Day 4 - Sunday in Seoul

It's hard to believe our time here in Seoul is already half-way over.  It's flown by so quickly, we're realizing we have more on our list of things to see and do than we have time for!

The morning started off by attending church with some friends of Rachel's, who are teachers here at Seoul Foreign School.  They invited us to join them at Seoul Union Church, the oldest protestant church here in Korea.  They currently meet in a chapel at a nearby university, so we found our way and enjoyed an English service with other fellow believers and friends.

After church, we decided to do a little shopping at the local E-Mart to find some new toys for Joshua and possibly a few much needed groceries for ourselves.  E-mart is a huge department/discount store chain here in S. Korea that has almost everything you could imagine.  The one we visited was 4 floors tall, complete with a food court and full grocery section.  One could spend hours going through all the different departments and floors and find what you needed.....while the store goes through your wallet and finds every bit of won you have!  = )

We hung out in the toy section, and the kids helped us find a few Pororo the Penguin toys for Joshua.  Pororo the Penguin is a very popular kids cartoon character here in S. Korea, and we were told Joshua was a big fan (as most kids his age are).  We stocked up on a few special Pororo toys for him to open when we brought him back to our room at the guest house to help him feel more at home and have something he was familiar with.  We took a break for lunch at the food court, where we found some Korean food to eat.  Rachel ordered bibimbap, a signature Korean dish, that was prepared with baby fish and fish eggs.  Rachel, in her gracious loving way shared part of it with each of us, and we all got to try a bit of the tiny dried baby fish (even the kids!).  They've got something to share with their classmates at school when they return!

After lunch, Jill had expressed interest in wanting to spend some time in the baby room here at Eastern, where all the newborn babies are kept and cared for until they are able to be placed in a foster family.  With only four paid workers working in a baby room that cares for approximately 45-60 babies (low estimate), they are always eager to have volunteers come in and help hold babies, feed them bottles, or help them fall asleep.  I'm sure Jill will share later about her experience of spending time in the baby room, but suffice to say....when I walked in to check on her and Rachel, I counted 36 babies in one room alone.  A second smaller room was also full with babies.  In some cases, there were 3 babies sharing a space where typically only one or two would sleep.  Many of them were crying, a few taking their bottles (that were being propped up by something in their crib), and a few sleeping.  The workers were doing their best to meet the needs of each of the babies, but it was pretty overwhelming and heart-breaking to see all these little babies just lying there looking for someone to care for them and nurture them in the ways they needed it.  Joshua was also in this room when he was initially born for approximately 3 months, before he was transferred to his foster family.  It brought a deeper appreciation for these babies, the workers, and the incredible care they receive here at Eastern.  They do so much with so little.  Absolutely amazing to see.

Our evening plans took us to a true South Korean cultural experience - baseball!  Being big baseball fans (especially Nathan), we knew we had to take in a baseball game while we were here.  Jared (who lives here), bought tickets for a game between the SK Wyverns and the Doosan Bears, so we headed to the ballpark for a night of fun.  Jared told us that baseball games in Korea are unique, in that each team has equal number of tickets to sell to their fans.  In addition, those tickets are all located together, on opposite sides of the field, which results in huge group cheers, chants, and all out pandemonium when that team scores runs.  We were cheering for the SK Wyverns, which meant we were on the first base side, and surrounded by a sea of red and white jerseys, along with red "air bats" that the fans would beat together in unison to create the most deafening sound that could be heard blocks away.  Of course, we had to jump in on the fun, and so we grabbed a few sets and tried our best to mimic their motions and cheers the best we could!  Each team even provided their own cheerleaders and emcee to work their side of the stadium crowd, and got everyone involved in non-stop chants that lasted the entire inning.  We found a hot dog stand to grab a bit to eat at (in between the traditional Korean food stands that offered bulgogi, kimchi, and fresh dried squid, of course), and were quite pleased to see how cheap the prices were compared to ballparks in the States.  Hey Cubs....are you listening?  Nathan had his heart set on getting a baseball jersey, so we even took a trip to the souvenir shop and he was able to pick one out.  As for the game itself - it went back and forth all night until the 8th inning when the Bears took the lead 6-4, and the Wyverns weren't able to come up with a late 9th inning rally.   Either way, we still had a great time and it was a fun way to end another day in Seoul.

Our big "family day" happens tomorrow - when we finally welcome Joshua into our family!  Our most exciting and overwhelming day yet.....

A bite of Rachel's bibimbap - see the little fishy on the top?

Nathan & Brooke ready to make some noise!

Nathan sporting his new team loyalty!

Nathan & Brooke, loving the game!

Day 3 - Lotte World (And A Whole Bunch Of Fun)

After our incredibly emotional and overwhelming day of meeting Joshua for the first time on Friday, we had planned to go a bit lighter and have some fun with the kids in the city.  So we decided an all day trip to an amusement park was in the plans for the day.  Strap on your seat belts...it's time to ride....

Lotte World is one of the well-known amusement parks here in the city, and is an amusement park like no other.  We were told it runs a close comparison with Disney World/Disneyland in the U.S......and that's not a far exaggeration from the truth.  Although slightly older in it's appearance, it boasts of being both an indoor and outdoor amusement park, complete with themed areas (like Disney), a variety of rides, shows, food shops, and their own cast of loveable little characters to round out the experience.  And if that's not enough, they also have a large shopping mall attached to the park, a folk museum, a hotel, and an indoor ice rink for people to go skating at, should you have the urge to hone your skills and prepare for the next Winter Olympics.

Rachel joined us again today and we all had a great time walking around and taking in all the sights and sounds.  One of Nathan's favorites was the "Giant Loop" - a 360 degree spin circular rail that went forwards and backwards a number of times before stopping.  He was also a big fan of the "Gyro Drop", a ride where you were raised approximately 210 feet in the air while spinning around, and then after a brief moment at the top (while getting a great look of the Seoul skyline), the lock goes out and you drop into a free fall all the way back down to the ground.  One of Brooke's favorites was "The Conquistador", an old pirate looking ship that sat approximately 70 people at a time and swung back and forth, almost to the ceiling of the building.   And she also happened to get me (Eric) to go on those swirling teacups 2 different times too.  Yep, our kids have no fear of heights, motion-sickness, or that "stomach coming up in your throat" feeling!  Love it!

A fun story from the day happened when two Korean girls approached Brooke and Rachel while they were getting ready to go on a ride together.  They said something to them in Korean, and then showed them their iPad/tablet they were carrying.  Thinking they wanted Rachel to take a picture of them, she was preparing to take one.  But then the girls pointed to the screen where they wrote (in their best broken English), "We would like to give this little girl our stuffed animal, because she is so cute and sweet."  So, thanks to the graciousness of these two Korean girls, Brooke received a sweet gift of a soft, white, fluffy teddy bear, which she loved and held on to for the rest of day.  Brooke continues to be the attention getter, and she's handling it pretty well!

Because we were having so much fun and there were a lot of rides the kids still wanted to do, we ended up staying there later than we had originally intended to.  But who's keeping track of time when you're having this much fun?  We ended the night going on an indoor hot air balloon ride which took us on an aerial tour of the entire indoor part of the park, which was a great way to cap off a really fun day together.

Another busy day packed with a lot of fun and creating some great lasting memories with the kids!

Only one more day until we get to see Joshua again and he becomes ours!

The Giant Loop - after hanging upside down!

The indoor part of Lotte World

The mighty Gyro Drop - 210 feet of free fall!

Brooke & her new teddy bear

Brooke & Nathan meet Pororo and Lotty!

At the end of a long, exciting day at the park...

Day 2 - Our First Meeting With Joshua!

Friday was our first full day in S. Korea, and we were scheduled to have our first meeting with Joshua and his foster parents.  Feeling nervous, anxious, excited, scared, and even uncertain all ran through our minds and hearts as we woke up and were getting ready.  What would our one hour with Joshua look like?  How would he respond to us?  Would we be able to learn everything we wanted to learn from the foster parents about how to care for him?  Would he be able to understand that we are his parents?  We were about to find out, and we were having a hard time waiting for the clock to get to 10:50, the time when we were asked to arrive downstairs at the agency to meet with our case worker first and then Joshua.

After having a little breakfast and doing a quick walk around the neighborhood to find a bank and grocery store (only found the bank, not the grocery store), we came back upstairs to our room and did some last minute prep before heading down.  Gifts for the foster family?  Check.  Gifts for Joshua's case worker?  Check.  Toy and baby care donations, along with a few care packages from other families waiting for their kids?  Check and check.  After having everything ready to go, we spent a few final minutes praying for our meeting with Joshua, took a few pictures, and headed downstairs to the office where we were told to meet our case worker.

After some initial paperwork and interaction with her, we were led upstairs to the playroom where Joshua and his foster family were waiting for us.  The moment we walked in the door and saw Joshua for the first time was, in short, almost unexplainable.  The rush and excitement of meeting him for the first time was finally met with reality - he is here!  We are here!  We are finally together!  I don't think words can adequately describe our thoughts and feelings at that moment, except that we were overwhelmed with joy, excitement, and love for our son that we had, to that point, only known through a few pictures and brief medical updates we received every couple of months.

We were quickly introduced to his foster family - his foster mom, and her three older daughters, one of which also brought her husband.  Their warm, joyful "hellos" and smiles helped create a very comfortable, fun atmosphere to be in as we interacted with Joshua.  Here we were, two different families - unique in our culture, language, backgrounds, and geographic location, yet brought together by the common love and affection we have for this 23 month old little boy.  What an amazing thought to think about.  What an amazing bond we share.

The foster family brought Joshua over to us and Jill gave him a big, long hug.  Powerful and amazing.  Nathan & Brooke started engaging with him soon after, and we all enjoyed some playtime with Joshua, while laughing and smiling at his interaction and playful spirit that we all saw through his actions and smiles.  Up and down the slide he went, in and out of the play car he sat.  This boy loved to be active!  Although a bit cool and reserved at first, Joshua warmed up to us as our time in the room went on, eventually letting us hold him, tickle him, and feed him some snacks that we had brought along.

As is custom to do at this first meeting, we gave gifts to the foster family, which they enjoyed and were very appreciative of.  Likewise, the foster family brought some gifts for us, as well as a bag of clothes for Joshua and a few of his favorite toys and videos.  Along with some food or drink items they gave us (some were Joshua's favorites, some were for us), they made some really creative t-shirts for our entire family with pictures of all five of us on it.  They also made a beautiful hardcover photo book of Joshua's first two years, and another large photo album of pictures for us (with two jumpdrives that contained all the photos on them).  It was evident to us that they all had a very deep love and attachment to Joshua during his first two years, and wanted us to have a record of this precious time with them.  We were overwhelmed by their gratefulness and are so thankful for these precious gifts!

We interacted with Joshua throughout the entire hour we were in the room with him, taking a few pictures and video, as well as talking with the foster mom and daughters to learn more about Joshua and how we can best care for him and his needs.  Too much to share here on the blog, but suffice to say, he's full of energy, smiles, and a cute little grin that can turn into all out giggles when he's tickled in the right spot.  He also has a sense of adventure and exploring, so we'll see where that takes us in the years to come.....  = )

Near the end of our time, after a great time of playing and interacting with him, he began getting tired and being ready for his nap.  With that in mind, we wrapped up our time with him and the foster family and said our good-bye's, but only until Monday...when we will see him again and have the official transfer of him to us.

After our meeting, we were able to meet up with Rachel and Jared and grab some lunch and do some exploring in the city.  Since it was a beautiful day here in Seoul, we decided to tour Gyeongbokgung Palace, one of many famous palaces here in the city.  As we walked around and toured the grounds, we were amazed by the beauty and intricate artwork that was crafted into every building we saw.  We also checked out Dongdaemun Market, one of the many street markets that are popular here in Seoul where many shop and find good deals on a variety of items.  This specific market had a focus more on textiles, shoes, and clothes, and we found a few fun things at a pretty good deal.  But after a long day of meeting Joshua, walking around the large palace grounds, and then shopping at a market, we were ready for bed!  A quick subway ride home and we were in bed for the night!

Overall, our first full day here in Seoul was one of overwhelming emotion and thoughts due to our first meeting with Joshua, but one that will be permanently impressed upon our hearts as the day we were introduced to our son for the very first time.

Brooke perhaps said it best when we were coming back to our guesthouse at the end of the day.  While carrying her through one of our subway stops, she wearily looked up at me and said in her sweet little voice, "I just want to see Joshua again."  And then put her head back down on my shoulder to rest.

Yes, sweetie, we all do.  And next time, we won't need to say good-bye.

Joshua!

Daddy & Joshua, checking out one of J's favorite Korean cartoons

Mommy & Joshua, enjoying the slide together

Joshua already learning lessons from his big brother....

Mommy helping Brooke hold Joshua for the first time.

The siblings...together at last!

Joshua's extended foster family - full of love and joy!

At the Gyeongbokgung Palace

Brooke at the Gyeongbokgung Palace

Day 1 - Travel & Transition

Our journey to Korea started yesterday morning and got dropped off at the airport and checked in for our long 14 hour non-stop flight to Seoul.  6 suitcases, and 4 carry ons between the 4 of us.  After a 2 hour flight delay while we waited for our plane to arrive, we were off and ready to roll!

The kids did great on the flight, thanks in part to the many movies, video games, and activities they had for them to do.  Between a large variety of movies to watch, electronic games to play (Nathan beat me in Yahtzee), and a few things we had brought ourselves, the time went by quickly.  Thankfully, we all had a chance to get a few hours of sleep, which helped when we arrived in Seoul and it was 5:30pm (and rainy).

We were met at the airport by a driver from our adoption agency who was ready to give us a ride back to our guest house, where we are staying during our time here.  He was the greatest - very kind, knew a little English, and loved the kids!  He kept commenting how we have “great kids”, and Joshua is very fortunate to have “a great older brother and sister” to play with.  So kind of him...and a great way to be introduced to the Korean people (very gracious and loving)!

After we got settled into our room, we were eager to try and locate a dear family friend of ours, Rachel, who was planning to meet us here in Seoul for the week.  Rachel attended our church and was a volunteer adult leader in our high school ministry for almost 7 years before she became a missionary and moved to the Philippines.  She’s been a close family friend of ours over the years, and had offered to spend the week with us in Korea when we came to pick up Joshua.  What a blessing!!  The kids were super excited when she appeared in the lobby of our guest house, and there were hugs and kisses all around!  We hadn’t seen Rachel since over a year ago, so it was really fun to reconnect with her.  We were also introduced to Jared, a friend of hers who she knows that lives in Seoul, and together we decided to grab some quick Korean food before calling it a night.

We ended up finding this inexpensive Korean “quick service” restaurant nearby the agency, and quickly became immersed in the full Korean experience - not being able to read the menus, unable to communicate to the locals....but loving every minute of it!  Thankfully, Jared knew the Korean language and helped us find some great food that we enjoyed (who knew fried pork with cheese inside would be so good?).  The fun part of the evening came near the end, when the restaurant’s owner (?) came over and expressed a great interest in Brooke and Nathan.  We had been told that Koreans are fascinated with blonde-haired children, and even want to take pictures with them or touch their heads, faces, etc.  We had prepared the kids that this may happen from time to time, but it was still fun to watch it.  The owner definitely enjoyed seeing Nathan & Brooke, and we all enjoyed the fun it brought!

Brooke, Rachel, & Nathan - all smiles!

Day 1 in the books.....Day 2 is now just beginning, and the first time we get to meet Joshua (in 2 hours!).  = )

Our Video Letter To Joshua

Back in February when we had our adoption dinner, we created a short "video letter" to Joshua that introduced ourselves and told him a bit more about us.  At the time, we were only able to show it to those who were at our dinner, but really wanted to share it with others - especially those who weren't able to make it!

Now that we're on the eve of our departure to Korea....it's time.  = )

Hope you like it!

Next update - from Korea!

P.S.  If you'd like to learn how you can help us as we travel (in prayer and/or financial support), please click here for more info.  Thanks!

Love in A Ziploc Bag

Throughout our waiting process we've had the opportunity to send over a few care packages with other families who are traveling to Korea to pick up their child.  Since our referral (when we were matched with Joshua), we've had the chance to send over three packages, each filled with a few different things for Joshua and his foster family.  We are limited to only sending over one gallon sized Ziploc bag of "love" at a time, so what we put in it has to fit and be sealed tightly (easier said than done).  How do you stuff all your love in a gallon sized Ziploc bag?

Well, with our most recent package (#3), we were a bit more creative than in the past.  = )   In this package we included a few new updated pictures of our family, some Starbucks VIA coffee packets (for his foster parents, not him!), and a little fun Cubs outfit (gotta start him off right!). 

Knowing that we were getting closer to meeting Joshua, we also wanted to help prepare him for that time of transition into our family.  So, Jill made a music CD of her singing some baby lullaby songs that we hope his foster family will use to help him fall asleep at night, so he can begin to get used to Jill's voice.  We also purchased a Korean-English copy of "Guess How Much I Love You" and made a video of Jill and I reading it to him and put it on a DVD and jumpdrive.  And not only did Jill and I make a video of us reading to him....Nathan and Brooke got in on the act too and picked out a story of their own to read to their big brother along with playing a few songs they just learned on the piano.  We had a lot of fun putting together a little "music and stories for Joshua."  We hope the videos will help him not only become familiar with our faces, but also our voices so he'll be more comfortable with us when we bring him home.


And here's what the result looked like.  Enjoy!

Travel Plans Getting Set!

After receiving our long awaited travel call last week to be able to go to Korea and bring Joshua home, we've been in "travel planning mode" and trying to get all our travel arrangements made and finalized.

Eastern Social Welfare Society (the agency we are partnered with in S. Korea) has requested that we arrive in Korea no more than two weeks after our travel call, so our window of time to travel is a bit tight, but not too tight that we can't make things work!  After waiting for 1.5 years for this to come, we're doing what we can to pull everything together to go see our son for the very first time!

After looking over a number of options for flights, we are booked to fly out on a non-stop 14 hour flight to Seoul on Wednesday, August 29.  Then, after spending the necessary days to take care of our adoption-related appointments and a few days to sight see and explore around Seoul, we'll arrive back home on Wednesday, September 5.....with Joshua!

We also just received our itinerary of the times when our adoption appointments will be held at the agency:


-Friday morning 8/31, 10-11am:  first meeting with Joshua & foster parents
-Monday morning, 9/3, 11am:  meeting with the Executive director of Eastern
-Monday lunch, 9/3, noon:  luncheon with Executive director, workers, and other visiting adoptive families
-Monday afternoon, 9/3, 1:30-2:00pm:  final meeting with Joshua and transfer of custody to us


We hope to blog a bit about our time while we are there, and would love to have you join us on the journey.  You can follow along with us in one of the ways listed on the right side of our blog - email updates, Google Friend Connect, or RSS feeds.  Either way, we hope to bring a little insight and fun while we spend our time over in Seoul getting Joshua and exploring the city!

T-minus 6 days and counting.....