Pictures of Our first meeting with Hannah!

Hannah being handed to mommmy for the first time!

Our first picture with the three of us - we can't wait to get her forever!!!
Us with Hannah and her foster mother (and foster mother's dughter-in-law)
My first time holding Hannah - the toy was a big hit!
Hannah's first look at Daddy - that's all it took to have him wrapped around her finger!











These pictures were taken on August 9th, 2006 at Holt Korea. This was our first meeting with Hannah. We were able to talk with Hannah's foster mother with Ms. Lee (socialworker) translating for us. The meeting was about an hour long and Hannah's foster mother told us stories about Hannah as well as about her personality and schedule! This was follwed by Hannah's last check-up in Korea which we got to be part of - she is healthy - yeah! Isn't she beautiful! It was so amazing to meet Hannah for the first time, but so hard to leave her behind as we left. We were so excited to bring her into our family as she had been in our hearts for months!

We have been home for five days!

Well, after three long flights with very little sleep (and one vomitimg episode on Twinkletoes' part) we were welcomed home by a wonderful crowd of family and friends holding signs welcoming us and Twinkletoes home at the Mpls. Airport. It was a wonderful way to begin Twinkletoes' entry into the United States - to show her how much she is loved! I of course saw all the people as we came down the escalator and the tears began streaming!

We have been home now for five days and we are doing pretty good. Twinkletoes is beginning to adjust to all her new surroundings but is resisting sleep - day and night. It has been a little rough. At first the only way she would sleep was when she was being cradled and rocked. We think this is because this is how she feels most secure during this huge time of transition. However, it has made for some very long nights for mom and dad - mostly mom! The last couple nights we have had success to get her to sleep for a 4-5 hour stretch holding our hand next to us. She has been amazingly still happy and calm (hardly fussing at all) during the day but today she has begun to become a little more fussy. We are hoping this means she is beginning to work through her loss and can therefore begin to feel more secure with us (and that she is tired enough that she will sleep =)). We have been told and have read that these poor babies need to go through a period of grieving but wasn't sure exactly what this looked like. There are definitely times when you can tell that she is feeling like things just aren't right (yet!!). Please pray that we can endure this process with peace and patience and that her little heart will heal and that she can fully embrace our family as her own. We are already so head over heals in love with her and can not wait for her to feel the same way! A good sign is that she is showing moments where she will smile and giggle or cuddle in to Mom and Dad- we treasure these moments as they help us get through her periods of grief. Adoption is truly an amazing work of God and we trust in him to bring our little Twinkletoes peace! Here are some pictures of our time in Korea and of our homecoming - for some reason they are not posting, we will keep trying! Thank you for sharing in this very special time with us!

Wow, what an adventure!!!

Well, we have spent the last two days scouring the markets of Seoul!!  Twinkletoes is such a trooper! She has been riding in the carrier that Lea-Ann has been wearing - for hours at a time! Sometimes she sleeps, sometimes she plays with her toys, sometimes she watches the sights go by, and sometimes she coos and makes faces at the people on the subway! Oh yes, she is a pro on the subway - she has to hold onto the bars every time we get in - it is so funny - we even got a picture of her holding on with both hands! She is such a peaceful baby, unless she is tired or hungry she hardly fusses at all - how did we get so lucky???!!! She eats everything (soft foods) - yes at seven months she is already eating table food! They usually start solid foods much earlier in Korea than we do in the US, usually around 4 months of age. Right now she is gnawing on a rice stick - a stick (almost looks like corn on the cob) made with puffed rice that is sweetened and formed into a roll - they are very yummy, mommy likes them too!

This has been a trip of a lifetime!!! The Korean people are very shy but honest, kind and helpful! There have been many times that we have commented on how safe we have felt in various situations where in the US we would not have. We asked the city tour guide about the crime rate and she said it is very very low. She said that Koreans have a very deep sense of honor for each other. The police do not carry any guns or sticks, she said they just shout and ticket. Koreans also love their children, we have been constantly stopped by people so they can see Twinkletoes and talk to her. We have heard that it is very difficult for Koreans to see their babies adopted out internationally, however they have been very gracious to us. You can see the sadness in the eyes of many as they watch us walk by or talk with Twinkletoes but there have also been many that have acknowledged us with gratitude and excitement for Twinkletoes' future.

We have striven to learn as much as we can about the Korean culture and to try to capture some of it to share with Twinkletoes as she grows. We have visited some of the historic sites in Seoul, such as the oldest Royal Palace which has a folk museum on the grounds that taught us about the history of the lifestyles and practices of the Korean people. We also visited the National War Museum which pays great tribute to the Korean War and it's veterans, it also includes a museum that shares the history of the Korean military/warfare dating back to prehistoric times. We went to a Korean Mass at the Cathedral - they are extremely reverent!!! We also stopped by a shrine to some of the Korean martyrs that Pope John Paul II promoted to sainthood. One evening we were able to go to a show called "Nanta" which is a show that started here in Korea and has been taken to Broadway. It is a musical about four chefs who are preparing a meal for a traditional Korean wedding. The story is told through the music, dancing, and acting - there is little talking. The amazing thing is most of the music is made with cooking utensils. There is audience participation and Lea-Ann got pulled up on stage to be the bride of the couple. We had a very sweet college age girl (studying linguistics) take us to a wonderful Korean restaurant to eat and shopping in the streets of Insadong. We have mastered the subway and have walked and walked and walked and walked the streets of Seoul - taken in the sights, sounds, and smells of this unique culture! All this and to top it off we get to be the parents of one amazing and beautiful Korean baby girl (we are proud parents - can't you tell!)

Tomorrow we board a plane back home. We are very ready to get back to our three other wonderful little ones who have been having a blast with their Grandma and Grandpa, however we will miss being a part of this culture that has given us our daughter. There is still so much to see and experience -another day maybe! We will always carry Korea in our hearts and hope to bring a little bit back with us (like two suitcases full - he,he)! Gabriel, Josiah and Marie Elizabeth we are bringing your baby sister home!!!!!

A good night and a good day!

Last night went pretty well. As bedtime came, she cried a little more... seemed to happen when she got tired. Dad seems to have the touch in getting her to fall asleep. Mom is excited about that. Though she didn't take her bottle very well, she did fall asleep by 9pm. She slept well, waking up at 2am and 5:30am for a portion of a bottle. She shared a bed with Mom, as our room has two twin beds. Twinkletoes didn't toss and turn much, she just likes to sprawl, arms and legs wide open. Mom slept okay, waking up often to check on her. Dad slept like a rock... as usual.

This morning was very good. We got up about 6:30am and played on the floor for a good hour. Twinkletoes had rice cereal and bananas for breakfast. Twinkletoes took a short nap while Mom and Dad got dressed. By 9:30am we ventured out for a day of shopping. Twinkletoes did wonderful in Mom's Kozy carrier (great buy!). She drew lots of attention on the subway, with many smiles and laughs from passersby. One Korean woman even came up to Lea-Ann and asked if Twinkletoes was adopted. When Lea-Ann responded 'Yes', the woman thanked her profusely, asking God to bless her. Twinkletoes took a couple of naps in her Kozy while Mom and Dad trudged around the markets of Seoul. We returned by 3:00pm with arms full, legs tired, and drenched with sweat...correction, JON was drenched with sweat as usual. He's been going through a couple pairs of clothes a day...it is sooo humid!

Since returning to our room, we've been snacking and playing. Right now, Mom is feeding Twinkletoes. Her smiles and laughs are coming more frequently. She's cuddling up to Mom more today and loves the subway...especially the shiny poles. Oh...and she tasted her first french fry.

We got Twinkletoes!

Today, at 3:00pm Korean time (midnight in Minnesota) we received Cha, Yun Ha (Twinkletoes) from her foster parents. It was an emotional moment for all present. The foster parents had cared for this precious little girl for 6 months. They have given us, but more importantly Twinkletoes, a gift beyond value...a truly sascrificial love; loving her as their own while knowing they would eventually give her up. Their love was obvious today. May God bless them for their selflessness.

The last 4 1/2 hours have been good. Twinkletoes is well attached to her foster family, so after 45 minutes of peaceful interaction, she decided she wanted her 'omma' back. She cried for about an hour before she fell asleep. Since her nap we have been interacting well. She is very cautious but we've found common ground over Gerber's banana flavored fruit puffs. She gives a smile or a giggle now and then. We know that tonight will probably be rough. This is all so much for such a little girl to go through. We are counting on all of your prayers to help her through this transition... and us. Thank you all for your support. Just three more days till we bring Twinkletoes back home to her forever family!

We met Twinkletoes!!!

Wednesday morning we met with Twinkletoes, her foster mother, the foster mother's daughter-in-law, and Ms. Lee (the Holt US social worker who interpreted for us). She is soooo beautiful and very serious. She would stare at our faces and really study us! When the foster mother handed her over she studied me for a while and then I pulled out a toy and she was very intrigued with it. She settled into my lap and actually layed her head up against my chest and chewed and played with her toy for 40 min. while the foster mother shared with us all about how she cared for Twinkletoes. The nickname they call her by is chachanga which means forehead, because she has a large forehead. She is also crawling and loves to have you hold her hands so she can "walk". She is very healthy - praise God! The foster mother commented on how calm she was with us because she usually is very shy and doesn't like strangers! It was so unbelievable that they are going to give us this beautiful baby girl and we are taking her home with us - we are so very blessed!

After the meeting we asked about visiting the city where she was born, Deajeon City. Ms. Lee right away set things up for us to visit. She called to the Holt office that is in Deajeon city and had a social worker who could translate for us take us around for the afternoon. We took a bullet train down there (normally it is a two and a half hour ride and it took 50 min.). We were greatly surprised when the social worker took us to the hospital where Twinkletoes was born and we got to actually meet the doctor who is the director of the hospital as well as the doctor that delivered Twinkletoes. He gave us a tour and showed us what room Twinkletoes' birthmother labored in and then what table she delivered on. He read his records and told us how the labor and delivery was (only 2 hours)! He then showed us what room Twinkletoes and her birthmother stayed in together for a day or two for recovery. It was such a gift to us and nothing we ever imagined we could have to share with Twinkletoes as she grows and have pictures of the place she was born and the city her birthmother is from!

We then got to go to the Holt office intake center where bithmothers come to and we got to tour their home for unwed mothers. They currently had 33 women in residence and they can house upto 50. It was a really neat place and they have education classes and all sorts of programs for the girls, many of them were very young. It is an amazing work how all this is orchestrated. We also found out that Twinkletoes' birthmother was notified that she was adopted and a little about us and our family and that we live in the USA. We are so thankful that she choose life for her baby in the midst of a difficult situation. We are so blessed to have this sweet baby girl in our lives!

We are trying to figure out a way to post pictures and will do so as soon as we can!!! Please continue to keep us in your prayers - thank you!!!!

We are in Korea!!!

We arrived on Tuesay night (Korea time). 24 hours after we pulled out of our driveway in Minnesota we pulled into the driveway of Holt Children's Services in Korea. It was a very long flight and they kept the shades drawn the whole time! We were about an hour late coming in but as we walked off the plane there was a man holding a card with our name on it. It was great to see as everything was so foreign! He was very kind but spoke very little English as is the case almost everywhere here. It has been interesting trying to come up with creative ways to communicate!

We are leaving in nine hours!!!

Well we are pretty much packed, the kids are at Grandma and Grandpa's house and the dog is with a friend! In nine hours our plane will be taking off for Korea (via Denver and San Francisco )! Today has been so full of emotions. I was sick to my stomach most of the morning, actually I have been for about three days. This is one of the most amazing experiences of my life and it definitely rivals labor (even the sickness!). I am feeling better now that we are packed and the kids are settled. Our oldest son, Jammer, had a really hard time with us leaving - it took all I had not to burst into tears along with him. We have never been this far or gone this long from our kids before. I think that is what is I am the most nervous about - just making it back safely!!! On the other hand I am soooooooo excited and can not believe that we will be leaving tomorrow morning, flying halfway around the world and someone is going to give us a baby - our baby girl!!!!!!!!!!! Well, anyhow as you can see I am a basket of emotions. I started getting misty this afternoon when I was talking to our neighbors about watching our house ! Well I know I won't sleep anyway so I am going to get this disaster of a house cleaned up now before we leave so we can come home to peace (ha, ha)!!!!! Keep us in your thoughts and prayers and we will post from KOREA!!!!!!! Yahoo!!!!!

Well Baby Check in the mail today!

In the mail today we received Twinkletoes' 6 month well baby check from Korea. It says that she is 26 inches long and 16.5 lbs.! Sounds like a healthy girl! It also for the first time (we get a report every month) gave a description of her personality. It said she is cute and fiery and shy with strangers. Cute and fiery, she will fit right in with this family!!! I like to say we are full of spirit - can I hear an "Amen"! She is also starting to sit up and creep, is shy with strangers and is saying "omma" which is Korean for mommy. This means she is very attached to her Foster mother, which is ultimately good because if she is strongly attached there she has a good chance of strongly attaching to us! However, it is going to be so heart wrenching to take her from the environment she knows and have to watch her go through the cycle of grief that these poor babies go through! We are so happy that we will have a few days in Korea to spend with her before we come back home to the hustle and bustle of our household (this is not usually the case)!! Please pray for our sweet (and fiery =)) baby girl as she is going to go through a rough time for awhile. I can not wait to see our baby girl face to face - only five more days! This is so surreal!!!!

******TRAVEL CALL******

Well at about 11:00 this morning we received our travel call!!!! Well actually Jon received the call and called me on my cell to let me know the great news! I was tied up for a couple hours before I could get home and start working on our travel arrangements but my head was spinning! After having a really hard day of waiting yesterday I woke up today with a new perspective. I decided that I wasn't going to "wait around" all day for the phone to ring but enjoy the day and talked/prayed myself into being patient and to not expect to get our call until next week sometime. I was really peaceful - amazing how God orchestrates things! Well I got home and began calling airlines and travel agents. We really wanted to leave on Monday (arrive Tues.) as we have to have three full business days (Wed., Thurs., Fri.) in order to be able to receive Twinkletoes before the weekend so we could have some time with her in Korea before our flight home. This meant we had to have our travel itinerary sent to our agency by 7:00 (5:00 in Oregon where our agency is!) so they could send it to Korea and have it approved, as it was already Friday in Korea. We were down to the wire but we got it all done after spending lots of time on hold!

We are flying out Monday morning at 8:19am and arrive in Seoul, Korea at 5:40pm Tuesday (Korea Time). We will get to meet Twinkletoes and her foster mother on Wednesday and spend some time getting to know her. On Thursday we will get a tour of Seoul with a tour guide set up by our agency and then on Friday we will receive our baby daughter! That will be one amazing day! We will then have the weekend to "chill"/ bond with Twinkletoes/ and sightsee. Then Monday morning we will head back to the airport and fly back home! We will arrive back in Minnesota at 6:07pm Monday evening!

I am going to have a busy three days (as Jon is working long shifts all three days) of packing and getting everything ready for our other three rascals who will be staying with Grandma and Grandpa Von Feldt for the week! I am so excited but yet a little nervous also as this will be our first time out of the country and also the longest we have ever been away from our kids! Thank goodness we have the Lord watching out for us all! Praise God for this amazing miracle and journey of life!