GOTCHA DAY!!!!

February 28, 2011 is Levi's "Gotcha Day" which in the adoption world is the day you join your forever family. However, for me it seems like Levi has been a part of our family from the day we first saw his picture.

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Today has gone better than expected. When we arrived at the agency, we played a little with him, received some last minutes instructions, and the director prayed over our family. Then, Adam and I got in the van and the foster mom handed Levi to us, and then we were off! It was that fast. And guess what?!! Levi DID NOT cry! Of course, Adam and I made up for this and cried like two big babies. He is finally ours! Thank you Lord!

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When we got to the hotel room, he had a major meltdown. :( But, we were finally able to calm him down and now he is asleep on my back. The foster mom graciously gave us her piggyback carrier which I think will be a life saver.

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Adam and I know that we're not out of the woods just yet, but we are determined to tackle each obstacle together with the help of the Lord. Thank you to all who are praying for us, and HAPPY GOTCHA DAY!!!

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Today, we worshipped at Yoido Full Gospel Church in Seoul. It's the largest church in the world with over 800,000 members. They offered translation in 10 languages, including English. It was amazing! Adam and I were on the verge of tears throughout the entire service. Thousands of Christians singing hymns in their native tongue.

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One of the songs was "Great is Thy Faithfulness". On this day before we receive our son Levi and he becomes a part of our family forever, this hymn seemed especially touching.

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All I have needed Thy hand hath provided

Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord unto me.

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God is so good. He is faithful and deserving of our trust. He is worthy of our praise!

We're not in Quinlan anymore!

Today we took a tour of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Korea. We saw the Bridge of Freedom where both sides exchanged POW's at the end of the war. Then, we traveled by bus by anti-tank walls, minefields, and numerous check points to the JSA where armed North and South Korean soldiers stand within feet of each other guarding their respective sides. I kept thinking, "Should they really allow tourists here? Is this safe?!!!"

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The American military gave us strict orders not to talk to, point, or gesture at the North Korean soldiers. Don't worry....I was too paralyzed! Toto, we are not in Quinlan anymore!

A Note on Personal Space

" Personal space" is something we are accustomed to in the US. We try not to stand too close to others in the elevator, we leave one seat between us and the next couple at the movies, and we teach new drivers to leave a car length between them and the next car. However, this idea of personal space is not the standard in every country.
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Since we've been in Korea, we have been crammed, stuffed, and corralled into some extremely full subway cars. I'm talking so tight you can smell the breath of the person next to you (and he had garlic for lunch!) Here, pushing and shoving are not considered rude but are instead a means of survival in a place where there are too many people for too little space.
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Texas is a land of wide open spaces, giant SUV's, and an appreciation for personal space. For this, I am thankful!

A few more pics of Levi

Here are a few more pics of Levi. A few more days, and we will have the real thing!

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Today, we traveled to Pyeondyck Children's Home to visit a child we sponsor through Dillon International. Mi-Young is a vibrant nine year girl with Down's Syndrome who never met a stranger. When she was brought out to us, she took Adam and I each by the hand and led us to the playroom with the toys. Her caregiver says she is a confident and "take charge" kind of child. My kind of woman!

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Photographs were not allowed of the babies or children, but take my word for it, they were PRECIOUS!

Meeting Levi

We just returned from meeting our son!!!! I know we are proud parents, but he is probably one of THE cutest babies ever! He walked into the adoption agency as if he owned the place with all the social workers oohing and awing over him...such a flirt! We had a great visit, although he was still a little gun shy about this strange couple who was giving him all this attention. :)

Levi is walking and very active, and he chomped on a candy sucker his foster mom gave him the entire visit. I, of course, like a true mom was worried about him choking on the sucker. :) We played with trucks, phones, and a toy piano. He is VERY attached to his foster parents and wouldn't let Adam and I hold him just yet so we just took it easy and didn't push him.

About 30 minutes into the visit, Levi got fussy. The foster mom put him on her back (gotta learn that trick!) gave him a bottle, and he fell right to sleep.

Adam and I miss him already! We politely asked to pick him up tomorrow, and they politely said no. So Monday it is...we receive him at 1:30pm, will have the night with him, and then fly home the next day. Love you all!

Made it

Well, we made it to Korea! The flight was long but uneventful. I have to give credit to Korean Air for a nice flying experience. Each of our seats had its own television with free movies, TV, news, and games. The food was not only edible but tasted good, and the flight attendants were beautiful, sweet, and accomadating. After fifteen hours in flight, they were still smiling without a hair out of place. How do they do it?!!

After going through immigration, customs, and our cab ride to the hotel, we are finally winding down for the night. Its only 7:30pm here, but our bodies are still on Dallas time which is 4:30 am, and we haven't slept. I can't remember the last time I was up at 4:30am!! So....it's going to be an early night for us.

We meet Levi in about 14 hours, 29 minutes. But whose counting, right?

Korea.....here we come!!!!!

We received TRAVEL CLEARANCE today to go to Korea to bring home our son! It's hard to believe it's finally happening!

We leave February 22nd and return home on March 1st. Please pray for safe travel for us (and an uneventful flight home with our toddler who has known us only a few days!). Most of all, pray for little Levi who has no idea about the huge transition that is coming his way. So much change is in store for all of us in the next few weeks, but we are so excited to take the plunge!

Korea....here we come!

Counting my blessings

Do you know the old church hymn "Count Your Blessings"? That's how I feel right now. Here are a few of the lyrics.

Count your many blessings,
Name them one by one
And it will surprise you what the Lord had done!

Why do I feel so blessed? We had TWO baby showers today! One from the church this morning and then one tonight with friends and family. Levi received clothes, shoes, toys, books, money, gift cards, and all kinds of other goodies. He won't have to wear the same outfit twice until he's in college! :) He even received a gold piggy bank with Chinese symbols for health, wealth, and happiness.

So, today I'm one grateful mama who is counting her blessings. Thank you to everyone who is sharing with us in this special journey!

Passports and Panda Bears!

We have 2 victories to celebrate this week...

1. Levi has a passport!!! The Korean government has issued our son a passport which means only one more step in the process. Come on Travel Clearance! (The agency quoted 2-4 more weeks until travel, but really TC could come any day!)

2. Adam has successfully changed his first diaper! (see Panda Bear) Doesn't the Panda look happy, dry, and comfortable. Good job Daddy!