2 Week Update

 Well, we have had Bumble for two weeks and things are going well.  We have finally all adjusted our days and nights - including Bumble, and we are falling into somewhat of a routine.  Bumble is still waking a few times a night to ensure we are close, and of course we have Peanut up usually once or twice a night with his new found freedom of being in a big boy bed.  So although we have our days and nights transitioned...I wouldn't say we are well rested! :)  But...we are getting there!

Bumble and Peanut are slowly getting used to the idea of sharing their mommy.  Like my sister warned me, "There will be a battle going on and you are the turf they are battling for."  Oh so true, but thankfully these moments are becoming fewer and fewer.

Bumble became more hesitant of Jon shortly after arriving home, but is slowly beginning to "allow" Jon to hold him here and there for short periods.  He adores Runner and Pixie has won him over as well - they are his second go to.  Jammer is a help and steps in to play with Bumble when needed, although Bumble is a bit hesitant of him as well, he loves to have him push him on the swing.

Twinkletoes is prcessing all the change in her own ways.  I believe she is excited about Bumble coming home, but I think it has also raised some of her subconscious insecurities, as we have had some things to work through.  She is at the age that she is just coming to grasp what adoption means and we have had some interesting conversations about adoption in general and her personal adoption as well.  Slowly with a little time to process and a little extra attachment parenting she is coming around to enjoy her new brother and I pray that they will grow close in the years to come!!

We were welcomed home by a wonderful crew of friends and our two oldest boys, Jammer and Runner, at the airport.  We arrived at midnight - so we were not anticipating it.  We were deeply touched to have Andrew welcomed so lovingly!!  Here are some pictures of our travels home and our welcome at the airport.  Yes, I am holding Andrew on my lap on the van ride to the airport - they don't use carseats in Korea.  And yes, that is Andrew asleep on the floor of the plane - he slept for about half the flight which was great! :)

We are all adjusting!  We seem to have a couple of really good days and then usually have a harder day.  Two steps forward - one step back.  We know it will take time - months - for those moments of grief to pass.  Usually when Bumble is uncontrollably unhappy, and nothing else seems to help, if I put him in my carrier he seems to settle down.  His Foster Mother often carried him in a carrier and I think it is reassuring and familiar to him when he gets overwhelmed.  However, he is a big boy with low muscle tone so I get quite a workout!  Also, he has conked me pretty hard in the jaw a few times - head butting, so I am trying to learn to dodge that one!  Slowly he is getting used to the hustle and bustle of a large family and we are attuning ourselves closer to understanding his needs.  We have begun trying to teach him a few signs to help with communication.

Jon has started back to work - he even gets to work the weekend. :)  I can't complain I guess, as he has had three weeks off.  I don't know how I would have survived the last week and half at home without him.  I'm a bit leery still of how I'm going to fly solo with both Micah and Andrew.  Hopefully they will only grow more compatible over the next couple days, since we have a swim meet, Mass, apiano recital and a Baptism to attend over the weekend. :)

Here are some more pictures from our first days home.  Remember Peanut is almost 2 1/2 yrs. old and Bumble is 1 1/2 yrs. old, however Bumble is bigger than Peanut.  Peanut falls in the 2-3% for his age and Bumble falls in the 98-99% for his age.  Bumble does have the sweetest smile - I love when he shares it with us!!

We Have Bumble!! Family Day May 12th!

Well we have had a wonderful day!  We spent the morning preparing and getting ready to meet Bumble.  We did a little souvenir shopping and then went to the Holt office a little after 1:00pm.  When we came in Bumble and his Foster Mother were already there.  He was busy pulling toys out of the toybox.  What a big boy he is and oh so cute!!

We sat down and exchanged presents and pleasantries between the Foster Mother, D.J. our social worker, who translated for us, and ourselves.  We then had a whole list of questions to ask Bumble's Foster Mother about eating, sleeping, favorite activities and toys, etc.  She said he was very easygoing and it couldn't be more true!  After a short bit Bumble started to fuss and she said it was his nap time - she flipped him up on her back and within minutes he was asleep.  She said he loves to ride on her back.  We talked a bit more so he could sleep a bit - about 20 minutes and then it was time to go see the doctor downstairs. We received his medical files and Bumble had a quick pre-flight screening.

Following the doctor's visit we went back upstairs where we the Foster Mother blessed us with two photo albums and some other gifts including Bumble's Hanbok that he wore for his Tol party, which is the party to celebrate his 1st birthday.  They then walked us outside and hailed a cab.  All I have to say is the Foster Mother and I shed more tears than Bumble did.  He has really done extraordinarily well!!

After arriving back at our hotel we pulled out some toys and played for a bit.  We even got him laughing a bit.  Jon and I ordered some pizza, as we hadn't had lunch and were starving.  Bumble loves to throw things, chew on things and clear tables.  Who said that the items belonged on the table - he thinks they look much better on the floor!  He is busy but very sweet tempered.  He has only fussed for a couple minutes all day.  After a bit, Jon fell asleep on the couch we have in our room and Bumble was laying on the floor looking at the toys when he all of a sudden rolled over and fell promptly to sleep.  I couldn't believe it!!

I am in awe of this sweet boy that God has blessed  us with.  His transition has been more than I could have ever hoped for.  Thank you for all the prayers - I truly believe they have helped!!  Bumble's Foster Mother thanked us over and over again and said she had prayed and prayed for Bumble's family as she was so worried he wouldn't be adopted.  We are so lucky that she has cared for him so lovingly and helped him to achieve many things that couldn't have been done without persistence and perseverance.  We can see some tings in Bumble's mannerisms that will continue to need additional attention and therapy but overall he is doing amazingly well!

We can't wait to get him home and introduce him to all his brothers and sisters!! :)

It's Been a Full Week!

Well, it's 1:30 am Thursday here in Korea and today is the day we will meet and receive our son Bumble.  I can hardly sleep - as thoughts dance around my head, wondering what it will be like when we receive him and how he will react.  I have visions of bringing him home and playing with the other children.  I am so excited!  It's been a long week of waiting with lots of ups and downs!

On Monday we had a slow morning.  We luckily lounged around our hotel in the morning instead of rushing off to sightsee because we received a call from our social worker here in Korea.  She said they had problems again at the Embassy.  Bumble was scheduled for his Visa Interview that day but there were issues with our proof of  income and they were refusing to issue the Visa.  She said we had to get some supporting documentation down to their office that day - or the Visa would not be issued.  Panicked and in tears - I called my sister Becky, who has also adopted internationally, and she helped us through the aid of my brother Nick get the documentation they were asking for.  We also had brought with us some supporting documentation for Jon's income, as we were told before we left that it would be a good idea - just in case.  The issue was that in order to sponsor an immigrant you must reach an income level based on family size and they were saying we didn't meet it.  With Jon's income we do exceed this amount but it is not reflected on our tax statements due to our military pay structure, and that only part of our income is taxed.  I had talked with our social worker back in the states about this prior to leaving and had sent an earning statement along with our tax statements early on with our acceptance paperwork, but still somehow it wasn't being communicated clearly.

Anyhow, armed with all our documentation and lots of prayer - Jon and I jumped in a taxi and headed to the Holt Korea office.  We sat down with our social worker and the Visa worker from the agency and went through all our documentation.  The Visa worker seemed pleased and we were told he would take all our paperwork down to the US Embassy and we should return to the office in two hours to find out if it was accepted.

Since we had two hours to burn - and we were starving - we found a great traditional Korean restaurant, recommended to us by our social worker, and had some Galbi (Korean BBQ - cooked right on your table).  It was yummy!!!  Then we headed over to the Holt Reception Center where some of the babies who are not placed in foster homes, for one reason or another, live - many of them are in the waiting child program, waiting for families.  With all that had happened and with missing my kids back home - I needed a baby fix!  We were able to go in and hold and play with three little ones.  They were a bit scared of Jon, however they don't have any male nannies - so somewhat  to be expected,  but one of them took to me right away.  He was so sweet!!  All three of the babies we played with were waiting for families to choose them.  We would take them all home if we could! :)

(Pictures To come!)

After visiting for a bit, it was time to return to the Holt office and find out what had happened.  We were so relieved to be welcomed by a smile and a cheer of , "everything was accepted - and we are back on track for your meeting to happen on Thursday!"  Whew!!!  Yeah!!!  Another obstacle overcome!  Praise God that we were at the hotel to receive the call, I don't want to think about what would have happened otherwise.

On Tuesday we had the wonderful opportunity to visit Holt Ilsan.  An orphanage run by Holt.  It is not your typical orphanage as it is a sprawling campus and is actually called Holt Ilsan Village.  It truly is a village with it's own schools, homes, work program and more.  It is an amazing place that I will do a separate post about.  All the orphans at Holt Ilsan are special needs and they are cared for so lovingly.  We also had the awesome privilege of meeting Molly Holt, the daughter of Harry and Bertha Holt who single handedly began Korean adoption by petitioning the US and personally adopting 8 orphaned children during the Korean War and then going on to establish Holt International one of the largest non-profit International adoption agencies known today, and also Dr. Choi who also live on the premises on Holt Ilsan, helping to care for the residents.

Yesterday we had to pack up our luggage as we were changing hotels.  With extending our stay we couldn't continue to get the awesome rate at our hotel that we received through priceline - about a third of the actual cost - so we were moving to the hotel on the Army Base in Seoul.  We checked out but were able to store our luggage at the hotel's concierge for the day and hopped a bus to the Korean Folk Village.  We spent the day learning and enjoying all about Korea during the 19th century - the time when St. Andrew Kim lived.  It was a fun day.  We returned to the hotel and the concierge helped us find a taxi that had base access and loaded up to transfer.  We ot in at about 8:30 to the Dragon Hill Lodge, found some dinner - Subway (mmm...a touch of home!) and crashed.  That is till I woke up at 1:00 am and couldn't sleep anymore! :)

Food in Korea

Well we had the opportunity to go on a food tour.  The company that does the tours is actually owned by a Korean adoptee.  He was adopted to the US at age 5 and in his twenties moved back to Korea.  He joined us for part of our tour, as he knew we were adoptive parents, although our actual tour was lead by another girl.  On the tour were also two woman, who were friends, one woman was from Canada and one was from Uzbekistan - they met up in Seoul for the weekend.  The tour took us around to 4 different restaurants and explained different Korean meals, drinks and customs.  It was a total of over 5 hours of eating, drinking and experimenting.  All of the restaurants were ones we never would have gone to on our own.  Two of them were so tiny you actually entered through the kitchen and they only had a handful of tables.  These are local favorites and suppose to be some of the best authentic Korean.  We learned a lot, and enjoyed eating many things we wouldn't have even known to try on our own - although we did pass on the Anchovies mixed into one of our dishes.  The last restaurant we went to was tucked in this food market that was crazy packed with food stands and tiny nook restaurants.  There were so many people yelling and hollering and packed in you could hardly move.  I had a Korean man stretch his hand out to me and I gave him like a "high five" and he yells out, "I touch one!"  Our guide explained that many of these food stand had been passed down through many generations.  It was a really neat evening - and yummy too!  Here are some pictures:

Happy Mother's Day

Here is Korea - Sunday May 8th is Parent's Day, not Mother's Day.  I told Jon that there was no way I was going to share my day, when he has his own. LOL! :)  It is hard to be away from my dear children on Mother's Day, but Jon cheered me up by surprising me with handmade cards that the kids made before we left.  They were all so sweet and I treasured each and every one of them.  Even the goofy one from Jammer - I miss his humor!

We were able to go to an English Mass at Myong-Dong Cathedral here in Seoul.  They had a soft spoken Irish priest presiding.  However he gave a wonderful homily about the founding of Christianity and Catholicism here in Korea, being the reading of the day was about the founding of the Church in the book of Acts.  He talked about how the Korean people did not have missionaries come here, but yet as some traveled abroad they learned about Christianity and brought it back home themselves.  Underground converting and baptizing hundreds before any minister were ever present.  He then went on to talk about the Korean Martys and St. Andrew Kim and St. Paul Chae - the first two Korean priests.  It really moved me as we named Bumble after St. Andrew Kim.  He ended by stating that we all need to take personal responsibility of sharing and spreading our faith just as these early Korean Catholics did - even in the face of torture and death.

I know it's not much of a Mother's Day homily but as we sit here in Korea waiting for our son - I felt like God was saying to me that we are here waiting all this time for a reason and He used this humble priest's homily to speak to my heart.  It's not every Sunday that a homily is given on St. Andrew Kim!!

After Mass Jon surprised me again with a ring from James Avery.  Woo Hoo!  This is one of the first pieces of jewlery I have gotten since we have gotten married.  I usually get something useful like a steam mop, mixer, etc.  Which I love and usually need!  However, I was very touched as he explained the symbol of the ring stands for endless love.  The endless love that he and I share and the love I have for each of my children, including little Bumble.  It's amazing how God can plant such intense love into my heart for a little boy that I have yet to meet.  It was a beautiful gift that I will treasure!

Happy Mother's Day to our Mother's - Lottie and Beverly!  You are both so treasured!  Happy Mother's Day to all our sisters - Lora, Laura, Kathleen, Kathy, Sandy, Becky, Bonnie, Mari-Pat and Trisha!!  Happy Mother's Day to all our dear friends who have been blessed by such wonderful children that enrich our lives!  We truly hope that each and every one of you truly feel treasured for the gift of life that you have given to your families!!!  We love you all!

We have to Extend :(

Well, we got word on Friday that indeed we need to extend our stay through next Friday.  We were told this would be a possibility when they allowed us to book our travel early, but we were hoping and praying that it wouldn't be the case.  Bumble's paperwork for his Visa was processed successfully, but his Visa Interview was not scheduled until Monday, May 9th.  Therefore because he has to be taken to the US Embassy here in Seoul on Monday, not only will we not be able to receive him but we will not even be able to have a visit with him on Monday.  Our reception date has been pushed to Thursday because of the holidays here.  They have so many holidays - last week Thursday was Children's Day, today is Parent's Day (Mother's Day in US), and Tuesday is Budda's Birthday, and Wed. is actually National Adoption Day.  Not everything is closed for National Adoption Day, but the agency is.  It's a new holiday - as they are trying to promote more in country adoption.  However, the other three holidays are huge - especially Budda's birthday.  Anyhow - I'll tell you more about that later.

I have to admit - I shed a few tears over the plan changes.  Both because I want our little boy in our arms, and because I miss our other children at home.  I didn't realize I would have such a difficult time being away - every time I talk to them on the phone - I get misty! :)  I am reminding myself regularly, that God's hand is in this and if he wants us here in Korea a couple extra days - there is purpose behind it.  I will admit that it has softened my heart even further to all the changes that Bumble will have to go through.  Being out of my comfort zone in a place where the smells, food, and language is so different is difficult for me as an adult.  I even know that it is temporary.  I am slowly adjusting, but I can only imagine how difficult it will be for Bumble.  Please continue to keep him in your prayers!

The blessing in all of this is that the airlines allowed us to change our return flight home with no penalty costs.  We were so grateful!!  Also, it's been years since Jon and I have had extended time alone without the kids so, as much as I miss our children - I am trying to embrace this gift of extra time with my husband.  If we weren't so darn tired! :)  However, Monday might be a good day to hang out around the Embassy - maybe we will catch a glimpse of our newest addition!

Day 1 in Seoul

Well, we are finally acclimating to the time change here in Korea.  When we arrived on Friday it was early morning - 5:30 am.  It took us till after 9:00 to finally get to our hotel.  We were able to check in and get our things settled.  We layed down for a short rest but knew that if we wanted to allow our bodies to adjust, we needed to stay awake.  Before we had left - I registered us for a free tour at 2:00 - that way I knew we would be forced to get out that first afternoon!

We ventured out on the Subway - called the Metro - to find something to eat before the tour.  We ended up in this small restaurant that had the menu written on the wall in Korean.  We were about to walk out when the hostess pulled out a menu that had a description of what each of the meals were in English.  YES!  We were able to order by pointing to our choices.  We were starving and it tasted delicious - even though I can't tell you what I had. :)  When i wanted some more water, I decided I was going to try out my new Korean language skills.  When I asked for water the waitress chuckled and shook her head.  However, I did get more water - but it may have been because I was pointing to the cup.

We then met our tour guide outside Namsan Park at the base Namsan Mountain.  They had some beautiful gardens and the ancient Fortress walls that go up the mountain.  We hiked up a bit as our guide told us about the history.   here are some pics:

We then went to the top of Mt. Namsan to see the Soul Tower.  Because it was such a rainy overcast day we didn't spend the money to go up in the tower.  It is the highest point in Seoul - and on a clear day the view is suppose to be amazing.  However, even from the base of the tower with the weather - we still had some gret views.

That first picture is a fence that surrounds Seoul Tower.  People lock a padlock onto the fence to represent that their love will last forever.  It was pretty amazing  - their were thousands!!!  Seoul is an amazing mix of ancient, traditional and modern.

We then went to Namsangol Hanok Village.  It is a place where they have moved 5 of the traditional Korean Houses to a park like setting and diferent activities take place to show traditional Korean heritage.  However, because the weather was so poor - not much was happening.  The houses themselves were neat though.

After the tour - we headed back to the Metro to go back to our hotel.  We were exhausted to say the least.  However, Jon looked at the map incorrectly and we got off at the wrong station, one too early, and walked and waked and walked looking for our hotel.  Finally after getting directions from a few different people on the street through broken Korean and English - we made it back to our hotel.  I barely made it into the room before I collapsed on the bed in a deep sleep at 7:00pm.