Sweet Home Chicago

Well...we're home. What a whirlwind the past few days have been! I was planning to email last night when we got back, but our internet was down. It's probably for the best, as I'm sure my email wouldn't have made any sense, due to lack of sleep. Although, I haven't gotten much more sleep at this point, but more on that later...

I'll start from Thursday. It's hard to describe all of the emotions we felt as we received Spike from his foster family. It was an extremely happy time for Andy and I, but was also heartbreaking. Both Spike's foster mom, foster dad were there, and they were both very sad. His foster mom presented us with many wonderful gifts, including a hanbok (special Korean outfit) for Spike's first birthday, and picture albums from her time with him. These will both be very meaningful to Spike as he grows up and learns his history. We were also very sad for Spike, who was being torn from the only family he has ever known. But we love him so much, and will give him the best life that we possibly can. Dr. Kim said a prayer before he was given to us, and then he was ours forever. It was a very surreal moment, and even as I reread this paragraph, my description doesn't do the moment justice. It is something that I will never forget though, and I will always remind Spike how much he was deeply loved by many people, who for a brief moment were all together. I truly hope this is not the last time we have contact with his wonderful foster family.

The rest of that night was a blur. Spike was very, very upset and inconsolable for about 3 1/2 hours. He kept calling for his "Omma" (foster mother). All we could do was hold him and tell him we loved him. Finally, he settled down a bit while watching the fish tank in the computer room. We were able to get him to eat some of his bottle before he fell asleep. He woke again and was up for a few hours, and went down for most of the night.

Friday we basically woke up, finished packing and headed for the airport. Spike seemed to know by then that we weren't going to hurt him, and we even got a few heart-melting smiles out of him. We rode to the airport...with him on my lap!!! They don't use carseats in Korea. I could handle that... What was really making me nervous was the small t.v. turned on next to the driver's steering wheel - which he was watching the whole way to the airport!

Spike did so wonderfully on the plane. We couldn't have asked for a better little boy. He slept for about a total of 4 hours on and off, and didn't cry once. When he began to get unhappy, we were able to comfort him, which we really were glad about.

Once we landed in Chicago (2 hours earlier on Friday than when we left Korea), we saw Momo and Pops waiting for us. The rest of the day was an emotional blur. We got home and finally were reunited with Monkey. I missed him SO badly, and he was so happy to see us and his "baby brother." He kept kissing Spike and hugging us, and it was overwhelming. Nonna, Peepaw, and Meemaw were there too. Everyone stayed for about 45 min. before we were all ready for a nap. Luckily, all four of us got about 3 hours of much needed sleep. We played, ate dinner and tried to keep our tired little Spike awake until a decent hour. The rest of the night was hard for him. He wouldn't sleep unless we were holding him, and would cry out for Omma in his sleep. It is so sad to watch him go through this, but we also know that if he could attach so deeply to her, he will eventually be able to do the same with us.

Today was much better. We got lots of smiles from him, a few giggles, and he was very eager to go exploring around the house. He is still adjusting to the time change, but we can see that eventually he will be a very sweet, happy little guy. Monkey, on the other hand, is learning to be a big brother. What a shock it has been for him to no longer be the center of attention. He's tried to push his little brother a few times, but he's also given him countless hugs and kisses, so we know he needs to adjust too. And that this is normal behavior for any two year old welcoming a new sibling into their lives.

I know this is a long post, but I can't say good-bye without saying again what an amazing experience this has been for us. Our trip was incredible, and I am so glad that I traveled to my son's birth country. I fell in love with Korea, and I know we will be back someday. And my family of four is now complete. It is truly unbelievable how happy and content I am feeling. For the past 4 years part of our lives have always been focused on how we were going to create our family. We've had some wonderful experiences during this time, but building our family has always been at the back of our minds. We have finally completed our foursome, and we have the two most amazing children I've ever known (of course I may be a little biased). But I am so, so thankful for the blessings in my life. My faith has been tested over these years, but God truly had a plan for us. I wouldn't change anything that we have gone through, because the journey brought me my two children. And I could not appreciate them more. I know life will bring us many more ups and downs, but I also know that we can get through anything together.

I'll leave you with a few more pics from the past few days (if you still have time to look at them). Thank you to everyone for helping us through this journey.

Holding the newborns in Eastern's baby nursery.

My little guy finally calmed down just in time to pose for the camera!

Daddy and Spike finally laying down for some much needed sleep.

Being the perfect little angel on the plane ride home.

Our very happy family of four:).