we would celebrate Aiden's "Gotcha Day" to make it fair for all our children. And yes, Aiden actually does have a "Gotcha Day"... As most of you know, Aiden was born extremely premature and he spent a few months in the hospital. Thus we now celebrate his homecoming from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (13 weeks after his birth) as his "Gotcha Day".

He was so excited about opening his gift, he had Chaunta call me on the cell phone to tell me to hurry up and come home from work so he could open his present. When I finally got home, he was squealing with excitement. He got a Diego tree house toy and was glued to it all night. In fact, we offered to take him to the park for gotcha day, but he wanted to stay home and play with his new toy instead. He did a great job sharing with his little brother too.

Speaking of Liam, his Gotcha Day is just around the corner on September 7th. I can't believe it has already been a year.

Update on our Family and Adoption

It has been a while since we posted but we wanted to take the opportunity to update you on our adoption and our family.

First, our family continues to have a very busy summer. We have been out of town most every weekend. In fact, this will be our first weekend at home since mid-June. Aiden’s potty training has been very successful and we are now saving a bundle on diapers! : ) He started some new therapy programs this summer including a program called Therapeutic Horsemanship. Basically each week he spends an hour riding horses and receiving occupational and physical therapy while he rides. He absolutely loves it and it seems to be effective! Liam continues to develop and learn new things. He talks quite a bit now and is putting words together (saying things like “hold me”, “get the ball”, and “where’s my binky?”). His personality is really developing and he seems to be completely bonded to his family. He is much more attached to his daddy and brother than he used to be. But don’t get me wrong…mommy is still his favorite.

Our adoption continues to move along faster than we originally expected. We made it on the “official wait list” for an infant girl on July 2nd. That very same day, we received an email from our adoption agency stating that they had just received 11 referrals virtually wiping out the wait list, and that our expected wait for referral should be shorter than the 4-6 months originally quoted. After we receive a referral, it will take another 4-6 months before we travel to Taiwan. We also received our approval from the US Department Citizenship and Immigration (I-171H) yesterday. In short, things are moving along nicely.

Potty Training Paradise

I am pleased to report that AIDEN IS POTTY TRAINING! After 3 long years, our oldest son Aiden (who just turned 3) is finally using the potty like a big boy. Last Tuesday we woke Aiden up in the morning and had a little "graduation" party for him. We gave him a present to open...a small box stuffed with undies. Undies of every variety including Diego, Spiderman, Sports, etc. Aiden was so exicted. Then we told him that he "graduated" and that he would no longer be wearing diapers. Over the last 10 days, he has only had a few accidents. If you have kids, I am sure you understand how exciting it is. It is such a great feeling not having two children in diapers.

YAY AIDEN!

Aiden's 3rd Birthday

It is hard to believe that just 3 years ago Aiden was hanging on to life by a prayer. He entered the world at a tiny 2 pounds with a little heart that wasn't even beating. Aiden's birthday always floods us with memories of one of the most difficult times in our lives. But praise God for miracles! Thanks to the dedication of some extremely talented medical professionals and the grace of an Awesome God, after 3 months in the hospital and 4 surgeries Aiden is very much a normal little boy.

Happy Birthday Aiden!

“Hasta La Way To Go!”???

We just completed a week long family vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. Wow, what a wonderful time we had. Chaunta and I both agree that this was our best vacation ever. The boys both had a wonderful time, and it was great to be together as a family for an entire week.

We stayed at a resort that catered entirely to families with children. It featured a water park with multiple pools and slides for kids of all ages. The boys thought they were in heaven. Each morning we awoke and enjoyed a family breakfast and then headed to the pool. We usually spent about 2-3 hours swimming every day. Then lunch, and nap time. And by nap time, I mean we all took naps (it was great). The resort also provided child care as long as parents stayed on the property. It took us a few days to warm up to the idea, but it was absolutely wonderful. We would spend the whole day with the kids, and then enjoy a nice dinner just the two of us. The child care was amazing with lots of activities and games. The child to adult ration was about 3/1…WOW! We felt so comfortable leaving them…and it was great to have some time alone to connect with one another. After dinner, we gathered the kids up for a walk on the beach and finished each day out by watching the nightly fireworks. I know that this sounds like a commercial, but I can’t begin to describe what an amazing vacation we had.

That was pretty much our daily routine except for one day we went on a cruise on a pirate ship and show. It was cool, but it was Aiden’s favorite part. He made friends with one of the pirates, and he still talks about him. This pirate was one of the main characters and Aiden was so worried when they made him “walk the plank.” He kept asking if his friend was alright. We reassured him. Chaunta was selected for one of the contests as part of the show and won Aiden a pirate hat. He was so excited…he hasn’t taken it off since. : )



















Liam is quite the little swimmer and not afraid of anything. He would go down the waterslides all by himself with little coaxing. Aiden on the other hand, took some time to warm up to them. Both boys are quite tanned, but thankfully didn’t get burned. Liam has such a beautiful complexion and is so dark from his time in the sun.


On the last day of our trip (yesterday), we celebrated Aiden’s 3rd birthday. We gave him a few small gifts in Mexico which he loved. He got a baseball bat, glove and ball. He has been wearing the glove ever since (quite a site with his pirate hat and baseball glove on). When we got home last night around 6:00 he got his Spiderman Bike which he has been wanting for months. Tonight we will have a little party for him a Chuck E. Cheese’s.

Both the boys have flown many times now…but this was the first time Aiden really knew what was going on. He was so excited and talked about it for the entire week. Liam was great on the plane…he slept half the trip (both ways).

You might be wondering about the title of this post “Hasta La WAY TO GO!” The boys were practicing their Spanish that they have learned from their good friends Dora and Diego all week. Both boys have mastered “Hola,” “Adios,” and “Gracias”… But we were trying to teach them to say “Hasta la wego”… and Aiden began to proudly use this new Spanish phrase to say goodbye…and so he told the various people he came in to contact with “Hasta la WAY TO GO!” each time he said good by.

One last note…today (May 31st), Liam officially became a Davis. We went to court today and his adoption was recognized by the state of Missouri and his name was changed. We are proud to “officially” introduce our son as Liam Van Lai Davis.

So I will sign off this entry with … HASTA LA WAY TO GO!

Happy Mothers Day

Time for a quick update on our family...

Both boys are doing well and keeping us very busy! Aiden will turn 3 in a few weeks and he continually reminds us that he wants a "Spiderman bike and helmet". He is starting to potty train and uses the potty about one to two times a day. We yearn for the day when he is completely potty trained. Liam is developing quite well. He learning things so much faster than we expected...I guess that is due to his older brother who teaches him all sorts of awnry behaviors. : ) Liam is "mommy's boy" mostly, but he loves daddy too (just not a much). He wants to do everything that his big brother does. It really frustrates Aiden because Liam is always "tagging along."

Out adoption is going much more quickly than we originally planned. We officially filed one month ago (this Monday), and have already completed our homestudy visits and dossier. We should be officially on the waiting list soon. The wait for a referral of an infant girl will be approximately 4-6 months, and then it will be another 4-6 months before we travel. So we are expecting to travel somewhere between 9-12 months from now. We are getting really excited...

Now for the photos...

Again...

Well, we have exciting news to share once again. After much consideration and prayer, we have once again filed for adoption. We submitted our application last week and it has been approved and we will begin our homestudy shortly. We anticipate the process to take approximately 18 months before we will travel to Taiwan. We anxiously await the day that we will hold our little Asian angel. Yes, this time we WILL wait for a little girl.

While waiting, we will enjoy our time with our sons and give them tons of love and attention. Aiden is already excited about his little sister (of course he was excited about Liam too, until he arrived).

Both boys are doing great. Aiden is talking so much these days and Liam is learning quickly. It is amazing how much faster they learn when they have an older sibling to mimic. Liam is definitely mama’s boy and Aiden is definitely daddy’s. While we long for the day when we can clean the house and it will stay clean for more than 15 minutes, we can’t imagine life any other way!

For more information on Taiwanese adoptions see the following links:

Journeys of the Heart - Taiwan

St. Lucy Center

Cathwel Taiwan

Easter Update

We had a wonderful Easter Sunday. The kids had a great day. Aiden was so excited about the Easter Bunny coming to visit. In fact, he keeps asking about the Easter Bunny coming again. He first wanted a bike and helmet from the Easter Bunny, but we explained that the Easter Bunny only brings small gifts. So now he wants a bike and Spiderman helmet for his Birthday next month.

Liam didn't really get the hang of Easter egg hunting. He had more fun just wandering around outside. He did pick up and egg or two...but otherwise he enjoyed running around the yard.

He is getting so big and begining to talk regularly. He is developing quite the personality. Chaunta often says that we went halfway around the world to adopt a child that is just like Aiden. Their personalities are so similar it is amazing. In fact, you would think he was my birth son (if his almond eyes didn't give it away).

Ninh Thuan Reunion & Easter Pictures

I just returned from a long trip to India. I was there working for the last 3 weeks. And I couldn't wait to get home... On the last leg of my 40 hour journey, my flight was canceled in Chicago. I was so close to being home, but didn't make it as expected. So I finally was reunited with my family in Tulsa a day late. It was great to be back together.

While in Tulsa with our Church, we planned a visit to the Dillon office. It was so great to finally get to meet Jynger, Katie, and others in person. They were all amazing. We had so much fun chatting with them. And of course everyone loved up on our kids. Denise even took Aiden to her office to play a game on her computer. Aiden had a blast. He still talks about it. Liam was happy as usual and enjoyed all the attention. We only planned to stay about an hour...but that time quickly passed and we ended up staying almost 2 hours. I can't say enough good things about the Dillon staff. We continue to be impressed by their operation.

After we left Dillon, we met 2 of the families we traveled to Vietnam with. It was great to see them again...and my, how all the children have grown. We had pizza and went back to the Homan's house. The kids had a fun playing together, and the adults had a great time catching up. Aiden also had a good time...in fact yesterday he asked if he could go play with Sarah and Avi Joy. I wish we lived closer because it was so much fun catching up.

NINH THUAN REUNION

After we got home from Tulsa, I took an extra day off work. We went to the zoo, and then after nap time we had Easter pictures taken. Both boys were so well behaved and did great for the pictures. We were so pleased with the outcome. See for yourself.

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Tet!

Well, I know it has been a while since our last post. Life with two little boys keeps us very busy.

Both boys are doing great. Aiden started Montessori preschool in January and loves it. He goes half days all week. It was quite hard on Chaunta’ to be away from him at first, but she has discovered what a great bonding time it is with Liam. Speaking of Liam, he is doing great. He started walking really well in December. Although wobbly, he walks everywhere. His newly found mobility makes things a little more challenging to keep up with. He loves his big brother and wants to do everything Aiden does.

We were just talking the other day about how well adjusted Liam seems. He is very comfortable in our home and with his new family. We wonder if he even remembers orphanage life. In fact, for us it is hard to imagine life without Liam. It feels as if he has been with us since birth.

All in all, our family is doing well. The boys keep us very busy. I think we highly underestimated how challenging it would be to have two boys only 15 months apart. But we wouldn't trade it for the world.

Below are some pictures from the last few months.