Levi Update

We received an update on Levi and a few photos! Formal photos of his first birthday and a new video should be arriving soon as well. Levi appears to be having one BAD hair day which means he should fit right in to the family!

In the pictures, he is opening the birthday package we sent him, but it looks like the items that interest him most are the jewelry box and lipstick holder we sent for his foster mom. Go figure!

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Here is the update from the agency about our son:

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He likes paper and books. He can wave, say uh-bu-bah (piggy-back), bye-bye, omma, appa, bop ( rice), mam-ma (food), pa-pa. If he hears the phone ring, he goes to telephone; he likes it a lot. Since June, he pulls up to stand and has taken a few steps unassisted. He eats everything such as rice, gruel, and fruit and does not seem to be a picky eater. He goes to sleep at 10 pm and wakes at 2 am drinking a bottle and goes back to sleep. Then he wakes up at 5 am and gets another bottle and finally gets up 7 am. He sleeps by the foster mother at night. While sleeping, he rolls over and over on the floor. He is not fussy before sleeping. He likes to bathe; this happens in the morning. If the foster mother is not with him, he is upset. In September, he had a fever due to bronchitis and was hospitalized for one week. He is good natured and laughs easily. He climbs on low tables and can sit on it. Pa Rang is the only foster child at the foster home.

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As of Nov. 24, weight 10.1kg, height 74.5cm, head 45.8cm, chest 45cm teeth 0/1
As of Oct. 25, weight 9.8kg, height 73.6cm, head 45.2cm, chest 44.4cm

The Big ONE!!!

We spent the Thanksgiving holiday at beautiful Ft. Lauderdale beach. It was sunny and eighty degrees every day. Since Thanksgiving Day was Levi’s first birthday, we thought it was only appropriate we do it up big! So…we put on our party hats and rang in his special day with cake, candles, and singing!

Happy Birthday Levi!

Birthday Package for Levi

Our birthday package for Levi is on its way to Seoul, South Korea. I'm hoping it gets there just in time for Levi's first birthday celebration! The US post office has a shipping program that uses the motto, "If it fits, it ships" and it's amazing just how much you can cram into one box. Here's a run down of what we sent.

Three outfits. Isn't the Puma running suit the cutest?


Lots of fun things: A singing birthday card, pull along puppy, birthday hats and whistles, and a recorder cell phone with a special birthday message from Mommy and Daddy. The message is in English, of course, and will make no sense to Levi, but at least he will get to hear our voices.

And of course a few things for Ms. Kwon, his foster mom: cookies, scarf, manicure set, and a Texas Rangers cap. Even though the Rangers didn't win the world series, we are still proud of them!

Happy Birthday to one special and loved little boy!

Disappointing News :(

Recently, we received disappointing news from South Korea. The yearly quota has been met so no more babies will be leaving Korea for the rest of 2010. What is the yearly quota, you ask? In a nutshell, the Korean government is trying to phase out international adoption in hopes of keeping their babies in Korean families. Every year, they allow fewer and fewer babies to be adopted to countries overseas so once the quota is met, all paperwork and emigration permissions are halted until the next calendar year. Things begin rolling again around the end of January.

What does this mean for our son? Levi is still ours. The adoption will still move forward. We are thankful for this. However, our estimated time for travel is now in March. So....more waiting. We are, obviously, disappointed because we hoped to celebrate his first birthday and Christmas with Levi. But, we know God is faithful, and we are choosing daily (and sometimes hourly) to trust Him in this matter. And we know, Levi will be well worth the wait!

Our first baby shower

Shawn and Stacey gave us a baby shower for my mom's side of the family. How fun! The cake was inspired by Levi's nursery and had panda bears and bamboo on it. Very cute!

The shower gave us a good start on all the necessities for our little one. Strollers, bath toys, clothing, etc. One of my favorite gifts was a silver dollar that my grandmother had given my mom the day I was born. My mom is passing it along to me, and I will later pass it along to Levi's wife when they start a family. I love stuff like that!

21 pair and counting!

Knowing that we have a baby coming, I've been trying to downsize. You know....less shoes, fewer trips to the mall, saving our pennies. Fortunately, my mother-in-law Kay is gladly and whole heartily picking up the slack! She has bought her grandson Levi a total of 21 pair of shoes! All sizes, colors, and styles. Among my favorites are the orange and grey Sketchers and the Halloween cat shoes that "meow" when you take a step.

Levi's closet is also full of play outfits, church clothes, and golfing attire (for when Adam takes him to play 18 holes!). He's spoiled and he is not even here yet!

Nursery Pictures

Levi's nursery is finally complete! We chose an Asian theme complete with bamboo, panda bears, and cherry blossoms. The scripture above his bed reads, "For this child, I have prayed" from the book of 1st Samuel, and this is definitely the truth! We have our family, friends, and entire church congregation praying for our special little boy across the world.

The bedding has cherry blossoms and black/white checker print.

My mom, Kay, and I found this shelving at IKEA, and it's perfect for holding toys and books. And every nursery needs a panda table (isn't it adorable?) and beautiful lanterns.

Our happy boy!!!

We received a video of our son Levi. I've never been one to watch the same movie more than once, but this is definitely the exception. Adam and I can't get enough of him! I know what you're thinking....you want to see it too. So, if I can ever figure out how to post it here, I will. But until then, here are a few still pictures I captured from the video.

His smile melts our hearts!

Extreme Shed Makeover!

This last March, the cement truck rolled in and construction began on our Extreme Shed Makeover. We had planned to move into our new master suite in May, maybe June. Progress, however, can be very SLOW at times. But, like they say, "Rome was not built in one day."

Now I am proud to say we are now ready for the Big Reveal! So...without further adieu, may I have a drum roll please?

Our beautiful new bedroom (featured above)

complete with walk-in closet (It will never look this organized again!)

A second bathroom with a jacuzzi bathtub (you know, for Levi but mostly for Levi's mama!)

And, our very own laundry room! (You don't know what a luxury this is until you are without)

New Testament Challenge features our son!

Adam has challenged the church to read the entire New Testament in 82 days! Granted, it's only been two weeks, but I'm proud to say that I'm on track. To keep us motivated, Adam writes a daily blog reviewing that day's reading assignment, and this week our precious son made the headlines!


Check out the link and look at the post for Monday, June 21. Levi has one sweet daddy!

http://www.lakeviewchallenge.blogspot.com/

Like Father, Like Son

Last week, we got to send Levi a care package. I know what you are thinking....a suitcase full of toys, books, clothes etc? I wish, but no. After reading the fine print from our agency, I realized all the items had to fit in a single one gallon ziplog bag! Now, I enjoy a good shopping challenge, but this was going to prove difficult even for this retail professional.

Adam said he wanted to send Levi some "manly clothes". I wasn't sure what this meant. Camoflauge? Work boots? What exactly does a six month old "man" wear?


Then, I remembered . Adam is not a fan of the pastel boys baby clothes with ducks and bunnies on them. And quite frankly, I don't blame him. So, I headed off to Old Navy and bought Levi an outfit just like his daddy wears to work every day. Khaki pants and a Polo shirt. (As a side note, Adam gets all embarrassed if he and I end up wearing even the same color to church on Sunday, but you should have seen him beaming at the idea of him and Levi with matching outfits.) LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON!

Who knew a ziplock could hold so much stuff and still close? I even managed to throw in a few gifts for Levi's foster mom like jewelry and scented lotion. And next time I will be prepared because I'm already shopping for the next care package!

It's a BOY!

That's right people....it's a BOY! We have a son, and we are IN LOVE!!!

His name is Levi Thomas Parang Williams. He was born on November 25, 2009 and weighed a little over 6 pounds at birth. The name Parang was given to him by his birth mom and means "blue" in Korean. We have chosen to name him Levi which means "attached" and attached we are!

Thank you to all who have held us up in prayer, and please continue to do so. We have a lot of work yet before we can bring our precious Levi home. Stay tuned to the blog for updates!

Can you dig it?!!

My father-in-law, Tom, turned the big 6-0 on May 1st! We spent the weekend celebrating the decade of the 60's complete with tie dye shirts, platform shoes, and sayings like "Groovy man!" and "Can you dig it?" There's nothing like walking into a five star restaurant looking like you came straight from Woodstock. We got a few awkward,uncomfortable stares but mostly just smiles and applause. Too bad some of us are too young to remember the sixties...seems like a fun decade filled of flower power and world peace! Happy Birthday Tom!

Look out Lindsey Vonn!

Until last week, I had never set foot on a ski slope...and to tell you the truth, I was just fine with that. However, I married into a family of skiers. I was able to dodge the "ski bullet" for nine years, but last week on our family vacation to Salt Lake City, the time had come for me to to put these french manicured toes into those awful, bulky ski boots.

And guess what? I loved it! After my graduation from ski school, I took to the bunny slopes like Lindsey Vonn takes to the slaloms. The one green slope I attempted terrified me, but overall, I did Ok. Here's to new experiences!

Thank you John and Peggy for opening your home to us!

Here's a pic from our snowmobile tour...also a first for me.

7 months down!

Today marks 7 months on the waiting list! It's actually gone pretty fast. And with each day, we get closer and closer! We anxiously await the phone call that will ultimately change us forever.

But you know what they say,

"A watched pot never boils!"

...or in our case

"A watched phone never rings!"

So....we're determined to stay busy working, playing, and praying A LOT! Lord, prepare our hearts and minds to be godly, Christ honoring parents.

Let the construction begin!

Yes, that's right....we are adding on to "The Shed". For those of you who have not been to our house, we live in a guest home on Adam's parents' property that we have nicknamed "The Shed". Why "The Shed", you ask? Well, it's a big metal building that we've made into a cozy and comfy home. We even have a sign that says, "Welcome to Our Shed".

Here's how the story goes...we sold our home in Mesquite to move closer to the church in Quinlan. Tom and Kay suggested we move in next door to them until we found a house. One year turned into two years and then five, and we never found a house we loved more than "The Shed". (To tell you the truth, we stopped looking quite a while ago!) You can't beat the beautiful surroundings with lots of trees and open space, family close by, and did I mention the exceptional landlords? I can't imagine a better place to raise a child. Now, if we can only get my parents to move further east, we would be set!

So...we are adding a few rooms to "The Shed". Three rooms to be exact. A master bedroom, extra bathroom, and a laundry room. However, we've had SO much rain lately that it has slowed construction quite a bit, so I can't tell you how excited I was to see the concrete truck pull up last week to pour the slab. We are one step closer to our shed makeover!

Williams Family Picture

The Williams side of the family had a group photo on Valentine's Day. This is Adam's brother Max, Max's family, and my in-laws Tom and Kay. It's hard to believe that next year's photo will feature a new, beautiful addition to our family!

To Seoul and Beyond!

Our mission trip to Korea last November was cancelled due to the swine flu epidemic in the United States. So....we packed our bags and went anyway to explore the country and the culture. What an amazing place!

Here are a few pics from our trip...