The Barsch Family adoption blog

Video of Nate's Homecoming

2008-09-15T22:06:00.004-06:00

Summers End

2008-09-05T19:25:00.006-06:00

Here are some recent photos from a few of our summer adventures. We've traveled to the lakehouse in Michigan, took Sam to the Broookfield Zoo just before Nate arrived, visited the new waterpark in Yorkville, attended the Journeys National adoption reunion and taken many, many trips to the park! In these photos you will see Sam watching sea lions underwater, how much Sam and Nate look alike in their side by side shots, and one of the funniest most imaginative things we came across. When Peter mows the lawn he wears a hat and his iPod. Well Sam kept putting on a straw hat and a stethescope and pushing around this walker we have making a humming sound. One day it clicked. He was mowing the lawn just like dada. So adorable! If you ask him to get his iPod he goes running for the stethescope. Enjoy the transition to fall!

At Home

2008-07-26T20:07:00.002-06:00

I'm finally taking the opportunity to add a few new photos. Nathaniel has been wonderful! He is sleeping 8-10 hours a night and eating well. He is totally laid back and happy. Sam on the other hand has been quite the handful. Very clingy and jealous. Not so happy that Nate is here to stay. He has his sweet moments where he helps with the bottle or throws out the dirty diaper, but he also steals toys and hits...

Above all, we are so blessed to have such wonderful, beautiful boys!

Homecoming

2008-07-15T15:01:00.010-06:00

Everyone's home now! Thanks for following our adventures over the last few weeks. Here are some scenes from the airport:

Thanks to everyone who was able to be there at the airport, especially Peter's Mom, who helped watch Sam while Annie and Sarah were in Taiwan. Thanks to everyone who prayed and sent emotional (& financial!) support over the last few months. We are awed and humbled by the generosity and love we've experienced this spring. We love you!

Counting Down

2008-07-09T05:24:00.002-06:00

We are beginning to count down the hours until we fly home. As I write this we have 36 hours till our plane takes off from Taipei. We now have Nathaniels visa so we are all good to go! We will fly from here to Osaka Japan, then from Japan to Detroit. Word is that customs in Detroit is a breeze so that will be a nice change from LAX last year. From Detroit we take the last leg to Chicago, arriving home at 3:44pm on Friday. Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us these past two weeks. Keep sending them up for our travels home. See you soon!

Sightseeing

2008-07-08T17:10:00.004-06:00

We went to the Taipei Zoo with the Wood family on Monday and to Taipei 101 yesterday. Here are some photos of cool animals. At this zoo you can get REALLY close to them. The little girl is Hsin-Yi, the Wood's daughter. What a cutie! She and Nate played together yesterday afternoon and had a blast. The last photo is Nate, looking like Sam.

Yipee!!

2008-07-06T21:07:00.003-06:00

I just got an email from AIT and a call from Fion. Our new AIT appointment is tomorrow morning, Tuesday, at 9am. This means we should have Nate's passport by Wed and we can come home on Friday!! I will post again once all that is complete with flight details. Yeah, the countdown is on!

Our Adventures

2008-07-06T04:19:00.004-06:00

We've taken many adventures over the past few days. Including getting into a taxi accident-with no seat belts or car seat! We are all ok- Sarah and I are just stiff and Nate was completely unaffected. We've gotten to meet 3 other families here adopting; we are all at the same hotel. The Crawfords from San Antonio, the Woods from San Fran, and the Coles from Indiana. That has been really cool, meeting the families and babies. Here are a few more photos of the cutest chub! BTW...that could be Sam at the same age in the fire truck photo.

God Bless America

2008-07-04T16:06:00.003-06:00

On this 4th of July we are feeling truly blessed to be Americans. What a wonderful, amazing country we have. We dressed Nate up in celebration. He was a HIT! Of course he is everywhere we go. People are constantly coming up and commenting on his fat cheeks! We learned that the Chinese phrase which sounds like "Hao cou ai" means cute baby. We were hearing that everywhere so we finally asked someone. Also, with the hot sun, we got him a bonnet for when we go out walking. You can see he is a huge fan...We miss you all and can't wait to be home. Happy Independence Day everyone!!

Taking it in stride

2008-07-03T16:37:00.002-06:00

So as Peter posted, we are stuck here an extra week. A bummer just because we miss our families and the comforts of home! We are planning our days to catch a little excitement each day. Taipei 101 one day, the mall another, our version of "good food" when we find it. We are definitely American girls. We found some green onion pancakes we love, but outside of that have eaten little Chinese food [I realize that makes some of you wince; like you Peter!] I read in the China Post this morning an article about the historic # of flights to China because of the upcoming Olympics. I am guessing that has a lot to do with why we couldn't find a second flight home that easily. Check back- I have a great outfit for Nathaniel today and we will post photos tonight!

Big Delay

2008-07-03T08:19:00.003-06:00

So we hit a pretty big delay...
Our paperwork didn't get to Taiwan in time for Nathaniel's visa to get done before the 4th of July holiday. They are hoping to get the visa on Monday the 7th, but Northwest doesn't have any space on flights out of Taiwan until the following Friday July 11th. Please keep praying...
-Peter

Small Miracles

2008-07-02T15:04:00.002-06:00

Its 5am and Sarah and I are huddled in the bathroom eating Dunkin Donuts - the mochi rings are my favorite! Nate has slept 10 hours and we're not quite sure what to do. I got up and checked that he was still breathing. He's the best! Today we move hotels. From Landmark Inn to Golden China. It will be more centrally located so we will have better access to good food! Also GOOD news- NVC wired our paperwork to Taiwan so it should be here this morning. We are getting closer... stay tuned for more once we get settled again. Miss you all!!!

Baby Boy

2008-07-01T17:23:00.002-06:00

Photos of us chillin with the baby boy! Still no word of when we can come home. Peter has been on the phone with our congressman who is interceding on our behalf. Looks like our file was sent on Wed 6/25 but has disappeared into space. They are trying to track it down. I am guessing it will all get sorte out in the next day or so, but with the holiday we won't be leaving till the 7th or 8th. We'll keep you posted...

Here at Last!

2008-06-30T13:28:00.004-06:00

The moment has arrived! Nathaniel is a wonderful baby. HUGE and wonderful. He eats a lot and sleeps well; in fact we are just coming off a 6 hour stretch! Here he is. The woman in pink is his foster mother.

On the Home Front

2008-06-29T21:14:00.016-06:00

So Annie and Sarah are in Taiwan living the high life of Champagne and caviar (ok, maybe M&Ms and Seaweed flavored Pringles). I'm at home with Sammy and my Mom (Sam calls her "Oma"). Can you blame us for not wanting to bring a feisty 18 month-old on that plane trip? We also couldn't leave Sam for a week without one of us home.

Things are going fine here at home (Don't worry, Annie!). We're playing with Sam's little toy guitar, putting on every baseball cap in the house, and dancing to John Mayer (See Photos). Sorry the pictures are blurry. Sam moves too fast for the camera on my phone!

We're also spending a good bit of time wrestling:

Or going on "walks":

(I think Opa taught Sam how to exercise!)

And we're keeping a picture of Annie and Sarah around Sam. Here he is giving it kisses:

When Sam goes to bed at night, he usually just grabs his blanket and a nook. Tonight, he wouldn't go to bed without his picture of Mommy and Sarah. When Oma brought his blanket and bottle to him, Sam ran over, took their picture off the fridge, and brought it along to bed.

What a blessing Sam is, and what a blessing Nathaniel is.

-Peter

Barsch Week

2008-06-29T15:55:00.002-06:00

We have declared the last week in June as Barsch week. June 29, 2002 I became a Barsch when I married Peter. [Happy Anniversary love!] June 27, 2007 Sam became a Barsch when we picked him up. Today, June 30, 2008, Nathaniel will become a Barsch.

Labor Pains

2008-06-29T15:28:00.003-06:00

My friend and colleague Kelly, also a mother of adopted children, once said that every child enters the world through pain. She told me to think of my trip overseas as my labor. I love the analogy! That being said, I would consider Sam's delivery quite smooth and uncomplicated. Nathaniel on the other hand is requiring a c-section!

Our first plane left O'Hare airport in Chicago yesterday 45 minutes late, because the connecting flight from Minneapolis was late. We did have fun getting to know Annie, a 2 year old little girl traveling with her Dad. His wife had just had a baby on Sunday, another girl named Sarah. We thought the coincidence was funny. We got into Detriot and as we headed toward our gate we heard the announcement overhead- "Last call for passenger Barsch." So we sprinted to the gate and made it... just to then sit on the tarmack for an hour and a half because of problems in the cargo area and the need for refueling. We eventually took off and flew a good 8 hours [of a 12 hour flight] before this announcement was made- "Folks, I apologize but I am embarrassed to make an announcement I have never had to make before. The lavatories have become full and we can no longer offer them to customers." SO for the rest of the flight there were no more bathrooms and no more food or drink to help with the situation. CRAZY, right! So we do land and at this point in Osaka Japan and we want to kiss the ground. We get up as we pull into the gate and then hear the overhead annoucement- "Please be seated immediately and buckle your seatbelts. The oxygen masks will drop. Please put on your own first before helping another person." This came over the intercom twice. Everyone just sort of looked at each other and laughed thinking this has to be a mistake. Which it was. We enter the airport and run to the bathrooms with everyone else. While in the bathroom we hear overhead- "Final boarding call for flight 69 to Taipei." Once again we are sprinting to the plane. We made it and got here trouble free after that. We got through customs just fine, got our bags, and found our guide Fion. She is the best! She commented that I had cut my hair- what a memory!

We made it to our hotel, got some potato chips and peanut MnMs, showered and went to bed. After sleeping about 4 hours we are up and ready for the day! Today we will go to get Nathaniel. We leave 10:30am Taiwan time which is 9:30pm Chicago time.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers. The devil is determeined to interfere with this miracle, but we are fighting him tooth and nail with all your help!

Pictures of our second son coming next...!

Its Official!!

2008-06-12T04:07:00.002-06:00

Our final hearing was yesterday so Nathaniel is officially ours!! We will travel to get him leaving Sat June 28th and returning home with him on Fri July 4th. We will post updates, pictures and video on this blog so STAY TUNED...

Nathaniel's May Video

2008-05-26T20:32:00.002-06:00

Here's the latest one. I can't wait! I've reached the point where I'm no longer just excited for videos; they just make me more impatient to finally hold him!

Nathaniel's 2nd Video

2008-05-26T20:28:00.002-06:00

Here's the video we got at the end of February.

Videos of Nathaniel

2008-05-26T20:13:00.002-06:00

We've gotten behind on our blogging! Annie's done a good job of keeping the pictures uploaded, but I haven't been getting the videos up. Here's the first one we got of him. He's about 6 weeks old here.

Update

2008-05-12T06:45:00.003-06:00

Here is Nate at 4 1/2 months. He is now 17.8 lbs- a chunky little one!! We can't wait for him to come home. We have not heard anything about his hearing on 4/25 which they say is good news. He will likely have a second hearing next week or so and then a ruling. Soon....

Animal Print

2008-04-23T06:52:00.003-06:00

Many people have commented on Nate's giraffe outfit. Which is funny because last year we got a photo of Sam in a cow outfit. Neither of them were sent by us. Here they are side by side.

Carbon Copy

2008-04-22T14:20:00.003-06:00

Here's Nathaniel! He's 15.9 lbs and 22.8 inches. Sam's little carbon copy! What a blessing.

Court Date

2008-04-10T06:17:00.002-06:00

Exciting news!! Nathaniel's first court date is set for April 25th. Even our agency was surprised at how fast this is all going. This could mean several things. The judge could rule immediately [especially because this they are siblings so close together] or there would be a second hearing a month or so out and then we'll travel about 10 days after the final ruling. That means we could be traveling anywhere from 3 weeks to 8 weeks!!! Pray for Nate to come home soon!

Sweetheart

2008-03-12T06:35:00.005-06:00

Here's the latest photo of our growing boy. Nathaniel is now 13.9 lbs and 22 inches. He melts our hearts!

Growing boy!

2008-02-28T07:51:00.003-06:00

Nathaniel is growing fast! He looks more and more like his brother too...

Baby Nathaniel

2008-01-23T10:01:00.001-06:00

Here are photos of Sam's little brother Nathaniel Bryant WeiHsiang, born 12/13/07. Tiny Peanut!

Happy FIRST Birthday!

2007-11-30T10:36:00.001-06:00

Sam is ONE today and we are very excited! We are truly blessed to have such a happy, healthy, smart child. He makes us laugh and melts out hearts every day. He began walking around Halloween so now he is practically running! He babbles constantly and keeps mom company all day.

We also recognize today that halfway around the world Sam's birthmother is having a very different experience than us and so we ask for prayers for Mei-Chen. That God would comfort her sorrows in this loss.

Here are a couple recent photos. Sam bundled up for the cold winter, petting the Nina kitty, and then just being cute!

Baby Dedication Video

2007-11-12T16:20:00.000-06:00

Here's the video of Sam's baby dedication. At our church, we don't baptize infants, but we bless them and dedicate ourselves as parents to raise them in a Christian home. You can see Sam try to grab Carter Moss's notebook. (Carter is our campus pastor). He also lets out a nice squeal or two near the end. Enjoy! Thanks to Opa Barsch for videotaping it.

Growing Up

2007-09-25T19:21:00.000-06:00

I know- we use the same excuse as any parent- we are TOO busy to keep this blog updated on a regular basis. Oh well. Here are some of the latest photos. Sam will be 10 months on Sunday and is healthy and happy as could be! We are blessed.

Taipei Airport Video

2007-08-22T15:52:00.001-06:00

Here's a great video of Annie and Sam playing at the Taipei effort as we wait for our flight. Other passengers were very friendly and loved Sam. Thankfully, he behaved himself on the flight so he didn't change their minds. In this video, Annie references a You Tube video of another laughing baby, so I posted that one, too.

Laughing baby video

2007-08-22T15:47:00.001-06:00

OK, so this isn't Sam, obviously, but we love this video of a German baby with a great laugh. Annie references it in the Taipei airport video, so I thought you might want to see it.

Swing!

2007-08-22T15:26:00.000-06:00

Here's a trip to the park and the swing set.

Updates...Finally!

2007-08-20T19:41:00.000-06:00

Well we've been home several weeks now with no updates...sorry to you all. It was a whirlwind of chaos- the good kind with tons of family and friends stopping by to meet Sam and bring us meals. Since arriving home Sam has grown tremendously! He is now 22 lbs, he crawled within 3 days and now stands on his own. He is trying hard to walk and will accomplish that soon. He's gotten 2 haircuts and 3 more teeth to bring that total to 9. He's gone swimming and loved it- played in the grass and hated it- and played in the sand and is questionable. He likes to swing at the park [see photo] and gets into everything. We absolutely love him and know that God intended him to be ours all along. Peter is cleaning up some home videos so those are soon to come. Enjoy these recent photos!

Procrastinate no longer...

2007-08-20T19:39:00.000-06:00

Ok, so I now have about two more days until I start back to school. 'Bout time I take these videos off the camera, huh? I'll put a few more up in the next few days as I get them ready.

Thanks for your patience and your emails!
Here's a video of us playing with Sam in our Taipei hotel room.

Settling In

2007-07-11T18:56:00.000-06:00

Now that we are home and on week two things are a little more predictable. I figured I'd take a little time to share some of our family photos. Grammy and Grandpa, Mom and Dad, Aunt Squee and Uncle Joe are shown. Sam is doing great! Sleeping a little more, eating a LOT more, and still teething. He began crawling today and pulls himself up to standing whenever he can. He is an absolute blessing!

Recovering!

2007-07-08T09:36:00.000-06:00

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for your support, love and prayers. We've been working on getting Sam to sleep during Chicago's nighttime, and get used to the new digs. I'll put up more pictures from the trip home in the next few days. Thanks!

Yeah, so babies & museums don't mix...

2007-06-29T03:36:00.001-06:00

We went to the National Museum, an amazing collection of Chinese art from the last 8000 years. Sam decided to enjoy the sound of his loud squeals in any large, echoing room we encountered. He liked that so much, he kept doing it in the little rooms, too. Yeah, so we weren't there very long. Good times!

Tonight we're going to dinner with Annie's second cousin & his family. (Annie's mom's cousin's son...follow that?) He lives in Taipei with his wife, who is Taiwanese, and their family. Then one more night & we're on our way.

Keep on praying!

Taipei 101

2007-06-28T23:13:00.000-06:00

OK, so I can't seem to get a good picture of the outside of Taipei 101. Here are some from the internet. Enjoy! (Oh, and I still think the Sears Tower is taller. Yeah Chicago!)

And now...the reason we're here.

2007-06-28T22:56:00.001-06:00

Here's Sam being cool.

Shrine of Fallen Soldiers

2007-06-28T22:33:00.000-06:00

This is a GORGEOUS shrine to fallen soldiers in the history of the Republic of China. It was about 100 degrees and humid, though so we didn't stay long. They had soldiers doing the "I'm-a-guard-so-I-stand-real-still-even-though-it's-freaking-hot-and-I'm wearing-wool" kind of thing. Impressive, very impressive. It's very "The Last Emperor."

Pics of the Grand Hotel

2007-06-28T22:27:00.000-06:00

This is a gorgeous hotel made to look like a Chinese palace. Cool gardens outside, too.

Pics of Taipei 101

2007-06-28T22:24:00.001-06:00

Taipei 101 is the tallest building is the world. I'll get some pics of the outside up later, but here's the inside and views from the top. Notice the hottie with the baby carrier. There was a cool storm while we were up there. It doesn't turn out great on the pictures, but hey...

Sights around town

2007-06-28T22:19:00.000-06:00

Wanna see some pictures of Taipei? OK, here you go.

My wife is a genius

2007-06-27T12:37:00.001-06:00

My wife is a genius. We'll explain later... Notice I'm writing this at TWO-THIRTY IN THE MORNING!!!!

At long last..

2007-06-27T02:05:00.000-06:00

In this video you can see our first meeting with Sam. The first woman you'll see holding him is the foster Mom. Sorry for the bad camera work. My attention was on him, not on framing the shot perfectly. Enjoy!

No more waiting!

2007-06-26T08:05:00.001-06:00

We got Sam today! This morning our guide Fion drove us down to Feng Yuan (which sounds like Fun-gyuen to my ears). We went to the local office of the adoption agency and met his foster mother Ms. Liu, who had him in her arms as we walked in. (By the way, "This is our God" was playing on the radio in the office when we came in...CCC people know this song by its chorus which keeps repeating "This is the one we have waited for...") We said hello and sat down and Ms. Liu put him in our arms. Annie and I were worried we would burst into tears and grab him from the arms the first moment we saw him! We didn't want to do freak him out (or Ms. Liu, for that matter) so we prepared ourselves for the moment. He is a BIG baby. Not really fat, but BIG... He has four teeth across the top, and none on the bottom. He likes to bite Mommy's kneecaps. He took to us really well. He smiled at us from the start and takes a bottle easily. (Though he'd probably take a bottle from anyone...Big eater, this one). The first video I will put up will be our meeting. Here are a few pictures of the trip and then pics of him in our hotel room. It's 10:15 PM here now and we're trying to get him down for the night. He just wants to roll around going "thbptbptbptbptbpt!!!!" and stick out his lower lip like Popeye. Thanks for everyone's prayers. We know they are working!

We're here!

2007-06-25T08:58:00.001-06:00

We've made it! We're in our hotel: the Evergreen Laurel in Taipei. We're so beat right now. I'm going to post a couple of pictures of the hotel room on the website and then go to bed. It's ten at night here, but it feels like 9AM with very little sleep on the plane. We chased the sun, so we had daylight until just before we arrived. We met our adoption agency contact Fion, and she is sweet and helpful. Tomorrow we drive down to meet Sam and the foster family. It looks like the birth mother has decided not to meet us, which we respect.

The flights were very smooth. China Airways is very nice and professional. Our 747 was sweet, although you can hardly see it in the picture...nice photography, Pete.
Love,
Peter & Annie

We Travel When??!!

2007-06-08T18:52:00.000-06:00

Today we learned that Sam had his final hearing this morning! This means we will travel later this month to get him!! We will leave the States on 6/24 and return with him on 6/30. What a perfect gift for our 5 year wedding anniversary on 6/29. Please pray for safe travels and understanding plane passengers : )

6 month video

2007-06-05T21:06:00.000-06:00

He can almost roll over!

I'm a BIG boy!

2007-06-05T20:22:00.000-06:00

These photos were taken on Sam's 6 month birthday. He is growing so fast- he needs to come home!!

New video

2007-05-18T10:25:00.000-06:00

Five Months Already!

2007-05-16T19:10:00.000-06:00

Here's our growing little boy. He's 5 months in these photos, weighing in at a whopping 18.5 lbs and he's 26.4" long. It looks like he found his feet too. We love him!

Baby Cakes

2007-05-11T06:19:00.000-06:00

Our very talented friend Mark Lie created a unique cake for Sam's shower. It is the coolest thing! The booties have a Made in Taiwan label on back and the letters on the blocks are significant. The first one has Sam's initials- SJWB and the second has A for Annie, P for Peter, a diaper pin and the logo from our church. On top of the blocks are an American flag and a Taiwanese flag. We are so blessed to have such creative friends!!

Our April Update is Here!

2007-04-19T17:17:00.000-06:00

Check out those Mladic eyes! We have no idea where the adorable cow suit came from... or why the video is sideways but, NO complaints here!

He is now 16.5 lbs and 25.19"

Sam's Chinese Name

2007-04-12T18:13:00.000-06:00

Oma and Opa Barsch (That's Grandma & Grandpa Barsch for those of us who don't Sprechen Deutsch) have a good friend who is Chinese. She graciously offered to translate Sam's original Chinese name for us. She asked to see it written, however, because the transliterated name "Wei-Lun Chung" could refer to any number of different sets of Chinese letters. We sent her a copy of a document containing his Chinese name, and she indicates that she wouldn't translate it as "Wei-Lun Chung," as it was described to us, but rather as "Wei-Lun Zhong."

She writes: Sam's name (in Chinese) Wei-lun Zhong means "Greatest amongst his peers"; wei -- great, lun -- peers, Zhong is the family name.

Thanks to Mom & Dad Barsch for following up on this, and thanks to Lan Wang of Jackson, TN for the translation.

Who's this baby character...?

2007-03-25T20:44:00.000-06:00

Nina [our cute cat] seems to think all this new stuff is for her. Here she is checking out Sam's carseat, pack n play, and high chair. Boy will she be upset when he comes along and gets into all "her" stuff...

Sam's first Video

2007-03-19T12:21:00.001-06:00

Chunky Baby Alert

2007-03-13T19:08:00.000-06:00

We received our first update today. I can't believe how big Sam is getting! Here are the photos. We also got a short video.

He is now 14.33 lbs and 24.4 inches. We got an activity report and he searches for voice sources, smiles, bears weight on his feet, follows objects, laughs and babbles, watches his hands, and puts everything in his mouth!

The coolest thing!

2007-03-06T15:16:00.000-06:00

Our friend Heather is a very talented seamstress and she made a pillow for Samuel. It has the flag of Taiwan on one side and the American flag on the other. What a creative idea! It is even authentic with the 13 red/white stripes. Thanks Heather!!

2007-02-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

Here's one of the other referral photos. We call him our little boxer- look at those fists! Also notice his fat cheek drooping down its so big...just like Peter.

Care Package

2007-02-20T14:51:00.000-06:00

This morning we sent a care package off to Samuel in Taiwan. It included 2 baby blankets we slept with to pick up our scent, a giraffe rattle that Nina "played with" aka attacked furiously so its has her scent/fur all over it now...and a photo book with pictures of us. We also sent a couple disposable cameras so the Foster Mom can take ongoing pic's for us and some chocolates for her and the agency as well. According to the USPS, for a mere $35 he will receive it in 3-5 days.

Happy New Year!

2007-02-18T13:19:00.000-06:00

Happy Chinese New Year! We are now ushering in the Year of the Pig. Sam was born in the Year of the Dog. Here's a description of "Dogs." (Source: http://www.c-c-c.org/chineseculture/zodiac/zodiac.html)

Year of the Dog

1922, 1934, 1946, 1958, 1970, 1982, 1994, 2006
People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty, are honest, and inspire other people¡¦s confidence because they know how to keep secrets. But Dog People are somewhat selfish, terribly stubborn, and eccentric. They care little for wealth, yet somehow always seem to have money. They can be cold emotionally and sometimes distant at parties. They can find fault with many things and are noted for their sharp tongues. Dog people make good leaders. They are compatible with those born in the Years of the Horse, Tiger, and Rabbit.

In case you are interested, Annie and I are both Rabbits. Note that we are compatible with Dogs!

Year Of The Rabbit

1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999
People born in the Year of the Rabbit are articulate, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make good gamblers for they have the uncanny gift of choosing the right thing. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.

Dossier on its way

2007-02-12T18:42:00.000-06:00

We've sent off our dossier, which is basically a bunch of documents officially stating our intention to adopt Sam. And I do mean "Official." We had it all notarized, then had the US government certify that the notary is actually a notary, then had the Chicago office of the Taiwain government certify that it had been certified, and then sent it off to Seattle to have it all translated into Mandarin, and then on to Taiwan. Then we wired a truly scary amount of money to a distant account.

Wish us luck.

On a brighter note, we hope to receive more pictures and whatnot this week. Keep your fingers crossed!

Beaurocracy

2007-02-07T20:04:00.000-06:00

So, we had a bit of a snag in the paperwork. A notary we used was doing things improperly, leading to a long, difficult day for Annie. She's been really patient and has stayed on top of all the mountain of paperwork, but this was frustrating for her. We had to wait for Annie's passport to get changed, and that delayed things. I think everything is handled now, but we'll see. Now our agency is translating everything into Chinese, and then sending it off to Taiwan.

On a brighter note, they apparently get updates around the middle of the month, so we might get some new pictures of Sammy next week. He's 10 weeks old already! He's aging so fast!

Super Bowl

2007-02-03T22:59:00.000-06:00

Here's hoping they have a TV on in Taiwan. I don't want Sam to miss a chance to see a Bears Super Bowl win. And maybe see Uncle Joey in the stands!

Waiting impatiently

2007-01-27T21:20:00.000-06:00

Its so interesting. We got our referral with a couple of pictures, but they just whet the appetite! It's hard not to have new updates and pictures every day!
Some friends of ours here have a baby girl who was born Nov 28, just 2 days before Sam. We can look at her and kind of visualize how he may look or act.
There's another couple going through the same agency as we are, who have a great website with cool videos. Definitely tear-jerking! We get to see them meet their cute daughter Violet, and see video of Taiwan. They are staying there, renting an apartment to foster the child themselves while they go through the Taiwanese legal process. Here's the link: www.benandbethany.us

Samuel Joseph WeiLun Barsch

2007-01-20T11:43:00.000-06:00

So we've decided on an American name: Samuel Joseph WeiLun Barsch. Joseph is a big name in the Engels family: Sam has an Uncle Joey, and Annie's dad is John Joseph. We wanted to keep his birth name incorporated, so we're giving him two middle names. We have good friends who are a biracial Chinese-American family, and they also gave their children a second Chinese middle name. There's no family connection for Samuel, but I like that it works both as a cute kid's name ("Hey Sammy!") and as a dignified adult name (Samuel Johnson, Samuel Adams, etc.).

We have a son!

2007-01-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

Annie and I are happy to announce that we have received our referral of a baby boy! He was born on November 30, and was 7 pounds, 14 ounces to birth. His Chinese name is Chung Wei-Lun. (Chung is his family name, and Wei-Lun is the given name). Here's a picture!