It's Tuesday morning here!!

We're here!this is the first time I've had a chance to post! We're on the other side of the world!! I still can't believe that! We're doing better this morning. Jetlag was absolutely terrible for us, more sofor Mike I think. We we're finally able to check into our room around 12:00, which was very early for check in time, thanks Somerset!!! Which btw is very AWESOME!!! Of course, me being the anal one, I unpacked every single thing from our suitcases before I even sat down. Once that was done, I finally took my contacts out after having them in for about 48hours! Mike had already fallen asleepon the couch, so I layed down on the bed and ended up sleeping for 2hours, very much needed! And I did feel somewhat better. We finally showered and went exploring last night. We made it down to Insadong. I LOVED It!!! I found a few things I wanted but I think our tour will go through there also, so guess what that BIG black empty suitcase just might come in handy now!

We stopped and ate at a restaurant, we had pizza,Mike is missing his American food. On the otherhand I'm not, not yet anyway. We stopped by a little corner market and bought a huge bottle of water. I've missed drinking it. We came back to the hotel and tried using our IPod to connect to the Internet, which was very slow, peak time I guess, so I gave up and came back to theroom and crashed for the night. We slept from 9 pm their time to almost 4:30 am! So glad we at least slept till then. Okay gonna run now, it's aost 5:30 am now, I'll try to post more later, but typing on an IPod is not easy so try to do the best you can with my typing! We get Aiden Thursday s I'll post pics soon!

Travel itinerary .......

                                          


I've been asked about our travel plans, so here ya go.  We will depart Nashville on Feb 26th (Sat - tomorrow!!!)  for Atlanta on  Delta  flight 1654 at 5:20pm,  arrive at 7:38pm.  We will have a 4 1/2 hour layover.  At 12:30 am, yep that's AM,  we will depart Atlanta for Incheon/Seoul on Korean Air flight 34  and arrive there at 5:45am on Feb 28th (Mon).  We have a driver from Holt who will pick us up at the airport and take us to our hotel, the Somerset Palace. I've heard that the drivers that pick you up at the airport stand there in their suit and tie holding a sign with you name on it. That should be interesting!  I've been told the hotel is about an hour and a half ride from Incheon to Seoul.

 

So Monday and Tuesday will be our "free" days to do whatever we want. And oh, let me tell you, I've got plans - shopping!!  This suitcase-

                       will look like this after we get there!

 That is, if we're not totally wiped out from our trip there, which could very well be, considering we'll be on the plane for 15 hours at our usual sleep time.  Somehow I don't think I'm going to sleep that well, but we'll just have to wait and see won't we?   Then on Wednesday we will meet our tour guide in our hotel lobby for our tour of Seoul, which I've been told could last 4 to 6 hours, exciting, awesome, can't wait!!   Then, on Thursday at 10:30 we are to be at the Holt office to meet and pick up Aiden!!!!  Okay, over the top excited!!! Yippee!!  I will be a total basket case-tissue grabbin-ugly crying-mama. I assume you get the picture.

For the rest of the day Thursday, Friday, and most of the day Saturday we'll just be hanging out, playing,  getting to know each other, hopefully play some more, we may venture out for a bit, and just see how it goes.  Then on Saturday March 5th, we'll depart Incheon/Seoul flight 33 to Atlanta at 7:15 pm and arrive in Atlanta March 5th, at 6:40 pm.  Did you get that?  We'll leave South Korea at 7:15 pm on Saturday and arrive in Atlanta at 6:40 pm on Saturday.  Yeah... pretty neat huh? I thought so.  Almost like time is standing still.  Okay, so we'll depart Atlanta on Delta flight 1015 at 10 pm and arrive in Nashville at 10:18 pm, same thing, time is standing still for us!  I'm really hoping Aiden will sleep most of the way on the 13 hour flight, since most of the flight will be at his usual sleep time. So anyone that would like to come to the airport to welcome us home are more than welcome. I'd sure love to see all familiar faces then!  I know I will be so glad to put my feet on Nashville ground and be home! :) 


  

Dear Family and Friends,

As we prepare for the arrival of our son, we have learned that while decorating the nursery and stocking up on baby essentials is important, even more important is the emotional health of our baby. In his short life, our son will have gone through more changes and life altering experiences than most adults could handle. Imagine how much harder the changes will be for him. While he may not consciously remember the events, he will still experience immense loss, including feelings of grief and trauma. He's already experienced the loss of a birthmother and will soon experience the loss of familiar and comforting caretakers as well as the sights, smells, and language of his birth country. His world will turn upside down. He will struggle with feeling safe and secure and he may lack the ability to trust that we will meet his needs.

We have prepared to meet his emotional needs so that he does learn that we will always take care of him and we will always keep him safe. We need your support. In order to form a strong and healthy attachment we will allow him to regress so that he has the opportunity to go through all of the emotional stages with us despite his chronological age. Although it may appear that we are spoiling him, we have been advised that it is best that we meet every need quickly and consistently. Until he has learned that we are his parents, we will need to be his primary caretakers at all times. It is essential that we always hold him, feed him, and do all of the nurturing. You may wonder how long this will take, but the timeline is different for every child. We will follow his lead and trust our instincts as his parents rather than worry about what society expects.

We have all been waiting anxiously for our son to arrive but he has not been waiting for us. He may show his grief and confusion in many ways and we are prepared to help him through it and prove that we are a forever family and this truly is his last stop. We trust that as our family and friends you will help us to do what is best for our son, and we thank you in advance for your support and understanding.

Thank you for all your support through this long process.  We hope you understand that we would appreciate no "surprise" visits, but if you'd like to come to the airport for our homecoming, that would be wonderful.  If you need to reach us for any reason, call our cell phones or send us an email. I will post our flight schedule soon!  Thanks again!

Sincerely,

Mike and Leah

Special thanks to A4everfamily.org.

Travel Call!!!!!!!

Yep, that's right!! Lisa called me today at 12:15 our time!  I was standing in line at our bank and my cell rang. I looked at the caller ID and it said Holt International.  I was waiting on the teller to get back with some info so I couldn't walk outside to answer it.  So, I answered it. Lisa said, "is this Leah?" I said, "yyyeeeessssssss", she laughed a little and said "your son is ready to travel"!!!  At least I think that's what she said!  Honestly, I really don't remember that much about the first part.  I knew it was the call when I saw Holt International on the ID! So I had 2 seconds to freak out before I even heard her voice!!  All I know is, it was Lisa from Holt on the phone and  then we're talking about everything else, travel plans, email with all the info, etc!!

After the bank, I called my parents, called Mike's parents and texted Travel Call to a few, and went home to see what was next.  Oh yeah,  actually making Travel plans - duh!  Called our travel agency, went through a lot of flights, everything from Nashville to Chicago was full, and most to South Korea was full. Okay, work some magic Erle! Then checked flights out of Atlanta.  Okay, now you're talking! After about 15 minutes, got our flights locked in and then forwarded the itinerary to Mike so he could check them out.  He called me after what seemed like an hour. (I think it was only 20 minutes, but I was at "freak-out" state of mind at that point!) I needed one of those disclaimer signs for my state of mind:  Please disregard future abrupt comments from this Adoptive Parent, she just received her Travel Call.  Thank you and have a nice day.

Mike "approved" the travel plans, meanwhile he had dealings at work he had to take care of.  Leaving the country in 3 days might take some minor juggling!  He got it done.  Thanks to his understanding boss at work!   Now, back on the phone with Erle.  Yes, now lets get those flights confirmed!!  YES!

Okay, our  flight itinerary was emailed to Holt, Lisa sent it to Korea, they should contact Lisa with hotel reservations, driver, etc hopefully by tomorrow! Okay...now we're getting somewhere!  Flights - check! Waiting on hotel reservations to be confirmed, should hear that tomorrow sometime.  So we're leaving in 3 days...... 3 days!!! What?! Can't believe I just typed that!

Lisa emailed me after confirming flights with Erle.  Her email said city tour on Wed and pick up on Thurs?  I emailed back said Yes!  So Wednesday in Seoul we'll have a tour guide to show us around Seoul  -AWESOME! Then on Thursday - we get Aiden!!   This little guy!

  

I've seen this poem on a few other AP's blogs and just love it!  Thanks ladies for posting this to your blogs!  It's a great thing to share.....

As a girl I had a common dream, to be a mom someday.

My baby would have eyes of blue and hair the hue of hay.

But now my dreams have been transformed, new visions fill my head;

Now the tresses that I long to stroke are raven black instead.

And in my dreams those eyes are not so big or blue or round;

Now in my dreams they're almond shaped and colored cocoa brown.

And in my dreams my arms can stretch across enormous seas.

They reach half-way around the world and hold you close to me.

As you grow in your mother's womb, carefully knit together,

you're also growing in my heart, where you will stay forever.

And in my dreams the moment that your mother says good-bye;

I'll be right there to comfort you and hold you as you cry.

Our features may not look alike; we're different as can be;

But still I know the Father has created you for me.

And though I've not yet kissed your face, or held your tiny hands,

and though we're half a world apart in very different lands;

I'll be right there to get you just as soon as God allows.

But 'till He says the time is right I give to you this vow.

I'll pray for your protection every night on bended knee.

For God will hold you in His arms, until you're here with me.

-Gayle Leubecker

(Thanks to my awesome AP friends  Heather,  Christie, Cindy, and Amy)

This week could have potential....

So this week could have potential.  We could get our Travel Call this week.  I called DC on Friday and to no avail, nothing has changed in Korea.....at least on the US side anyway.  Things could have changed in Seoul, but DC might not have the updates yet.   I've heard all sorts of scenarios.  We could get our TC even is DC doesn't see anything new.  Guess it just means the system is slow about updating and the paperwork is quicker...imagine that if that's possible?

This is my last week to work also.  I turned in my notice with work and Friday will be my last day as a working mama.  The whole thought scares me pretty good, but we'll manage okay.  Adjustments, adjustments, adjustments..... oh how I don't adjust well at all!  I think I'm going to be a basket case all week and probably for the next 3 months!!

Am I excited?  Not really.  I know that may sound shocking.  Everyone deals differently.   I'm scared, over thinking everything, a bundle of nerves one day, numb the next.   That's the way my mind works. I put emotions aside and deal with the task at hand.  Then when the moment arrives, I fall apart, because all the emotions come running back to me, there's no task to get ready for, it's there!  I've tried to 'deal' with this but it's just not happening.  My mind doesn't have anything to help relate what will happen, so I have no experience to help me deal.  So, I'll just be a complete mess when we meet Aiden, and that's okay.  I haven't lost my mind yet, although it's been MIA (missing in action) a couple of times, it still pulls my through and it will when we travel to Seoul.  So for now....I'll just keep dealing with the task at hand, getting ready to leave, praying  the call happens this week!

It's Wednesday in Korea !!

Aiden should be getting his Visa Physical sometime today!  It's already Wednesday in Korea!! YIPPEE!!!!  Next he should have his Visa Interview soon.  I have no idea when he'll have that done, but I sure hope it's the next day or the same day! That'd be AWESOME!!  I think I'm ready for Korea.  Some days I'm overwhelmed and dread all the unknowns, but then again, other days I'm so so SO excited and can't wait!!  So yeah, I'm still a bundle of emotions!! Up, down, I'm all over the place! 2 bags are packed, most if not all my "travel needs" are purchased and ready.  Mike and I took care of some details last week  concerning our travel money and the major credit card we'll have to use for our hotel.

The hubs asked me last week if  our Discover card will work in Korea.  He called and they DO NOT! Oh good grief! So the hubs and I looked up Capitol One credit card online, called them, approved in 20 seconds, and it's on it's way, should be here in a week!! The great thing about the Capitol One CC is there aren't any international fees for using it. Found out from the Korean BB that other major credit cards charge when used over seas, exchange rate I guess?  Thanks ladies for posting about using credit cards in Korea, you're my lifesaver here! :)  Next we had to call our bank to see if we can exchange American money for Korean Won.  And they can.  More AWESOME news!!  They said it'd take 24 hours to get it in, and there's no charge for it!  So I think we're going to carry half Korean Won and half American currency, I think.  Here's a picture of Korean monies.

As of  Wednesday, February 16, 2011, here's the exchange rate: 1 US Dollar = 1,122.96 South-Korean Won 1 South-Korean Won (KRW) = 0.0008905 US Dollar (USD) So next week I guess we need to go to the bank and  exchange our money for our trip! WOW!  I'm getting a little excited at that thought! :) So what else am I forgetting?!?!  Taylor is staying at both her grandparents house's. Scooter, our dog is staying at Mike's mom and dads house.  Pretty much got that detail worked out, just need to finalize those details once we know what day we're leaving and returning.  I'm going to miss Taylor so so SOOOO much. :( I sure wish she could go with us, but not for this trip.  My nerves could not handle it!   Would love to be able to go back some day for Aiden to visit his birth place and Taylor go with us then.  I think she'd love it!! Okay, that's all my little brain can manage for now.  I'll work on more details later!

To my fellow AP's (Adoptive Parents).....

This is dedicated to my fellow AP's.  You ladies and a few gents  have been a world of info, support, direction, and sanity through this whole process.  As the rest of us wait, somewhat impatiently (speaking of myself!), to hear word that our children are ready to travel and come home, I can't help but to look back at all the wonderful advice that we've had.  I so look forward to hearing of each one's travels, adventures in Seoul, meeting their children, and finally, making it home.  We are so lucky to be able to bring these sweet babies home to us, to love them and take care of them.  I am so amazed some days where this journey has taken us, where we've come from, and where we'll go.  I have met some amazing ladies and some gents along the way.  I've learned some of their stories from heartaches to triumphs!  It doesn't take a special  person to adopt, just a loving person.  And for the ones who are home, I am in awe of you.  So here's to you AP's, CONGRATS and THANK YOU for your inspiration!!  YOU are AWESOME!!

Visa Physical scheduled for Feb 16th!!!!!!

I got up and checked email this morning to see that a fellow AP received an email that her daughter's Visa Physical (VP) was scheduled for Feb 16th.  Holt in Oregon didn't open their office for another 2 hours so Tay and I headed to my mom and dad's hoping to check email once the Oregon office was open at their house.  Got there and  email was down!  How  can Comcast email be down!?! Seriously....?!?

Next thought, to check Facebook.  Nothing.....then a message from another AP - she got her daughter's VP also scheduled for Feb 16th!! We've been pretty close with all our other approvals, maybe our's was on there too.  Checked to see if email was working - YES!  And there it was, "We learned from Korea that your child  is scheduled for their visa physical on February 16th.  This is the last document needed for the visa paperwork."  YIPPEE!!  So after Aiden has his Visa Physical next Wednesday, he should have his Visa Interview at some point.  We could possibly be getting our Travel Call as soon as 5 days after his Visa Physical.  Yeah, it's probably a slim chance, but there's always a chance!

I've been feeling the pinch with this packing ordeal.  Aiden's suitcase has all of this stuff:

And it's all packed and ready!  Okay, so what about all the rest of the donations, gifts, supplies, etc?  So all of this:

                               Needs to fit in here!

Sooooo....it all fit with some room to spare, but it weighs 50 lbs, which is the limit, I think.  Aiden's suitcase is about 35 lbs, so I hope we're good with both of them.

Embassy Appearance!!!!

I called DC yesterday and guess what?  They saw his picture, so Aiden has made his Embassy Appearance.  He hasn't been scheduled for his Visa Physical yet, but we're getting somewhere!  I had a hard time understanding what the woman on the other end of the line was saying, but she said something to the effect of, "nothing is scheduled yet, but he's male and is very cute."  I was so shocked and flustered, I said thank you and hung up!  So this is something.

And, I wasn't going to call DC this week.  BrandiB had put a comment on my last blog which said, "I think you should call."  Well BrandiB, thank you for commenting that! ;-) It was the good swift kick in the pants that I needed!  Also found out that a few of my BB and FB friends little sweeties were seen on that DC computer also! HOORAY for all of us and those soon to come!

Trying to occupy my time....

My mom gave this adoption baby book to me last year and I. LOVE. IT! I've been trying to pack and get things together this last week and that part is driving me a little bonkers so I've switched lanes for a day or so.  This adoption book has a family tree pictured on the inside pages for spaces to fill in up to Aiden's Great-Grandparents. It has pages for my family background along with Mike's family background.  I've worked on this for the last day or so and I'm about done with the first part, until we get him and then there's a few pages to fill in about that, and so on.  So Aiden has his very own baby book!

Since I'm about done with the first part of Aiden's baby book,  I guess it's back to looking at suitcases and asking myself is there going to be enough room for all our things, or not.  I ask myself this every time I look at those things on my bedroom floor.  You'd think I  already have the answer to that question, but no ...... no where close.  I think it's looking like our carry on bags are going to hold our clothes, which doesn't leave a whole lot of room.  But clothes are so over rated anyway, right? We may be wearing the same clothes 2 or 3 days, unless I can get access to a washer and dryer in our hotel.  Should be interesting since I'm sure the writing on them are in Korean!

After our Emigration Permit was approved on January 20th, the Korean Government should have  issued the Travel Certificate.  Then Aiden will have his Visa Physical, then the P3 with all of the important approvals will be sent to the US Embassy in Seoul for approval.  After all these things are done, they will schedule the Visa Interview, then after that is done he'll make his Embassy Appearance.  I have a phone number I can call to see if an office in Washington DC can  "see his picture" in their system.  That means Aiden has his Visa and we'll get our Travel Call very soon to say he's all ready!  I may call DC sometime this week, or I may not ....haven't decided yet...... stay turned......

Almost there....

It's almost Monday in Seoul.  We're about 8 hours away from, you guessed it, processing time, when all those workers go back to work after their holiday and start pushing our paperwork, appointments, etc on through!  There's been a lot of Travel Calls for lots of Adopted Parents ahead of my family lately.  So hoping we hear something this week.  We're getting really close now.  And, I am so glad!  I've felt more stress, more tension, more everything this last week.  It's finally getting down to the wire, and I'm feeling every bit of it perched right on my shoulders and my chest! I can't concentrate on much of anything, glad my work doesn't take a whole lot of mental strain to complete. Just a lot of physical, which I could really use!  I feel myself slipping away from reality almost.  Lately, some days, all I want to do is run away, don't know for how long, just to get away from the stress of ALL OF IT! Yes, pretty much all of it.  So yeah,  I'm having a hard time this week. I seem to be withdrawing from reality. Which tells me, I'm stressed, not sure how to deal with all these "things" that are on my mind.  When "things" get tough, I tend to shut down, and I kind of see it happening now. At least now I can recognize it, when years ago, I didn't.  I feel like all I want to do is sleep, to catch a break. I don't want to get up in the mornings, and I can't wait to go to bed.   I don't want to worry some who read this, just trying my best to make it through each hour, each day, somewhat seemingly sane.  I feel like I'm about to crack up.  But, I've been through hard times like this before, and made it through.  I know I'll be okay. Just stinks when you're right in the middle of it. So I will keep on doing what it is I do, every day till we can all be back home and start our new life together.  Which can not get here soon enough.  So don't mind this "vent" today.  I'll keep chugging along, like I always do, just feeling the weight of it all lately.....

Do not be afraid, for I am with you;  I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west.  Isaiah 43:5


"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  Jeremiah 29:11




Just don't have a lot to say today. Ran across these scripture quotes and thought they were fitting.

Shattered dreams are never random.  They are always a piece in a larger puzzle, a chapter in a larger story.  The Holy Spirit uses the pain of shattered dreams to help us discover our desire for God, to help us begin dreaming the highest dream.  They are ordained opportunities for the Spirit to awaken, then to satisfy  our highest dream.

Larry  Crabb

It's in there....

I was  off work today. Not due to the Lunar New Year. Although, I could say it was.  So yeah, okay, I was off work due to the Lunar New Year! ;)  So I started looking at lists, things, wants, needs, (gasp!) omgosh how the heck am I going to do this?!?! I freaked for just a minute, took some Slow. Deep. Breaths (see Stacy? I took your advice!)  and then started looking around at all this stuff laying on my bedroom floor.  I started working on getting Aiden's stuff together last night.  Found my ziplock bags (thanks Melissa and Beth!) this morning and started putting stuff in them, then in the suitcase and voila - actually shut the suitcase and zipped it up! Hit that Staples button and  said "That was easy!" According to my AP friends I think I've got it all in there.  If not, we'll buy it when we're there! Actually the suitcase we're using to carry all of Aiden's things wasn't completely full - imagine that.  So I wrapped up my hometown honey in ziplock bags then put them in small bubble wrap bags I found at work, then put them in Aiden's suit case.  Okay, still got a little room left and checked the weight ..... and ..... it's ....... good ......SCORE!  So I gathered up some of my donations we're taking -  lotions, diaper rash ointments, aloe vera gels, zipped them up in ziplocks and ta-da!! I checked the weight and ......  it's good ...... ballgame folks!

                                From this,

                                to this!

It's all in there, and then some!  I have no idea about the rest of it yet.  At least I know the important things are packed and ready to go!  I think it'll travel safe.  Tried to make sure all "things" that could be a potential mess be sealed and protected from major damage in transit. I guess we'll see when we're in Seoul won't we!

So I'm ready, scared to death, but ready!  Now all we need is our Travel Call ...... yep ........any day now ...... hmmmm....... still waiting.......

Korean Lunar New Year - February 3, 4,& 5

In Korea, Solnal is the first day of the first month of the new year. While many Koreans celebrate the New Year on January 1st of the solar calendar, the lunar new year is still popular today. In many Korean communities, the New Year is celebrated twice.  The Lunar New Year starts on February 12 in 2002. According to the Asian Zodiac, 2002 is the Year of the Horse.

The Koreans focus on the family as they celebrate the beginning of the New Year. Children put on new traditional clothes called hanbok. They kneel and bow to their ancestors and elders. Family members wish each other prosperity and good fortune. Then they exchange gifts. Children receive lucky money, candy and fruit from the elders. The family spends time together and have rice-cake soup for breakfast. Children often take this day to play special New Year games.

In parts of Korea, people usher in the New Year with a ritual called Jishin Balpgi. Loud drums and gongs are played to scare off evil spirits of the old year. At the end of the day, friends and relatives join together for dinner to renew their friendship. Sol is a celebration of family and good friends. And for the Koreans, the New Year is about family and community.

Now, what this all means to me is that Holt's office in Korea will be closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday of this week to observe this holiday. So do you know how much will get done in Korea this week?  ZILCH!  We've already got word that Aiden's Emigration Permit was approved on January 20th.  So we're just waiting on those handful of Aiden's things to be done over there and we'll get our Travel Call, that one phone call us Adopted Parents all want so badly!! The CALL to go get Aiden!  So when will all this happen you ask?  I.  have.  no.  idea!  But I sure wish like crazy it was yesterday!  We are so so SO close to the end of this very very VERY long journey!  And like all AP's say, the last bit of wait is the hardest! NO KIDDING!!!  I can't concentrate fully on anything.  My mind is in overdrive running over things in my head about traveling,  things needing to be done here at home, details Taylor needs taken care of as soon as we get the CALL!  Ugggggggg! No wonder I'm so spacey! I feel like I'm walking around in a daze sometimes.   So if you see me wandering aimlessly, just point me in the right direction, wherever that may be! :)