Moving Day!

Tomorrow, Monday, we will make our final move to another apartment here in Warsaw. I still am not sure why we have to move. Maybe something to do with only being able to rent the apartment we're in by the month and we still have two weeks to go. Our new apartment is in the "down town" area of Warsaw on a road called Polna. I'm actually looking forward to some new scenery and a new area of town to explore. I feel it will help our next two weeks to move along faster. I was told by our facilitator that we will actually have two apartments with an ajoining door between the two. From what I saw online, they should be fairly nice and more modern than what we have now. So, the question still remains whether or not we'll have internet. We are assuming yes, but really will not know until we arrive. If you do not hear from me again for awhile, that is why.

On another note, we have had a fairly long, yet eventful week. On Tuesday we took a Warsaw Tour. We saw many intersting and heart wrenching sights including Lazienki Park. This park was built around a King's Palace. King Sigismundus III Vasa ordered the castle to be built in the 17th Century. The park, castle everything is beautiful. I included some pictures below! We were also taken to the Warsaw Ghetto monument. This is in tribute to the several 100 thousands Jews who were murdered by the German army in World War II. It made me sick to my stomach to even think about! On a brighter note, BJ did great the whole 3 hour trip. He even met some older ladies who sat next to me that just adored him. He of course thought they were pretty neat too and spent some time on their laps. Yes! It was so hard for me to watch him go to them so easily, but then again he always kept his eyes on me! What can I say, he's a ladies man already!

On Thursday, we took BJ to get his picture taken for his passport and he also had his embassy doctor appointment. In his passport picture, he looks completely "spacey" as they were showing him this very odd looking unicorn to make him smile and pay attention. His little mouth is open and he has a very confused expression on his face as if saying "What is up with that thing you are holding?" Oh well, at least he wasn't crying or refusing to sit for them. He did however put up a fight at the doctors office and all they did was weigh him and take his measurement. Poor little man was up the night before several times due to a storm we had. He woke up fussy and continued that way for the whole day. He was such a little bear! Let's just say it was not a good day for him and he needed sleep!

Unfortunately, it wasn't a good day for my dad either. He woke up Thursday, not feeling the greatest and had a very upset stomach. By the time we all got back from the appointments, he had a fever of 102 and his stomach was a mess if you know what I mean! He toughed it out Tuesday and then we called the English speaking doctor at the Marriott on Wednesday to get him an appointment. It turns out that he had eaten some fruit (forgetting that it still needed washed) with "let's just say" bacteria on it. The doctor gave him an antibiotic and 3 other medicines to take with it. Thankfully he started feeling better Friday and his fever finally broke.

Also, a big thank you to all of you who chose to leave me a kind message about going to church. It meant so much to me and got me really excited about going! We even looked up some that were mentioned in hopes of going today! Sadly, we didn't go. I couldn't get my parents to venture into a new church, I didn't want to go alone and we couldn't figure out what to do with BJ if we all three did go. Instead we spent some quit time with Lord and had our own mini worship service. I know my Jesus is with me wherever I go, I just miss worshipping him in crowds of other believers. It will be here soon though! Thank you again! Who knows, I might get brave enough and try it next Sunday at least once before I leaeve. That would be a perfect ending to this completley blessed trip led by God's Almighty Hand. Don't you think?

After out morning, we set off for Old Town to see some last minute details and pick up a couple souvenirs. The walk was long, but a great success. We were able to see the changing of the guards, live music, the President's Home, and the Royal Palace. We toured the Royal Palace and it was astonishingly beautiful! We don't have any pictures posted except one because I videoed the rooms. We'll try to post some next entry!

Enjoy the pics and thanks again for everything you do. Your prayers, encouragement, help, and suggestions is what is making us through and enabling us to have a blast! Thank You and God Bless You!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Afraid No More!

If you can remember back a few post, BJ was terrified of bath time! He would scream like crazy! After some trial and error, we finally found a way to give him a sponge bath without him flipping out. After several sponge baths, he started to enjoy the water running down his face. So, we decided to fill the tub just a little to see if he could handle it! Handle it he did and now he can't get enough. He crawls to the tub daily and tries to climb in. Sometimes I just put him in there to play with his bath toys and he is as happy as can be. Last night he was having a blast, so we decided to take some pictures! I was holding up a toy with two holes in it and the water was pouring out. He kept trying to grab it and then he would put his head under it! He was such a riot! I couldn't help but realize that this was his first experience ever with water! Just think, he discovered something at 20 months, that most babies discover before a year old. I'm so glad we get to see these milestones, but at the same time am sad that he went so long without anyone! I wish I could have those years back! However, I am thankful that we have him now! Praise God! We love him like crazy! Enjoy the pictures!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Homesick & Cute Pics!

Babcia, BJ, DziaDzia

There aren't many items to write about as things have pretty much slowed down for awhile. Thank goodness! However, I must say that I have a slight case of "homesickness." Not the typical "mope around and not eat" kind. (Are you kidding! The food here is great! I hardly go 3 hours without eating. I eat whenever BJ does! I suppose it's a good thing I'm doing a lot of walking!) But the kind when you start missing what your used to such as people, places and things (you know, all the nouns in your life). I am very grateful that my parents are both here and we have been having a lot of fun with BJ! However, I do miss my husband very much and of course I can't leave out my dog Maui. I also miss my bed and various other seemingly unimportant yet missable things.

Something that I really miss and am fairly lost without, is my church and church family. For those of you who know me personally, you know that church has always been a high priority in my life. I consider my relationship with Jesus Christ to be my highest priority and church just slides right in there. I have gone to the same church since I was 3 and will hopefully be able to go there for many more years. I love my church family so much and they are always so supportive, loving , and caring. I seriously consider them family! I also miss everything about church. The hymnals, praise songs, our band, and the sermons! I also miss my small group! To be honest, I haven't missed church more than twice in a row in my entire life! James and I even went to church on our honeymoon in Hawaii! So, not going for over a month has put me in a bit of a slump. Our facilitator was supposed to show us a protestant english speaking church, but never had the time. Granted, Poland is a deeply religious country and there are Catholic Churches on every corner. BEAUTIFUL churches! However, I've never been to a Catholic service and am not sure I would know what to do. But as a great friend pointed out "We serve the same God and church is church. It's all about what's in your heart anyway. Give it a try!" So this Sunday, I might enjoy my first church in over a month! What do you think? Should I go?

On to other matters, BJ seems to be getting along well and is warming up to grandma and grandpa nicely. He's been experiencing some rough patches the last few days. Some due to changed schedules and lack of sleep, others to sickness (we're hoping allergies). We've been giving him some Zyrtec, but that makes him grumpy and mean. I can't even tell you how many temper tantrums he had today. He just looked so drugged and tired. I felt so bad for him. So, I think we're going to skip the med. today and begin looking for something else. I want my sweet little boy back. He also has had some rough naps/nights due to what I think could be night terrors. He hasn't had any recently (Praise God!) but I am still keeping track. The poor little guy wakes up screaming and thankfully is able to calm down after I cuddle him and rock him back to sleep (although I'm not sure he was ever fully awake). His Visas and Passports are in the working and our appeal period is almost over! I can't wait until we are done and he is 100% officially ours! Monday, September 1 is the date!

My parents are enjoying it here, but are themselves getting slightly bored. They have already walked a 3-mile radius around Warsaw and are currently looking for specific places to visit. My dad is also figuring out the tram/bus schedules so that they can move outside the radius! If you know my parents at all, you know they don't like to sit, they like to be on the move. I do most the time, but after being here a month, sitting and playing with my son does it just fine for me! We do however have a tour scheduled for tomorrow and one for Thursday that I am looking forward to. The tours highlight the best parts of Warsaw. I'll post about them soon.

Below are some cute pics from the last week! Please Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

1 Month Today!

OUR SON!

Today marks my 1 month stay in Poland. I can hardly believe it has been that long! This has to be the fastest/most life changing month of my entire life! Since I have been here a month, I thought it would be fun to list some of my "Polish Moments" with you. These are strictly some things I have noticed about the the Polish customs/lifestyles here in the large city of Warsaw, since I have been here. Please keep in mind that none of these are facts just observations from an otherwise "ignorant" foreigner.

1) Keep a close eye when walking on sidewalks and crossing streets. Why? No one has licenses and road rules are not "entirely" enforced. Sidewalks are considered extra parking spaces (I have this on video and will upload it soon) and speed limits are strictly there for decoration! Unless you cosider 70 mph on a 30mph stretch of road fun, I wouldn't recommend driving or even riding in a car. Our car trips just about caused me to have a nervous breakdown. James jokes about their four way stops called round-abouts. A car is supposed to stop before it makes it's way around, but usually it is a "horn honking, step on the gas" moment to see who can get in front of who before the car on either side does. It's CRAZY!

2) Apparel:
Women-I usually feel like my clothing doesn't fit in as most women here wear a skirt or sundress (young women short, and older women long), fancy top (wish I could find some like that), and about 1-3 inch high heels. It is surprising how stylish everyone is considering most have to walk about 1 mile to get to where they're going. Another funny obrservation is that many women (all ages) have dyed red hair! My mom tells me everday that she thinks the older women look poorly upon her for wearing shorts. James jokingly said to her to "Wear a mini skirt, get your hair dyed red, and put on three inch high heels! Then you'll fit right in!" All I can say about the shoes is "OUCH!"

Men-Usually suit and tie, or those who are casual wear kakis (short or pants) and generally a button down shirt or polo. Once again, very stylish. I did read that dress in Warsaw is usally very professional. However, there are always exceptions!
We have also noticed how some Poles (older men) seem to be rather "free" when it comes to dress. In the parks it is perfectly acceptable to sun bath in minimal clothing. On more than once occasion we have seen men wearing nothing but underwear sitting on a park bench soaking up the rays, while reading the paper! We even saw one man whip out his shorts, take of his pants, put on his shorts all on the sidewalk in front of us! NO! We did not take any pictures!

3) If you ever visit, bring all the medicine's/health items you need because here they are hard to find. We visited several stores in search of certain health items and all we could find was a small (very small, maybe 3 foot) section of some tylenol or aspirin products. I could hardly believe it! In America we have about 4-5 aisles of cold medicine's, allergy drugs, etc. Here all you get is 3 feet! I was told that you need to go to a pharmacist for almost everything! Strange huh?

4)Always wear a smile! For some reason, the people here always seem to be in a hurry and many don't smile. I read that they can seem "cold"until you talk to them and then they'll warm up to you. I have found this to be true. However, to a foreigner like myself, this can be very intimidating!

5) Bring ear plugs! For those of you that know me and where I am from, I am essentially a country girl. Galesburg can hardly be considered a large city! Here we are living in a 15 story apartment building (1 of many) and the traffic never stops. I know that it is minimal compared to Chicago or New York, but still it is very noisy all the time! Because we have no air conditioning, we leave the windows open all night. I'm not used to the city noises like cutting the grass (we have a small park right accross the walk) at 6:45 am or dump trucks collecting trash at 5:00 am! Let me tell you, there is nothing like waking up to the smell of "fermented trash" blowing through your windows!

6) Bring your dog! Almost everyone has dogs! Dogs go everywhere with Poles! We even saw a few in the mall today!

Please don't get me wrong! There are many good parts about living here during this month and Warsaw is a great, beautiful city! I love looking out my window at the tall buildings on the horizon, especially at night! It's beautiful! Warsaw also seems to be very clean with many manicured, spotless parks! It's buildings are beautiful and it's history is amazing! This city/country has been through so much in the last century! I am looking forward to the next three weeks as we plan to take some tours and learn more about this amazing city. Our goal is to learn as much as we can about Poland so that we can build up BJ's heritage box.

On another note, BJ is doing well although I think he really misses his daddy. James went home on Wednesday so that he could get back to work and manage the house and bills. The first night I put BJ down without James there was very rough. He cried everytime I tried to put him down! I knew it was because his daddy was gone because BJ has always gone to bed just fine. We allow BJ to talk to his daddy daily on our webcam. I'm not sure if it's helping as BJ seems to be very confused when he sees his daddy on the computer screen. It is cute though because he tries to touch James' face with his fingers! Hopefully BJ won't forget how much he loves his daddy when he finally gets home!

My parents are enjoying their time here as they have stayed busy getting to know the area. We plan to visit more parks, take some tours, go to the zoo and hopefully a waterpark! Might as well live it up while we're here!

Thank you again for your love and support!

Gotcha Day!

James and Melanie Kochersperger Present to you their son:

BARTHOLOMEW JAMES KOCHERSPERGER

Our Forever Family!

Proud Dad!

Proud Mom getting a kiss!

Today BJ was made officially our son and we are so excited! For those of you who are not familiar with adoption terms, today (August 17, 2009) will be called our "GOTCHA DAY!" This day we will celebrate every year! We feel so blessed to have him! Our court hearing went well as we were asked some pretty basic questions. We had to travel back to the town were BJ's orphanage was, Josefow. Present at our hearing was a judge, two jury members (dressed like the judge), BJ's legal guardian, our facilitator/translator, and a prosecuter. Intimidating at first, but with some prayer and a pep talk from our facilitator Magda, we were calm enough to answer the best we could! We were even able to show our slide show of BJ! Tomorrow we will go to the US Embassy to get BJ's Visas started and in progress! We wanted to get some pictures of the court house, but their court house was a multiple story building with many other businesses in it. Our court room itself, was no bigger than a hotel room with just enough room for the judges and the people presenting! It was very intersting.

On another note, Mel's parents arrived safely last night. They were tired, but still couldn't resist giving their new grandbaby some loving! BJ was left with his new grandparents today while we went to court (they don't allow children in court), so BJ was a bit confused and wouldn't eat or sleep for them. Needless to say, by the time we got back, our son was not to happy with us! We'll post more later! Thanks for your love and support! We can't wait for you to meet our son!

Good Friends and Good Times!

Last night a good time was had by all. We had the privilege of meeting to great couples who are also adopting from here! It was such a blessing that we were all here at the same time! That certainly had to have been Gods perfect timing! You might have read their blogs already as we have been following both their journeys for quite some time: Jeff and Debbie and Ryan and Jennifer .

Jeff and Debbie were in their final journey of adopting two beautiful children (siblings) Kasia 6 and Bartek 11. They are great kids and took their first plan ride to Colorado today to their new home! Ryan and Jennifer are adopting a darling little girl named Klaudia who is only 3 days younger than BJ. We of course photographed their first meeting as it was quite cute! She is so timid and dainty and BJ is "in your face." They both did very well and we can't wait to get them together again!

After we met, we all went into Old Town square and ate some authentic Polish food (who new Black sausage was liver filled? Yuke! BJ loved it! YUM!) We also stopped and had some very good lody (ice cream)! On the way out we stopped by Jeff and Debbie's apartment as they were giving out the last of their groceries since they were leaving today. I was sad to see them go as we just met! But we already have plans in the making for visits! Their boy, Bartek, loved BJ (Bartek) and played with him for quite some time! We have the two pictured below! In all, we really had a great time and plan to see Jennifer, Ryan and Klaudia again tomorrow! Enjoy the slide show below. We have included pictures of Old Town and the group. Also, don't forget to look further! I posted twice today!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

BJ's First Haircut!

Today was a big day for BJ! He got his very first haircut! Below almost every apartment building here, there is a salon. We asked our facilitator Magda to arranged an appointment for our little guy since he was getting a litte shaggy. (Some people were saying that he looked like a cute little girl with all those curls! Thanks Dad!) So anyway, today was the big day and we documented it well with pictures and video and even saved some cute little curl clippings! We've included a slide show below of his before, during and after photos. He did well at first, but when the stylist got to the front, BJ started fusing. The stylist wanted to stop because BJ started crying, but there were some obvious places left that needed trimmed. So James held the poor little guy still so the stylist could finish. Afterwards, James got his hair trimmed as well, since he was looking a little shaggy too. Finally, when we went to pay, the stylist only charged us for James because he said he wasn't able to finish "the little boy." He was a very nice guy and did well with BJ. It was cute because when we walked in I held up BJ and said "Here he is!" The stylist looked at him smiling and said "He's little." We think Magda might have set up a "child's haircut" and BJ took him by surprise. In all, it was a success, but I already have an appointment set up for him back home with my hair stylist! Thanks Tara! I figure she can take care of all the parts that weren't quit finished. I don't think crying children bother her!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Momma's Boy?!

Okay, what is the deal. My little boy who could hardly let me out of his sight, completely ignored me today during our visit with the psychologist. Our facilitator, psychologist, and BJ's guardian all came to our apartment for a follow up visit to see how things were going. I thought things would go very smoothly since BJ seemed very attached to us! I couldn't wait for them to see how happy he is! Well, when they came in, I was holding BJ and he just stared at them (like he usually does to new people). Then the (young, cute) psychologist started talking to him and playing with him and before I knew it he was constantly holding his arms up to her to be picked up. He loved her! This wouldn't have bothered me, except I don't think he even cared that I was there. I have to admit, it was a bit heartbreaking! He did however, go to James who had to put him down for his nap (which was an 1 1/2 past due). Oh well, at least I know "I" get to take him home! I know he'll come around and that his actions today were simply "age" and budding attachment. On a good note, they were all impressed with the pictures and videos we have of BJ. They even said that I always seem to be smiling and that I am a perfect match for BJ!

We also found out today that we'll be switching apartments at the end of August. We aren't sure why and haven't had a chance to ask our facilitator since we found out. Also, my parents are flying in on Sunday! We're very excited to have them join us! BJ will be so lucky!

Below is a link and a video of "Old Town." We are returning there tomorrow and hopefully we'll have some nice pictures and videos to post. We are also going to meet two other adopting couples who we have been keeping up with for awhile. We can't wait to meet them! How ironic that we are all here at the same time!

Thanks for your love and prayers!

Czesc! (Bye!)

Click Here for Link! Old Town Buildings!

Our Big Boy!

Just some cute poses of our big boy! The above is my favorite! Doesn't he look all grown up?! Anyway, we made big progress yesterday! He started feeding himself! We had been working with him since the Friday we got custody, but he simply struggled with the hand-to-mouth concept. Well, yesterday he got mad at us because we stopped feeding him his cheese chunks. So, he grabbed a piece with his fingers and put it right in his mouth! We gave him the shock of his life because we cheered so loud for him! After that, it took about two seconds before he had all the cheese gone! He also started drinking out of his sippy cup! We tried the straw, but he would just bit down on it, not suck. So his sippy cup released liquid when he bit, when he figured that out, he just kept biting on it and would get so excited! So now he asks for it all the time! We figure the sucking will come. He still struggles in swallowing all the liquid. He'll get it though. He's already eating "big people food" and he loves every bit of it!

We hope to download some images of our Old Town tour tonight so stay posted!

Thanks again for your love, support, and prayers. We feel it working! God Bless You!

All Toddler and ALL BOY!

"Big boy" doesn't even start to describe our BJ! He is so full of life and into everything! Let's just say that he is a healthy (almost, lots of allergies) ACTIVE toddler! As an early childhood educator, I had considered myself prepared to be a first time mother. I do feel prepared in the developmental sense, but as most of you know, you can't prepare for everything! I believe this to be true especially in the adoption aspect of it all! Yes we know, we shouldn't be to hard on him because he was in an orphanage, but when your child starts sticking his finger in the outlets, you have to make sure he knows he shouldn't do that. So we have of course taught him "No." Most of the time, he minds well, but there are times when "no" is funny to him (I know, just like every toddler). For example, when trying to put on his shoes, he began to kick his feet and then kicked us. We told him "no" and he started laughing hysterically. We had to try not to laugh and then used a "stern" voice and said it again. He started laughing harder! We couldn't believe it! Then I realized that more than likely he never heard a "stern" voice before. To him, we were just making funny sounds! So yes, we are experiencing the many facets of raising a
little boy! However, nothing can match his vibrant personality and contagious laugh. Yes! We dearly love our son!

He still loves food and I think we've managed to pack on a few pounds. He's doing so well chewing, he had his first slice of pizza tonight! He loved it! Of course mommy cut it up really tiny and dowsed each piece with milk (he still will not drink). But, he thought it tasted good!

On to other matters, we have been exploring more of the city and today walked down to the Wisla River, which runs through Warsaw. It was about a 45 minute walk one way and BJ did great. He loves walks! He does get fidgety sometimes, but holding him for a few minutes solves that problem. Thanks to a carrier that holds a toddler (thanks Dave and Teresa!) it makes holding him much easier. On our journey, we were able to see part of Old Town (and a whole bunch of tourist). The architecture is amazing! Every building is so intricately built! We also saw something that looked similar to Americas "Tomb of the Unknown Soldier." It was a monument of sorts with two guards posted on either side. We have yet to get a tour book and because we can't read Polish, we have no idea what it said. If some of you know what it is or have been there, please let us know! We will post pictures soon, but I have not loaded them yet.

Below is a video and some video links of our little guy! I am sorry for my "booming" voice in the background, but I just can't help myself. Our little BJ just brings it out in me! Enjoy!

The Hamper

Buckets of BJ

BJ the Mop (notice the matching shirts)

B.J.'s Firsts!

Our Sleeping Angel!

First T.V. Watching
Ever! (Baby Einstein)

Mommy and B.J.

Wow! What a week and it's only just begun! B.J. seems to be doing quite well adjusting to us and his new surroundings! He has even started to respond to his "new" name! We are having so much fun with him as he seems to laugh and giggle all the time! I'll recap the last few days for you!

Friday
We picked B.J. up at the orphanage. The ladies there were so kind and loving and seemed very happy that Bartek was getting a family. We met his caregiver who was sad to see him leave, but also glad that he was going to have a mom and dad. She was kissing and loving on him and I was happy to see how well taken care of he was. When it was time to leave he went right to his daddy without much hesitation. This made us relieved, although we are sure he was confused about what was truly going on. We then drove into Warsaw to our apartment. On the way there, he fell asleep in his mommies arms!


-Our apartment is right downtown, in between two giant malls and a bunch of tall buildings and scattered around are tons of places to eat! On every corner there is a KFC, Burger King, or McDonalds. We even found a Subway in the mall! We also have two large size parks nearby with one right accross the street. The apartment is very nice and clean, but the furniture is sparce and old. It really isn't bad except we miss our soft large couch and fluffy big bed!

Saturday-Today
-B.J. now knows his new name. We hardly ever call him Bartek. We also thinkg he'll be walking really soon. He stands up with the help of the couch, us, or table and he takes off walking in any direction. The only problem is that he can only go a few steps before he falls. His looks as if to say, "This is frustrating! Why do I keep falling!" He'll get it real soon! We've been working on getting him on a schedule because unfortunately he really didn't have one at the orphanage. They had feeding times, but no set nap time. The children pretty much slept when they were tired. He seems to be adjusting well and is sleeping about 11/12 hours a night and will take about a 2 1/2 hour nap. He never cries when he wakes up, he's always so happy!

-The only problem we are having is his lack of drinking. He refuses a bottle or anything that looks like one. We think he got so tired of his formula that he ruled it out altogether no matter what is in it. We also tried using a small cup and had him sip it, but he won't do that either. Just pushes it away! He won't take anything warm (also maybe from the formula), but looooooooooooves food. Any kind of food as long as he can chew it! The first time we gave him some little chewies he went crazy! All we have to do is pull out his bib and he gets so excited! So to compensate for the lack of drinking we are spoon feeding him milk and juices and are also adding them to his food! It must be working because his diapers weigh a ton! If you have any advise for us please let us know!

-On August 12 we have a meeting with the social worker and BJ's guardian. Unfortunately they're coming right at his nap time, so hopefully he won't be cranky when they arrive. Please pray he's having a good day so that they can see how well he's doing!

-August 17 is our court date and that does make us a little nervous. She told us today that we will be in a large court room. That's scary if you ask me!? I'm sure it will be just fine!

-As of now, we are doing a lot of walking and exploring the big city. We'll write more as things happen! Thanks for your prayers and support! Below are movies of B.J.'s orphanage and first solid foods! Enjoy!