Farewell to Seoul...

I'm happy to say that tomorrow morning, we'll begin our long journey home! Although we've been gone less than a week, it feels more like an eternity. Jeff and I are both going through Graham withdrawal, and we are very anxious to get home and unite our family. I'd be lying if I said I was looking forward to the actual process of getting home though. Last night when Jeff and I were talking about our upcoming long flight, he actually used the word 'petrified'. Yes, it really was that difficult with Graham, and I'm hoping and praying we don't have a repeat of that.

After visiting with Amelia today, it seems as though our concerns may not be unfounded. Let's just say that she wasn't a very happy camper with us. Amelia was playing with some toys on the floor and I sat down next to her. She stared at me, then crawled back into her foster mothers lap. The social worker then suggested she and the foster mother leave for a bit allowing the three of us some time alone. Amelia did NOT like this new arrangement. Her lower lip immediately began to quiver, then she stuck it waaaaay out (her pouty face is actually kind of cute!), and then the tears arrived. Big tears, rolling slowly down her cheeks... I wanted to cry right along with her. She was just so sad. Jeff was actually able to put her to sleep though, so at least we know it's possible! At this point in the process with Graham, he preferred to hit our faces, so crying and falling asleep is a huge improvement! The foster mother and social worker came back about 30 minutes later and were both very surprised to see Amelia sleeping in my arms. According to Amelia's foster mother, she's been very sensitive lately, almost like she knows a big change is coming. I handed Amelia back to her foster mother (who was tearing up) and away they went without her opening her eyes. We'll see Amelia again tomorrow morning at 8:30, when we pick her up for good. Please send good thoughts to Amelia tomorrow. She is going to be so afraid, and I can only hope that peace will come over her sooner than later. If you've got any good thoughts left, Jeff and could surely use them as that 14 flight from Seoul to Chicago seems pretty daunting right now. As you can see in these pictures, Amelia clearly was not impressed with Jeff and I...

After we said good-bye to Amelia for the day, we met with Graham's foster mother, Mrs. Im. We spent an absolutely wonderful hour with her! She ran up to me with the biggest smile on her face and hugged me. We then went into an office with a translator and the first thing she said to us was just how blessed Graham is to be a part of our family. I corrected her, and told her that we are the blessed ones...Graham has brought us more joy than we ever thought possible! I thanked her over and over for giving our little guy such a wonderful beginning and she got all choked up. I then presented her with the gift we brought for her-a copy of Graham's blog book. Jeff and I both agree that we've never enjoyed giving someone a gift, as much as we enjoyed presenting the book to her. She was speechless, then her tears started. She rubbed Graham's picture then actually kissed the cover. She then admitted that she was so distraught after Graham left that she couldn't foster anymore children. She did ultimately change her mind though, explaining to us that having babies around heals her pain. In fact, she had her 5 month old foster daughter with her at our visit today. This woman is truly Graham's angel and I feel so lucky to know her. She did have a few special presents for Graham and I'm certain he's going to be thrilled with each and every one!

So, that's about it from Korea. We're currently packing up our suitcases and double and triple checking that we've got not only our own passports, but all of Amelia's visa documentation as well. I've become paranoid we're going to misplace something and after all the time it took for us to finally get this visa, those documents can't leave our sight! Our flight leaves Seoul at noon on Thursday which is 10 pm on Wednesday night in Minneapolis-good vibes are welcomed and much appreciated! :) We hope to see many of you at the airport when we land on Thursday! The only thing we ask, is that we aren't swarmed immediately....the first hugs and first introduction to Amelia is reserved for her very proud big brother, Graham! The next post will be from home-WOO HOO!