Custody Trip - day 6

Today was more challenging than the past two were, but it was also very rewarding.  He has really started to imitate our words really well and will even say since English words very clearly (okay, no, go, ice cream).
For our last full day on Seoul, we went to the Seoul zoo in children's grand park.  It's a good thing he does great in the subway because it was quite a long ride to our destination.  During our walk to the zoo, Richard had his first 'tantrum'.  He really wanted something he saw, and it wasn't an option.  He was whiny and asking over and over and over, but we moved on.  After a while, he was okay, but it was never an option to give into his tantrum once we said no.  I know everyone has different parenting styles, and I know that sometimes it's just easier to give in (even though no one wants to admit it). But we are working on our relationship with him, and parenting an adopted child requires more attention to attachment building since he didn't experience life with us from the start.  We have to be consistent in our words and actions.  Failure to be consistent with him shows him that what we say does not always hold true, and we cannot be trusted.

 We found the zoo to be a little overwhelming to him.  He was not his happy, excited self that we have gotten used to the past two days.  He did have fun, don't get me wrong, but he was also having some difficulties.

 We saw a few animals.

 We played around at a park.

 Then devoured our rice and kimchi lunch.  After lunch, we made our way slowly out of the park.

 Once we were back at the hotel, he was back to his happy self.  The racquetball court was there perfect place to get out some energy.

Tomorrow begins our journey home.  I'm so excited to see Elie and Levi, but my heart aches as we say goodbye to the only place Richard has ever known. Please pray for a smooth journey as we travel and as he gets settled into his forever home!

Custody Trip - day 5

Our morning began with Chris and I laying around waiting for Richard to wake up.  We were told he typically wakes around 6am, but this morning he slept until 8!  It was nice to get some extra sleep, but we were so ready for him to get up so we could have fun!

 After breakfast, we went to the playground before our embassy appointment.  Richard was nervous about going up after being scared yesterday, so he asked Chris to join him (calling him appa -dad in Korean- for the first time).

 Can I just say Richard has got to be one of the most laid back kids out there?  He does great with anything we do.  We spent close to 2 hours going through the subway and walking around the streets of Seoul before our visa appointment, and he was always happy.  Our appointment went well, and we were done in about 1.5 hours.  It was nice to chat with other families there while waiting.  After our appointment, we took the subway to Elie's favorite restaurant in Seoul - a noodle place we stumbled upon last time when we were shopping.  He definitely approved of it!

 Tonight was our first time to hear him cry.  His foster mother described (in great detail) how she washes his hair, but he was having none of it.  A little snuggle later, nthough, and he acted like nothing ever happened.  We played a few attachment games before bed.  He loves brushing his teeth, so we build that into a game for him.

This sticker book was a hit, and he would repeat several words in English when I would say them (purple, pink, car, bug, circle).  Bedtime was super easy again tonight, and we pray that continues once he is home.

Tomorrow will be our last full day on Seoul.  We have fun things planned, and hopefully the day will be filled with love and laughter as it was today!

Custody trip - day 4 - Forever Family Day

Today was the day we dreamed of almost 4 years ago when we began our adoption journey.  Never on my wildest dreams did I imagine it would have gone as well as it did today.  Thank you to each and every one of you who prayed over this day for us. We definitely felt the Lord's comforting presence throughout our day.  We know that before we ever dreamed of Richard entering our family, God had this plan for his life, and we are so thankful to be able to be a part of his life.

 We began our day at our agency's office where we met with his foster family and had the opportunity to gather last minute information to help his transition easier.  We fully expected an emotional roller coaster today (we even had a barf bag ready just in case), but he handled everything so well.  After saying our goodbyes, we headed back to our hotel.

 On the subway ride back, he was very quiet.  I could only imagine what was going on in his little head.  He was thrilled when we broke out a new toy (transformer), and it became his toy of choice the rest of the day.

 Once back at our hotel, he had a quick snack and that's when the fun began. He started to show us his beautiful smile and let us see that amazing personality of his.

 Daddy and Richard really enjoyed lunch.  Apparently he really, I mean really, likes ketchup.  He did a great job imitating daddy's walrus chopsticks.

 After lunch, we can ventured onto the playground next to our hotel.  He had a lot of fun but became scared by an older child.  He immediately called me (omma - Korean for mother), made eye contact, and ran to me for comfort.  I was thrilled with this type of response for our first day together.  Up next we played a few attachment games which he really enjoyed.

 We explored the base we are staying at some more, and he spotted the indoor pool.  I didn't even know there was a pool so we didn't bring any swim gear for any of us.  We quickly ran to the exchange and grabbed him a pair of shorts.

 He had a blast running with daddy in the halls.

 Splashing from the side of the pool was a hit. He went in a few times, but he wasn't crazy about it.  So sticking to the edge was perfect!

 After getting out, I wrapped him up in warm towels, and he snuggled with me for a long time.  He would look up at me with his beautiful eyes and it brought tears to my eyes.  I sang to him, and we just sat there for the longest time, knowing this was a moment I would never forget.

 We choose a buffet dinner in our hotel so we could let him chose what he liked the most.  Pasta, steak, potatoes, and bread were his favorite.

 And dessert was an even bigger hit!

Finally it was funny for bed. His foster mother said he likes to sleep with a toy, so when I told him it was time for bed, he grabbed his toy and climbed in bed.  Less than five minutes later he was out.  This day was one I will never forget, and I hope we have many more just like it as we enjoy our last few days in Korea.

Seoul Custody Trip - Days 1-3

After a long flight we arrived in Seoul on Friday night.  Since we were kid free, we went with the cheaper route and took the subway to our hotel.  Two hours and many miles later, we arrived at our hotel, grabbed a bite to eat, and headed to bed.

 We spent the day Saturday visiting a few different markets and were able to revisit an underground floral market near our hotel we use for our first trip. We were able to find a beautiful plant for Richard's foster family that we will be able to add to their gift basket.  The rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting ready for Sunday.

 Sunday was quite busy.  It is the day before custody, so we knew we needed to stay busy so the time would go by quickly.  We treked off to the southern portion of Seoul to visit 'The Baby Box Church".  Chris was in charge of hauling the donations there, and he was awesome.  He climbed many steep hills across several miles without complaining.

 After quite a bit of searching and help from a few locals, we finally found the church.

We were able to donate around 500 diapers thanks to many family members and friends who joined us as we blessed this amazing ministry.

 Next up we went to Lotte World.  It's the world's largest indoor amusement park, and boy was it huge.  I think that there were 7-8 different floors.  We spent a whole there and still we were not able to see everything.

 There was a fun outdoor part so Chris and I went on a swan ride.

Finally we hopped on the subway for the ride home.  There was a girl sitting nearby with this bag. It reads 'I love Jesus with cross'.  I love reading the funny translations around the city, and this one just warmed my heart.
Tomorrow is the big day.  We get custody Monday morning at 10 am (Korea time, which will be Sunday night at 8pm central).  Please pray that he handles this process well and for our life as a family of 5 to begin.  I know God has amazing plans for Richard's life, and we are just blessed to be able to be a part of it.

Days 6-8

Day 6 was quite nerve racking.  We had a fun morning playing with Richard before we had to head to our court hearing.  We were the first ones up from our group, but we were waiting on the court hallway for a while waiting for our name to be called.  We were not allowed to bring food, electronics, etc into the court room, which meant our beyond active 1 year old would have to just sit there (something he rarely does).  We were so thankful that he did very well.  The judge asked many questions and overall was very nice.  Sixteen minutes later, we were done.... PHEW.
We celebrated by trying out a dog cafe near court.  This type of place would never fly in America.  Many of the dogs were just plain mean.  There were a few that are playful with the all of us, but I spent most of they time worrying of the kids were going to get bit.  We ventured to a different market in the evening for some shopping and Korean bbq before retiring for the night.
Day 7 was our last opportunity to see Richard.  We were again invited to see Richard this morning.  We played with him at an organized play group at the agency.  It was so much fun to see him interact with other kids and it allowed us to see how our 3 played together.  Richard really seemed to protect Elie and Levi.  He would make sure no one cut them in line for the slide and really missed Elie when she stepped out to go to the bathroom.  We all had a hard time saying goodbye, but poor Elie really struggled.  She was inconsolably crying which just broke my heart.  We spent the evening doing some last minute shopping and packing.
Day 8 it was going to say goodbye to Seoul.  After waking early to catch our ride to the airport, we made it to the ticket counter before there was a long line.  The man at the counter was able to change our seats to bulkhead seats which were amazing because it left us a lot more room for the kids to move about.  Elie again got very sad because we were leaving Richard, and j completely understood her pain.  The flight was long and there were delays in Detroit, but we eventually landed in Houston and began our journey home.  We are so excited to go back to Seoul soon!

Days 3-5

Day 3 was amazing.  We began our day packing up all donations for our agency and making our way there.  We didn't want to be late, but we ended up arriving 1.5 hours early!  We did laps around the building and got Levi to sleep just in time to go in for our first meeting with Richard.
Our first meeting with him was beyond anything I could have expected.  He was a bit shy at first, but he warmed up to us quickly.  We ask played for about 1.5 hours until our scheduled visit was over.  Then we were blessed even more!  Since he did so well with us there, they gave us the option to let his foster mother go to lunch, and we could stay with him until she returned.  Without a doubt, we said YES!  So in all, we were able to spend over 3 hours with him. He played really well with Elie and Levi, and he never once cried!
After our meeting was over, we went to eat galbi at a local restaurant.  It was fun to try all of the different food options they presented, and the kids were happy that there was meat that they liked.
In the afternoon, we ventured to d-cube city where the kids played at Pororo park.  It was a really nice indoor okay area with an inflatable, train, ball pit, playground, and more.  After getting their energy out, we found a tgi Fridays for dinner.  The kids both passed out from exhaustion before the food arrived.  Trust me, if it were appropriate, I would have joined them.
Day 4 was our agency provided tour which allowed us to see  some of the sights in Seoul.  We toured Deoksgung Palace, joined in a bell ringing, and enjoyed lunch with our guide.  We had a relaxing rest of our day running a few errands at Lotte Mart before heading to bed.
Day 5 was what we thought would be our final meeting with Richard.  We spent the morning exploring namdaemun market before heading to our agency.  He definitely seemed a lot more shy this time, but there were extra people in the room beyond just us, so that was to be expected.  We still had a great time, and before he left, they offered for us to see him before court the next day, so we happily agreed :)