Some funny things we came across:
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Home
We are home. More importantly, Isaac is home. 23 hours after getting on the plane, we walked in the front door to our home to see a smiling Avery and Olivia. How we got there.
Brent writing - This is the day we had been dreading since we came to Korea. Mostly because we know that it will be difficult for Isaac. We took the shuttle van to the airport from the hotel and Isaac was scared to get in the van. After crying for a while he fell asleep in my arms.
After arriving at the airport, it was smooth sailing getting to our gate. We had time to eat and go to the playroom. When we got on the plane Isaac started to cry. He did not want to be there. Since we boarded early with the stroller we were on the plane for 45 minutes before takeoff. We felt sorry for the people around us.
After finally pushing off from the gate, the pilot announced that we were returning to the gate because of a problem with one of the engines. Yeah!!! The passengers on the plane let out a collective 'Hooray!'...especially the people around us.
I immediately started checking on later connecting flights from Detroit to Indy. If we didn't take off in 2 hours, we would not make the later flight. Over 3 hours later, we took off.
Isaac calmed down after about an hour and was fine for a couple of hours on the ground. With the help of Benadryl, he slept for 9 hours. The last 4 hours on the plane were up and down for Isaac, but we made it. As we landed in Detroit, I was prepared to rent a car to drive home to Indy. We were not about to subject Isaac to another strange hotel room and another traumatic transition.
When I called dad from the plane, he said that Brian we on his way from Indy to pick us up. This was such a relief to us! We were so thankful! After getting through Customs and Immigration and getting our bags we waited in line for a while to talk to the Delta agents. We decided to just leave and deal with Delta later. Uncle Brian, with cousins Kaylie and Noah, picked us up and 5 hours later, we were home.
Right before we got home, we showed Isaac the video again of our home and tried to recreate that experience by going in the front door and having Olivia and Avery there. We were wondering how Isaac would react.
Here is Isaac's reaction:
(Hit the YouTube button to view the larger version of the video)
Brent writing - This is the day we had been dreading since we came to Korea. Mostly because we know that it will be difficult for Isaac. We took the shuttle van to the airport from the hotel and Isaac was scared to get in the van. After crying for a while he fell asleep in my arms.
After arriving at the airport, it was smooth sailing getting to our gate. We had time to eat and go to the playroom. When we got on the plane Isaac started to cry. He did not want to be there. Since we boarded early with the stroller we were on the plane for 45 minutes before takeoff. We felt sorry for the people around us.
After finally pushing off from the gate, the pilot announced that we were returning to the gate because of a problem with one of the engines. Yeah!!! The passengers on the plane let out a collective 'Hooray!'...especially the people around us.
I immediately started checking on later connecting flights from Detroit to Indy. If we didn't take off in 2 hours, we would not make the later flight. Over 3 hours later, we took off.
Isaac calmed down after about an hour and was fine for a couple of hours on the ground. With the help of Benadryl, he slept for 9 hours. The last 4 hours on the plane were up and down for Isaac, but we made it. As we landed in Detroit, I was prepared to rent a car to drive home to Indy. We were not about to subject Isaac to another strange hotel room and another traumatic transition.
When I called dad from the plane, he said that Brian we on his way from Indy to pick us up. This was such a relief to us! We were so thankful! After getting through Customs and Immigration and getting our bags we waited in line for a while to talk to the Delta agents. We decided to just leave and deal with Delta later. Uncle Brian, with cousins Kaylie and Noah, picked us up and 5 hours later, we were home.
Right before we got home, we showed Isaac the video again of our home and tried to recreate that experience by going in the front door and having Olivia and Avery there. We were wondering how Isaac would react.
Here is Isaac's reaction:
(Hit the YouTube button to view the larger version of the video)
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Going Home
Let me start by saying that as we were eating breakfast this morning preparing for our big day, I borrowed Sharon's phone and noticed that the last search result that she entered in Google was "appropriate Benadryl dosage for toddlers"...just saying...
We will leave Seoul at 4:30am EST and arrive in Indy at 8:44pm EST. our first flight is around 14 hours to Detroit and then after a 2 hour layover we have an hour flight to Indy.
We are praying and hoping for the best but trying to be prepared for the worst. Pray that Isaac will not be afraid and will be able to sleep and sit for extended periods of time.
We will send an update later.
Our first full day with Isaac
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| Issac in the car with Mommy leaving the Adoption Agency |
Brent writing - After crying or weeping for most of the day yesterday, Isaac was better last night. He was eating, sharing and helping to clean up. We heard him singing a little and would say 'anja omma' which means 'sit mommy' for Sharon to sit by him on the couch. Sharon is so good with him...he already preferring her over me which is exactly what we need right now.
I read him a story on the iPad, held for a while and sang to him to calm him down before bed. He fell asleep to us singing "When I am afraid I will trust in You...". He was not ready to sleep with us in the bed, but wanted to sleep in his spot on the couch which was fine. We pulled the smaller bed over to the couch and I slept there just in case. He slept through the night, about 9 hours, and Sharon and I got some rest as well..
We decided to take a chance and leave the room for a while with him. There was a play area downstairs and we explored a bit. This helped as he didn't like being stuck in the the little hotel room. We ended up leaving the hotel and walking around the area for a while. Little Isaac did well in following our direction and holding our hand when asked.
We found the Hangul (Korean language) museum and walked around for a while. It was pretty big and fairly kid proof so we let Isaac run around a bit.
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| I love this picture. |
We got dinner on the way back to the hotel and ate in the resident's lounge. Isaac sat in a high chair, which he rarely does, and ate for about 45 minutes. He was singing a little and even smiled every now and then.
Thank you again to so many of you for your prayers and words of encouragement. It means so much to us that we are not in this alone.
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
A sad day
Imagine you had a two year old boy, and one day, virtual strangers from some foreign country came to adopt him as their son and take him half way around the world. How would your little boy feel? Wouldn't you hope that he would miss you? Wouldn't you expect him to grieve the loss of his family and the only home he has ever known?
That is how our son Isaac is feeling today. He has been in the same home and slept in the same bed with his foster father and mother for the last 18 months...not one day have they been apart. They have loved him and cared for him as their own son...and today they gave him to us, waved goodbye and we drove away in the taxi.
We knew that today be would be hard...we tried to prepare ourselves but there is really no way to prepare except to be ready to love and be patient. We arrived at the adoption agency around 3PM to get Isaac. We met for a few minutes with DJ to discuss his paperwork, and travel documentation. Someone came to the door and said that we needed to come downstairs. The foster family was down there with Isaac and he was just weeping. He does not like to go to Holt because he usually gets a medical checkup there and he is afraid of the doctor. He cried all the way through his pre-flight medical check.
We spoke briefly with the foster family and exchanged some final gifts. Then DJ called a taxi and we packed all of Isaac's things that the family gave us in the trunk. After a picture together, the father handed Isaac to us and we said goodbye. The whole thing lasted 15 minutes.
Isaac was just sobbing...but he clung to Sharon and buried his head into her chest. He stayed with her for the entire 30 minute ride back to the hotel. When we got to our room, he started to cry again and kept going to the door saying that he wanted to leave. After crying for a solid half hour, Sharon took him into the bathroom to play with the water in the bathtub. He began to play a little but was still whimpering.
For the last few hours, we have played together, he has eaten with us, and we have watched some videos together of our home and the girls. There may be moments that he is not crying, but he is always whimpering. About every 15 minutes he goes to get his shoes and backpack and grabs our hand to leave.
The saddest part was when he found the toy phone that we gave him. The foster family had recorded their voices on there and he kept pushing the button to hear their voices. Then he put the phone up to his ear and just cried into the phone, like he was telling them to come get him.
We can tell that he is a fighter and that he is trying to be strong. He gathers his stuffed animals around him. Even as he whimpers he still organizes the toys and throws away his trash. He likes to have things a certain way.
It is heart breaking to see Isaac in so much pain and we cannot console him. We try to communicate to him how sorry we are that he has to go through this heartache. We can only imagine how the foster family is feeling right now. We are so thankful for the time that we got to spend with the family before today. We feel for the other couple we saw at Holt who met their son for the first time today and took him with them a hour later. We can't imagine.
Pray for wisdom for Sharon and I as we try to comfort Isaac and help him. And pray for sleep tonight. Thank you so much.
That is how our son Isaac is feeling today. He has been in the same home and slept in the same bed with his foster father and mother for the last 18 months...not one day have they been apart. They have loved him and cared for him as their own son...and today they gave him to us, waved goodbye and we drove away in the taxi.
We knew that today be would be hard...we tried to prepare ourselves but there is really no way to prepare except to be ready to love and be patient. We arrived at the adoption agency around 3PM to get Isaac. We met for a few minutes with DJ to discuss his paperwork, and travel documentation. Someone came to the door and said that we needed to come downstairs. The foster family was down there with Isaac and he was just weeping. He does not like to go to Holt because he usually gets a medical checkup there and he is afraid of the doctor. He cried all the way through his pre-flight medical check.
We spoke briefly with the foster family and exchanged some final gifts. Then DJ called a taxi and we packed all of Isaac's things that the family gave us in the trunk. After a picture together, the father handed Isaac to us and we said goodbye. The whole thing lasted 15 minutes.
Isaac was just sobbing...but he clung to Sharon and buried his head into her chest. He stayed with her for the entire 30 minute ride back to the hotel. When we got to our room, he started to cry again and kept going to the door saying that he wanted to leave. After crying for a solid half hour, Sharon took him into the bathroom to play with the water in the bathtub. He began to play a little but was still whimpering.
For the last few hours, we have played together, he has eaten with us, and we have watched some videos together of our home and the girls. There may be moments that he is not crying, but he is always whimpering. About every 15 minutes he goes to get his shoes and backpack and grabs our hand to leave.
The saddest part was when he found the toy phone that we gave him. The foster family had recorded their voices on there and he kept pushing the button to hear their voices. Then he put the phone up to his ear and just cried into the phone, like he was telling them to come get him.
We can tell that he is a fighter and that he is trying to be strong. He gathers his stuffed animals around him. Even as he whimpers he still organizes the toys and throws away his trash. He likes to have things a certain way.
It is heart breaking to see Isaac in so much pain and we cannot console him. We try to communicate to him how sorry we are that he has to go through this heartache. We can only imagine how the foster family is feeling right now. We are so thankful for the time that we got to spend with the family before today. We feel for the other couple we saw at Holt who met their son for the first time today and took him with them a hour later. We can't imagine.
Pray for wisdom for Sharon and I as we try to comfort Isaac and help him. And pray for sleep tonight. Thank you so much.
Monday, May 28, 2012
Another day with Isaac
Our surprise for today was that the foster family had arranged for us to go together with them to the Children's Grand Park in Seoul and spend the day with them! This is so valuable in allowing us to have more time spent trying to bond with Isaac. They were going to take him there to do something special with him on their last day together but thought it best to include us!. We told you they were an amazing family. We are so encouraged by how today went and our interaction with Isaac.
We ventured out for the first time on the subway since it was so far away. The subway system in Seoul is so well designed and organized, it was very easy to navigate. It also helped to have the Seoul subway app on our iPad which told us when to get on and off and our current location.
As we exited the subway tunnel, we first saw the foster father who was rocking the IU hat and shirt that we gave him. It was great...wish we could post the picture. Isaac looked happy to see us but trying to figure things out.
The Children's Grand Park is very big and has a zoo, aquarium and amusement park. The family gave us some space and let us explore a bit with Isaac. We pushed him in his stroller and let him run around a little. He would hold our hand and followed instructions pretty well. We were encouraged that he responded well to boundaries and interacted with us. By the end of the day his was giving us kisses and even calling us Omma and Appa (mommy and daddy).
Isaac loves playing with water. We spent a good amount of time bonding at the water fountains.
We spent a few hours at the park and Isaac fell asleep in the stroller. We went to lunch together with the family at a buffet and stayed a while to talk. They eat very healthy and have done a very good job with Isaac in not giving him a lot of junk food. We have heard from many others who have adopted from Korea that this is not usually the case.
After this they drove us in their car to a department store (think Korean Target). They wanted to buy us some food that Isaac likes to eat to help him in the first few days that he is with us (again, so thoughtful!). We were able to push Isaac around in the cart and we tried out all of the samples (except the Spam).
Then the family asked us if it would be okay for them to drive us back to our hotel and for them to come up to our room. They felt it would be helpful for Isaac to get familiar with where he will be sleeping and spending his time for the next few days. We cannot say enough how much this family has gone out of their way to try and help us so that bonding and attachment can occur between us.
What made this day so valuable was all the time spent together talking, laughing, and singing. Isaac loves to sing and a few times that we held him in our arms singing to him, he relaxed and seemed to soak in every note.
While in our hotel room, we were told probably everything we needed to know about who he is. What his likes/dislikes are, what quirks he has, how he sleeps, eats, and plays, what we can do to console him etc. This is what made this day so special and such a wonderful surprise.
It ended with them teaching us their "clean up" song.
Imagine you were adopting a 2 year old from another country, who barely knows you , who you knew very little about and you spoke very little of his language....and the day before you are going to get him to take him half way around the world, what if someone offered you an extra day with the family that raised him to ask questions, to interact, to bond, to learn...wouldn't that be priceless? That is the gift that we received today. We thank God again for all that He has done in bringing us to this point and we thank everyone again for praying.
We ventured out for the first time on the subway since it was so far away. The subway system in Seoul is so well designed and organized, it was very easy to navigate. It also helped to have the Seoul subway app on our iPad which told us when to get on and off and our current location.
As we exited the subway tunnel, we first saw the foster father who was rocking the IU hat and shirt that we gave him. It was great...wish we could post the picture. Isaac looked happy to see us but trying to figure things out.
The Children's Grand Park is very big and has a zoo, aquarium and amusement park. The family gave us some space and let us explore a bit with Isaac. We pushed him in his stroller and let him run around a little. He would hold our hand and followed instructions pretty well. We were encouraged that he responded well to boundaries and interacted with us. By the end of the day his was giving us kisses and even calling us Omma and Appa (mommy and daddy).
Isaac loves playing with water. We spent a good amount of time bonding at the water fountains.
We spent a few hours at the park and Isaac fell asleep in the stroller. We went to lunch together with the family at a buffet and stayed a while to talk. They eat very healthy and have done a very good job with Isaac in not giving him a lot of junk food. We have heard from many others who have adopted from Korea that this is not usually the case.
After this they drove us in their car to a department store (think Korean Target). They wanted to buy us some food that Isaac likes to eat to help him in the first few days that he is with us (again, so thoughtful!). We were able to push Isaac around in the cart and we tried out all of the samples (except the Spam).
Then the family asked us if it would be okay for them to drive us back to our hotel and for them to come up to our room. They felt it would be helpful for Isaac to get familiar with where he will be sleeping and spending his time for the next few days. We cannot say enough how much this family has gone out of their way to try and help us so that bonding and attachment can occur between us.
What made this day so valuable was all the time spent together talking, laughing, and singing. Isaac loves to sing and a few times that we held him in our arms singing to him, he relaxed and seemed to soak in every note.
While in our hotel room, we were told probably everything we needed to know about who he is. What his likes/dislikes are, what quirks he has, how he sleeps, eats, and plays, what we can do to console him etc. This is what made this day so special and such a wonderful surprise.
It ended with them teaching us their "clean up" song.
Imagine you were adopting a 2 year old from another country, who barely knows you , who you knew very little about and you spoke very little of his language....and the day before you are going to get him to take him half way around the world, what if someone offered you an extra day with the family that raised him to ask questions, to interact, to bond, to learn...wouldn't that be priceless? That is the gift that we received today. We thank God again for all that He has done in bringing us to this point and we thank everyone again for praying.
Sunday, May 27, 2012
More Videos Part 2
Wanted to post a couple of more videos from Friday.
Isaac's first interaction with the iPad:
Isaac in the car with us:
We have a surprise on Monday so stay tuned!
Isaac's first interaction with the iPad:
Isaac in the car with us:
We have a surprise on Monday so stay tuned!
Saturday, May 26, 2012
Meeting Isaac Part 2
Brent writing - One of the reasons that we think DJ was comfortable letting us stay with the family was that their daughter spoke English very well and was able to interpret for us. We exchanged gifts with the family and were honored to receive some very special gifts. We gave them many things, including honey, almonds and some IU t-shirts and hats (that's right). They gave us some things for our home, ginseng (which is very expensive) and gifts for our girls and parents...very generous!
We started to ask some questions about Isaac and the first three answers were very telling: 1. Do you still sleep with Isaac? "Yes, the foster father sleeps with Isaac and carries him around on his back singing to him for a while to calm him down before bed." 2. How do you console him when he cries? "He rarely cries." 3. How do you discipline him? "We tell him not to do things...but he doesn't listen to us." Sharon and I looked at each other at this point...no words necessary.
The foster family is such a neat family. So gracious and hospitable, and it is a home filled with laughter and singing. It is clear that Isaac is attached to the foster father. It is so neat to see them interact and so sad to think about how hard it will be in a few days for them. The father is a very special man. He is so kind and patient and it is clear that his family loves and respects him. He is a retired pastor and now gardens and writes poems. He wrote a poem for Isaac and gave it to us in Korean with English subtitles. We read it together and it was very emotional.
We were able to start holding Isaac a little. The family would sneak out of the room and give us some time with him. Isaac is a happy boy and loves to interact.
We headed off for lunch at a nearby mall. Now after practicing using chopsticks for couple of months, my first chance to sit down with Koreans and eat together, where did we eat? At an American Buffet...no chopsticks in sight. I would get a chance later.
We also walked around and went to the children's play area. This was so valuable to see Isaac in a public setting and to see how he acts and how the family handles him. He is very active and pretty much just runs around wherever he wants to go. The family, particularly the daughter, chases him around and tries to corral him to go in the direction that they want him to go. They said "you need lot energy to watch Isaac".
I took a turn watching him and tried to give him some freedom but some direction as well. It's interesting...he is strong willed and independent, but when you turn him around or grab his hand, he resists but doesn't cry or throw a fit...he just eventually gives in. He likes to share and help you do things.
We then went to the Odusan Unification Observatory where you can see into North Korea. The father said that older South Koreans consider the North Koreans their family, that they are imprisoned and they want to see North and South Korea unified. Isaac was letting us hold him a little more at this point and we pushed him around in the stroller.
We headed back to the family's home and got to meet one of their sons who Isaac just loves. We all went to dinner together at an authentic Korean restaurant (sit on the floor, no silverware, no laminated menus or waiters named Bob). We just kept asking questions and the family was so gracious to us to keep answering and to give us advice.
After this we went back to their house and met more of their family and got to see what Isaac is like when he is tired and wants attention. After making it out of the house for a second time, they told us 'you make sure to lock door to house'. Again a look from me to Sharon. It was also comforting later when the daughter said that she would give us their phone number so that we could call them after we get Isaac on Tuesday 'in case you need our help or if you lose him'. Not sure if she was kidding or not.
They drove us back to our hotel and Isaac fell asleep on the way so we did not get to say goodbye. After 11 hours we were all wiped out but it was a great day!
We started to ask some questions about Isaac and the first three answers were very telling: 1. Do you still sleep with Isaac? "Yes, the foster father sleeps with Isaac and carries him around on his back singing to him for a while to calm him down before bed." 2. How do you console him when he cries? "He rarely cries." 3. How do you discipline him? "We tell him not to do things...but he doesn't listen to us." Sharon and I looked at each other at this point...no words necessary.
The foster family is such a neat family. So gracious and hospitable, and it is a home filled with laughter and singing. It is clear that Isaac is attached to the foster father. It is so neat to see them interact and so sad to think about how hard it will be in a few days for them. The father is a very special man. He is so kind and patient and it is clear that his family loves and respects him. He is a retired pastor and now gardens and writes poems. He wrote a poem for Isaac and gave it to us in Korean with English subtitles. We read it together and it was very emotional.
We were able to start holding Isaac a little. The family would sneak out of the room and give us some time with him. Isaac is a happy boy and loves to interact.
We headed off for lunch at a nearby mall. Now after practicing using chopsticks for couple of months, my first chance to sit down with Koreans and eat together, where did we eat? At an American Buffet...no chopsticks in sight. I would get a chance later.
We also walked around and went to the children's play area. This was so valuable to see Isaac in a public setting and to see how he acts and how the family handles him. He is very active and pretty much just runs around wherever he wants to go. The family, particularly the daughter, chases him around and tries to corral him to go in the direction that they want him to go. They said "you need lot energy to watch Isaac".
I took a turn watching him and tried to give him some freedom but some direction as well. It's interesting...he is strong willed and independent, but when you turn him around or grab his hand, he resists but doesn't cry or throw a fit...he just eventually gives in. He likes to share and help you do things.
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| Isaac sharing his cookies |
We headed back to the family's home and got to meet one of their sons who Isaac just loves. We all went to dinner together at an authentic Korean restaurant (sit on the floor, no silverware, no laminated menus or waiters named Bob). We just kept asking questions and the family was so gracious to us to keep answering and to give us advice.
After this we went back to their house and met more of their family and got to see what Isaac is like when he is tired and wants attention. After making it out of the house for a second time, they told us 'you make sure to lock door to house'. Again a look from me to Sharon. It was also comforting later when the daughter said that she would give us their phone number so that we could call them after we get Isaac on Tuesday 'in case you need our help or if you lose him'. Not sure if she was kidding or not.
They drove us back to our hotel and Isaac fell asleep on the way so we did not get to say goodbye. After 11 hours we were all wiped out but it was a great day!
Friday, May 25, 2012
Meeting Isaac Part 1
Sharon writing - Here I am at the Holt Adoption Agency...waiting...as I am sitting here, reality is settling in that we are about to meet our son! I can hear the familiar sounds of cars and buses zoom by, but I feel like I'm in a whole other world. Everything feel so surreal.
Shortly after the picture above, we head down to the garage preparing to travel an hour to Isaac's home and all of a sudden a man starts to approach us with who I come to realize is Isaac! My mouth drops and I am stunned. When I come to my senses, the foster father is already in front of me handing Isaac to me! He is beautiful! I embrace my son trying to steel myself from being overtaken with tears, but the emotions are too strong, the tears come streaming down.
Brent writing - Meanwhile I'm scrambling to get the video camera out of the bag...and managed to get a little video (sorry we can't post pictures or videos with the foster family's faces in them, we will share what we can). Here are a few screenshots from the video:
Isaac waved as the foster father took him to the car and we got in the other car next to him. As we sat there a bit stunned, the Holt representative, DJ, told us that she didn't realize that they were going to be there and was also surprised. We were disappointed when DJ said that we would only to be able to stay for an hour, as she needed to return to Holt for another meeting.
When we arrived at the foster family's home, we were greeted by the daughter who lives with them and who we knew from the videos and pictures. We all sat on the floor on pillows and foster mother (who is always working) served us fruit and coffee. We brought a couple of gifts for Isaac for his birthday which he opened. One was the Pororo car and another gift was a recordable phone.
Isaac loved them both, particularly the phone. The phone rings when you put it down and you have to answer to hear a message. Isaac would answer the phone, say 'Annong!' (hello) and bow. He was also warming up to us a little at this point and gave us kisses:
After this there was a conversation between DJ and the foster family and then DJ told us that we could stay with the family all day and they would take us back to our hotel! This just doesn't happen...very rare...we realize what a gift this is. Thanks to so many of our family and friends who are praying for us.
Have to run...part 2 to come later today.
Shortly after the picture above, we head down to the garage preparing to travel an hour to Isaac's home and all of a sudden a man starts to approach us with who I come to realize is Isaac! My mouth drops and I am stunned. When I come to my senses, the foster father is already in front of me handing Isaac to me! He is beautiful! I embrace my son trying to steel myself from being overtaken with tears, but the emotions are too strong, the tears come streaming down.
Brent writing - Meanwhile I'm scrambling to get the video camera out of the bag...and managed to get a little video (sorry we can't post pictures or videos with the foster family's faces in them, we will share what we can). Here are a few screenshots from the video:
Isaac waved as the foster father took him to the car and we got in the other car next to him. As we sat there a bit stunned, the Holt representative, DJ, told us that she didn't realize that they were going to be there and was also surprised. We were disappointed when DJ said that we would only to be able to stay for an hour, as she needed to return to Holt for another meeting.
When we arrived at the foster family's home, we were greeted by the daughter who lives with them and who we knew from the videos and pictures. We all sat on the floor on pillows and foster mother (who is always working) served us fruit and coffee. We brought a couple of gifts for Isaac for his birthday which he opened. One was the Pororo car and another gift was a recordable phone.
After this there was a conversation between DJ and the foster family and then DJ told us that we could stay with the family all day and they would take us back to our hotel! This just doesn't happen...very rare...we realize what a gift this is. Thanks to so many of our family and friends who are praying for us.
Have to run...part 2 to come later today.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Surprise
A quick update - we arrived at the adoption agency expecting to meet DJ, the adoption representative with Holt, and then travel to the foster family's home to see Isaac. But when we went downstairs to the parking lot...the foster father was there holding Isaac!
Isaac is so beautiful! He was smiling at first and waving. The foster father was pointing to us saying to Isaac 'Omma' and 'Appa' (which means mommy and daddy). When the foster father started to hand him over to Sharon for a hug, he started to tear up a little. So Sharon gave him a hug and kiss and handed him back to the foster father.
It turns out that they had to bring Isaac to the agency for his final medical appt. DJ did not know that they were going to be there. Brent was a little late with the video but managed to get a little.
We are now following the foster family in their car to their home. It is about an hour away...just about enough time to compose ourselves.
More to come!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Isaac is so beautiful! He was smiling at first and waving. The foster father was pointing to us saying to Isaac 'Omma' and 'Appa' (which means mommy and daddy). When the foster father started to hand him over to Sharon for a hug, he started to tear up a little. So Sharon gave him a hug and kiss and handed him back to the foster father.
It turns out that they had to bring Isaac to the agency for his final medical appt. DJ did not know that they were going to be there. Brent was a little late with the video but managed to get a little.
We are now following the foster family in their car to their home. It is about an hour away...just about enough time to compose ourselves.
More to come!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Holt Children's Services
"Do not be anxious about anything..."
These verses have been very special to us over the past year:
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all (human) understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7
So much is going through our minds this morning as we prepare to meet our son today for the first time. Excitement, nervousness, even worry. We have so many concerns (and anxious thoughts) about Isaac, the foster family, our girls, the trip back home, attachment, adjustment and many other things.
But as we continue to present these concerns and requests to God, we truly do sense the peace of God which transcends our limited understanding. God's perspective is much different than ours and He has brought us to this point for a reason. We have seen His hand in this from the beginning of the process and though there may be hard times, we trust in Him and His strength to sustain us.
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all (human) understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Phil 4:6-7
So much is going through our minds this morning as we prepare to meet our son today for the first time. Excitement, nervousness, even worry. We have so many concerns (and anxious thoughts) about Isaac, the foster family, our girls, the trip back home, attachment, adjustment and many other things.
But as we continue to present these concerns and requests to God, we truly do sense the peace of God which transcends our limited understanding. God's perspective is much different than ours and He has brought us to this point for a reason. We have seen His hand in this from the beginning of the process and though there may be hard times, we trust in Him and His strength to sustain us.
First full day in Seoul
Brent writing - We got about 6 hours of sleep, which was enough, and headed out early for the breakfast buffet provided by the hotel. Nothing like a traditional Korean breakfast of bacon, eggs and waffles to get us going.
We went to the ATM in the convenience store to get some Korean Won. For our adoption friends reading this who will be travelling to Korea, you get a better exchange rate getting money directly from the ATM than at the Currency Exchange places.
Around 9:30AM, we were scheduled to take the city tour which Holt setup for us. We were met in the lobby by 3 smiling young women who would be our tour guides. Korean students who are learning English usually serve as tour guides because they are bi-lingual and it gives them a chance to practice their English.
They were so helpful, and we got to practice our Korean on them as well without any pressure. There was another family on the tour from Michigan is here to adopt. They are getting their son tomorrow and he is 2 years old as well. It was so good to share and talk with them.
We headed out on foot as the Gyeongbokgung Palace was very close to our hotel. With thousands of people there, we were glad that our guides were with us to help us navigate and to explain the historical significance off the site.
Many of the historical sites in Seoul are in the middle of business districts or by modern structures. It gives an interesting mix of old and new.
Our guides were so helpful and friendly.It was so fun to talk with them.
The Guards would not move. The school children (mostly the boys) would jump up and down in front of them and wave their hands to see if they would blink. A few of them had swords so we pretty much left them alone.
We then walked to Insadong to eat and do some shopping. We ate a traditional Korean meal with about 12 different types of dishes with the main course being pork bulgogi. With my apologies to Sharon and Delta Airlines, I have to say that it was the best Korean food I have ever had.
We then said goodbye to our friends from Michigan and will be praying for them as the see their son tomorrow for the first time like us. Their daughter is also 2 years old and is so cute! Our group kept getting stopped by people all day who wanted to see her blond hair and talk with her.
After this we went shopping for a while in Insadong and picked up some gifts, including two Pororo cars for Isaac. We found out that Isaac likes Pororo (a Korean cartoon penguin), so we put a few videos on our iPad and got a couple of Pororo apps just in case we need it for, oh I dont know, maybe a 14 hour flight or something...
After dark, we went out to Seoul Tower to see the city from above at night. Again, if you are travelling there, some advice: don't take a taxi. They won't let taxis in to the place where the cable car goes to the top so we had to walk most of the way up the mountain. The taxi driver told that it would "bout 10 minutes walk to top", but after about 20 mins and no end in sight, let's just say that I was struggling a bit with my attitude.
Finally at the top we took the elevator to the top and the view was pretty amazing. It is a 360 degree view of Seoul and you get to see just how big the city is. The last number I saw was over 20 million people.
Off to bed...big day tomorrow. We get to see Isaac for the first time!
We went to the ATM in the convenience store to get some Korean Won. For our adoption friends reading this who will be travelling to Korea, you get a better exchange rate getting money directly from the ATM than at the Currency Exchange places.
Around 9:30AM, we were scheduled to take the city tour which Holt setup for us. We were met in the lobby by 3 smiling young women who would be our tour guides. Korean students who are learning English usually serve as tour guides because they are bi-lingual and it gives them a chance to practice their English.
They were so helpful, and we got to practice our Korean on them as well without any pressure. There was another family on the tour from Michigan is here to adopt. They are getting their son tomorrow and he is 2 years old as well. It was so good to share and talk with them.
We headed out on foot as the Gyeongbokgung Palace was very close to our hotel. With thousands of people there, we were glad that our guides were with us to help us navigate and to explain the historical significance off the site.
 |
Many of the historical sites in Seoul are in the middle of business districts or by modern structures. It gives an interesting mix of old and new.
 |
Our guides were so helpful and friendly.It was so fun to talk with them.
As one of the few Caucasians there, many of the students there were wanting to practice English with me and get there picture taken together. This guy had me dress up in the traditional Korean hanbok and takes pictures as part of a school project.
The Guards would not move. The school children (mostly the boys) would jump up and down in front of them and wave their hands to see if they would blink. A few of them had swords so we pretty much left them alone.
 |
| Lunch with our new friends |
After this we went shopping for a while in Insadong and picked up some gifts, including two Pororo cars for Isaac. We found out that Isaac likes Pororo (a Korean cartoon penguin), so we put a few videos on our iPad and got a couple of Pororo apps just in case we need it for, oh I dont know, maybe a 14 hour flight or something...
After dark, we went out to Seoul Tower to see the city from above at night. Again, if you are travelling there, some advice: don't take a taxi. They won't let taxis in to the place where the cable car goes to the top so we had to walk most of the way up the mountain. The taxi driver told that it would "bout 10 minutes walk to top", but after about 20 mins and no end in sight, let's just say that I was struggling a bit with my attitude.
Finally at the top we took the elevator to the top and the view was pretty amazing. It is a 360 degree view of Seoul and you get to see just how big the city is. The last number I saw was over 20 million people.
Off to bed...big day tomorrow. We get to see Isaac for the first time!
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