Life with Liam

Everyday we are so thankful to have Liam as our son!  He is so bright and creative.  He is a bundle of energy.  With his active imagination comes many messes, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  We love going with Liam on all his adventures.  Here are just some of Liam's most recent activities.  Welcome to life with Liam.

Mr. Independent likes to do things himself.  He is so proud of his accomplishments.

Liam is a lot like his mom - they both like things a certain way.

He is ALL BOY!  He loves to be outside.

Liam is very artistic.  

Liam can turn ordinary things into an adventure.

Liam loves to read.

Who needs toys when you can sort diapers?

Grandpa Herman made Liam a desk.  Our little artist creates many masterpieces daily.

Liam is a problem solver.  He found a way to make a garage for each of his cars.  And yes, that's his pirate bandana.

Liam gets so excited to try new things.  Here's his first snowman.

Liam has a story and explanation for everything (he talks all day long).

Another amazing adventure.  Where's Liam?

Liam loves to snuggle with Mommy.  He gives many hugs and kisses.

Everyday is a great day with Liam.  

Crochet Projects

I have been working on crochet projects for the last several months.  It was so fun to give homemade Christmas gifts this year!  Now that I am done with Christmas gifts, I am working on a small baby blanket to send to our daughter in her first care package.

Frilly Scarves

White Lacy Scarf

Mens Scarf

Toddler Headband and Scarf Set

Baby Headband (with changeable flower accents)

Toddler Booties

I think Lorelei liked her hat and scarf set!

Christmas

This year we had many Christmas celebrations and spread Christmas over a whole week.  We made so many great memories, it is hard to narrow it down.  Here are some of the highlights...

Christmas with the Harts - December 22nd

Our big boy all ready for the first Christmas celebration

Family Christmas Eve - December 23rd - This year we wanted to start a Christmas tradition with just our immediate family in addition to the whole family celebrations.  We decided to turn Christmas Eve into our Christmas Day.  On our Christmas Eve we allowed Liam to open one present before bed.  It was the baby crocodile he had been wanting.

While Liam slept soundly with his baby crocodile, we put all the presents out under the tree.

Family Christmas - December 24th - When Liam woke up, we let him open his stocking and then his presents.  We took breaks to eat breakfast and lunch (cinnamon bread for breakfast, oriental salad and pasta with bolognese sauce for lunch - Dave and Liam favorites).  Liam likes to open a gift, play with it for a while, and then open another.  Christmas lasted quite a while this way, but it was so much fun to see him enjoy all the things we bought him.  Some of Liam's favorites were the Saturn 5 Rocket from his stocking and his big Jake and the Neverland Pirate Ship.

Daisy was not impressed - it was way too early for her!

Pirate Liam

Watch out Pirate Liam, there's a crocodile outside your ship!

We attended the family carol service at church, one we had never been to before having Liam.  It was a good service for families with small children.  Someday, we would like to be able to attend the candlelight service again, but will have to wait until the children are older.

We finished the night with dinner at the Guesthouse with Grandma & Grandpa Herman, the Koehlingers, and Lockards.  Then, we loaded up the car and headed to Michigan for Christmas.

Christmas with the Kusches - December 25th - Liam was so excited, he woke up at 4:30am.  We tried to get him to go back to sleep, but it was unsuccessful.  So, at 6am we decided to let him start playing with some of the presents that were left out, unwrapped.  After everyone arrived, we opened our presents.  We all took a nap!

Liam LOVES his new Jake and the Neverland Pirate toys.  It was a pirate Christmas.

Who needs toys, when you can play in a box?

Liam had fun playing with his cousin Verona.

Grandpa Kusch took Liam to play in the snow.

Christmas with the Hermans - December 28th & 29th - On Friday we celebrated with ALL the Hermans (aunts, uncles, cousins, etc.).  There were a lot of us gathered.  On Saturday, we celebrated with Dave's parents, sisters, and their families.  There are 21 of us now (10 adults and 11 kids).  Liam loved playing with his cousins.  He warmed right up to them and they had a great time.

Family tradition - caroling with Grandma Herman

the cousins lined up - waiting patiently to open presents

Liam with his buddy Gabe

Liam, Lucy and Adelynn

Liam helping Uncle Jon and Andrew with their new project

We finally got to meet our niece Lucy in person - what a cutie!  Meeting Lucy makes us anxious to meet our little lady.

the siblings (Dave, Laura, Julie, and Debbie)

Patience

When we started our current adoption, we knew it would be a roller coaster ride and we have reminded ourselves often to trust God's timing and plan.  Things have been going so smoothly.  Other than some minor things here and there, everything has gone according to plan.  We have been blessed!  God showed us through Liam's adoption that He had everything planned perfectly and we know He will do the same with our daughter's adoption.

We were shocked last week when we got a phone call from our social worker saying we may be matched with our daughter on December 17th.  The call came sooner than we thought it would.  After waiting up until midnight on the 17th, we learned that the CCCWA did not put the children online like they should have and would do so on the 19th.  So, we waited up again last night.  The CCCWA did not put very many children online and none of the little girls were a match for us.  We went from disappointed to hopeful to disappointed again.  It has been an emotional week.  Although we are disappointed, we still firmly believe that there is a reason we were not matched with a child last night.  According to our timeline, it could take 1-9 months to be matched with a child.  Our social worker reminded us that the average wait time for a referral is 2-5 months.  Some couples review multiple children before accepting one.  We would have a very hard time saying no to any child.  We are praying that the Holy Spirit guide the selection process, so our first referral, whenever it arrives, is the right referral.  Maybe, God was sparing us from making a difficult decision and saying no.  Disappointment seems easier to deal with than the idea of not being able to offer a home to a child after seeing their picture.  Whatever the case, we still have hope and are looking forward to the day when we can see our daughter's face.  We know for certain that we have a little girl waiting for us and we will go get her when the time is right.

I found this picture and think it suits where we are in the adoption process.  We are definitely expecting! 

Christmas Letter 2012

December 2012

Dear Family & Friends,

For you make me glad by your deeds, Lord; I sing for JOY at what your hands have done.  How great are your works, Lord, how profound your thoughts! Psalm 92:4-5

            We pray that God has blessed your family as He has ours, and has given you joy.  Joy seems the best word to describe 2012.  As we look back over the year we are amazed at how quickly it as gone by.  We have made many great memories as a family of three and we are making preparations to become a family of four. 

            We started the year with a toddler and have ended the year with a preschooler.  Liam has grown in so many ways this year.  His active imagination, creativity, and intelligence bring us many adventures.  Liam is gaining independence and he loves to learn and explore new things.  He has a tender heart, and is also determined.  We adore being his parents.  We can’t imagine life without his contagious laugh and spirited personality. 

            Tiffany spent January and February helping choreograph Beauty and the Beast at Concordia High School.  Liam spent that time flirting with the high school girls who watched him and making himself at home in the theater.

            In March we began the adoption process for our daughter.  We feel called to adopt a girl with a special need (minor/correctable health concern) from China.  God opened doors and closed others, which lead us down this adoption path.  The process has gone smoothly so far.  We hope to receive our daughter’s picture and medical information by the end of December.  We know that God will give us the daughter we are meant to have.  If things continue to go smoothly, we will travel to China in late spring/early summer. 

            In April, after celebrating Liam’s second birthday, we took a family vacation to Disney World with Tiffany’s family.  We had a fantastic time!  Tiffany had written to Disney Guest Communications ahead of time explaining that we were in Disney when we got the news of Liam’s birth.  They arranged a special meet & greet with Mickey and Minnie at the Magic Kingdom before the park opened.  Liam was so excited to meet his pals.  Liam loved the rides and parades.  It was definitely a magical trip and one we will remember forever.

            In June, Tiffany finished her Masters in Special Education and graduated from IPFW with a 4.0 GPA.

            Our summer was filled with lots of pool time, both in the small inflatable pool in the back yard and at Grandma and Grandpa Kusch’s pool.  We took countless trips to the zoo and enjoyed being outside as much as possible.

            We also took a family vacation to Maryland to visit Dave’s sister, Julie, and her family.  We took a couple day trips to Washington D.C., spent two days at the beach in Ocean City, Maryland, played at the park, and enjoyed spending time with family.  We stopped in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on the way home.  Liam was an excellent traveler.

            In the fall Tiffany started another school year teaching with Lutheran Special Education Ministries at Suburban Bethlehem and Ascension Lutheran.  She added an extra day a week to her schedule and now teaches three days a week.  She loves being able to work with students one-on-one and in small groups.

            We took some small weekend trips this fall.  We took Liam to the Children’s Museum in Indianapolis and spent a day hiking at Chain O Lakes State Park.  One of fall’s highlights was a weekend trip to West Lafayette to Purdue University.  Dave ran his first 5K on campus.  We enjoyed staying in a hotel, swimming, and walking around campus.  It’s so much fun to have a son who loves to explore new things and finds excitement in everything.

            Dave continues to work with Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and enjoys what he does.  He touches so many lives, not just by helping people plan for the future, but by genuinely caring for all his clients and viewing his profession as a ministry. 

            We look forward to all the ways that God will use our family in 2013 and anticipate the new adventures He sends our way.

            We wish you a very merry Christmas and happy New Year. 

With Love,

David, Tiffany & Liam Herman

Adoption Update - LID

We have reached another milestone in our adoption process.  We have received our LID (Log-in date).  Now, we can anticipate getting a referral (picture and medical information).  We can also follow the timeline a little more closely.  We have officially been on the list with our placement agency for 36 weeks and 1 day.  We are moving right on schedule - Thanks and praise to God!  Here is the letter we received this week....

Dear David & Tiffany:

 

The CCCWA has informed us of your log-in date. Your log-in date (often abbreviated as LID) is 11/26/2012 and reflects the date CCCWA logged your dossier into its database. CCCWA uses this date to track your dossier through its system.  As you progress through the stages of your adoption in the many months ahead of you, please remember your LID.  We include a tracking chart of DTC dates and LIDs on our China news webpage as well.

 

Congratulations to reach this phase and have a great day!