Korea Court Trip - Day 3

Our adoption agency has volunteers, who want to practice their English, tour families around this beautiful city and today was our tour! We met our tour guide in the lobby of our hotel at 9:30am and she took us to a palace that is close to our hotel. We watched the changing of the guards and walked around the palace grounds taking in the history of these huge, beautiful grounds.

Then we explored the folk village and this was probably my favorite part. There was a historical house on the grounds and it was so fun to see what life was like throughout history in Korea.

Then we walked all over Bukchon Hanok Village, which as a ton of tradition Korean homes. They are so beautiful, but the neighborhood is very hilly and Todd's foot was definitely sore after it.

Our tour guide took us to a traditional Korean restaurant for lunch and we had to take our shoes off when we walked in the door, and sat on the ground while we ate.

Then we headed back to the hotel to ice Todd's foot and take a nap. We woke up around 5:30pm and met some friends (through Facebook) for dinner. We went to a little restaurant right by our hotel and I had the best dinner so far. I ordered hot pot bibimbap and it came our sizzling. It was so delicious!!! We had a great time talking over our adoption journeys with these new friends and exchange pictures of our new babies. God has been so faithful to provide community for us when we needed it the most.
After dinner we walked around the neighborhood that our hotel is in, while we continued to get to know our new friends. We got dessert from some street vendors and walked in a few shops. We ended up buying some wedding ducks for Lyla. (Fun Fact: Wedding ducks are a pair of duck carvings (traditionally Mandarin ducks) that are used in Korean wedding ceremonies, and often given as marriage gifts. Mandarin ducks are chosen because it is believed that, unlike other types of ducks, they mate for life, and that if one of the pair dies, the other will mourn. For Koreans, Mandarin ducks represent peace, fidelity, and plentiful offspring.)

Tomorrow is our second meeting with Lyla and we are so excited to see her again! We are happy that we are a little more prepared going into this meeting and are hoping this time provides comfort and a sense of belonging for our girl.

Korea Court Trip - Day 2

The morning started at 3:30am as we were still dealing with jet lag and couldn’t go back to sleep, so we got up. Todd headed to the gym downstairs while I had my quiet time and got ready for the big day, the day we met our Lyla! It was a nice slow morning that was needed before such an emotional day.
The coffee shop downstairs in our hotel opens at 7:30, so we headed down then to fuel up. Then we grabbed our bags and headed to Holt.

We knew the general area we were going to but our directions had us get off the metro an exit too early. We thought we were at the adoption agency, but when we figured out the correct location, it was another 20 minute walk. Thankfully we were planning on getting there super early so we had time but it was still stressful! We were so happy when we finally saw the Holt building!

When we walked in, we were directed to the 2nd floor where we were greeted by our sweet Korean social workers who had us sign some paperwork and lead us up to the 6th floor. We walked into a large room and when I saw the kids running around, I realized that we were about to meet Lyla! I looked for her all over the room and spotted her Foster Mom sitting in the floor with Lyla in her lap. Tears filled my eyes as we said our first hellos. Lyla was so happy and smiley, just as we pictured her. We went to open some food and toys we brought for her but my hands were shaking so bad that Todd had to open everything.
I gave her a yogurt bite and she ate it, then I gave her the stuffed dog that Madilynn picked out for her. Her foster mom told us that she loves dogs and her favorite toy is a little yellow dog that barks that Mamaw and Papaw got her for Christmas. She also told us that Lyla loves to be tickled and Todd got some great laughs out of her as he tickled her with her puppy.
We opened the puffs and she loved them! Food seems to comfort her as she would get upset if she couldn’t see her foster mom but would calm down a bit when we gave her a puff.

Then she tried to escape the room we were in and her foster mom told us that she feels trapped and likes to be out and about. She loves to run and be active. She also told us that she has ridden in a car seat (which most Korean children have not) but doesn’t like it. She also does not like the stroller but loves the baby carrier.
She played with the little soccer ball we brought and loved rolling it or handing it to Todd. She liked the stickers we brought as well as the bubbles. She colored with us for a few minutes as well.  She is so happy and has an amazing laugh. Her smile lights up the room.
She then tried to escape again so we went in the hall and hung out with her there as she played with the little soccer ball. Then she wanted her foster mom to hold her because she was getting tired. She usually takes a nap at 11:30 and it was close to her nap time. But we got to watch her snuggle while we asked her foster mom a lot of questions. She told us that she naps for about 2 hours, sleeps at night from 10pm-8am. Co sleeps with her foster mom (her foster dad sleeps on the couch. Haha.) She takes 3 bottles a day. Some formula and some milk. She likes to eat everything but only a little at a time and all day long. She is shy with new people but will open up after she feels safe. When she likes something, she doesn’t kiss it, she rubs her forehead on it. She likes red and pink. When she is upset, she flings herself backwards.
We headed back into the room and had to get a picture for the court. She cried while we held her for the picture but hopefully they got a good one. Haha.
Then her foster mom went and filled her bottle up. Lyla was so happy to get her formula mix out and get a bottle. She cuddled right up in her foster mom’s lap and drank her bottle as her eyes started to close. Her foster mom tried to hand her to Todd while she was drinking her bottle but she was not having it! She loves her Omma so much, which is such a great sign. You can see that she is definitely attached to her foster mom, which means her little heart is able to attach and will be able to develop an attachment to us as well. But it also means that she will grieve hard at this big loss in her life. Her foster parent have loved her so well and I can’t imagine the heartbreak Lyla will experience. That is adoption, hard but beautiful, love in the broken places, heartbreaking and family forming.
When it was time to leave, Lyla loves getting into the baby carrier and smiles nonstop as we rode the elevator down to say good bye. That little girl of ours is amazing.

After we left our meeting, we both felt the weight of how much Lyla's foster family means to her and how hard it will be when she has to leave them. We are praying that God is preparing her heart for this transition and this great loss she will experience. We are also praying that Lyla knows we are safe for her.

We then walked around for far too long trying to find lunch. After meeting your child for the first time, you should not be allowed to just leave by yourself, because you should probably be in a counseling session, not roaming the streets of a foreign country. hahaha.

But we finally happened upon a Korean restaurant and ordered kimchi soup.

After lunch, we sat in a starbucks in silence as we were still thinking over every second of our visit with our sweet girl. We couldn't walk anymore, or think about the metro system until we sat down for a while. haha. After we were a little more energized, we stopped by a clothing store to buy a white dress shirt for Todd because I forgot to pack his shirt for our court appointment. But thankfully it was something we could easily find!
Then we met up with a couple that we met at breakfast our first morning here. They are from LA, but have cousins here and they showed us around the university area. It was so fun and the coolest experience to walk around Seoul with a local. They took us to areas we would have never been brave enough to find on our own. They took us to have Korean fried chicken for dinner and it was amazingly good!!!

a letter to my precious lyla on the morning that we meet

To my beautiful, brave girl,
As your dad and I have traveled half way around the world, I cannot help but praise God for how He has called you into our family. We have loved you since before you were born and we come to you, just as Jesus comes to each of us.
I have so many emotions this morning. After two long years of praying and working hard to get to this day, today, April 30, 2018, is truly a dream fulfilled. Your dad and I, and countless friends and family who have loved you for so long, have been praying for your heart. As you are about to meet us, you are more than happy where you are. You do not understand the need to join our family, because in your eyes, you are with your family. Your Omma and Appa have cared for you since you were a month old and they are all you have ever known. Your contagious smile that we stare at in pictures is complete proof of the love they have poured into you for almost 2 years. We are so thankful for this love you have experienced, but we know this love and connection is also why you will grieve so hard at it's loss. So we continue to pray that God will give you a peace around us, a feeling of belonging and of being truly loved.
We have pictured what this morning will look like for so long and it is about to become reality. We will be leaving to head to Holt's office in about an hour and we pray this day holds beauty and memories that we can share with you for your whole life. That it is day that is dripping with the goodness of our Lord. The feelings that are wrapped up in the day you will meet your child is overwhelming, but completely covered in God's grace.
Lyla Grace, we know that this morning may be scary for your 21 month old self, but we pray we will quickly become your safe place and your comfort. That this next month that you are not in our custody goes by quickly and that you can come home with us forever, so very soon. We pray that you always know that you are loved, chosen, and pursued not only by your family, but by Jesus Christ. We have always loved you, sweet girl.
See you soon!
Your Mama

Korea Court Trip - Day One

We headed to the Chattanooga Airport at 6pm on Friday evening. So much excitement that the day to head to our baby's birth country was finally here, but to be honest, there is also a sadness that came with knowing that she will not be coming home with us this trip. Trusting God to carry our family until we can all officially be together!

We ran into a friend who was also on our flight from Chattanooga and has also adopted, which was a small gift from God, to be able to share our excitement with someone who has seen us walk our adoption journey and has walked one themselves.
After our short 20 minute flight to Atlanta, we grabbed some food and checked out the Delta Sky Club (it was like a date night. hahaha.) And boarded our Korean Air flight at midnight. We had a great experience on the flight with the movies provided, delicious food, about 5 hours of sleep, and 15 hours of quiet.

When we landed in Korea, it was about 3:30am local time. The moon was huge and bright and we got to see coastal views as we arrived over the water. We got off the plane and struck up another God-ordained meeting with a fellow believer who could encouraged us on our journey. We then walked through the easiest immigration ever, grabbed our bags, and walked out of baggage claim. There was supposed to be a driver waiting for us but we did not see anyone there, so we went to exchange our currency and rent a wifi egg (best little contraption that gives us wifi wherever we go for only like $5 (4,500 won) a day). Then we went to look for the driver that we couldn't find anywhere. We went to the information desk to see if they could call him for us and Todd saw a little Korean man running by with a sign that had our names on it. So Todd took off after him and when he caught up with the driver, Todd tried to explain that he was the "Todd" on the man's sign. There was obviously a big language barrier, but we finally understood that he was SO sorry and that he had overslept. Poor guy. :( We were so happy to have found him and finally be headed to Seoul! The driver tried to talk to us a little bit but we could not understand him at ALL and he could not understand a word we said either. It was pitch black when we landed but we got to drive into Seoul as the sun was coming up.

We were dropped off at our hotel around 5:30am and freshened up in their restroom before checking our bags in with them and taking off to explore the city. As we walked around, the city was very much still asleep. No shops open, no food, no people. We walked until about 6:45am, checking every coffee shop we passed to see when they would open and then at 5 til 7 we just camped out in front of one of the coffee shops until it opened. We walked in with another young couple who ended up being from LA and it was so nice to eat breakfast with someone we could have a full conversation with. Plus, the coffee and breakfast sandwiches were delicious!!

It was a little after 8am now and the city was slowly starting to wake up. We walked further north to the Changdeokgung Palace and waited in a quickly growing line to buy tickets to go in. Todd said "is it worth buying tickets?" I wasn't sure but we went for it anyway and man, I am so glad we did! This place was HUGE and so incredibly beautiful!!!! It kept going and going and was so intricately detailed!

We started to get hungry and I have been dying to go to a market, so off we headed for our first try at the metro and Namdaemun Market.

When we finally made it to Namdaemun, Todd immediately spotted a hotteok, a korean pancake with a filling of your choice. Todd's choice was brown sugar.

Then we walked the market, stopping to try different foods and the most delicious peach tea! We also purchased some children's chopsticks for the girls, a tea cup for Lyla for our precious tea times, and the most adorable matching hanboks (traditional Korean dresses) for the girls! I about died from the cuteness!

We set off for our long trek back to the hotel and when we returned to Insadong, our neighborhood that was completely dead at 6am that morning, we were so surprised to find a super alive and very cool neighborhood filled with vendors and shops. We walked in a few, grabbed some fans for the girls and continued on our way to the hotel. 

When we checked in at Orakai Insadong Suites, they let us know that they upgraded us and we were totally surprised when we walked in our room! It is huge! And has a stunning view of the mountains!! It is a large apartment style room and will be perfect when we have both Madilynn and Lyla here next month!

Then against all off my better judgement, we took a short nap, which just made me super tired the rest of the night. But we could not walk any longer and as soon as we sat down, we fell asleep. We woke up and went to dinner locally at a tiny hole in the wall where we got delicious dumplings of all sorts and Todd got a spicy dumpling soup. It was so much food and there was no way we could finish it all.

Then we headed back to the room and fell asleep immediately, which would explain why Todd and I were wide awake at 3:45 am. So now, Todd headed down to swim and I am trying to remember every detail of our first day in the same city with our baby Lyla. Now, let's go meet our girl!!!

Korean Court

We were submitted to the Korean Court on January 29th and waited for what seemed like forever to hear of our court date assignment. And then on March 19th, we finally got the email we were waiting for. The email that gave us a "finish line." The email that told us we would get to meet our daughter!

We were given a court date for May 3rd. This was 7 weeks out, which was a little sad for us as that seems like so far away. But a date is a date and we were so excited to be able to book our trip to our baby's birth country! We immediately got our flights and hotel booked. We were so excited, although we wished we were leaving the next day!

Here is what our itinerary will look like:
April 27 PM - Leave Chattanooga
April 29th - Arrive in Seoul at 4AM (yup, you heard that right. Super early!) We plan on exploring all day and fighting jetlag. We will be staying in Insadong and I cannot wait to explore this amazing neighborhood!!
April 30th - The day we meet our precious baby Lyla! We will attend our first group meeting and meet our Lyla and her foster family.
May 1st- We will have a city tour provided by our adoption agency.
May 2nd - (Madilynn's birthday) We will get to see Lyla again! And we will also be prepped for out court hearing.
May 3rd - Our court date! The judge, who reviewed all of the paperwork we have sent to Korea, will ask us a few questions which should only take about 10 minutes and then we will be done! I've heard it's the easiest part of the whole process! haha.
May 4th - We get an extra visit with our sweet Lyla because she will be at a playgroup at the adoption agency and we were approved to be able to join her!
May 5th PM - We head back home and continue to pray that God gets back to Korea soon!

Once we complete our court hearing, the judge will send the initial ruling of the approval for the adoption to the birth parents by certified mail. The amount of time for this to be mailed out will vary upon each judge’s work load. Once the court receives confirmation back that the birth parents received this notification, the 14 day waiting period will begin. We should  be notified of the final decree being issued about 4-5 weeks following the court appearance date. If the birth mother did not confirm notification, the case will go to public notice.  If a case goes to public notice it takes about 8-10 weeks from your court appearance until our decree is issued. But we are praying that we will be back in Korea late May/early June!