Jae-min (isms)

Another week has gone by and we can't believe Jae-min has been home for 2 weeks now. Sometimes it feels like he's been here forever, and sometimes it feels like it's only been a blink of an eye. It just continues to boggle our minds that we actually flew to Korea to pick up this little love!!!
He continues to grow each and every day. He's doing so many new things its amazing. He's really started to snuggle more and open his mouth for kisses (yes, drooly kisses are the best). He's become very interactive and will "chat" at you to get your attention and then giggle. He's very vocal and loves to imitate different sounds. He loves books and really scans the pages and attends nicely (he's definately mine huh?). He also has become very animated and when you shake his bottle he shrieks and waves his arms and legs in excitement. We went grocery shopping today and Joe was carrying him around the store and every time I went around the corner he would look for me and when he saw me again he'd give me the grin and shriek. A very good sign for attachment!!!!
Jae-min's motor continues to be behind, but we're working on it. He loves our floor time!!! His sleeping has gotten better (knock on wood) and we think he's feeling more comfortable. We hope this pattern we're in continues.....no more night time crankies. We're in a nice routine for naps and bed in his crib and we hope it continues. Fingers crossed. We're enjoying our new roles as parents. How could you not when you hear that silly belly laugh?

Settling In...........

It's been a whirlwind week of settling in to parenthood. Aside from teething, constipation, and a few crankies at 2am we're doing ok. We're really trying to tweek Jae-min's schedule to make it easier for him (and all of us) and some of the tweeking has worked. He remains smiley, giggly, has great eye contact, and pretty happy much of the time. He's decided he only likes to sleep from 8-12 at night and then bring on the crankies!!!!! We've begun to do things alittle differently in the middle of the night to settle him back down. We shall see how it goes. All I know is I've been living in a fog full of dizzy spells for the past week. I'm hoping it's just lack of sleep and food thats bringing on the dizzies!!!!!!!! Fingers crossed the room stops spinning soon.
We had our first post placement visit today and she thought he's adjusting great. He gave her his huge toothless grins and belly laughs and she was just in love. She wanted to take him with her!!! We fought to keep him though haha.
So, all in all these first time parents are learning as they go. Those smiles sure do melt a mamma's heart (even with little to no sleep). I guess he's already got us wrapped around those chubby little fingers!!!!!!!1

Amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Is the only word to describe the last week and a half of our lives!!!! To think last week we were in Korea, meeting our son, and now we are home with the most amazing boy ever who is a perfect fit for our family. Jae-min seems to be adjusting so well we are in awe. For two years we read about difficulty with attachment, tantrums, fears, and overall difficulty initially and we haven't experienced any of it yet. We are alittle nervous, sort of waiting for the other shoe to drop and for him to start all of the things we were prepared for. As of now he's eating great, laughing, smiling, and yes even sleeping in his crib!!! We have cuddle, bottle time and then put him to bed semi awake and pat his tummy and whala he's asleep. He wakes up "chatting" and singing and when he sees us he smiles from ear to ear. It's amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We're prepared for some bumps in the road, but hope that his easygoing personality is just shining through.
Jae-min is already doing more developmentally than he was three days ago. Every day I see something new and he's working hard on the skills we're showing him. He's begun to pat our shirt and hold our finger when we give him a bottle which is priceless. The bonding is definately progressing, although we know it's a process. We feel like he bonded to us immediately though.
All in all we couldn't have asked for anything more. When I sit back and think that we were in Korea this time last week it boggles my mind. And when I sit back and marvel at this child who was chosen as our son I am speechless. If you had told me two years ago that all we went through would bring us here, I wouldn't have believed it. Yet now I'm a true believer.
Jae-min is one amazing little boy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Home.......

Safe and sound!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We made it home last night after our journey around the world. The flight home was bearable and Jae-min did ok for a little baby on a 14 hour plus flight. We've begun to settle in and saw some grieving from him at night. The good news is that so far he allows us to help him through the grief and we can settle him rather quickly. We've noticed he looks for us for comfort and we're thinking bonding and attachment is under way. We know its a process with ups and downs but we're optimistic by how quickly we can settle him and really seem to know the tricks and his cues as to what he needs already. All in all he's still a happy, smiley, guy who loves to play and interact. He's doing great with his "brother" Martin and Martin just wants to lick him (which makes changing duty difficult Haha) We still have that surreal feeling that he is here to stay. But we'll take him!!!!
His pediatrician appointment was today and he did great. We love the office and she thought he's looking great for his adjusted age. We've already noticed some new developmental things he's now doing that he wasn't doing a few days ago. Joe calls him my "little project" and he's a great project to undertake.
As we left Korea I broke down at the airport with all of the emotions of the trip surfacing at once. We were leaving Jae-min's birthcountry, taking him away from everything he knew. And we had to get on a plane, as first time parents, with a baby we hardly knew, and figure it all out in front of 300 captive onlookers. But, with our strength and bond for one another we made it through. I have no doubt in my mind this was how our family was supposed to be. I have no doubt in my mind that Jae-min was always meant for us!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's Ours Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 2pm we walked into the Holt office and walked out 30 minutes later with the most adorable, happy, baby!!!!!!!!!!! We are sooooooooo in love!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was a whirlwind meeting and pick up and before we knew it I was hugging Jae-min"s omma with tears in my eyes. The next thing I knew she pushed my into a cab and we were off. It all happened so quickly, yet I wouldn't change a thing. Jae-min fell asleep on the cab ride and awoke when we got back to the hotel and has been smiling and laughing ever since!!!!!!!!!!!! He's simply AMAZING!!!!!!!! He's napped great, ate great, and we even walked around alittle outside to get some pictures for him in Korea. He laughs so easily and its fun to know the tricks to make it happen. Things couldn't be better!!!!!!!!!!!! We are so happy and so in love. We hope to return soon to experience this all over again. It has been breathtaking.
Goodnight from little lamb shanks (Jae-min), his omma (mom), and appa (dad) We are so happy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another Wonderful Day In Korea...........

Today we woke up early and got ready for another wonderful day in Korea. We had a tour planned through our adoption agency starting at 9am. We decided to be adventurous and take the subway there and when we got off to go to Holt we were facing in a different direction and we became lost in Korea for about 1/2 hour. Yikes!! We made it to the Holt office alittle late but everything turned out ok. We have had so many adventures on this trip and we think its going so well because we're just taking them all in stride and enjoying every experience. We met another family today that we've talked with online and did the tour with them. It was another fantastic day. They pick up their son tomorrow as well. The people continue to be amazing and gracious and today with our guide we all ate at a traditional Korean restaurant. It was delicious and Joe and Steve (the other dad to be) ordered beers and toasted their new arrivals.
Oh, and our social worker from Holt, DJ, has been trying to recruit me to come work in Korea for alittle while. They need developmental specialists. She kept bringing babies out yesterday for me to look at and trying to coax me into a job. Who knows?
So, tomorrow will be the beginning of the rest of our lives. We travel to Holt in the afternoon and have our pick up meeting at 2pm (Korea time). This is it. The moment we've been waiting years for. It still feels so surreal but I'm sure when we get back to our room tomorrow it will be a weight lifted off our souls. We can't wait. It's going to be the hardest thing we'll ever do to say goodbye to his foster family and take him away from everything he knows. Please say alittle prayer to heal his heart quickly and for everything to go smoothly.
We may not be able to post tomorrow, depends on how Jae-min does. So, light your candles tomorrow night and guide us home!!!!!!!! We need to feel your energy during our long flight.
See you on the other side of the world!!!!!!!!!!!!

He's Real!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At 10:30 this morning our hearts left our bodies and began walking around in the world, in little Jae-min!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our social worker walked in ahead of Jae-min and his omma and the world stopped. Life, and the next hour and a half seemed to be surreal and time stood still. Jae-min and his omma sat on the couch next to us and the next thing I knew she handed me our baby with a smile from ear to ear. Jae-min did wonderfully, looked at us with curiousity but quickly interacted and was very happy. We got lots of smiles and even some giggles from him!!!!!!!!! He's AMAZING and we really don't know how we got so lucky. He seems to love us already and we are completely in love with him.
His omma was the sweetest woman and told us that she knows Jae-min is going to the right family. I told her we knew instantly he was meant to be ours and she reached across took my hands, with tears in her eyes saying she did too. She thinks he looks like Joe and fits in well with our family!!!!!! We think she feels peaceful and her heart is content with us as his parents. She called him
Jae-meeenah which we think is darling. He responded so nicely to everything and we are just so in love we can't stand it!!!
We got to go to his well baby check and the nurse also loves him so much. He has been so well taken care of and it touches our hearts. We feel truly blessed to have come halfway around the world and found the baby which we were always meant to have. He's so easygoing and chunky, yup, today he weighed in at 20 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!! Chunky monkey!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, after our restless night we feel peaceful again. Your all going to love him. He's absolutely, positively, perfect and we couldn't have asked for anything more.
We will officially take him back to the hotel Wed afternoon and are counting the hours. To say this experience has been amazing is true. Thank you Korea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're So In Love.............

With Korea!!!!!! We've been busy the last few days exploring this beautiful country and are loving every minute of it!!!!!!!!!! I have been trying to pay close attention to all the little things like the sights, sounds, and smells to convey to Jae-min as he grows up. The people here are amazing and we just are so honored that our son comes from such a wonderful place. Yesterday we went on the Seoul city bus tour and saw lots of sights. Today we went to an open air market Namedum, and it was a very interesting experience. We also found a bookstore (I know leave it to me) and bought Jae-min some books in English and Korean. We have also visited many palaces which are breathtaking. We've been very busy soaking up the culture and having an amazing time!!!!!!!!!!!!! Today we realized that in just a few short hours we will be experiencing the real reason why we're here.... to meet a handsome little boy!!!!!!!
Jae-min is never far from our minds and to think we're just a cab ride away is amazing. My eyes fill with tears when I look at all the young men of Korea to think that Jae-min is leaving this place. I know that he'll be a wonderful man from all the wonderful men we've seen so far. We've seen some children and it makes us so eager for tomorrow to come.
So, at 10:30 (Korea time) tomorrow our lives will never be the same. We will lay eyes on our son for the first time, talk to his foster family, and play with him. It will be difficult to say goodbye, but we've come this far. So tomorrow is the day we've been waiting for. We'll wrap our gifts tonight and call a cab in the morning. This will be an experience of a lifetime and we are more than ready.
Love to you all from our last night as a party of two. We'll be a party of three very very soon!!

Greetings From Korea!!!!!!!!

We made it!!! We're in Korea!!!!!! It all still feels so surreal but we are here. The flights went well, just really really long. After about 10 hours I started to get antsy and feel alittle panicky. But it took 10 hours which I thought was pretty good. I listened to Joe's ipod filled with my adoption songs and calmed right down. We basically dozed on and off and prayed the time would go fast and whala, here we are. We're exhausted as we haven't slept in 24 hours but we'll make it through. Korea, its people are amazing. We encountered culture shock right on the plane when just about everyone was Korean and speaking in Korean. Oh well. The ladies were gorgeous and so helpful. We're alittle panicky about bringing Jae-min home on the same flight as the seating isn't as big as we thought and we only got him a lap ticket. Oh well, we shall see. Two more days till we meet the little man. My eyes welled up as we took off from Boston today and again when we landed in Korea. To know we are here, in his homeland, seeing all these beautiful sites and expereincing all these amazing people is priceless. And to know after all this time here we are. We are in love with Korea because it is part of Jae-min!!!!!!!! Good night from Seoul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Packed And Ready To Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Two years ago we dreamed of this day. The day when we would have all of our bags packed heading halfway around the world. The day is finally here. It may be a slightly different destination and a slightly different picture of who our first child would be, but we wouldn't have it any other way. This is exactly how it was destined to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Jae-min is meant to come to us from Korea and our trip around the world was always meant to be there!!!!!
We leave bright and early tomorrow morning and will make it to Korea around 5:30 Friday. We meet Jae-min on Monday so thoughts and prayers are needed. We can't wait!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Our last day as a family of two is coming to an end and we are so ready to become parents. Parents to the most adorable boy in the world. We'll try to update from Korea. Love to you all!!!!!!!!!!!!

We're Off To Korea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's official. Our travel itinerary was approved and we leave this Thurs 3/5 and return next Thurs 3/12. We're soooooooo excited, we're just in a fog. We can't believe after all this time we are 3 sleeps away from getting on a plane, flying halfway around the world, to meet our son!!!!!!!!!!! Wow. The best part is we meet Jae-min on Monday morning at 10:30 (Korea time, remember we'll be about 14 hours ahead of you). Can you imagine this time next week Jae-min will be real. He won't just be an adorable picture any longer. He'll be real and we'll have held him, kissed him, and heard his sweet sounds. We'll have talked to his beautiful foster mom and seen much of his beautiful country. I just can't believe it. There are few moments like these in a lifetime and we plan to take in every second and appreciate it for all its worth. It's been a long time coming and we will never take it or him for granted. We know how lucky we are.

This weekend was a whirlwind with a beautiful baby shower to honor Jae-min. We have been busy washing and organizing everything. Thanks to all those who played a part in planning an amazing day. It honored Jae-min, Korea, and us beautifully.
We also got a special blessing yesterday. We began attending church faithfully every week right before our referral came. After our referral every Sunday we would go to church and I would feel so close to Jae-min. Its hard to explain. Well this Sunday we told the father (whose wonderful by the way) about Jae-min and our impending flight. He couldn't have been nicer, hugging us and asking lots of questions. Then he took us in his circle and said a beautiful blessing over us. Of course I had tears streaming down my face. He's excited to meet Jae-min and share in his homecoming.
Through this process many doors have been opened and we've gladly opened our hearts and gone right in. After this weekend I have a sense of peace in my heart and mind. A peace I have never known before. A piece that says you are exactly where you were always meant to be!!