New Photos...

It seems like forever since we sent our dossier paperwork to our agency to be forwarded to Taiwan. We rushed around like crazy at the end of March so we would have it notarized, authenticated and apostillized by all the appropriate agencies. We got it completed and sent off just before we left for our spring break trip to Disneyland (in California). It arrived at our agency in the first Week of April and they sent it on to Taiwan. Since that time...there has been not updates.

Our adoption facilitator recently traveled to Taiwan for 2-3 weeks to meet with the various agencies. The good news is that she brought back pictures of our baby. The bade news is that there is no update on the progress of our adoption. Right now we are awaiting our first hearing (which as far as we know hasn't been scheduled yet).

We have been keeping busy, trying to keep our focus off the passing of each day that we are separated from our baby. Fortunately, keeping busy has never been a problem for us. We were fortunate enough to spend a week at Disneyland over spring break...and had a blast. Preschool is wrapping up for both the boys and there have been several programs and events to attend at their school. Most recently, Aiden had his preschool graduation ceremony (grad hat and all). It was very cute, and we can't believe that he will go to kindergarten next year. Aiden will celebrate his 5th birthday next week. The summer is stacking up to be pretty busy as well with church events, camp outs, and a trip to Williamsburg Virginia.

Stay tuned for more updates (HOPEFULLY SOON!)

Introducing our new little angel...

We are very excited to share that we will be growing our family through the miracle of adoption once again. Unfortunately adoption is a long and unpredictable process. It will likely be 6-8 months before we are able to bring Hadley home. One of the nice things about adopting from Taiwan is that we are able to visit our baby as often as we like. We are planning go this summer for a week or so. We aren’t sure of the timing yet as we want to visit fairly close to finalization (as it will make it a little easier to leave her knowing that we will be able to bring her back soon). Hadley will be able to stay with us the entire time during our visit.

We are now beginning phase 2 of "the paper chase". We must sign a whole book of papers, get them notarized, get them authenticated by the Secretary of State, and send them to the Taiwan Embassy to be legalized. Then they will go back to our agency and eventually back to Taiwan. We are rushing around today to get all that completed so that it will be done before we go out of town on Wednesday for a spring break trip.

We are all so excited. Both Aiden and Liam pray for Hadley every night before bed. While the wait will be long and difficult, we have plenty to keep us busy (with two awnry boys). Please pray for a speedy process and that we will be united with our daughter very soon!

Catching Up...

Wow, it seems like it seems as if our updates are becoming less and less frequent. Life has certainly kept us busy…and away from blogging.

With so much time since our last post it is hard to know where to start. So I guess Christmas will be a good place.

We have a great Christmas, Liam had his first Christmas program at preschool, it was very cute! I (Craig) was able to take the entire Christmas and New Year week off to spend with the family. It was a blast, and of course very busy visiting all of our family (all 4 sets of parents). But we did take some time out to spend together as a family. It was really nice. None of us were ready to go back to work/school when the holidays were over.

Christmas morning at our house was a little wonderful. (Santa was way too good to us this year - he must not have heard about the economy. But he promised that next year he will be more conservative with the presents.) Liam was so cute, he methodically opened each present and came and showed us…and he would make comments like “Daddy, I got a cars game, I so cited [excited].” It was really neat to watch him be so appreciative for each and every gift. Aiden on the other hand tore through his gifts in a matter of minutes. It took almost a week to find all the toys and gifts a place in our home…we had to do some serious downsizing of existing toys.

Right after the holidays, we went to an open house at Aiden’s new school – in preparation for kindergarten. WOW – we can’t believe that he will turn 5 in a few months and be starting kindergarten in 6 months! He is getting so grown up and says the funniest things… I was talking with his teacher recently and she told me that one of the kids was telling a lie in class, and she was talking with the kid about it. Aiden came and worked his way into the conversation and announced “lying destroys relationships…you shouldn’t lie”. I was so proud to know that the things we say actually do sink in. Aiden continues to be very “spirited” [read: HYPERACTIVE]. He is so much fun, but it takes a lot of structure and work to keep him in check.

Liam is going still going to preschool at a local church 2 half days each week. He really loves it there. He has learned to recite the “Pledge of Allegiance”…there is just something amazing to about hearing him say it, knowing that just over two years ago he living in a communist country. He is a pretty good little boy with a stubborn streak. He never ceases to amaze me.

Several months ago, we were fortunate enough to exchange letters and photos with his birth mother. We were amazed to see how much he looks like his mother and her family. We are pleased to have more information about her to be able to share with him. We hope to keep in touch with her via letters and photos.

A couple weeks ago (in the dead of winter when we were having sub-zero temperatures), we escaped to Mexico for a family vacation. We had a wonderful time spending the week together and enjoying the warm weather. That is were these photos were taken.

As for our adoption, we are now officially at the top of the wait list for a girl. The family ahead of us received a referral 2 weeks ago. We suspect it will still be a few months as this particular Taiwan program has slowed down. We are starting to get anxious, but honestly the boys keep us pretty busy, so we don’t have a lot of time to get worked up about it.

That’s all for now!

An Overdue Update

Wow, it has been such a long time since we updated our blog. It is hard to believe how many months have passed. Kids sure do keep you busy!

We had a very exciting summer started off with our first trip to Disney World. I wasn’t really looking forward to going (quite honestly). The idea of non-stop theme parks didn’t sound like much of a vacation to me at all. But it was for the kids. But I was so surprised…we all had a wonderful time. It was probably our best family vacation yet! We went at the end of May. The parks were not at all crowded and the weather was great (not too hot). The kids had the most amazing time meeting all their cartoon friends and partaking of all the fun that Disney has to offer. We celebrated Aiden’s 4th birthday while there…it was a blast. He was served a small birthday cake by Cinderella and Prince Charming and became an honorary prince.

The summer months were a little crazy with Aiden not in school and out of routine. Plus, Liam discovered what it means to be a “terrible two” this summer too. Life got crazy, and I am pretty sure Chaunta was considering going back to work…and getting the heck out of the house! But through some planning and creativity, things finally came together just in time for school to start back up in late August. Aiden continues to go to preschool 4 half days a week. Liam also started going to preschool this year 2 half days a week. It is a nice break for all of us!

Speaking of Liam, he is growing up so fast. And he is so independent. I bet we hear him say “I do it myself” at least 20 times a day. Those of you that know us know that Aiden gave us a run for our money at that age too… But Liam takes things to a whole different level. He is extremely smart and always seems to be one step ahead of us. Aiden was always in trouble (and to some degree, still is)…but he easily corrects and apologizes. Liam doesn’t get into trouble as often…but when he does, it is usually bigger trouble and he refuses to relent. He is very strong willed. But he also has a great sense of humor and can sometimes weasel out of trouble by making us laugh. He talks a ton, although sometime we don’t understand what he is saying. He gets so frustrated with us when that happens. Usually his brother can translate. On Sunday we celebrated Liam’s “Gotcha Day”. It is hard to believe it has been two years since he joined our family. We are so thankful for him and the miracle of adoption. By the way, he will be turning 3 in just a few weeks too.

Aiden is growing fast too and getting so tall. We are so thankful that he is now four…he is maturing so much and becoming so much fun. I think 4 must be God’s reward with putting up with the 2’s and 3’s. We celebrated his 4th “Gotcha Day” in late August (for him it is the day he came home from spending the first 3 months of his life in the Hospital Neonatal Intensive Care Unit). He is of course still very busy, and it takes a lot of structure to keep him out of trouble. He started taking martial arts recently and really enjoys it. We are seeing great benefits in his behavior. He continues to work hard to overcome his disabilities. Most recently he was released from weekly physical therapy (the first time since birth).

As for our adoption, we continue to be on the “slow boat to China (Taiwan)”. We are expecting to receive a referral in the next 3-4 months. There seem to be several challenges facing multiple International Adoption programs that ultimately affect even the ones that are running smoothly. In any case, we aren’t in a huge hurry. As you can tell, our boys keep us pretty occupied. It will all happen in God’s timing.

All in all, we are doing great. We have taken so many pictures since our last update…I don’t even know where to begin. But here are Aiden’s 4th B-day pictures. There are of course more of Aiden than Liam. But we will be posting Liam’s 3rd B-day pictures as soon.

Vietnam Family Reunion

We had the privilige recently to get together with our friends the Perryman's from Tulsa. We are so thankful that we get the opportunity to see them from time to time...hopefully we will make it to Tulsa again this summer.

Aiden is always so excited to see Miss Avi Joy...and Liam was happy too. We thank God for our beloved child from Vietnam and for the opportunity to make lifelong friends with a common bond!

A Long Overdue Update

Wow, I can believe it has already been nearly 4 months since our last blog update. I just got busy, and thought I would do it later…pretty soon a few weeks turned into a few months and I just never got around to it. I will try to keep this reasonable in length, but I have a lot of ground to cover.

Christmas…We had a wonderful Christmas. This year was the best so far. Aiden was at an age where he could grasp the concept of Santa and it was a blast. The kids of course got way too much stuff, but each child selected 2 gifts to donate to an orphanage in Honduras that we planned to visit in February.

Vacation…We went on our much anticipated cruise vacation through Central America. During our week long trip, we visited four countries and had a wonderful time.

First stop was Roatan, Honduras were we visited an orphanage and lots of brought supplies. The boys both really enjoyed the time with the kids at the orphanage. The children were so grateful for all the stuff we brought as was the caregiver. We also got to play with Monkeys while we were in Honduras.

Next stop was Guatemala were we went up the Rio De Leche to a Mayan village in the Rainforest and visited a community and school. We all loved our visit to Guatemala, Chaunta and I agreed that it reminded us very much of the area of Vietnam that Liam came from).

Next we went to Belize City where we snorkeled on the Great Barrier Reef and swam with sting rays. The kids spent most of the time on the boat with my mother, but did swim with the sting rays. Liam just loved it and was touching all over them…Aiden however was pretty scared.

Our last stop was Cozumel, Mexico where we spent the day at a beach resort. I had the privilige of performing a wedding ceremony for my sister and her fiancé. It was a great wedding right on the beach.

Easter…
The boys were really excited about Easter this year. Especially Aiden…I think he thought that the Easter Bunny was like Santa Clause. He kept telling us what he wanted the Easter Bunny to bring. We did explain the true meaning of easter, and he did grasp it (kinda).

Adoption…We continue to wait for a referral, but we do expect to see one this summer. We officially went on the waiting list in July of last year. They have been telling us the wait should be approximately 12 months since we switched programs. According to the message board, we are 2nd on the list for a girl. However, referrals seemed to have slowed in the recent months. In any case, we are really not in a big rush like we were last time. With two boys, we keep very busy.

Overall…Overall, our family is doing well. Aiden is thriving at his new school. His teacher just loves him and has had a huge impact on him. We are so thankful for Ms. Liz. Aiden will turn 4 next month….WOW, it is hard to believe. Liam is doing well also. He is now 2.5 and really doing great, but the terrible part of two’s are really setting in. My last post was about his potty training. He continues to do really well. He will start preschool in October when he turns 3.

Chaunta and I are doing well also. We recently joined a gym and have been working out together a few times a week. We really enjoy doing something together (and getting a small break from the kids).

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).