Santa's Little Helper

Andrew has been busy getting ready for Christmas, pretending to be an elf in Santa's workshop, helping Daddy with the tree, looking through the sale paper for Christmas sales, and learning how to stuff stockings. Busy boy!

It's Official!

On December 3, Andrew Hyun officially became a Gibson! It was kind of strange because he has of course felt like ours forever. The fact that we had to go to court to finalize seemed like a formality; however, it was really a moving experience. Drew had his own lawyer who had visited our home and interviewed us, and he spoke on Drew's behalf in court, saying that it was in his best interest to be adopted by the Gibsons. Then the judge said a few kind words about our little family, and announced, "Congratulations! It's a boy!" Then it was done--he was ours and we were his officially and forever.

Thanksgiving Dinner Dancer

Drew was showing off his dancing moves. He worked off his Thanksgiving dinner with style.

Fall Scenes

Attached are some memorable fall moments; it's been a season of firsts for the three of us. As we near Thanksgiving, I think about how grateful I am for this dear son. I was looking at his little round sleeping face tonight and thinking how I love every little bit of him--his soft cheeks, long eyelashes, chubby hands, sweet voice, big smile. What a boy. So much to be grateful for. Every day he learns something new. For example, one of the pictures shows him leaning back with his hands behind his head, which he is doing in imitation of David. Too funny! In another, he is running down the hall playing his absolute favorite game. We call it Pickleberry and it is involves chasing each other around the house screaming in a high pitched voice. Notice the kitty he is holding. Karen sent it to him for Halloween and it is his very best buddy. He had not attached to any sort of stuffed animal before, but is totally hooked on kitty cat. He even says kitty cat, in a cute way of course--it comes out kit-TAY. Is he not the cutest cow the world has ever seen? Thanks to Lori Henderson for that fabulous costume!

Tough Week

It has been a really tough week. On Wednesday, we received the news that a former student of ours, Melanie Mattingly, was killed in an automobile accident that morning. She was only 24 years old. I can honestly say that Melanie was the sweetest and most beautiful girl I ever had in class. I had just emailed her a week before, asking if she would meet us in Lexington for lunch and to meet Drew. The last email I received from her simply stated, “He is adorable.”

Melanie Mattingly made a bigger impact in our lives than she will ever know. When we first met with Adoption Assistance last August, we had the option of adopting from Korea, Taiwan, Russia, or Ethiopia. How do you make that decision? I can remember saying to Christine, “Melanie Mattingly was adopted from Korea.” It helped us make an otherwise difficult decision. We just knew it was the right decision because of her.

People always say, when something like this happens, that we should learn to live our lives as if every day is our last. To me, that never made a lot of sense. What I have learned from this, and what continues to pain me, is that you shouldn’t assume that you will have an infinite amount of time in the future to tell someone what a tremendous impact they have made in your life. Without Melanie, I don’t know if we would have Drew. I swear, I was going to tell her all of this when we met for lunch. But, I’ll never get that opportunity now. I could have easily told her these things, but I didn’t. The regret I feel inside will not go away.

Please pray for the Mattingly family. The poor father has lost both of his daughters to accidents and he lost his wife a couple years ago. It seems unbelievable that one person could or should endure such tragedy in his life. It seems absolutely unreal to me. Please pray for him.

Tomorrow morning, Drew goes in for surgery. He is having ear tubes inserted to drain the fluid buildup that has been causing him horrible ear infections. Today, we tried to make it a special day for him. We took him to the park to feed and play with the ducks, one of his favorite activities. He ran so much that we thought he would collapse. But, he didn’t. We stopped by Baskin Robbins for a treat afterwards. He, as you can see, got very messy.

Halloween

Drew has become interested lately in taking off his clothes. It makes for some interesting situations.

For Halloween, Drew dressed up as a cow. He went to a few houses, but seemed a little confused by the whole process. He was especially confused by the number of people who came to the house, didn't come in, and abruptly turned around and walked away. I think he was hoping that they would come in and play. We were afraid that he might be scared by all of the children dressed in crazy costumes, but luckily he handled that part well.

It is definitely hoodie weather now. For some reason, when I wear mine, Drew looks at me funny and then laughs and laughs. He likes to move my head to the side, and then back. It must be some game like peek-a-boo, but I haven't figured it out yet.

We had our last meeting with the social worker yesterday, and we met with a lawyer who will represent Andrew in the adoption process today. We have one opportunity, and one only, to get the adoption finalized before the end of the year. That day is the first Friday of December. Let's keep our fingers crossed!

Max's Birthday Party

Over the weekend, Drew went to his friend Max's birthday party at Build-a-Bear. Drew had a traditional Teddy bear made, and he has really been enjoying it. His foster umma called him "Gom-doe-ry" (cute bear) when he was in foster care. He still responds to that name. Strangely enough, until Saturday, he didn't have one.

However, during the party, he lost patience with the building process, and ran out of the store and out into Fayette Mall. He did this continuously! The only time he would let me hold him is when I was holding Max - I think he was jealous!

Cincinnati Zoo

We took Drew on a "mini-vacation" this week. On Thursday, we drove up to Cincinnati and stayed overnight. We stayed at a hotel with an indoor pool, as Drew loves to swim. He loved the hotel. He walked and walked around the place. In addition, he was fascinated by the king-sized bed. He played and played on it, giggling and giggling.

We were headed to the Cincinnati Zoo on Friday. As a shower gift, Aunt Pat and Aunt Lucy bought us a family pass to the zoo for a whole year. What a great gift! Drew got us up early, as usual. As you can see, his hair is getting out of control, and it was especially bad this morning. At the zoo, he was unusually quiet. Drew just looked at the animals, taking it all in. That is, until we saw the cheetahs. When he saw them, he stared at them and roared. He did the same when we got to his favorite animal, the lion. When he saw the lions, he cracked a smile, and then he roared.

He especially enjoyed some of the dirt paths at the zoo. In the video, you can see that he is all boy!

It wasn't long after we got into the car that Drew was out. He slept all the way back to Lexington!

Mr. Cute

Just a few cute pictures!
Speaking of cute, there are a million cute things about this stage of Drewdom that we want to remember forever, like...
--he pats you on the back when you hold him
--he loves to find his reflection in the oven door
--he loves to stand at the bottom of the steps and yell little words up them, like "Da! Ga! Ba!" because it echoes
--he is instantly in a 100% better mood when he steps outside. He's a real outdoorsman!
--When I ask him where the pumpkin is (we have them on the front porch), he grabs his tummy
--he loves to run away from me naked down the hallway when I'm trying to dress him
--some of his best friends are the neighbor's cats. They run out to see him whenever he comes outside.
--he has found dozens of ways to play peek-a-boo: in the drapes, with the wingback chair, in the pickup truck, holding a placemat, holding a potholder, holding a towel, you name it, it's kaku time!
--the way he cuddles in the morning in our bed. What a lovey!
--the way you never know what is going to crack him up. See previous video as an example! :)

Who Knew That "I Love You" Was So Funny?

We were talking the other night. It is so strange how Drew was meant for us. He loves to have a good time, loves to go outside, and loves to eat. Is there anything more Gibson than that? But isn't it funny how Drew was born on the other side of the world, and yet, it is hard to imagine having any other child?

We never get tired of that laugh. How could anyone get tired of that laugh?

The Man Can Put the Hurt on a Fresh Tomato

It has been a bad year for tomatoes. The drought and heat have combined to make it a miserable year for the home gardener.

Drew doesn't care. He goes after fresh tomatoes as if he is Caesar attacking a foreign army. Divide and conquer. The tomato in this video never saw this coming. One might even feel bad for the tomato. Parental discretion is advised on this one, based on strong violence.

The tomato doesn't even look like it is that good. But, I wouldn't know. Drew wouldn't let me have any.

Salato Wildlife Center

Today Drew went on a date to the Salato Wildlife Center in Frankfort. He really had a good time with Catherine. Drew likes Southern girls. Catherine was born in Pusan (Southeast Korea).

Attached is a video of Drew and Catherine in their strollers.

Drew Still Enjoys Playing Kaku!

On a recent trip to Indiana, we stopped in a small town for a break. I put Drew in the truck bed to stretch his legs, and he started an old game in a new environment. I think truck manufacturers should list "play area" as another benefit of the truck bed. There is going to come a day, in the not too distant future, when Drew no longer enjoys playing Kaku. When I think of that, it tears me all apart. :(

Does This Shirt Make Me Look Fat?

Drew has been very concerned about his physique lately. He has been noticing that a lot of his clothes are too tight. Plus, he has been reading "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", which always seems to make him hungry.

Goetta Life!

While in Korea, we met the Almeidas right after they got their beautiful baby boy Nicolas. We learned that they lived just about an hour and a half from us in Cincinnati. The first picture is of the Almeidas outside a subway station in Seoul. We met up again for Goetta Fest in Cincinnati this past July (second picture), this time with baby Drew, of course! What are the odds of us being in Seoul at the same time to get our boys and finding out we're practically neighbors?

Walk Like a Korean

Alright, if you didn't get it, you need to sing the title to the 80s hit "Walk Like an Egyptian".

Drew started walking in mid-July. Then, he abruptly quit for weeks. We would stand him up, try and get him to walk, and he would refuse by sitting down. The moral of the story is that we've learned that with kids, sometimes you have to go with the flow. In any event, he has started walking again in earnest. Attached is a video showing his walking proficiency.

Big Event!

Drew turned one on 7/30 and got baptized on 7/31! It was a BIG weekend for a very BIG guy. The ceremony was during mass and it was beautiful. My brother Marty and my niece Grace served as Godparents. Afterwards, we had a reception at Brossart House next door to the church. It was so lovely!
Having never thrown a large party before, I had really no idea what I was doing, and the whole thing would have never happened if the women of the family didn't step in, work like crazy and get it all together! Thank you so much, girls!
Attached are a couple of photos from the big event. Note Andrew's colorful outfit. This is called a hanbok, traditional Korean clothing. It is still worn for special occasions. This hanbok is especially precious to us because it was from Andrew's birth mother's mother. She took it to the Social Welfare Agency for Andrew to have for his first birthday. We are so touched by her gesture.

Need a DJ?

Drew plans to offer his dj services soon for weddings, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, and retirement parties. He specializes in small living room parties featuring classic hits such as "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt," and "La Cucaracha" as well as some new favorites including "Counting!" "Busy, busy, busy!" and others. Be sure to book early!

Seoul Mates

Yesterday we met the lovely Stachniks, who adopted their daughter Catherine from Korea this year as well. We imagined Drew would try to impress little Catherine with his hand clapping skills, his taking two steps skills, or his new frog voice, but alas, he did not. Instead, he clung onto his daddy and played with a water bottle, and later, as you can see in the picture, assaulted the poor girl. (Just kidding--it only looks like that in the picture. He was just trying to crawl to me and had to crawl over her.)
It was quite amazing to sit there at a park in Frankfort with two babies who came from Korea and had the same social worker in Seoul. Life is funny.

The Tower of Power

Attached is a picture of, what we like to call, the Tower of Power. It is a formula dispenser that was given to us from Foster Umma. It is an awesome invention, and we have gotten a lot of use out of it. So, you might ask, "Why post a picture of it?"

Well, we have to take Drew off of formula. This is the last of the Tower of Power, which one might think is a good thing, especially after you think about making formula at two in the morning. But we find it terribly saddening for some reason. Endings are hard. We'll miss the Tower of Power.

Drew also took his first steps today. David held him up outside, and he took his couple steps. Again, for some reason, this is great but sad on a certain level. Endings.

Diaper Changes....Ughhh

Drew hates getting his diaper changed. Hates it. He'll cry and kick and move around, making a tricky situation even that much more challenging. So, we have attempted to make the process more fun with the diaper duck. He seems to enjoy it!

And The Tables Have Turned

Drew now knows how to Kaku (Peek-a-boo) us!

You Call This a Sale?

Drew was upset about the high price of groceries this week.

Go Fourth!

For the 4th of July, Drew got to visit his Grandma and Papaw Gibson. They all three hit it off right away--starting the minute we arrived on the front porch. Drew was even up for loving on Papaw's big chocolate lab. You can see from the pictures that he was living it up in their pool, too! Let me explain the peach picture--it was kind of funny.. I hadn't meant to feed him a peach. I was just holding him and holding the peach and he attacked it! Note to self: boy will eat whatever he can reach.

Picture Day

Today our friend Susan Young did a photo shoot of over 100 pictures for us! It took place this morning at the Lexington Cemetery. Thanks to her patience and expertise, they turned out great! We are so happy with them, and we're posting a couple of them here.

This week we discovered that little Drew loves to eat big people food much more than babyfood. Who could blame him? The pediatrician said to feed him more and more table food, so we are trying. It turns out he loves everything he tries, including salmon, tofu, Chinese dumplings, spinach-garlic-mushroom pizza, guacamole, and a spicy Korean rice dish called Bi Bim Bop! Strong tastes really seem to turn him on. More evidence that he fits right in with the two of us. :)