Fox can climb stairs!

A couple of days ago I came home from work and Chris said "Wanna see Fox's new trick?" and set him up next to our stairs.  I was shocked to see he can climb them--with relative ease!

Some good news--Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

Some good news--the Adoption Tax Credit has been extended (through 2011) and the amount has increased!  That means if we are able to finish our adoption in 2011 (which probably isn't that likely--but I'm hopeful it will continually be extended after that), we would qualify for a $13,000-something tax credit.  Whoo hoo!  And it is now the GOOD kind of tax credit, that isn't limited by your tax liability.  :)

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Increased

Fox is 9 months old

Today Fox is 9 months old!  He still won't crawl, but he will scoot around and loves to stand whenever he can.  Enjoy this video of him chirping with excitement while he stands in his standing tub :)

Fox enjoying a plum

Fox LOVES to share plums with us these days.  If we are eating a plum, Fox just INSISTS on getting some, too. 

Fox using a spoon

Fox is being very insistent about holding his own spoon these days.  He is also very insistent about trying to sit up when we're trying to change his diaper, but that's another story.  I was feeding him some peas and squash yesterday, and thought I'd see what happened if I let him try to use the spoon himself....

Peek-a-boo Fox

Fox has learned to play peek-a-boo, which is super cute.  He also learned to clap very recently.  Here is a video of him playing peek-a-boo with Chris :)

Happy Year of the Tiger!

We had a small Chinese New Year party last night, which was a lot of fun. So much good food!  And we watched Shaolin Soccer (very funny, if you haven't seen it).  Here is a picture of Fox's first Chinese New Year, with his cousins :)  Happy New Year, everyone!!  (oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, too)

Fox can stand!

So Fox has figured out how to pull himself up to a standing position!  We are so proud :)

First "trimester"

If our wait on the Cathwel list were akin to a pregnancy, we would have just finished the first trimester (i.e. first 3 months, approximately) and would have two more to go.  Since this is instead an international adoption, I find myself wondering--how many more "trimesters" will we have?  10?  12? 15?  It is a humbling thought.

My baby is 7 months old

My baby Fox is 7 months old now!  Kind of hard to believe.  He is such a good boy--he's been sleeping pretty well at night, and he is eating great--he loves all kinds of fruits and vegetables, plus grains and some baby yogurt.  He doesn't seem real keen on crawling (he can scoot backwards, but doesn't try to go forwards--he usually just starts fussing), but he loves to be standing and will take a few small steps (with a great deal of support).  Here are a few recent pics - one of him doing tummytime on his neat foam tile flooring and the other one where he is learning to 'cruise' along the coffee table (with some assistance).

Bao Bei

Here is a beautiful song by Taiwanese singer Zhang Xuan called "Bao Bei" (which is a term Chinese mothers use for their babies--I believe it loosely translates to 'precious treasure' so it is kind of like the German term of endearment "Schatz" with some baby connotations).  Cute pictures of little Chinese babies are included!  :)

Fun in the snow!

We played outside today for awhile--Fox seemed to enjoy it pretty well :)

Xmas, scooting Fox

We had a nice Christmas, although the weather was so bad (worst snow storm we've had in YEARS blew in on Xmas Eve) we didn't get to see all of the family members we hoped to see. Fox had a nice first Christmas overall, though. On Christmas morning he demonstrated how he could scoot backwards--his first method of locomotion! He still isn't much of a roller--he pretty much refuses to roll. Here is a video of him scooting backwards, captured the day after Christmas :)

Happy New Year everyone! It would be AWESOME if we received a referral in 2010, but very unlikely. You never know, though!

Baby Fox is 6 months old!... and Taiwan adoption statistics

oday my baby Fox is 6 months old. I can hardly believe it!  He grows up so fast.  He is now in the 90% for height, 60% for his head, and only 3% for weight.  He's a tall skinny boy, apparently!  The doctor wasn't worried, though--she said he is consistent and he is healthy, so we're not worried either.  We will keep making sure he eats a lot, though--I don't know how this little guy is so skinny since he is such a good eater!  I steamed and blended some spinach that Grandpa Dan grew, and so Fox celebrated his 6 month old birthday by eating some tasty tasty spinach.  He wasn't sure about it at first, but by the end he seemed to like it pretty well.  I've attached a video--this is definitely the messiest he's ever gotten!!



In other news, the US State Dept has released the total number of international adoptions in the US for fiscal year 2009, which is interesting.  Last year there were 219 Taiwanese adoptions, and this year there were 253!  So they are still on the rise.  It really is a pretty interesting table overall  (http://www.adoption.state.gov/news/total_chart.html)  As a whole, international adoptions are way down.

Adoption Movie Review #1 - Pinocchio

I've decided to start my series of "Adoption Movie Reviews."  These won't necessarily be movies specifically about adoption, but rather movies which happen to have adoption elements in them.  Rather than just give an overview of the plot, I'll discuss what the adoption-related messages are, and if I feel they are positive or negative adoption stories.  For my first review, I'm going to look at Disney's Pinocchio. 

We were babysitting my niece Ellie and nephew Theo last night, and decided to watch our DVD of Pinocchio.  I hadn't realized it, but it has been many many years since I've watched it!  I was struck by Geppetto's relationship with Pinocchio--it really is quite touching.  Geppetto wishes on the wishing star for his wooden puppet to become a real boy, and the blue fairy brings Pinocchio to life.  Although Geppetto is startled at first, he adjusts very quickly and before long he has Pinocchio snuggled next to him in bed with a matching night cap.  The next morning he is already calling him 'son', and Pinocchio is calling Geppetto 'father.'  I found myself thinking "wow, they are bonding really well!  What a great example of an older child adoption!"  While Geppetto doesn't exactly ADOPT Pinocchio, the movie really does emphasize the fact that Pinocchio isn't Geppetto's biological child--yet he loves him as if he were.  It does a great job of demonstrating that families are created in many different ways, and that a non-traditional family can be a wonderful, loving thing.  The only negative aspect I'd point out is the fact that the blue fairy tells Pinocchio he has to prove himself before he can become a 'real boy.'  Considering older children who have been adopted sometimes have issues feeling like they have to be 'good enough' for their new families and are fearful of not being wanted, such a concept might be distressing to some children.  Overall, though, I felt it has quite a positive "adoption" story.

Christmas decorating

We decided to go with a small tree this year, and ended up getting a potted tree that can fit on our table. We got out our decorations earlier today and decorated it with the help of a certain little elf.

One month

We have now been waiting for one month on Cathwel's list.  I find myself thinking "ok, so that's what a month feels like.  Now do I have 10, 20, 30, or 40 of those left until we get a referral?"  I'm not really anxious about it or anything--I've resigned myself to a long wait--but it is just interesting to speculate about.  Of course its been over a year and a half since we originally started the Taiwan adoption process, so one month is really a drop in the bucket any way you slice it.

Adoption Info #3 - Status of International Adoptions

In honor of National Adoption Day today, I thought I'd post this interesting article I came across.  It outlines the status of international adoptions in the US this year.  I have to agree that it seems international adoptions are getting more and more difficult, and that ultimately they will be phased out more and more.  While in some cases that will be good (i.e. it will mean that there will not be as many orphans in the countries and/or more children will be adopted within country), but in some it will be bad (i.e. the kids will just stay in orphanages or foster care rather than being adopted).  I predict the world of international adoption will be very different 5 years from now.

http://www.rainbowkids.com/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=683

Fox the Turtle

Taiwan Fun Fact #5 - Vegetarianism in Taiwan

Ah, two of my favorite topics: vegetarianism and Taiwan. I came across this interesting article, and just had to share:
http://www.taiwantoday.tw/ct.asp?xItem=47665&CtNode=430

Did you know there are approximately 1.7 million vegetarians in Taiwan?  That is a fairly notable amount, considering the island only has about 23 million people.  This article actually mentions one of the restaurants (Jen Dow Vegetarian Buffet) that I posted about in my last Taiwan Fun Fact post.  I cannot WAIT to hit that buffet when we are traveling to get our future daughter!! 

In case anyone is wondering, Chris and I do intend on raising both of our children as vegetarians.  We are not vegans (i.e. we do eat eggs, dairy products, honey, etc), but we do avoid all meats (and, yes, that includes poultry and fish products).  We are hoping that there may be a birthmother out there who is vegetarian and would like to see her baby raised vegetarian, as well, and our family would be chosen because of that.  I would really love to know that we would be raising our daughter the way her birthmother hoped she would be raised.