It's Official -- He's Ours!

This morning we headed to Sarpy County Courthouse to finalize the adoption of our wonderful blessing, Elliott James. YAY! It's official and it feels GREAT!

One Year Ago Today....

The phone rang early in the morning as I was sitting at work booting up my computer. It was our wonderful social worker, Bonnie, who said "ARE YOU READY?" Was she CRAZY? Yes -- we'd waited for this call!!!! She started talking about him generally -- date of birth, where he was born, health, name, etc. - and then she sent us these pictures and we were IN LOVE! So worth the wait....

Happy Halloween 2011 and 18 months old...

Trick or treating at daddy's workplace resulted in tons o'candy before Halloween so, of course, we went back for MORE on Halloween night in our neighborhood.

EJ is now 18 months and weighs in at just over 20 lbs. We thank God each day for him as we are so blessed to have him in our lives. Thea shows moments of liking him....we're making progress, right?

Loving Fall!

Fall Update:
We celebrated Grandma Linda's birthday and Cousin William's birthday this Fall. We had a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Duey. During the visit we all went to Pooley's Pumpkin Patch with Uncle Dan and Aunt Amy. It was so fun! We've been blessed with fantastic weather and will be sad to see it go.

Thea and EJ are looking forward to Halloween (especially Thea, she's been asking about it for a month). There are lots of yards with Halloween decorations in them in our neighborhood so we often go for walks at night and look at the "spookies" as a family.

EJ had ear tubes put in last week and we think he can hear better! He said "mama" and "MATT" so we're hoping for more words soon. He finally weighs 20 lbs. Can you believe he'll be 18 months next week?

Ah That Delicious Sweet Corn

It's Almost September ALREADY

Here's the latest and greatest, folks!

• I am to work (almost) full-time. I missed my clients and co-workers and it's good to be back.


• EJ is adjusting very slowly to daycare; we're thankful my schedule is a bit more flexible so I can be around more as he makes yet another transition.


• Since June EJ gained almost a pound and grew one inch! He's almost to 20 lbs. now and isn't even making the charts.


• Thea had her preschool open house last night and officially starts preschool tomorrow. She'll attend two days a week in the afternoons. The little backpack I bought for her is too small according to the preschool director so we'll look for a bigger one that won't tip her over backwards. I'll try to hold back the tears tomorrow...


• Matt is keeping busy with work, honey-do lists, the kids and his favorite hobby -- making and reloading bullets and pistol competitions!


• Next week we have our second home visit from our social worker. One more and we will be able to finalize our adoption.

More later!!

The Heat Is On!

It's been hot here in eastern Nebraska and we've been doing our best to stay cool. Lots of popcicles, sprinklers and ice cream going on! The last few weeks have been busy. EJ met his cousins, Sidney and Jesse, and Aunt Laura for the first time. Then EJ went on his first big trip to Papa and Mutti's in Scottsbluff with Mommy and Thea. Daddy Matt met us a few days later at the Duey cabin (aka "Mountain Time") in Colorado. Getting out of the humidity and heat was WONDERFUL! Thea and EJ loved the horse, Frosty, and the kitties in Scottsbluff. They loved the chipmunks in Colorado, too.

Lots of folks ask how Thea is adjusting to her baby brother. She has been very challenged for attention, as most older siblings are when the new one comes along. It has been harder for her, most likely, because EJ is mobile and gets into her things. We are hearing "send him back to Korea" less and less and catching a few sweet moments between them -- I've caught them holding hands in the car several times! We have a ways to go with Thea -- we think she is getting better. She starts preschool next month, which she is more than ready for.

EJ is doing great! According to Dr. Duey he has 12 teeth and is getting his canines now. He loves most of what we feed him and is gaining weight. My goal for August is to spend a lot of time getting him used to his new daily routine at daycare with his sister. I start work again on August 24th.

We had our first post-placement visit and it went well. (Bonnie, our social worker, is the coolest.) We are HOPING to finalize the adoption yet this year. For Korea we have to have three post-placement visits and then finalize the adoption through the court system.

Some Glimpses of Our Korea Trip

Our trip to Korea was so interesting and rewarding. We especially enjoyed our food tour, the DMZ tour, the fish market and the Korean War Museum. We also loved our day with our guide on the city tour. She took us to a traditional Korean tea house; the tea there was incredible! Sarah loved her tofu donut from Dunkin Donuts and we found out if you order more than $10 from McDonalds, they deliver!

One Month Ago

We arrived in Omaha with our dear son, EJ. I'm happy to report that he is adapting very well to our family and home. We are so blessed. EJ is a happy, easy, sweet boy. He is a super climber and is now walking all over the place!

Someone Had A Birthday.....

Three years ago a beautiful daughter was placed in our arms and she is more wonderful than we ever could have imaged. She is the light of our life and we are so blessed she is ours. Happy 3rd Birthday THEA (July 1)! On Saturday, July 2, she celebrated with her family and friends, a bouncy house (complete with slide!) and a Dora cake. She was thrilled!

Today she had her three-year check up with the doctor and she is right on track -- long and lean. In the 80th percentile for height and 58th for weight. We are so thankful she is healthy. In a few weeks she starts "Bug Camp" and started dance class last week.

A Few Pics of The Kiddos.....

Happy Father's Day and Update

Here's to the #1 dad -- Matt! He is a wonderful father -- he makes time together so fun and he is so dedicated to his children. Here he is with his favorite little man.....

Things have been going quite well at the Lierman household. The first week was a little rough because EJ was really sick with a bad ear infection and cold. He's finally feeling better and his personality is starting to come out. We are so in love! He's been such a sweet baby so far. He has a great smile and is a very active little guy. The toughest diaper I've ever changed because he squirms so much. The foster parents warned us.....and boy were they right! We're having fun getting to know him. He's on a pretty good sleep schedule now. Thea is adjusting SLOWLY. It hasn't been a cake walk for her. It seems to be getting a tad bit better. We know this is temporary and we're trying to keep her busy. She'll start bug camp and dance classes soon. And we can't believe she'll be 3 in a few weeks!

Introducing Elliott James "EJ" Lierman

Here's our beautiful little son. He's a super sweet baby. He slept almost the whole flight back from Seoul and again between Detroit and Omaha. We are so blessed. I will post more about our trip and meeting EJ and his foster family when I have time. It's currently 2:37 a.m. Omaha time and me and little peanut are up after a nap. Hoping we can go back to sleep soon! We're so glad to be home! Thanks for everyone's well wishes. We can't wait to introduce EJ to you all in person!

He's Ours!

Forgive me for not writing much but I at least wanted to tell everyone that our wonderful son is now in our arms. He is so handsome. He is grieving very hard and is a sensitive little guy to boot. His foster parents met with us for quite a while this morning at Holt. They are lovely people and we are so glad we were able to meet with them.

We leave for the USA tomorrow and are looking forward to getting home so much!!!! Everyone here has been great but we long for our family, friends, own food and own bed.

Wish us safe travels! Thank goodness he takes a pacifier!!!

Update on Seoul Days 3, 4 and 5

Since the last post we have been busy. We met our tourguide, Hyewon, in the morning at our hotel lobby and she took us to a beautiful palace that housed the king of one of the dynasties here in Korea. Interesting and beautiful. Then we went to a traditional Korean tea house and had the most wonderful tea! Finally, we did the NTower, which is on top of a mountain and 163 meters high. Within a few seconds in an elevator we were up and viewing Seoul and surroundings. Our tour guide was so sweet to take us around that day, especially after someone stole her purse on the subway that morning on the way to meet us. Day 3 night we were tired and grabbed food from the mall near our hotel and ate in our room.

Day 4 we decided to tour the Korean War Museum, a MASSIVE museum that outlines Korean history and the Korean War. This was right up Matt's alley! Lots of tanks, airplance and heavy equipment to see outside and inside. There was also a traditional Korean wedding taking place on the museum grounds that day. After 4 hours at the museum we were tired, had lunch and took a quick nap. At 5 p.m., after some searching even after our taxi driver dropped us off, we finally found where we were supposed to be for our food tour. O'ngo Food Communications does food writing, classes and tours in English. The owner, Daniel Gray, is from Delaware and has been living in Seoul for approximately 6 years. He was a Holt adoptee and was burnt out on his job in the states as a food writer so he decided to come and open up O'ngo Food in Seoul. He has done us all a favor as it was the most fun we've had this whole time. He took the group to 4 authentic restaurants -- each offering its own specialty of Korean food. His partner in crime, Marcus, took over half-way during the tour and led us wonderfully through the last few places. SMALL WORLD -- Marcus lived in OMAHA NE and was a sushi chef at Blue, Baby Blue and Kona Grill several years ago! No way! He had lived in Denver for more than 20 years and had finally gone back to Korea to be with family and is working with O'ngo. We were joined by 8 others -- Aussies, Japanese and a few other Americans on the tour. What a riot!

Today we are taking it easy this morning and will be leaving the hotel soon for some shopping.

In less than 24 hours we will be at Holt meeting our son! We can't wait -- even though we are nervous, anxious and excited as is probably normal.

We miss everyone tons, especially our dear daughter, Thea, and know she is in good hands with grandma Linda/grandpa Rich and now Papa and Mutti Duey.

Will post more later!

Seoul Days 1, 2 and 3

We're here! We arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. Seoul time on the 2nd of June. The flights were fine and getting through immigration and customs was a breeze. Our van driver met us at the terminal and took us to our hotel, Marriott Courtyard Times Square. We took off for a little bit of exploring, had some dinner at the hotel and crashed. We were up early given the time difference but that was ok because we had to figure out our DMZ tour for the day.

We ended up with a different (afternoon) only DMZ tour on the 3rd of June. In the morning to kill some time we decided to explore a 24-hour fish market. We were definitely the minority there and it was so fun to see Koreans in their element and amongst all of these different kind of sea creatures.

In the afternoon we headed out for the DMZ or demilitarized zone, which is the area between North and South Korea. It was very interesting to go through the inflitration tunnel that the South Koreans found was dug by the North Koreans for getting into their country. Very few photo opportunities as the entire tour was on military ground but I will post some later. We ended up in Itaewon back in Seoul, which is a touristy shopping area. We walked around and found a mom and pop dumpling restaurant off the beaten path where we were the only English speaking people in the tiny restaurant. My kind of place. Super fun! We navigated the subways back to our hotel (only got a bit lost once) and crashed.

Sorry I do not have a way to upload photos but please note that they will be there as soon as I can upon our return.

Today in a few minutes we are meeting our tour guide (volunteer and arranged by our agency Holt) who is going to take us on a 5 hour city tour. We are looking forward to seeing more of Seoul.

So far we have been so impressed by how polite Koreans are. We feel very safe. Most Koreans speak pretty good English so it hasn't been a problem getting help or information.

We can't wait to meet our son in a few days -- the big day is June 7!!!

I'll post more later!!

BTW -- if anyone wants to greet us at the airport back in Omaha, that would be great!!!! We arrive on Delta from Detroit at 8:22 p.m. on Wednesday, June 8.

It's a Little Crazy Around Here Folks!

We're getting ready for you, Baby Lierman! It was Sarah's last day of work for 12 weeks yesterday! Looking forward to seeing the Pacls and grandma and grandpa this weekend and spending our last days together as a family of 3 (well, four, including sweet Josie, our greyhound) and, well, yeah, looks like we still have some packing, cleaning and preparing to do!

TRAVEL PLANS CONFIRMED!

We leave Omaha on June 1, 2011 and arrive in Seoul at 3:10 p.m. on the 2nd. We will meet our son on June 7, 2011 and leave for Omaha at 5:20 p.m. out of Seoul on the 8th. We arrive at 8:22 p.m. on the 8th in Omaha! We are staying at the Courtyard Marriott in Seoul. Can't believe it's only a week away! YEAH!!!!!!

Seoul or Bust!

Today we received the long-awaited TRAVEL CALL from Holt with the wonderful news that our son is ready to travel! We are currently working on travel plans and will post more when we finalize. It looks like the earliest we can meet him is June 7, 2011 due to Holt Korea being busy with adoptive families for the next several weeks.

OUR SON HAS HIS VISA!

Yesterday we found out our son was having his "VISA INTERVIEW" at the U.S. Embassy in Korea. Today we found out his one-way VISA to the U.S. has been issued! Hooray! He's now ready to travel!

Can't wait to get our long-awaited travel call.

And yes, the packing has started. Pictures to follow......

Bases are Loaded.....

We're ready for the next big hit! Lots has happened since our last post -- our son turned 1 on May 4, which was the same day he had his Visa Physical! YEAH! This means there is only ONE MORE STEP (Visa Interview) prior to our TC (travel call)! Getting so close is exciting, stressful and wonderful. We can't wait to experience our son's homeland and meet him for the first time.

Happy Easter Happy Spring!

Easter Sunday with the Liermans was a BLAST! All the cousins and Lierman siblings were together at Grandma and Grandpa's house in Wahoo.

Praise the Lord! EP Approved!

More good news! We found out yesterday that Gyeong-han's EP was approved on 4/28/11! Another big step, but of course, there is more waiting. Now what, you may ask?

• Travel Certificate: Holt applies to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the travel certificate. It typically takes a week for approval.


• Visa Physical: After EP and travel certificate are complete our little guy will be scheduled for a physical to make sure he's ok to travel. We should be notified of the date of this physical.


• P3: The P3 is the packet that Holt submits to the Embassy for a one-way travel Visa. This packet contains important documents surrounding the child and adoptive parents and typically takes 5-8 business days for approval.


• Visa Interview: The foster mom will take Gyeong-han to the Embassy for an interview. What kind of conversations they'll have with a one-year-old is beyond me. This happens after all the paperwork has been submitted to the Embassy.


• TRAVEL CALL!: We need to be a on a plane asap and in Seoul no longer than 10 days after the call.

We're in what I call high gear finishing projects around the house and at work. Hoping we'll be on a plane at the end of May. We'll keep you posted.

Another Step Closer!

Today we found out our son's permit for immigrating to the U.S. was submitted to the Korean government on April 6, 2011. We're thrilled that we're getting closer. Perhaps traveling in early June?????

Face plant -- poor little guy!

We found out from our agency on Thursday that our little guy had fallen off of the foster family's car but is ok. Ouch -- poor guy! We are waiting on more information on how it happened, etc., but we suppose it won't be the last time he will be acting like a little boy and end up a bit banged up. We have no reservations that our adoption agency made sure he really is ok and safe where he is staying - sometimes these things just happen -- especially with toddlers! Not exactly what we had in mind for updated pictures, but so nice to see how much he has changed. Hopefully next week we'll here more on the next step in immigration.....thanks, everyone for your support!

A Few New Pics and Progress Report

Thea has been busy growing up way too fast --riding her new tricycle, practicing pottying, saying bye-bye to binky forever and letting us put a ponytail in her hair. We have her enrolled in preschool two days a week starting in September. She's so ready for the next step!

Speaking of next steps, we are still waiting, waiting, waiting on our dear son. We are hoping we'll hear some good news this month on the process itself. Looks like we might be traveling in June now. We did receive a very detailed Progress Report this week on our son, which was great. It gave insight into sleeping and eating habits. He likes to do "cute acts" to get everyone's attention -- wonder what those are?? Quite a little charmer, I'm sure! He is not much of a sleeper as far as naps go and is, of course, very attached to his foster mother, who pretty much is with him 24/7. He is very loved by his foster family. We are so thankful for their love and care. If we get new pics of him we'll be sure to post them. For now, keep fingers crossed that we'll move a step closer this month.....