Somewhere over the rainbow . . . .

I had to add the rainbow picture in here because it was so beautiful. We were are the Davie's for their Taiwan beauty's second birthday party and this was part of the party. :)

Anyway, we can't believe that it has been 2 weeks since we got our little cutie-pie. Nicolas is such a blessing to our family and one of these days he will understand everything we say to him and us to him. In 2 weeks he has learned alot of English, become accustomed to American food and understands alot of what we are saying. He fits in so well and Natalie and him play very well together. You know when they are getting tired because then they start bickering, sometimes it is cute.

Nicolas amazes us each day with something new in English. The other day he said "Mama, I'm hungry", I was blown away and about to give him anything he wanted to eat. His favorite thing to eat is peanut butter sandwiches that daddy makes into dinosaurs and bananas. Oh, don't forget the shrimp. Him and Natalie don't just eat the shrimp the inhale it. It is a fight between Nicolas, Natalie, Scooter and Oscar. Joe and I have to wait for left overs, if there are any. Also, Joe was teasing Nicolas the other day and he said "Stop it, Papa". It is so funny when he says things because we just stop and look at each other and laugh. He knows if he does something good we always say "good job". So, now he says it for himself. Nicolas loves to play in the yoyo and to play with other kids. I think alot of what has helped him get acclimated is that there are so many kids in the neighborhood for him to play with, and, of course, all the older girls adore him. We took Nicolas for his first ice cream cone the other day and he liked it alot, but wasn't sure how to handle it. Both him and Natalie had to get bowls before the licking was over.

These past 2 weeks have been trying, at times, but also such a blessing. It has been so much fun to share alot of these fun times with friends and family and we can't wait for more. :)

First full weekend home

This was our first full weekend at home and it was full of things to do. Friday we went to HGVC where everyone, where I work, got to meet our son. What an impression he made. He had allot of fun playing with Norma, or did Norma have allot of fun playing with Nicolas. :) Then Friday night Auntie Gail got to meet Nicolas for the first time as she introduced him to different types of wings from Flyers. Then the Souzas, from across the street came over and while the adults hung outside the kids played inside. Nicolas really enjoyed all that interaction with the kids.

Saturday we had the community BBQ which was nice. The kids had so much fun playing with all the other kids it was tough to pull them out of the pool 3 hrs later. By that time Joe and I were french fries even with lotion because the sun was that strong. Then the Souzas made dinner for us and it was all very yummy! Again, we got to have adult hangout while the kids got to play until they started dropping one by one.

Then today, Sunday, the weather was kinda good, kinda bad. It was mostly rainy so we weren't going to go in the yo-yo (pool) today and we had a birthday party at 4pm, so what's the next best thing to do . . . .. bake brownies. Not sure if this was Nicolas' first time, but as you can see from the pictures the two little chefs enjoyed this immensely. We even let them throw in some mini m&m's. Of course Nicolas wanted to be stingy with the m&m's because he just likes to "throw 'em down. :) Also, Uncle Ronnie stopped by to meet his new nephew. He played with him with the toys he brought before he had to go. Natalie and Nicolas both had a blast at Morgan's 2nd birthday party because there were so many kids and it was raining but it didn't stop them from playing outside. Good thing they had their swim suits because they were ready to go with the rest of the kids. Now, it is time to get the little ones to bed, it has been a long, but busy, but fun weekend for Natalie and Nicolas, and even mom & dad.

July 23rd - Nicolas' First Dr. Visit

Today, Nicolas went to see Dr. Yarckin for the first time to get his first American checkup. According to the Dr. he did very well. He weighs in at 35lbs (6 lbs heavier than Natalie) and is 40 3/4 in tall. I think they said Natalie is almost 40 in tall, so they are close for being 10 months apart in age. We have been asked, many times, since we have been home if they are twins. Obviously not, for those of you who know us, but they look pretty similar. Nicolas did awesome during his first visit with the Dr. all the way up to the time he had to have 3 shots. But you know the best medicine for 3 shots is 2 lollipops. As soon as the nurse gave him the shots she gave him a lollipop and the tears went away. It is so funny because he loves being with Papa (daddy), but as soon as he gets a boo-boo it is "mama, mama . . . ". You can't but love this kid. He is funny and silly and boy does he play his mama and papa. As you can see from some of the pictures, what do you do while waiting for the Dr . . . .. . blow up the rubber gloves and let them go . . . . . :)

July 20th

I know I am out of sync, but as I get time to blog I am just going to post to get some of these pictures out. On Monday, July 20th (Happy Birthday, Richard!) we went to the Club House to hang out and wait to purchase tickets to the community BBQ on Saturday. While hanging out, alot of our neighbors from our street came out to hang too. So, we pulled up some chairs by the pool and let the kids play until 830pm. We would have stayed longer but the bugs were coming out in full force. Nicolas had a blast hanging in the pool and playing with the kids. He played so well and tried pizza for the first time and loved it. Thanks Liz & Bam. Our friends, Liz and Bam were having a party for their son during the same time everyone was there, so they provided everyone with pizza.

July 22nd - A Visit with the DiMatteo's

Our friends Jen, Tyra and Judy came to visit us on Wednesday. Jen and Judy went with us to China and Jen picked up the beautiful Tyra. It was so much fun to see them and hang out with them because it has been awhile. The girls loved being together and Nicolas loved meeting Tyra. :)

Thanks Jen & Judy for all the goodies, the kids are loving them!!

We Made it!!

After 25 hrs of traveling we made it home safe and sound on Saturday at 945pm. The flight over is long too, but not as bad because you are on a mission. :) On the way back you just want to get home.

Nana & Papa, Uncle Kenny and Aunt Jen were there to greet us. Nana brought balloons and was a hit with Nicolas. He loves balloons. They also brought rice, yum! yum! and presents for Natalie and Nicolas, which they loved, Thank you very much!!

When Nicolas got to the house he was overwhelmed, just a little. He told a Chinese lady in Tokyo that he was going to live in a castle. We really don't live in a castle but I guess, to him, compared to his foster home he thinks it is a castle. The kids played until 130am and we all went to bed, trying to get back on this time clock. Natalie woke up at noon and we had to wake Nicolas up at 1230pm.

His first day home was fun, but not long. After lunch we played in the pool for most of the afternoon. Once they were ready to watch a movie, Nicolas passed out in the chair and he is now in bed.

I am going to share pictures in this post of some of our flying yesterday and playing in the pool today. After I organize the pictures I will go backwards and post more from Taiwan.

Poche Family Pictures

Hello family and friends !!

We are all adjusting well with our new addition. Natalie is so excited to have Nicolas as her brother and Robin and I are excited to have Nicolas as our son!

He is a ball of energy but when he sleeps he sleeps like a rock ! Today we had to wake Nicolas up after he slept for over twelve hours !! I cannot remember the last time I slept past eight hours never mind twelve, oh well we hope he sleeps this long on the way back home.

Hello to all of the Universal team that may be following this journey.

Enjoy the pics !

GOTCHA DAY 2009

Here are some pictures from our Gotcha Day with Nicolas. It was quite a day. We met the social worker, Anne, at 7am. We had to take 2 trains to get to Pingtung, where he lives. Riding a train for me was a first. So, in one day I had two firsts, and earthquake and a train ride. :) The first train we took was a bullet train which was really nice. The second train was the usual train, thank goodness the ride was only 30 minutes. Oh, another first, Joe, Natalie and I ate Lay's chicken chips on the train. They were good and that was all that Natalie talked about. Then from there the government social worker picked us up and brought us to the government building where we were to meet Nicolas. So much happened in that small amount of time. Everyone was suppose to meet at 1130, but the Foster mom and family were having a hard time with the adoption, which made us very worried as we sat there and waited. We also found out that we were suppose to meet the birth family, but things went heywire the day before. Finally, we were called to the balcony of the building and we saw Nicolas, below, playing on the swings with a family member. He was all dressed in his tradition clothes. For those of you who saw the pictures we received in June, we found out what the costume was. He is an Aborigine and that is a costume they were. And as you can see he has it on in his pictures. Cathwel gave us a book on this culture so we can better understand it and keep it alive for him.

So, the moment has come and the whole group enter the room. Nicolas aka Allen (his foster family changed his name from Chia-En to Allen and he ran over and gave Joe (Papa) a big hug and then came to me (Mama). He is a very sweet boy and very active. He gave Natalie a run for her money. The Foster family was awesome. They are truly attached to Nicolas and it showed, but on the other hand they have been so good to him. They take him to church and they teach him about his culture and they have spoiled him alot, especially grandma. We found out he likes to dance and sing, so I think he will fit in to our karaoke family. :) It was a very emotional meeting because they are going to miss him and we felt for them. Natalie and Nicolas hit it off really well. You wouldn't have known there was a language barrier. They chased each other and hugged and played. After that meeting we went to meet the birth mom, she was very emotional and didn't want to take any pictures with us or Nicolas. She gave us a bag of clothes that she had bought him. Nicolas was very good when he left, he didn't cry but you could tell it wasn't really sinking in. Him and Natalie held hands as they walked to the car, it was too darn cute.

We left the city building and went for lunch and then boarded the trains back to Taipei. It was a 2 1/2 hr trip total and both kids fell asleep. First Nicolas and Natalie was mad that we wasn't awake playing with her, but within 10 minutes she was out, then mommy. Daddy was out before Nicolas was. :) We were excited to get back to the room because it was quite a long day for us all. Natalie was funny because Nicolas kept talking to her in Chinese and she kept saying "I know, I know". When we got back to the room we ordered some noodles and rice and went to bed early, that is why there hasn't been a post sooner.

The first picture is of all of us. His foster mom was in the gray skirt and his foster dad was right behind her. The rest is grandma and cousins and an uncle.

Earthquake or Tremor . . . . .

So, why would we pose this question in the middle of all the excitement of the adoption. Well, Joe and I don't know the difference between the two because we never experienced either . . . .until now. Around 2am this morning we were woken up by a loud noise and the room swaying back and forth. It didn't help that we are on the 12th floor of the hotel and the hotel is split into two towers. It last about 1-2 minutes and when we finally got a hold of the front desk they told us it was tremors and they are used to getting this. We never heard of this while we were planning our trip. Who would have thunk!?! When we met our social worker around 7am she informed us that it was a 3 on the earthquake levels. Something they really are used to here. They have gotten a 6 before, a couple of years ago. Hope that it isn't time for another one in that category.

Last day before 4

Today was spent site seeing Tawain in walking distance from our hotel. We have seen every scooter made by man on the streets of Tawain. There are alot of Sushi places as well as American eateries. We are still getting used to the time difference but we are all doing well in Taipei and we are excited about meeting our son tomorrow!!