Hannah's Finalization Day

I can't believe it has already been six and a half months since our daughter arrived in our arms from Korea. The time has flown and she has truly amazed me how she has fit right in to our family. Today at 2:30 p.m. in the Summit County Courthouse in Akron, Ohio it was officially that Hannah Soo Min Cook is our daughter! What a wonderful blessing for her mom and dad that dreamed and beleived that God had two children for our family in Korea just three years ago. What a truly amazing journey we have been on to get our two children. They have brought so much joy to our lives and today was a wonderful day spent with family to celebrate Hannah's Adoption Day (as Noah calls it). We were so glad to get to see Josie and her family. Josie and Hannah were born a day apart and spent the first 6 months of their lives in the orphange together. Hannah and Josie also came home to their forever families on the same day, so it was wonderful they could share the same finalization day together. Hannah, you are a beautiful blessing from God, we love you dearly and are so overjoyed you are officially our daughter!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Noah!!!!

Happy 3rd Birthday to Noah. It seems just like yesterday when I got the call from Ryan that our Social Worker had called and said she had the perfect little boy for us. Boy, was she was right, he is just perfect for us! Birthdays are always bittersweet when they come around for my children. Our family in the United States are not the only ones I am sure that hold these important dates as very special days. There are two people today that I am sure are wondering where that little boy is now and how he looks, and what he is doing. If I could tell them I would share all about this special child they gave to us in love. He is growing so big and loves to talk! He has a very special stuffed dog, he takes very good care of and takes wherever he goes. He loves trucks, tractors, and trains. His imagination is starting to soar! He gives the best hugs, kisses, and back rubs. There are days I want to keep him just this size, but there are days I am eager to see what God has planned for his future. One thing is constant, I love this little boy so much! Noah is such a blessing in our lives and today we thank God for our son and we thank Noah's birth parents for giving us such a wonderful gift. Happy Birthday, Noah!

Summer Fun Pictures

I can't beleive how fast the summer has gone by. I know lots of people sad to see the days slip by, and I am too to some extent. For me, I am getting ready for a new journey! A new set of 4th graders that I am eager to get to know and to teach, Ryan gets to go back to working days so we can stil have family time at night, and my mom becomes Noah and Hannah's new babysitter during the daytime. I have been working hard at getting our summer pictures uploaded so I can get them printed. While I still have lots to go I thougth I better post some pictures to show just how much fun we have had this summer and how fast my babies are growing!

Happy Birthday, Papa Tom

Happy Birthday, Papa Tom!

Maybe this will teach you to be careful what pictures you take on my camera!

Today Papa Tom is 57 years old. We enjoyed a wonderful breakfast at Perkins this morning. Papa Tom loves breakfast! Does he look a year older? If not this morning, maybe after having his two wonderful grandchildren with him for a few hours he may appear and feel differently.

On a very sincere note, Dad, Happy Birthday! You are a wonderful dad and papa! Wishing you a wonderful day and many more happy years to come!

Love,

Tabitha, Ryan, Noah, and Hannah

Happy 1st Birthday Hannah!

Our sweet baby girl is 1 today! I can't believe she is one already! Hannah is such a happy girl. She is very easy going, but can show her temper once in awhile. This week she has had fun looking at the animals at the fair, seeing fireworks, and helping mom put the house back together after a paint job and putting laminate floors.

As I type this my heart is breaking for three different families that have lost their babies, all with different situations. I can't imagine losing my children, but I do know they are a gift from God and that God will see us through any circumstances. The feelings the above families are feeling have to be some of the same feelings Hannah's and Noah's birth parents have felt. I always get so weepy when it is holidays, I feel sad that I am the one that gets to see all the joy and excitement in the kids' eyes. Hannah's birth parents are very special people, even though I have never met them, I am so proud of them for taking her home and for 10 days got to know their daughter. They have given our family a true blessing, a gift that I could never thank them enough for. I remember this day last year for me, I had shingles, I was told I needed to get glasses, and it was just an up and down down day. Wow, little did I know over halfway around the world, our daughter was being born. I have a feeling Hannah's birth parents will have thoughts of what a year ago was like for them. I lift them up in prayer for peace and that they may feel comfort while they reflect back on the year.

Happy Birthday dear Hannah! Your family loves you dearly and you are a true gift from God!

One Month Ago and 5 Years Ago

I can't believe how the time is flying by! A month ago at this time my baby girl was in the air flying to meet her mom and dad and big brother. I have had my baby girl a whole month, but it seems just like yesterday she was placed in my arms. Hannah is a wonderful baby and so easy going. I think she has slept through more nights in this past month than Noah has his entire life! Hannah has a very easy going personality. She lets you know when it is time to eat or when it is time to be changed. Hannah has a smile and laugh that is so beautiful. Her big brother Noah has had a rough month realizing mom can't always hold him all the time, learning to share, and not always having mommy get his sippy cups as fast as he would like them. Mom too has had some adjustments to deal with along the way. The one thing that has made my heart melt is watching Noah and Hannah play together. This past week they have started really playing sweetly together and it is so beautiful. That brings me to 5 years ago.... was the day my brother, Torrey, left to go to his heavenly home. I can't believe five years ago was the last time I talked to him or saw him. I wish I knew if he could see my kids. I truly feel when God created these two beautiful children He put some Torreyisms in their bodies. Noah's deep passion for the farm, tractors, and animals remind me of my brother a lot. Hannah is already showing some ornery behaviors that make me wonderful what other Torreyisms will show through as she gets older. I can see already how Noah loves his sister and although I don't remember how I felt at 2 and a half years of age, I do know five years ago I loved my brother. I still love him today. I love him for all the lessons he taught me prior to his death and I love him for the lessons he still teaches me. I hope I continue to learn from him in the next five years. Time sure flies!

More Pictures

Noah loves his sister. When Hannah is not in sight he always asks, "Where Hannah?" Of course, there has been times he has asked, "When Hannah go home?" as well.

They do seem to love talking their baths together. I wonder how long that will last?

Nighttime seems to be the hardest for Noah. When I am giving Hannah her bottle, Noah asks, "When it my turn?" "Baby done yet?"

Today we are off to see the Dr. Noah came down with a
yucky cold or something. He has been miserable and yes, it seems that Miss Hannah has gotten what her brother seems to have. So, hopefully Dr. C. can help us out.

Thank the Lord for the wonderful weather we have been having. It has been wonderful to be able to get outside with the kids to take some walks and to play outside.

We are open to company anytime, please just give us a call to see if we are home!

Pictures Finally

http://thecookfamily.smugmug.com/Children

I am so sorry it has taken me so long to post the pictures of Hannah's Gotcha Day. What a special day it was! We are so blessed all of our parents were able to come and spend the day with us. We truly feel God has blessed us with two special children that I can't imagine not having. God is so Good!

Hannah's adjustment has went so well. I feel our prayers have been heard and answered for an easy adjustment and I know she has felt love because she is such a happy, happy baby!

I will try better to keep my blog updated with pictures! Thanks for everyone's support and prayers!

Today is the Day!

Today is the day we meet our daughter. I am so nervous and excited! Her flight is running about 10 minutes early. There are so many things running through my head. I am sure I forgotten something for Noah or Hannah. I wonder if I will recognize her. I just have so many questions and to think in just a few hours I will know everything. I feel so blessed that all our parents are getting to share this special day with us. My greatest fear when we began Noah's adoption process was that he wouldn't be loved as if he was a biological child. Wow, I am amazed everyday how our family, friends, and community have loved and taken Noah in. We are a truly blessed family to be so loved. The next post I make the Cook family will officially be a family of four! Please pray for the remainder of Hannah's flight, our trip to Detroit, and the adjustment stages we are all going to be going through.

God is an Awesome God!

I am not sure if I could say that yesterday morning, but as I was laying Noah down to sleep last night I suddenly realized God had answered a long prayer request of ours. He gave Uncle Jerry eternal peace. What a wonderful feeling to know Jerry doesn't have to suffer any longer. I received the call from my mom a little after I posted yesterday's blog "A Bittersweet Day" how I didn't know what a true bittersweet day it would be. Jerry had a very peaceful passing and even though I wanted to have Hannah home to share with him, God's timing is perfect and he needed Jerry home. I never want to forget the fighter that Jerry was. There are many lessons to learn from this brace man. When he was first diagnosed with the colon cancer in August of 2002 I never dreamed that we would be blessed with his life for five more years. He has touched so many people's lives and is truly an inspiration to me. Now, he is in his eternal home and I know he is rooting us all on.

A Bittersweet Day

Even though I haven't set my alarm for the past few days and I have been going to bed much lately, I have been waking up right around 5:30 a.m. Is God preparing my body for not much sleep in the next coming day? I love my quiet time in the house in the morning. I have this feeling that in the next few days there may not be much quiet time or who knows at what hours in the day our quiet times will come?

I should be ecstatic that my countdown reads 0 days and 18 hours, but I am feeling something quite different. Today if it hasn't happened already will be dropped back off at KSS and she will say goodbye to her foster family. I can't imagine what she is thinking? How can you explain a nine month old that everything will be okay and all this going on will result in a very good thing. We are so thankful for the love and care Hannah's foster family provided while she was in their care. The foster family will always hold a special place in our hearts. Then, the escort will come to complete the last of the paperwork and take Hannah to the airport. Tonight at 10:00 p.m. our time they will leave Seoul and fly to Tokyo. From Tokyo they will fly into Detroit on Northwest Flight #26. They are scheduled to land at 1:40 p.m. What a long flight!

So, today, I do not feel much excitement, I feel concern, sadness, and worry that Hannah will handle the transition with ease. I pray that Hannah finds peace and comfort as she is out in the arms of her escort to be brought to her mom and dad who have been waiting for so long to hold her.

Now at 10:00 p.m. I will probably feel excitement. She will be in the air making her journey to us. I remember almost two year ago watching on the computer, tracking the same flight, only on June 7/8, 2005. What a feeling to see this little dot representing the flight that is carrying some very special cargo! Yes, tonight at 10:00 p.m. I will feel excitement for so many things.

In Memory...

Our family lost a dear mom, grandma, great-grandma, and great-great-grandma a week ago. Grandma was 103 years old and up to a month ago she was doing so well. I will never forget our last real visit how she asked if we had gotten our little girl yet. That means she knew me and she knew that we were anticipating the arrival of our Hannah. Noah and I had prayed nightly for Grandma's time to go be with her heavenly Father. Grandma was ready, but selfishly I just wanted her to hold on to Hannah's arrival. I didn't get my selfish wish, but Grandma gave me a gift for Hannah that is priceless. The day after Grandma passed, my mom brought over an Easter gift that means so much to me. Not only did she get me a pink outfit I will be wearing to Hannah's arrival, but in the bag was a beautiful pink, white, and green baby blanket Grandma had made for Hannah at 102 years old. Hannah will never meet Grandma in person, but her mom will tell her all about her and she will know from her blanket that she held a special place in Grandma's heart.

Hannah is Coming Home!!!!

We received our call today! Hannah is coming home on Wednesday, April 18th at 1:40 p.m. to Detroit. We are all so excited for her to finally be coming home! There are four other babies coming home on that flight! We are praying we hear soon that one of the babies traveling with Hannah is Josie, a little girl that was born a day apart from Hannah. They both spent the first six months of their lives together at Korean Social Services. Stay tuned for Gotcha Day pictures! It won't be long now!
We ask that join us in praying for her continued health and safety and for her foster family as they prepare Hannah to come home to her forever family!

Spring Break

Spring Break has arrived! I really thought we might have heard by this time when our daughter would be arriving home, but as you have probably guessed, yes we are still waiting to hear any news of travel. We do know our agency has escorts lined up for April, but no word when or if Hannah is one that will travel in April. It has been getting hard this waiting!

This week we are on Spring Break. We will be going over to the Amish for the first part of the week and then we will come back and then for the remainder part of the week, Noah and I will go up to the Lakes. I am looking forward to spending some time with Noah. He is such a joy to be around (most of the time)!

Please join us in praying for news soon of Hannah's travel date!

It's March--Signs of Spring???

Well, here we are in the month of March. I know we are so close to getting our travel call, the days are going by quickly, yet in my heart time is standing still. Looking at her pictures are so hard, I just want to hold her. I feel bad about wanting her home so bad, I have Noah to hold and love, but there is still this little hole in my heart. I know that God's timing is absolutely perfect, and I trust that God has a wonderful plan for the time Hannah arrives.

On a happy note, I am seeing, smelling, and hearing signs of spring! Noah is helping me notice these signs. Yesterday, I told him we could go outside and he went running to his playset! He loves to swing! While he was swinging, he starts yelling, "birdie, birdie!" There was a robin! I am looking so forward to having spring off with Noah and Hannah! What a great time of the year to bring home a baby.

I appreciate all the prayers and thoughts people are giving our family as we wait for Hannah to come home!

Our Daughter, Hannah Soo Min

We received an update in the mail today. What a beautiful surprise! The update was completed on January 31st, so we was almost 7 months when this update was done. She was weighinh 16.28 pounds and is 25.75 inches long. She was placed in foster care on 1-29-07. Everything sounds great from the update. She sleeps on the floor with her foster mom (I don't care how she sleeps as long as she sleeps! Not like her big brother!) She is eating soft cookies with no teeth. She must take after her mother with sweet tooth!

We are still praying that God's timing for her arrival is coming soon! Enjoy the pictures!

It's February!!!

January did fly by! 20 little ones came home to their forever families. Now we sit and wait to see if we are one of the families in February to get their travel call. I feel as if there is a slight chance, but in my heart know that it will probably be March instead. I am so anxious for the February calls to be made.

Hannah turned 7 months old yesterday. It was nice that mom got to celebrate the day with a snow day. It has been fun this week to have two days in a row where I could be at home with Noah. He is such a joy to us. I am a little concerned that when Hannah comes, his adjustment may be hard for him. I am praying that he loves his sister dearly and wants her to stay.

I need to remember God's timing is perfect and I truly know that. Please continue to join us in praying for Hannah's health and her safety. I also pray that she somehow can feel our love that we have for her clear across the world!

20 Passports Issued in January!!!

Friday, January 12th turned out to be an exciting day for our adoption group. Many waiting parents received news of their child's travel date. 20 passports were issued to babies waiting to come home. Last January (06) 15 passports were issued. We have emailed our social worker to see if she can find out any information on where Hannah stands on coming home. Within our adoption group, there are only 6 families ahead of her. The thing with Korea's program, you never know how many passports are going to be issued each month until the director of KSS goes to the government and ask for the visas.

I know the rest of January will fly by, with being busy with school, listening to the babies arrival stories, and waiting for snow!!!! It is so hard for me to believe we are getting closer to having Hannah in our arms!