Pleading for the case of sibling adoption in Korea

Another family has received the call for a sibling adoption in Korea.  This family, however, is aging out or has just aged out of the program.  The US agency is unsure if the ministry in Korea will grant this family a waiver for adoption of their child's sibling, so they asked them to find other sibling adoptive families to write on their behalf with our experiences.  I know that I'm kind of a wordy person, so I intentionally tried to keep it short to make my point and hopefully it worked.  We were more than happy to help this family though.  I can't imagine this being the 'something' in the way of these children joining each other.

Here is what I wrote:

"Members of the Korean Ministry:

We are an adoptive family in the United States to three Korean-born children; 5 children total.  In 2009, we were blessed to be able to adopt the brother to one of our Korean-born daughters.  I don’t think I could begin to stress enough how fortunate we feel to have this little boy in our lives and in the life of his biological sister.

JeeYung arrived to us in the United States in March 2006 and we received Jaemin in Korea in May 2009.  Whether adopted domestically or internationally adoptees lose biological ties via adoption.  Most of us take the things that go along with these ties for granted.  Our daughter and son may never know their Korean birth families, but they have something most adoptees do not have the luxury of.  Our son and daughter know their biological sibling and get to be raised together with a family who loves them dearly.  All five of our children are, no doubt, 100% siblings, but one day these two will have a link to the past and will be bonded through it.

We love Korea for the importance it has always seemed to place on this biological tie in adoption.  Keeping siblings together is an amazing gift that I can’t imagine any adoptee not being thankful for.  Jee Yung is only 4 years old, but she is very proud to know that her brother is here with her and she tells us this.  She loves her brother with everything she has.

I only speak for our family in saying that while JeeYung got her brother Jaemin; we all gained this beautiful little boy as well and will forever be grateful for our gift.  Please continue to place importance on this and embrace the positives that will forever be in the lives of these children if it is at all possible to take place.

Thank you."

My nightly visitor

Okay, it's not 'really' night.....it's 4-5 am.  I have a little boy who likes to come into my room to sleep with me.  Sometimes it's earlier, but most nights it's 3:30-4 that he originally comes in.  Sometimes I let him stay a bit if he seems like he may sleep and sometimes he tries to sleep in my bed, but isn't really that tired so he jabbers.  He never cries.  I put him to bed and eventually he stays there.  Sometimes, though, I pretend to keep sleeping thinking he will go back to bed.  That doesn't work either.  He will just stand there with his hands on my bed watching me, waiting for me to wake up.  It's really pretty darn cute, so you can never actually be upset with him.  But, this occurs about 5 times per week, so it is tiring, but I love him.

Tonight I put him in bed and told him I'd see him in the morning. I said "you're going to stay in bed tonight, right?"  He gave me an ornery look, through the light coming in the cracked door, and shook his whole body as he shook his head 'no'.  He's such a little stink!  He's such a jokester and the little stinker knows he's cute!

What am I going to do?

Lisa

The season has started

They've already been a couple of times, but now that it's really getting nice the 3 big boys will be gone constantly.  As long as they eventually bring something home to eat it's alright.  Hey, we gotta keep our boys happy and when they go fishing, they stay happy!

Lisa

Soccerx4

This is Kae's 4th season in soccer.  She is so great!  We're taking it easy this time around, but she's still just enjoying it.  Plus this season (league) is with her classmates.  She IS tough on that field and, I know I've said it before, is natural!  If we never get soccer in school by high school, she will have had fun playing anyways.

Here are her fans.

MMM...late snack

And no, I don't share.  Hey, it's the only time I can sit and savor something I really love.  Tonight's delight was king size Reese's peanut butter cups.  Bad mom, but my mom did it to us and I'm sure the tradition will continue on.

Lisa

PICTURES!

We have new pictures as of today.  The girls love modeling for me, so I get tons.  Chelsi had to go to the bathroom when I was finishing with the hanboks, so I thought she was done.  She came back when I was cleaning up and pouted until I got it back out for her.  :)  She is a MAJOR ham!

Swingin'

Been a little busy lately.  Friday we had our annual rummage sale and while we got rid of almost everything we came home with a few extras.  Of course, I always buy some new clothes for Kaelin there, but they also had their baby swing....we have our rummage sale at someone else's house with other families.  I traded something of ours for the swing.  Jaemin knew exactly what it was when it came through the door.  Since there never seems to be enough perfect days to go out and swing I asked Brian to get some hooks for the basement living room.  See, we never did finish our ceiling in half of the downstairs, so I figured he can just swing down there sometimes.  We can move it outside to the real swingset when it's nicer.  He LOVED swinging.  How many kids get to swing in the house??

Look at the joy in this face!