Hellobee

"Just when you least expect it... your phone rings. And on the other end of the line is your social worker, telling you that she has a referral for you."

"As any adoptive parent will tell you… the photos you receive of your child’s “pre-you” days are priceless."

"After the referral, and after the mounds and mounds of acceptance paperwork, comes the most challenging—and perhaps the most bittersweet—part of the waiting process. The care package preparation. I"

"Right about now, a new day is dawning in Korea. And not just any day… it’s the first birthday of someone very special"

"I felt like I couldn’t let Baby Paintbrush’s first birthday go by without acknowledging it somehow."

"It’s been 6 and a half months since we received our referral for our son. Half a year. On one hand… that feels like a really, really long time. On the other hand… it feels like a blink of an eye."

"Tis the season. Right?! Only my list has nothing to do with naughty or nice… or presents under the tree. It’s all about Boy #2."

"Last week, we received a rare update on our second son. It was one page, and contained 163 words."

"We were beyond shocked to receive a call yesterday afternoon telling us that we had a court date and asking for us to get ourselves to Korea."

"Don’t get me wrong… one part of me is ready to get on that plane… like yesterday. But the other part of me—the planner part—is still a little overwhelmed and shell-shocked. And wishing we had the 4-6 weeks lead time that some families get."

"Without further ado, The Christmas Care Package."

"We came home, and battled jet lag all over again with a chaser of illnesses for all. And then the reality really and truly sunk in. I had just returned home. Without one of my kids."

"Imagine our surprise (among many other emotions) when we received a call from our social worker last Wednesday evening asking us if we thought we could be in Korea by Monday morning to take custody of our second son."

"We. Are. Four… Together. Finally! We’re feeling every emotion under the sun as we navigate our new family dynamic."