The Wheels on the Bus

This bus is the coolest ride ever!

Whoa, wait a second...is this thing moving???

Get me off this contraption!

After the finalization hearing on Friday, we went out to the Mall of America. We thought it might be fun to bring the kids to Camp Snoopy for a little celebration and then be able to have a nice supper out. Ella was so excited once she saw all the rides and Ben was excited once he saw all the little kids everywhere. Ella spotted the bus ride and started singing "the wheels on the bus go round and round, round and round". Both Jason and I asked her if she wanted to go ride on the bus and she decided yes. We bought the tickets and since I get sick on anything that moves, Daddy was the lucky one who got to ride along with her. They stood in line and Ella was all smiles. Daddy crawled into the bus and put Ella beside him. So far, so good. She was smiling thinking this ride was great. Then the man pushed the "go" button and it started to move. Her face immediately fell and I knew what was coming next. Tears and screaming. She was NOT happy about this idea and she wanted off. Now! She held onto Daddy with all of her might as she sat there crying and shaking. Poor little one. Those rides are always so short unless of course your baby girl is petrified...then they feel like they last a lifetime. I'm thinking it might be awhile until she decides Camp Snoopy is actually fun.

It's Official!!

Yesterday was a big day in the Hubler house...a big day for each one of us in our own special way. It was Ben's Adoption Hearing. Everything is official, legally Ben is now our son. It feels so good to have had the hearing and hear the judge declare that we are legally a family. Oh, yes, we've been a family since the day we accepted Ben's referral, it became so much more a reality when we flew to Korea and picked him up, but now to have reached the last step and have the courts recognize it too...well, it was a great day. It's hard to believe that in less than one year from the start of this journey, we are all finished...everything is finalized!


We arrived early for our 3:30pm appt. and since they were running ahead of schedule, we were ushered into the courtroom 20 minutes early. The Honorable Susan Burke swore us in and we had to answer a series of questions, mostly items that were on our adoption petition. This was a very short process, it only took about 5 minutes and then she declared that our "adoption petition has been granted". We smiled and hugged. We are so blessed to be able to parent this little boy. We are so honored that God chose us to be his family. We are so excited to know that we will get to spend every waking day with Ben, watching him grow. We are so grateful that God enriched our lives by bringing him into our family. And we have so much respect for his birthmother who chose to make a birthplan for Ben, allowing him to have a Mom, Dad, and sister that love him so dearly.


As happy as I am for our family, I also felt a little sad inside yesterday. I thought about Ben's birthmother and I hope that somehow, in some sort of crazy way, she will know that he is being well taken care of and loved immensily. I wish I could let her know just how happy he is.


When we were all done, the judge even let us come up front for some pictures. This is one of them.

Watch out! Don't Sit Too Close!

Spit, spit, and more spit...that's what we have in our house. Ben is a constant drooler. He has now perfected his motorboat/tractor noise. He's even figured out that if he takes a deep breath and uses all his might, he can actually make the spit fly! Oh boy, does this make him excited!! He seemed pretty proud the other day when he looked down at his highchair tray and admired all the little drops of spit. I should have put him in front of the mirror so he could have see what his face actually looked like with little water drops everywhere. Boys will be boys, right?!?

Baby James Needs More Prayers

Update on Baby James:

James had scans done last Thursday. Of the remaining half of kidney, there are currently 3 tumors left. Once the scans were done, they found that the more toxic kind of chemo that he has been receiving hasn't done a thing. Those tumors have remained the same size.

On Monday, James underwent another visible biopsy. This is a pretty invasive surgery as the doctors literally look at the kidney. They removed 2 of the tumors, but couldn't get everything. There are still cancer cells remaining that they simply can't get out via a surgery. James is recovering in the hospital now from this surgery, but things are really looking tough.

The parents, Jen and Kelly, are hoping to meet with their oncology team to see what the next course of action will be. They are unsure at this time if they will be told that chemo will continue or if the regime will change.

I know they are scared...when the toxic chemo isn't even working...where exactly does that leave you?!? Please pray for James. Recovery from any surgery is hard...but when you are less than a year old and you are battling cancer at the same time...I think that would make life pretty tough. Please pray for his parents. They need strength right now...they are having to watch their son in a battle for his life. Click here if you want to see more on BABY JAMES.

Teeth, Teeth, and more Teeth!

One of Ben's favorite ways to soothe those gums.

Wow, these things just keep coming! Just when I think that we have finally gotten this last one to come through and we should be good for a couple of weeks, another white spot appears on Ben's gums. No wonder why this child continually drools for hours on end. There aren't enough bibs in the world to keep this boy dry!

Look How Big I am!

We had Ben's 9 month well-check yesterday. We were there for almost 2 hours...it was a little longer than I had anticipated, Ella was getting a little restlless by the end of it, and Ben was just plain "done" after about 30 minutes of it. We had the standard check-up and then then sent us to the lab. He had his first shots in Korea, and usually there isn't any problem with their shots...but to be sure, they need to check for the antibodies here in the US. What that means is a big needle in the arm to draw blood. That is never fun...for an adult! When you have to do this to a little baby, it's stinky! Well, as luck would have it, they poked the needle around until I told them they had to take it out...they never found the vein. UGH! All of that for nothing! Poor kid. The doctor told us that we would have to get another dose of shots then to make positive sure that he was protected. Ben came home with a total of 5 band-aids. One on the right arm, one on the left finger, two on the left leg, and one othe right leg. I felt horrible for him. To top everything off, he had a short afternoon nap due to having to leave for the doctor's office. All of that on little sleep makes for one upset little baby boy.

On to the good news...Ben is now 20 pounds, 12 oz. ...that means that Mommy is building up quite the muscles from carrying this big guy around. Ben is now 29 inches tall too! The doctor seems to think he may just be a tall boy by the time he is done growing. He has grown over 5 inches just since he came home. That's about an inch a month! It's such a blessing to be able to see him grow and thrive. I love the addition he has made to our family. We simply wouldn't be the same without him.

A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something

that no on can explain,

It is made of deep devotion

and of sacrifice and pain,

It is endless and unselfish

and enduring come what may

For nothing can destroy it

or take that love away...

It is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking,

And it never fails or falters

even though the heart is breaking...

It believes beyond believing

when the world around condemns,

And it glows with all the beauty

of the rarest, brightest gems...

It is far beyond defining,

it defies all explanation,

And it still remains a secret

like the mysteries of creation...

A many splendoured miracle

man cannot understand

And another wondrous evidence

of God's tender guiding hand.

~Helen Steiner Rice