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.