Omens From a Dead Fish

So I thought I'd rather forget three days ago when Lew got up at 4:30AM and stayed up because he just wanted to play. I was so tired the next day as was he. We were both in bad moods. BUT yesterday takes the cake.

I should have known when Audrey said to me as she left for school, "Don't forget to feed the fishy!" also known as Parm. I thought, "Ah, stupid fish can wait, but I better do it in case it dies." Well, I went to feed Parm #2 (Parm #1 died while we were in Korea and our neighbor took it upon herself to replace Parm - great), and Parm #2 was on his side stuck under the beads we had at the bottom. It looked like he'd been dead at least a day. I should have known at that moment that the day would be a sour one.

I went to pick up Audrey from school at 11:30 and was taking a left into her school and never saw the car coming at me until it was too late. I noticed it just before it hit me, so I sped up so as to avoid hitting a door and it hit my back passenger side quarter. The wheel bent in. I felt awful. I still cry when I talk about it. It was Lewis' first time in our car. Now the car might be totaled (we'll know today). Everyone is ok and Lew has a doctor's appointment today anyway, so I'll mention it. I felt awful because for the people coming, it was a head on collision, and it was two older ladies and I probably ruined their day if not a long time after. I know I probably scared the wits out of them. I was scared myself. I was so scared because I never even saw them. I remember thinking, "I wish I had prescription sunglasses," and "Oh good, the bus is still here, so I'm not late."

The school called Todd as I was crying too much to do anything. They were so nice. Todd came and stayed until the wrecker came. I was in the back of the police SUV, so I took the kids home to give them a bath (the germs in the back of a police cruiser have always bothered me - not that I've been in the back of one EVER). One of Audrey's friend's mom from school was gracious enough to take us home.

After bath I put a diaper on Lewis and was getting his PJ's because by this time 1:30PM he hadn't slept all day long. He spit up the most he's ever spit up right down my shirt on the inside. Talk about slimy and nasty. I was dry heaving and thinking, "This is way worse than peas, dude." I got myself cleaned up, him cleaned up, and put his PJ's on and put him to bed. He was crying and I couldn't figure out why because he hasn't been to sleep in a long time, but then I remembered that I had forgotten to feed him. So I got him out of bed and told him he didn't win the battle I just forgot to feed him. So I fed him and he went to bed at around 2:30 very contented.

Now, the dead fish could be a bad omen (if I were to believe in omens) or it could be a good one because last night was awesome! Lew got up at 1AM and took his bottle and I cuddled him and put him down, but he wanted to play, so I told Audrey to go into our room and I went into our room and Lew fell asleep on his own!!! Yeah!!!!!!!! THEN, at 6AM I heard, "Umma" which is mom in Korean. It was a very happy sounding word - not cranky or upset word. I looked in on him and he seemed to still be asleep, so I prepared a bottle just in case and then I heard a few babbles - happy babbles! I was like, "Thank you Babywise!!!!" That's the deal with Babywise. You can get your kid to sleep through the night and then when they wake up, they wake up happy. I'm going to start trying it on myself. He slept from 8PM to 6AM with only one wake up, and I didn't have to be that involved!

We are very blessed to be ok after the accident (including the other people in the other car), and I'm blessed with a calm husband (my dad pointed that out). We are also blessed with great in-laws who lent us their car for a little bit. I'm especially grateful because Lew has a doctor's appointment today and I wasn't sure how I was going to get him there. My dad also said that in these times we learn to appreciate each other more, although Todd may not appreciate me at this moment :)

1st Day in America!

So Lew enjoyed his first day in America. Except for the whole time change thing, Wallace and Gerber baby peas. He went to bed at 6:30PM last night totally exhausted from the trip. He shouldn't have been because he slept for most of the trip. I went to bed at 7 because I hadn't slept at all on the plane. Anyway, he woke up at 3:30AM ready to play. I congratulated his 9 hour stint with a bottle, but then tried to get him to go back to bed. I had to pat his back for 45 minutes!! He kept wanting to get up and stand in the crib, so I had to hold him down with my hand every now and then. He didn't like that, but eventually he fell back asleep until 7:30AM. What a guy! He did great his first night! We'll see how tonight goes. I, unfortunately couldn't go back to sleep after 3:30 eventhough I was dog tired. I wanted to so badly but couldn't.

At 7:30 I gave him Kix and he tried his first tried and true American baby food: peas. He dry heaved the whole way through the 7 bites he took. At lunch he had rice cereal - we figured he was safe with that. For dinner we tried mixing the rice cereal and the peas. Again, dry heave after dry heave. Todd said, "Seriously? You'll eat formented cabbage with chili sauce and not mushed peas?!" So we decided to put our hot sauce in it...:) Yeah, we actually did it. It didn't help.

He's a big fan of Kix and Audrey is a big fan of the song, "Boom Boom Boom, let me hear you say way-oh. WAY OH!" But she thinks it's "whale." She's singing it in bed right now.

Last night when we arrived home, Audrey was so excited to see Wallace. She let him in and Lew screamed extremely loud. Oh my goodness! I held him and petted Wallace at the same time and told him it was ok. Wallace smelled his bare foot and so his cold nose got on Lew, and I thought Lew was going to crawl up over my shoulder and down my back! We let Wallace back outside. He's also stressed out by baloons. I told him they were just like lanterns, but he thinks I'm lying. So today Audrey put the baloons on Wallace's dog collar (4 of them) - that went over really well. Both dog and kid were equally stressed out over the situation.

Other than that things went really well! Todd is absolutely amazing. He did ALL of the laundry - yup, all of it. I was worthless - the most I've done today is this blog (at teh behest of my friend to let people know how he's adjusting) and I have to go and at least clean up my kitchen. Tomorrow I plan on not taking two naps; the last one being a 3 hour one (Toddy was supposed to wake me up after 1 hour). I plan to wear Lew for his first nap as I clean my house. Then we'll pick up Audrey from school. Put Lew down for his second nap and bathe Audrey. It should be fun. Then I get a little quality time with just Audrey. That's the plan. It may all fall to pieces if I fall asleep. We'll see.

Last Day in Korea

Lewis did great last night! Thank you for all the prayers!!!!!!!!!!! Please keep it up!!! Please also pray that I don't get motion sick on the way back. I did on the way to Korea and it was awful. I thought I was a goner, and had to take inventory of the barf bags. Anyway, back to Lewis...he didn't wake up until 6 AM! He had a bottle and we played a little and then I put him back to bed and had to wake him up at 8:30. Poor guy was probably so emotionally exhausted. I get that way :)

He ate very well for us again today, which I'm told is a good sign. It was hard to get much done being the only one to take care of him. He's beginning to recognize that I'm the one who cares for him because he'll cry and crawl up to me to be held. How could I not?! Audrey, again is a HUGE help. She plays with him when I need to get something done and she actually likes it. She gets his diapers, or clothes or wipes for me. She's just so helpful. She even informed me when he peed on the towel before his bath time when I didn't know it. Nice of her to point it out. I gave him his first bath today (no pictures on the blog, so you'll have to come over), and before I could get him in the tub, he peed on the bathmat. Audrey folded it up and stuck it under the sink for the cleaning lady whom we adore!

Well, our trip has finally come to an end. It is sad to see. While we are anxious to get home and get into a routine (feed, wake, sleep, Baby!!), we love the people and the food so much here that it's hard to go. We've made some friends with the people at the hotel. One is our cleaning lady. She speaks the most English and is the most animated person I know. She's awesome. We've also been totally enjoying the hotel breakfast buffets that keep us from eating lunch they're so big. Who knew cold bean sprouts could taste so good! I love them - Todd hates them. I like the cold beef, but would rather it be hot.

We ate at yet another authentic Korean restaurant, but this one, we actually ate while sitting on the floor. Good times. Sorry it's a little blurry. They made the food right at our table. We were a little bit of a hike from our hotel, and we're not used to being parents of an infant again, and we're Todd and Erica, so naturally we forgot the diaper bag. Lewis poops once a day and guess when he decided to go. Yup, right during dinner. Todd ran back to get the diaper bag and then I changed them. The Korean women serving us commented on how fast he was at getting back. Anyone else snickering?

Lewis eats everything, according to his foster mom. I'm still a little nervous about giving him food I know Audrey didn't have until she was older. But the ladies cooking and serving us gave him rice and the broth made from the beef on the skillet. I figured if they gave it to me, it was ok.

We also went to "The Alter of Heaven," today. Apparently only the emperors could make sacrifices to Buddha, so the last king declared himself emperor so he could make sacrifices. Not sure how much of that is true, but it was a pretty place and quiet. Again I was the baby wearer!! Seeing Todd try to fit through the tiny door that I barely cleared was too funny!

Lastly, here are a few of our first pictures of us as a family. The first one was in our favorite store. The guy gave us good deals and we found ourselves going back there. The staff at the hotel took the other one for us by the waterfall sign in their hotel. Maybe next time, I won't have to hold Lewis because he was so stinkin' heavy.

WE HAVE LEWIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so I'm anticipating a rough night. Not that Lewis has been terribly difficult - quite easier than I anticipated. Not EASY exactly, but he at least had some fun with us for a while at dinner time. We didn't want it to end. It was more emotional for me than I thought. I was just so grateful to his foster parents who were very sad to see him go. They were so sweet and we will remain in contact with them via Holt and pictures. Anyway, he's asleep, so I better get to sleep, here are the pictures. I'll write more later, but I figured you'd want to see pictures!

Last time as a family of only three!!!

We Arrive!

On the way to Holt to pick him up

Foster Family

In the cab on the way to the hotel!!!

I

Dinner Time fun!

So I officially am a baby wearer

Meeting Lewis for the 2nd Time

Today we had Lewis' doctor's appointment (more on that in a minute). We also went to one of my mother's closest friend's mother's house. There we had a home cooked Korean meal. It was wonderful!!!! I've never been so full in my life. We had fried rice with shrimp and yellow fish, and a really great kabob type of thing with beef and mushrooms. The beef was so tender and tasty. We also officially love kimchi. The woman who prepared the kimchi is from the southern part of South Korea, and they use different spices there. Apparently kimchi takes at least a week to prepare because the spices and cabbage and whatever else is in there has to ferment. I guess it can take up to a month! My mother's friend's brother joked that we eat it just before it gets moldy. We joked that we might have some American kimchi in our refrigerator when we get home. Audrey showed the picture album of Lewis to the family. Here's a picture:


We had the best seaweed soup as well! Love that stuff. The clams put in it tasted so fresh! They taught us (again) how to use chop sticks. I think we're getting the hang of it. I asked them how do they teach their children how to eat with chopsticks and they said like they were teaching us. :) They were so gracious and kind. I received a necklace that is this beautiful purple/red. Todd got a nice new tie (thank goodness! I'm kind of sick of his old ones.) They gave Audrey a cute little set of glazed clay pigs - a Mommy, Daddy, Audrey and Lewis piggy as Audrey likes to call them. She also received some snacks. My mother's friend's brother said that the "whale food" used to be his nephew's favorite (personal shout out to Justin there!). Everything was so lovely, we couldn't have asked for a better evening!

During this day, we had, as I said, Lewis' doctor's appointment. I'm glad we got to go and see Lewis again, but it seemed like a waste of time. All it made me want to do is take him with me more. The doctor didn't really talk to us at all, but I guess if there had been any problems, it would have been essential that we be there. This visit, he got cleared for travel. He is safe to go on a plane and leave for America. He has some Mongolian spots which are common amongst Asians. We were instructed to take pictures of them to document that they are birthmarks and not bruises because some people could think otherwise. If he's anything like the other Boerman kids he'll have plenty of bruises to worry people, so if we can keep the tally low, that would be good.

His foster father was there today, so we got to take some pictures with him. He loves him so much - it's great to see. I got a picture of him sucking his thumb which is cute.



















He thinks Audrey is great and I'm so glad she's here with us because really, she'll be such a big help building that bond. Right now he doesn't really want anything to do with Todd or I, but tomorrow he won't have a choice (poor kid), but what's my motto been since having children? "He won't remember." That's what we've been taking video and pictures for, right?














He was getting a little sleepy towards the end of our visit, but as soon as his foster mom put him on her back, he was sooooooo happy. It's funny how a child can go from slightly whiny (he really wasn't bad at all) to extremely happy in a matter of seconds. Little stinker! That's the last picture in this series. His big ol' toothy grin being on the back of his foster mom's back. I love this picture!!

bukhansan

So we did a little hiking today. Ok, a lot of hiking today. About 8 hours through the Bukhansan National Park. By the way, this is Todd writing for a change. We had a wonderful day of fresh air. We saw some Buddhist temples, lovely mountains, and an unbelievable view of Seoul through the fog. A portion of the park is in Seoul and is pretty neat to have such a large mountainous park so close to the huge city. I understand it's pretty busy in the summer, but it wasn't bad today.
Audrey did remarkably well. She hiked about 90% of the time, and spent the rest of the time on my shoulders, carried, or in the Moby. This was Erica's first time trying out the Moby, which will be our primary transportation device for Lew. Audrey had a short time where she had cold feet (literally), and the lack of a restroom was a bit of an issue (no accidents, just an issue). Other than that, she was great. She was singing again 15 minutes after the rough patch. She never complained about being tired and she covered a ton of ground and elevation today.
About where we went in the park, and so on... We'll tell you when we get back. The locals are extremely helpful and we were fortunate to receive snacks, pictures taken, and other generosity along our way. One even tucked in Audrey's shirt for her.
We're back at the hotel now after a long taxi ride. The girls weren't in the mood for the subway on the way back.
Better go grab some dinner I suppose. Hopefully I can talk them out of the hotel for dinner today, but my legs are feeling it a bit, too.

I Got Worms....Excuse me? That's what we're gonna call it...

So today was the day we went on a tour of Seoul with Holt (the agency here Bethany Christian Services works with). We saw a palace - the last king/emperor died there. It was quite interesting. Then we had a bunch of traditional Korean food and the guides guided us through it. The Bibimbap was wonderful. I have pictures/video of everything I tried, so I can tell those of you who are actually interested at a different time.

HOWEVER I know you all will be interested in the following story: For those of you who are squeamish - this has nothing to do with blood or bodily fluids or needles, but it is nonetheless GROSS, so beware.

We went to a popular outside market (there are a few of them here). We got a few gifts there. You can barter and it's extremely difficult for me, but Todd is AWESOME at it. Given his peaceful nature, it kind of goes against the grain, but he has a will of iron and if he doesn't get a price, he just leaves. We had a few "shop" owners chase after us. One guy just shook his head. I don't think he's run into too many Dutchmen.

Anyway, they have some interesting things to eat that we're not sure what they are. They're like little kiosks cooking food - some really great smelling, and others awful smelling. One good smelling thing was a pig's face. It was hard to distinguish exactly what it was, so I asked and then the lady whipped out a snout and a forehead and started slicing it up and showed me. I was like, "Oh, gotcha." She laughed and I think it translated well.

I asked the Holt tour guides if there is anything I should definitely try either for tastiness or for the experience. I eventually figured out that the "clean hotdogs" as Audrey calls them, that she eats for breakfast every day are actually something to do with an ox tail. Not sure how that all plays in together, but I'm not eating it, and she loves them, so I don't really care. Anyway, they told me of a few things to stay away from and a few things to try. Once we got to the market, they saw a kiosk of food and said, "Oh if you want experience, try this, but it's really gross." Here is the picture:

Wanna know what it is?

Silk Worms.

Apparently, according to one of the guides, he used to eat the little worms at amusement parks when he was little. He said that these big ones, however, are really nasty. And here is a picture of me and Todd trying it and the aftermath of Audrey trying one. Audrey didn't want to try it at first, but she wanted one of the tour guides to try it, so I said, "If she tries it, will you?" and Audrey agreed. She said, "Yucky!" but she was a trooper and swallowed it! Todd was concerned as she was on his shoulders. We've been telling her she's not allowed to say anything is yucky in front of people if she eats it because it's rude, but she may say, "No thank you." She's been awesome and has tried everything. Some things she says, "No thank you," and others, like the "clean hotdogs," she's all about. After she said it was, "Yucky," we told her she may say that as often and as loud as she wishes about the silk worms. They give them to you in a large dixie cup with toothpicks to eat them. Haha! I just realized that apparently when I go across an ocean to a different country I eat worms! I ate them in Spain (unintentionally) and I ate them in South Korea (under coersion). :) I haven't had a worm in a tequila drink in Mexico, so I guess I'm safe in that country.

The Moment You've Been Waiting For!!!

Here are pictures of our first meeting with Lewis. FYI they actually pronounce his name like this: "jew-hahn-e" I kind of like that. Anyway, our first meeting went well. He's scared of strangers and is very attached to his foster mom, so that's a really good sign. He's 22 lbs and in 18 month clothing. He is hanging on to things walking now. He's an expert crawler and opens all the drawers (good thing I baby proofed stuff before I left!!!!).



The foster parents have never had a baby as long as they have had Lewis. When I asked the foster mother what she'll remember the most about him, she said that whenever she went out, he got a lot of attention because he's so cute. People always commented on how handsome he is and she felt very proud of that. I was thinking, "Greeaat, another one." Apparently he's got really good skin. I'm not quite sure of the implications of that, but that's what the case worker told me. Along those same lines, and included in this slew of pictures is a picture of a girl wanting to pose with Audrey for a picture. Another one at a different time today wanted to do the same, but couldn't get her camera out quickly enough.






Anyway, back to Lewis. He eats 7 oz every 4 hours and is on Gerber baby food (score!!!). He takes an hour nap in the morning and two naps in the afternoon consisting of one hour each. He sleeps from 10 to 7:30 or 8 and wakes up for one feeding (sometimes 2) in the middle of the night. He also is used to sleeping right next to his foster mother. He cries in his sleep and she just pats his back to get him to go back to sleep. I know some of you are laughing at what I'm going to have to go through for a while. A pack and play is a good transition. We can start out in our room and gradually/quickly move out and away. :) He really is cute, though. Seriously, wow.

Audrey was the bridge that got him to warm up enough for me to be able to hold him. He is a mamma's boy for sure, which again, is a very good sign and I am grateful she has been so kind to him. You can tell she really, really loves him. He is really attached to his blanket I made him. That's kind of nice. He is also attached to his first/best friend, So. She is actually a Bethany baby as well and will be adopted very soon. She is going to live in Indiana! The family also has a biological boy Audrey's age! We are planning on getting together some time.

Anything else....oh yeah, the first birthday is apparently a huge deal in Korea. They have special outfits. His foster mother gave me an outfit. It's a little girly (pink pants), but it was so sweet and yes, he'll wear it for his 1st birthday, and yes, we're going to make a big deal out of it. I'm trying to convince Todd to let me put him in it for his baptism, but Todd's not into it. I'm trying to rally you troops to tell him your opinion. Thank you for prayers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pray for him. Lewis is such a sweet baby from what I can tell and from what they tell me, he's going to have a really rough time being separated from his "umma" (mom in Korean).

Taxi Drivers, Korean TV and H1N1 From the Devil Apparently

Love this sign from the Children's Museum we went to today. Then Audrey proceeded to go head first into the balls and come up happier than a clam. I, however, kept invisioning the "Important Notice about H1N1 flu" with a picture of the devil next to it.

Audrey LOVES everything Korean. She loves just watching the TV listening to the language. I can't tell you how many pieces of candy she's gotten from total strangers. One guy gave Todd and I both a piece, but I think it was because of our bad breath from the food we ate the night before.

Every time we get into a taxi, she tells Todd and I to be quiet so she can listen to the Korean music on the radio. There was a talk radio show on today and she said, "Mom, isn't this so interesting?!" I said, "I'm sure the taxi driver thinks it is."

That's all I'll write about today. I think Todd and I would both rather forget about it. It was one of those days where nothing you did was right. Sundays are hard to gauge here with what's open and what's not. We're up so early, that nothing really got moving until around lunch time. Plus Todd was excited to look up football lineups and whatnot, but forgot it was only Saturday back home. That started his day off on the wrong foot. I had to pack up and travel to our third hotel in less than three days (Todd had forgotten to tell me we were changing hotels until AFTER I unpacked everything and had everything all set up nicely in drawers - gotta love him!!). Our new hotel doesn't have drawers.

Things started getting better when we saw a Dunkin' Donuts. No one has decaf coffee here. Well, I'm sure they do, but the Starbucks we went to, the Dunkin' Donuts we went to, and our hotels (plural), have not. There is an entire coffee and tea section here that is pretty sweet. We walked around there a while today. That was nice. BUT, the ladies at the Dunkin' Donuts posed in a picture with me - it was great! They wear the coolest orange hats!

THIS JUST IN: Todd came back from a walk and said that there is a 4 story Dunkin' Donuts at this place, so we're off to go! I'm about to fall over asleep, but we're going anyway.

Our Trip to Seoul

Genesis 12:1 "Then the LORD told Abram, 'Leave your country...and go to the land that I will show you.'" God told us to go to Korea. So we left at 7:20AM from our house in Jenison, MI and started out on our adventure. We drove to Todd's parents' house as they were bringing us to the airport.

Our flight left for Chicago at 9:30AM. Our next flight left CHicago at 11:20 AM. We arrived at 4:07PMM in Incheon National Airport. in Incheon, Korea.

During the time we were waiting in line to get our tickets in Chicago for Korea, Audrey tried to speak Spanish to everyone. Finally I told her that, "Hello," was "Anyanghaseyo." She said it to the lady behind us who immediately started talking to us in broken English. She was very sweet. As we were talking, Audrey asked, "How come they don't worship God in Korea and they worship statues that aren't real?" There was a lot of silence.

As we were waiting in line, a slew of Korean flight attendants came in the door at the same time. They were beautiful. They were all dressed similarly. It was like something out of a movie. They all had muted teal silk tops with cream colored skirts. Their jackets were all the same color cream that tied around the waist. They either had short hair or hair pulled into a bun with a hair accessory either in the same muted teal or cream. There seriously should have been music.

The plane ride was the quietest plane ride ever. There were no crying babies, but there certainly were children on board. It was the craziest thing! Just wait until the return flight! :) Korean Air is a GREAT airline. Every seat had a new, sanitary pillow, as well as a bagged blanket! It was a germ-freak's dream! I sprayed all of our seats, remotes and TV screens.

At one point, I felt the guy behind me touch my head. I didn't think too much of it because he had gotten up before and accidentally pulled my hair, but he kept touching my head, so I looked up and saw dark hands hanging over the top of my chair! I gasped because it scared me, so I told Todd and of course, he laughed at me. The guy had fallen asleep on the plane and had fallen forward.

Shortly after that we were served a roll. I thought it was a regular roll, I hate biting into something thinking it's one thing, but having it be another thing. It was filled with slimy onions and meat. I think that is what sent my stomach into sick mode. I was fighting motion sickness the whole rest of the way. It turned into 12/4/09 on the plane.

We all managed to get 2 hours of sleep on the plane. That helped us have energy to get to our hotel, the Ramada in Incheon, eat, shower and go to bed.

We have found the Korean people to be extremely helpful - above and beyond. We picked our dinner restaurant because it had the English words, "Good Restaurant," written on the sign. Upon entering, we quickly learned that no one spoke English. The owner called someone and handed me the phone. The person listed what they had, but said that the thing we should order, on account of us having a little one was something that sounded like "Perogi." It was a sweeter beef dish. I figured that Audrey and I could split it. We did, but a TON of other food came with it. It was all really tasty, but we were just so full. I had no idea that we would get so much food.

Back to my point that Koreans are helpful. Our server made sure that Audrey had two pillows under her and scooted her in. She also kept rearranging her plates for ease of access and minimal spill potential. All the while touching her hair and saying how cute she was.

The two ladies were more than gracious. We had our first tastes of kimchi, chusok and grand oyster mushrooms. Also, there was this tasty fish dish. Again, I took a bite expecting one thing (it looked like an egg dish)(, but bit into a different thing (fish). Luckily for me, it tasted good! We also had some sort of pepper dish. It was like they were skinny, semi-fried, whole small green peppers. Again, tasty. I haven't found anything I LOVE by way of food, but I'm willing to try anything. Oh, I should take that back. I really like seaweed soup. It's nice and lite and salty.

When we went to sleep we could hear the night club in the basement. We were on the 11th floor. We were so tired we didn't care. We woke up at midnight feeling quite refreshed (10AM our time), so we all took a sleeping aid and woke up again at 6:30AM.

At breakfast, our waitress was so sweet. She doted on Audrey, stroked her hair, then picked her up (she was heavier than the lady thought) and carried her around to the kitchen so Audrey could see everything. She fixed Audrey's sweater and later brought her hot chocolate. Everyone was so nice, that when we told Audrey that we had to leave to go to Seoul, she cried because "the people are so nice here."

When the taxi came to get us, it was funny because he looked at our suitcases and laughed. I'm used to that but Todd wasn't. He felt sheepish. I felt empowered. He had to rearrange a lot in his trunk in order to fit one suitcase. You're a taxi driver - why is your trunk full to begin with? The other 2 suitcases went in our back seat. When I asked Todd if I could have the front seat, he looked like he might cry. Audrey commented on how squished she was in the back. Yet again, I'm short, so I'm stuck in the back with the luggage. It old Audrey I didn't want to hear it, as that's the story of my life. :)

We reached the subway station with a backpack, computer case and 3 large suitcases. Several men laughed and by their gestures, they indicated that Audrey could fit into one of the suitcases she was carrying (she insisted, so I let her have it. She's built like an ox, so chances are good she could wheel it and she can for short distances). A lady helped us figure out the card system. We went through the gate and she went back for change because apparently Audrey rides for free.

Getting the hang of the turn style things with it locking after each person, yet having a third person with you is hard. I had to jump them once. Another time we got off at the wrong stop and couldn't get out because our cards didn't work. We had to skip out on that one too. Today will be better. Seriously, though, there are a TON of people with masks on. Either not to get H1N1, or not to pass it on to others. It's disconcerting when a guy with a a homemade crocheted mask walks by you and touches the handles of every piece of luggage you won. Yes, I sprayed them all down.

Once off the subway, we headed to our new destination: Best Western. The staff was again, friendly and helpful. But on the way there, about 1/2 mile away, a lady noticed Audrey struggling with her suitcase. We all were as the sidewalks are made of brick and are difficult to maneuver. She of course stroked Audrey's hair, pinched her cheek, took her by the hand, took the suitcase by the other hand and led us to the hotel! What kindness! Can I live here forever?

The Day We Got The Call

WARNING: Don't read this if you're squeamish. It makes me feel a little funny to write about it.

Ok, so as promised I'd tell you about the day as it unfolded when we got the Korea Call. I was shopping at Meijer feeling pretty happy about the disposable toilet seat covers I found for the airplane ride for Audrey. I returned home to find that our social worker had called for the both of us. She usually doesn't do that. Immediately after, Todd called sounding quite giddy on the answering machine (he NEVER does that). I called our social worker and left her a message. I called Todd and left him a message. I called Todd's secretary at work and asked for Todd. She stated he was in a meeting, and I explained that I wouldn't normally be calling, but I was wondering if we had gotten the Korea Call and couldn't get a hold of anyone to tell me if we had. She reluctantly told me that we in fact did get the Korea call because if the shoe was on her foot, she'd want to know (I probably already wrote this, sorry). So I was excited, but still knew nothing about the situation. Things unfolded rather quickly. Todd got plane tickets for the next morning and then we had to finish packing and getting the house in order.

Audrey had a few friends over as well. It would be a long time until she got to see them, so it was very nice of their parents to bring them over for a little bit to say hi and bye to her. Elijah Corner was over, and as his mother came to pick him up, Emma and Megan Baker came over to see Audrey. They were all playing together as us moms talked. Then they decided to play outside in the back. Everyone by Megan, that is. Megan is afraid of Wallace, our dog. Emma and Elijah are not. Elijah wanted to take the women out for a ride on Audrey's new power wheel thing (new to her, not a new one). He likes to be the stud driving the chics around :) I think he digs the suped up condition it's in. It's only supposed to be a 6V battery, but Todd and his friend hooked it up with a 12V one. They really should be wearing helmets.

As we were finishing up and I was putting the car away, Emma started screaming and crying. My back was turned and I had no idea what was going on. I immediately thought Wallace bit her, but couldn't figure out why because he doesn't ever go after children. Kids can pull his tail and fall on him and hit him and he walks away. I also didn't hear any growling. He also didn't look at me as if he had done something wrong. Usually he'll cower or something. He was very happy-go-lucky having no clue he just hurt someone somehow. I asked Elijah's mom if he had bitten Emma, but she said that she didn't think he had.

When I saw Emma's lip, my stomach turned. It was pretty bad. She had a "V" shaped gap, hole, slice, cut, whatever you want to call it above her lip. Her mother put her finger underneath the other side to see if it had gone through, but thankfully it hadn't (but barely). We still didn't know what had happened. Then Elijah's mother commented that it looked like it could have been his collar that snagged on her upper lip. Wallace was licking cheese off my patio (gross, I know - Audrey can reach the cheese and will give him treats when I don't know it), and Emma was petting him. She leaned down as he came up to play or to kiss her or whatever, and their bodies just collided. It was a fast movement, so it appeared that she bit her lip inside pretty good. It was awful. I felt horrible for Emma. I also felt terrible because here she was coming to say goodbye to Audrey and she ends up getting hurt.

It was chaos to say the least. I was thankful that both Elijah's mom and Emma's mom were relatively calm during the whole ordeal, as my insides felt like crap. Once it stopped bleeding it was decided that it should be looked at at the med center. I offered to watch the kid Emma's mom was babysitting (he's 10 months or so) and Megan while she took Emma to the med center. We had to call the baby's father to give him directions to my house and ask his permission if I could take care of his baby. Then we had to call Emma and Megan's dad to have him pick up Megan on his way home from work.

Thankfully Elijah's mom likes babies, so she held the baby for me while I cleaned out my freezer. I couldn't have done it without her! He's heavy too, and she held him the whole time. I meant to give her credit when his father picked him up, but I forgot in the chaos of it all. So I'm giving her credit here for all to see!!

As it turns out, the doctor confirmed what Elijah's mom had suggested: the hole in Emma's face did not come from a dog bite (thankfully!!) but it does appear that it came from a dog collar. Emma ended up having 5 stitches in her poor little face. I feel horrible, but apparently Emma was a trooper and was awesome at just taking it like a man. Which, let me just say, if it were my husband, he'd be brave, for sure, but the whole needle thing would put him on the floor, and other guys I know, while brave and strong and awesome men, sometimes they are a little on the wimpy side. That being said, "taking it like a man," isn't the best saying. Emma did awesome!!!

Later I'll tell you about our trip. Audrey is soooooo tired right now, and so she's going to bed. She chose to skip the shower and dinner because she's so tired. She hasn't complained at all about being tired today, so we're very thankful. It's not too far from her bedtime at ten to 7. She usually goes to bed at 7 when she's naughty. We just won't tell her what time it is. It's dark and it seems like wicked late to her, and she can't tell time yet. :)

Thank you for praying for us!!

We're in Korea!

When I become acclimated to the time change (I'm guessing tomorrow) I'll be able to write more coherently, although all of us are doing quite well with only 2 hours of sleep. The plane ride was interesting. It's about 6 PM here and I'm hungry. We're all showered and we traveled across a 21.3km bridge to get to our hotel (lovely).

Right now we will be meeting Lewis on Monday. Taking the official tour of Seoul on Tuesday and picking him up on Friday. Then we'll leave on Sunday and will arrive at about 3PM in Grand Rapids.

More later...

We're OUTTA HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Got the call today - leaving tomorrow, don't have time for more because I have to get my house in order. YEAH!!!!!!!!! We're going to have our computer and will be able to give updates as we're there. That's the plan, at least.

Just Waiting for a Phone Call

So here's the deal. Right now, Lewis is getting his Visa appointment and his medical apointment set up. Once those are set up, Korea will call and tell Bethany we are cleared for travel. Usually families are traveling or about to travel before or during those appointments. In which case we would not get the medical update on Lewis until we get to Korea.

Korea will call and say that it wants us there on a certain date. That is the date we can meet Lewis and talk to his foster mother that day. The next day we can go sightseeing (Lewis will be at his foster mother's house). The day after that Lewis will be ours to take home and we may travel back the next day. Apparently you usually can't travel back the day you get your child, but honestly, I'm not sure I'd want to. I don't mind waiting until the next day to travel.

It is true that we get only 5-10 days notice. So theoretically we could get a call tomorrow and Korea could say that they want us there next Thursday.

Pray that he comes soon. I'm getting a titch anxious.

Latest from the Case Worker:

You should be in good shape for a couple of weeks... but I would guess November travel : )

What the Case Worker Said...

My case worker rocks! She emailed me back already (it' slike 9 at night!!) Here's what she wrote. Don't ask me what it means, I'm not entirely sure, but I think they were holding off on getting Lewis' well baby visit until we got this paper. I was getting a lot of information about him before, but it has stopped in the last month, so I think it's because they were waiting. He has to have a medical clearance for his Visa. Here's what she wrote:

"YEAH!!!!!! you are getting very close now :) THey will be able to schedule Lewis's visa and medical appt and then you will get permission to travel. Great great news! Your fingerprints should be o.k. : ) "

Also, I had forgotten to post this picture of Lewis, so here it is! Our family friends, Leslie Kim and her daughter, Erica, got these books for him!! One is of the Old Testament and one is of the New Testament in Korean! Such cute books! I wasn't sure if his foster mother was a Christian or not, so I had asked for a few children's books that she would feel compelled to read to him, and if she wasn't a Christian, she maybe could find Christ in those books. It is likely she's a Christian, but I wasn't sure. If she is, then she at least knows that we are and maybe that will give her some peace about Lewis coming to us! Win-Win situation.

WE GOT THE LETTER!

So here is what our letter says, what it means....that's a different story. I'm not sure what is next, I think my case worker will get back to me this week, so I'll write more later:

"The visa petition you filed has been approved. The beneficiary for whom you filed has been given the appropriate classification. Note the approval gives no assurance that the beneficiary will automatically be found eligible for visa issuance, admission to the United States, or adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident status. Whether the beneficiary gets a visa is decided only when an application is made to a consular officer. Your petition to classify the beneficiary as an immediate relative of a United States citizen has been forwarded to the United States Consulate through the National Visa Center. This completes all action by the USCIS on the petition. The United States Consulate, which is part of the Department of State, will contact the beneficiary and give instructions about getting a visa. Questions about getting a visa should be made to the United States Consulate. Remarks: ALL APPROVED VISA PETITIONS ARE SENT THROUGH THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE NATIONAL VISA CENTER, FURTHER INQUIRIES SHOULD BE MADE THERE."

This is funny, and I just noticed it: the name of the Field Office Director is "Jack Y. Lin." Interesting.

Since people keep asking....

So here's the deal: We are waiting on our government (specifically ICE) to give us the "ok" on our fingerprints. That will come in the mail. By the way, since I've been married, Todd's the mail guy. I just never go out to get it. However, in the last week or so I've been very anxious to get the mail. I even waited all day yesterday until I realized it was a bloody holiday! Embarrassing because I checked it a few times. See? This is why I don't get the mail - I never know when it's going to come. Anyway, once the paper comes, I call Bethany Christian Services, and tell them I got the paper. I also then mail the paper. Meanwhile they call Korea and tell them that the US Government approved everything. Korea begins working on a date for us to travel. Bethany receives the paper I mailed and wires it to Korea. Korea receives the paper and tells us our son is ready. Once I get the paper, things shouldn't move slowly, it's just our government taking its sweet time, but I understand they're busy...although they apparently had yesterday off!

On my toes while I wait

So Audrey certainly keeps me on my toes. I was in GAP today looking for pants for Lewis, and I couldn't decide on a hat and mitten set. It was $20 which was ridiculous, but it was sooooooooooo cute. I couldn't decide on the 6-12 months or the 12-18 months. My better half would take the Dutch route and get the 12-18 months - even if it would look stupid now. However, I tend to go the "satisfy the now," more often than not. He needs a hat now, so let's get him a hat that will fit now - not next year. Apparently I was talking to myself and hemming and hawing out loud. Audrey said, "Just suck it up!"

Cramp in my Nesting

Ok, so I've been nesting like a fiend lately. Today, however, for as much organizing and cleaning and making my awesome husband insane, we have "cluster flies." They are awful! Todd killed about 50 last night. Today, he's in Benton Harbor for the night and won't be home until tomorrow. This morning I killed like 6 more, but thought the worst of it was over. I went to get Audrey from school and when I got back - another 60 or so! Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I have a bug guy coming any moment.

Newest Photo of Lewis

Here is another picture. So I guess this really is his foster mother, which is awesome. I should send him some of our pictures...hmmm...that's a thought. She just looks like such a beautiful person!

Anyway, we had a bit of a scare this past week because we got a letter from Customs that said the approximate wait time for our paperwork is 3 months. We were a little saddened to hear this when we were thinking Octoberish and whatnot. I emailed my caseworker and asked her how realistic that time frame was. She said not to worry, and that they always say that. So that's a little bit of a relief. We really need him to be here now - not just because he's so doggone cute, but it would help on the taxes :)

So yeah, his hair appears to be growing quite lengthy. If the foster care system is anything like the states, then his foster mother might not be allowed to cut his hair. She can as far as I'm concerned. I know, though here in the US, foster families aren't allowed to without consent - and even then, I'm not so sure. Anyway, I thought you'd enjoy it.

The dog was one of Audreys and she decided, "I don't really like this dog, so I'll give it to Lewis." Very kind of her. I did buy her a book about how great little brothers are - I should start reading that to her more frequently, apparently. The outfits you see are from his Grandma Coni. They have the picture of Audrey on the back that we sent out for announcements, and it says something to the effect of, "This is my big sister."

CAN'T WAIT TO BRING HIM BACK! I just want to squeeze him, he's getting so big!!

2nd to Last Fundraiser for Lewis

Ok, so here is my latest fundraiser. Some of you are going to be sick of hearing about this, so I'm sorry for that. I think I said originally that this would be my last, but there has been some expressed interest in a Tupperware party, so I'll be doing one of those too.

As most of you know, I am a BeautiControl consultant, and LOVE their product. I started doing it last year to raise money for our adoption. Now that I've raised what my goal was, I've kind of tapered off. Plus things are getting kind of stressful around here, so I am taking a break. HOWEVER, I realize that some people just love Mary Kay, which is fine because they also have GREAT stuff. From now until September 12 I am hosting an online fundraiser called "Mary Kay for Lewis!" He's going to hate that when he's 15!! Reason enough for me!

Instead of receiving free products from whatever you decide to order, I will receive cash: I will get 20% of the sales towards our adoption. I will also get $0.50 for anyone who does NOT have a consultant and who does NOT wish to order anything.

Here's how it works:

1) If you already have a consultant, it's no big deal, the beauty consultant helping me said that you can make a one time order to support our cause and then go back to your regular consultant, no pressure.

2) If you wish to order, you may order from her website which is: www.marykay.com/kvogel and simply put my name in the comments section.

3) If you wish to order by phone, you may call her, Kelly Vogel at 616-340-5040 (cell) or 616-530-0046 (home).

4) If you do NOT wish to order anything and do NOT already have a Mary Kay beauty consultant, simply reply to this message answering the following questions. For each reply, I get $0.50, so PLEASE pass it along to your friends as well!! It is a very non-pressure sort of thing, although for some of you who have received this info like three times, it may seem like I'm pressuring you. :)

Apparently you get entered to win a Skin Care Consultation (it's a ploy, you don't really win it, anyone can have one, so if you really want one and you don't "win" it, call me and I'll come over and spa you myself - for you "out of towners", I'm not sure what she'd do. She's pretty nice, so she may make it worth your while).

Here are the questions:
NAME: ____________________
Please call me at: __________ Best time to call: _____________
City: _________________ State/Zip: __________________
Are you interested in improving the condition of your skin?__YES __NO
What product brands do you currently use? _______________________
Do you have a Mary Kay Consultant? __YES __NO
Are you interested in learning more about color cosmetic application and techniques?
__YES __NO
If you are one of the lucky winners of the Skin Care Consultation do you prefer to hold your appointment:__DURING THE DAY __IN THE EVENING __EITHER
We are looking for models for our weekly Success Event. You'll receive a complete facial and/or glamour makeover along with a special gift. This is by reservation only and is a really fun "girl's-night-out." Are you interested in attending?__YES __NO

Thank you very much for reading this very long note, I appreciate it. Again, no pressure, I won't know if you've done any of this or not, so don't feel badly. I will say, though, if you're looking for something to turn back the effects of time, talk to me. As much as I'd love for you to do this fundraiser, BeautiControl's stuff for visibly transforming the way you look is hands down, the best. The microderm abrasion set with the Tight Firm and Fill creme is an instant face lift. You can do it on half of your face and see a difference in 20 minutes! So if you're thinking of buying something like that from Mary Kay, just give me a call and try BeautiControl - no risk. You'll get your money back if you hate it. Also, if you've lost some weight in the last few months due to fun Summer activities, you may want to try BeautiControl's body cremes. Again, just talk to me. I did half of it on my body (to get rid of accursed stretch marks, cellulite and extra belly bulge) and my husband could tell after 2 days. Then I had to quick do the other half so as not to look uneven!

Thanks for indulging me!!!

Also, I already have a bunch of people interested in a Tupperware party - is anyone else interested, so I know who to contact and who not to contact?

While I'm at it....New Photos for all!