Thank you!

2 countries, 4 airplanes, 3 hotel rooms, and 23 days away from home.  Even as I type it, it seems unbelievable!

We've tasted many new foods, but we've also consumed more McDonald's than should be allowed.

We've learned to navigate crowded subways, hail a cab from anywhere in the city, and cross the busy streets of China with 4 kids in tow as though we were strolling through the park.

We've bathed  in copious amount of Purex hand sanitizer, and Sophia and I have conquered the squatty potty!  (Yes, those two things are related.)

We've met new friends along the journey and reconnected with old ones.

And finally, we've added to our family a precious new daughter.

Many people  thought we were crazy (and they were right!), but in the end, I'm so thankful my kids got to experience their birth countries and be the first ones  to welcome Abigail into her forever family.  The trip wasn't always easy, but easy is so overrated.

Saturday, we make the long trek home to Texas. That's when the real work will begin.  We will cocoon for a bit as we wait out jet lag and adjust to life at home as a family of six. We covet your prayers for this next leg of the journey.

If you've followed us this far, we know it's because you love us.  We can't  say thank you enough for your support and encouragement, and we look forward to introducing you to Miss Abigail Li Williams.  ❤️

So sleepy...

I haven't blogged in several days because....yeah, life with four kids is busy!

Abigail's comfort level is improving each day.  She will now get down from my lap to explore a bit and play in short increments.  We swim most afternoons, and she absolutely loves the water.  When we visit the hotel playground, she keeps up just fine with the big kids.  She still hasn't warmed up to Adam all the way, but he consistently works on breaking down her walls with silliness and play, and I have a feeling they will be good friends before too long.  

The nights, though, are tough.  Abigail's world has been turned upside down, and the grief and sadness really come out at bedtime.  She wakes up several times a night inconsolable.  If she sleeps, she wants to be touching me at all times or better yet, sleeping on top of me.  Needless to say, no one is rested right now.  Our oldest son, Levi, had these  same struggles at first so we know it 's part of the process and to be expected.  This too shall pass, but for now, we are just so sleepy....

Orphanage Visit

Yesterday, we visited Harbin Social Welfare Institute, the orphanage responsible for Abigail's care. Harbin SWI, home to over 200 children, is known for its exceptional staff and nannies who have a heart for kids.

As our van pulled up to the security booth, an older man was waiting anxiously at the gate.  He pressed his face against the glass of our van to get a glimpse of our girl.  Abilgail's eyes lit up, and she began repeating "Yeye", the Mandarin word for grandpa.  (He reminded me of another Grandpa (Tom) who often waits at the gate back home when he knows his family is returning. 😘)  Once inside, Abigail's Yeye asked to hold her, and then he immediately broke down in tears.  So  tender.  He shared that he and his wife had cared for Abby since she was 12 days old, and they were going to miss her terribly.

Abigail had been in a unique situation.  She had lived on campus in an apartment with her foster parents and three other foster children, but she spent a portion of each day at the orphanage with other children in the care of a nanny.  Abby was closest to her foster mother and called her "Mama".

The orphanage staff didn't want to upset Abby so it was decided that only I would meet with the foster mother while Adam stayed with the children in another room. I immediately fell in love with the foster mother.  She was gentle and warm and became emotional when she spoke of Abigail.   I know I've already written a post on my deep appreciation of foster parents, but y'all, these people are so special!

The  foster mom went on about how thankful she was to see our family in person and that she felt peace knowing Abby would be surrounded by loving parents and siblings.  She hugged my neck over and over. She gave me some of Abby's favorite snacks to take along and also special treats for the rest of our crew.  We took pictures together and exchanged gifts.  As she left, she secretly peeked into the room where Adam was entertaining the kids to say her goodbyes from a distance.

We loaded back into the van to head home but stopped at the orphanage gate for one final picture.  And guess who shows up?  You guessed it....Yeye!  He needed one more hug from his sweet baby.  And then, he pulled Adam aside to hand him a slip of paper with both his and his wife's phone numbers on it so we could send pictures and updates.  I'm happy to do so.

The first day we met Abigail I could tell she had been loved and cherished by someone.  And now, I'm just so thankful I was able to meet them face to face so one day I can tell our girl all about her Mama and Yeye.

Outside Harbin SWI

Adoption Day

It was finally Abby Day!  We met our guide early in the hotel lobby and took a quick ride to the Civil Affairs office.  I had butterflies in my stomach walking in knowing  that at any moment, we would meet our new daughter.

We sat down at a huge conference table to sign a few papers and speak with the registrar.  Within minutes, one of the orphanage teachers arrived and brought in Abigail.  Abby looked adorable dressed  in yellow carrying the cutest duck backpack, but she was definitely stone faced and looked apprehensive.  Such a scary time for a little one.  The woman tried to hand her to me, but of course, Abby clung desperately  to her teacher's neck.

I decided not  to push but instead, to try to make her more comfortable by offering a few snacks and toys. We tried some toddler puffs and cheerios.  She wasn't having it.  Banana?  No thank you.  Teddy bear?  Um...no.  Maybe a sucker?  She had no idea what to do with it.  Uh oh....we're in trouble.  The kids tried acting silly, but she only gave them empty stares.  I played a little peek-a-boo but again, she was not impressed.

When the teacher saw that all our attempts failed, she had no choice but to hand over a crying baby.  Broke my heart.  Abigail reached out again for the teacher, but she was already headed for the door.

Thankfully, Abigail calmed easily in my lap and decided to try a few of the treats. We took some pictures of our first moments as a family, and then the guide turned to me and says, "We go now."  What?!!! Now?  But, I don't know anything about this child....what she prefers to eat, her nap schedule, what makes her happy or sad.  Our guide said we would find out more information on Thursday (today was Monday) when we visited the orphanage.  Um...okie dokie. I guess we will play it by ear then.


Now, two days have passed, and we are doing just fine.  It's taken a little trial and error, but in the end, toddlers have a way of communicating EXACTLY what they want and don't want.  Speaking  the same language is unecessary.  Here's a few things we've discovered about our girl:

1.  Abigail is fiercely independent.  She refused all food yesterday, and I couldn't figure out why.  Surely she was hungry.  We tried noodles, rice, and several Chinese snacks.  But, in the end, we realized she only wants to feed herself.  Ugh. Have you seen the mess when a 1 year old eats a bowl of ramen noodles by herself?  Yikes, but for now, we are picking our battles.

2.  She is a great sleeper. Both days she has taken 3 hour naps, and she only woke up once through the night.   I can only pray that this continues once home.

3.  Our girl has been loved by someone.  Maybe it was the foster mother or the orphanage nanny, but it is apparent that Abigail has received attentive and tender care.  She loves to cuddle and to receive  kisses, and she will hold her hands up to be held.  Beyond thankful for this.

We love her to pieces and can't believe she is ours!  We returned to the Civil Affairs office today and signed the legal adoption papers.  It's official, and we are blessed!  Looking forward to the future as a family of six.  ❤️

Adventures in Harbin

Yesterday, we said goodbye to South Korea and headed to Harbin, China, the hometown of Abigail.  The flight was 2 hours which was a breeze compared to the our previous 14 hour one.  We were met at the airport by our guide (what a relief!), and she accompanied us to the hotel.

The hotel is older, but our family's suite is HUGE!  I mean.....it has a two living rooms, a large bedroom, and two bathrooms!  Basically, it's bigger than my first apartment.  The kids have had a blast running through all the rooms, jumping on the beds, and literally climbing the walls.  Yeah, I'm that mom. :)

Today is a free day for us to explore the city.  The sun rises in Harbin at 4:45am so the bright light peaking through the curtains had us up early.  We started the day with a breakfast of fried rice and cod.  An atypical breakfast, but delicious nonetheless.  I was dying for some coffee, and I got tickled to see the demitasse cups available at the hotel breakfast.  Yes, I'll take 12 of those thank you very much!  After breakfast, we headed to the park.  China has large, beautiful parks with manicured gardens and lots of activities and rides for kids.  The boys chose the bumper cars and Sophia, the carousel.  And, of course, bubble wands are always a hit!

Harbin is different than the other cities we have visited in China which tend to be more westernized.  First off, no one in Harbin speaks English.  No one.  We've done a lot of gesturing and pointing to try to order at restaurants or purchase supplies at Walmart.  Second, it's been clear the people in Harbin are not used to seeing large(ish) families, especially multicultural ones like ours.  Everywhere we go we get long, curious looks, and one man even took out his phone to video our family.  Um...ok. 😳Today, at the park a women came up to us smiling with three fingers raised as if to say, "Three? You have three kids???"  Yes, I thought, and another one will be added to the bunch tomorrow.  I guess in the land of only children (due to years of the One Child Policy), our family seems like the
Duggers.  But overall, people have been friendly, just a bit curious.

We plan to spend the rest of the day getting stocked and ready for Miss Abigail!  We meet her tomorrow at 9am sharp at the Civil Affairs office, and this mama can't wait!

Last days in Korea

We spent our last two days at the Seoul Children's Museum and the Korean War Memorial.  I've been extremely impressed with the museums in Seoul.  For starters, most of them are FREE making sightseeing with a family of five very affordable.  Second, many of the museums have portions dedicated solely to children with interactive exhibits and activities to help kids absorb Korean culture and history.

This was an interesting exhibit that allows kids to experience life through the lens of someone with special needs such as blindness or paralysis.  They could practice crossing the street with a white cane or entering the subway using a wheelchair.  A great way to promote empathy.

We also enjoyed the Korean War memorial and museum.  Since we had studied the Korean War this past year in our homeschool, Levi could easily track with the events that were displayed in the exhibits.

Statue of Two Brothers

The Statue of Two Brothers was especially moving "depicting two brothers, one an ROK officer and his younger brother, a North Korean soldier, meet on the battlefield and express reconciliation, love, and forgiveness.   The crack in the dome stands for the division of Korea and the hope for reconciliation." (From Wikipedia).   It reminded me of our own Civil War where brothers, neighbors, and best friends found themselves on opposite sides of the battle lines.

The  children's portion of the museum had interactive displays like this puzzle where you matched up the flag with the country that aided South Korea in the war.  It even had a short, animated film on the Comfort Women of WWII  (not a subject I would typically cover with my little ones, but historically accurate nonetheless.)  And, of course, the boys enjoyed climbing inside the military tanks and checking out the war planes and missiles.

We leave Korea tomorrow and head for China.  It's been an amazing trip!  Though we will miss Korea, but we are anxious to meet our new addition, Abigail! 

Let's play ball!

Tonight, we headed to Jamsil Stadium to watch a Korean baseball game.  Jamsil seats 25,000 fans and was used during the 1988 Summer Olympics.  The place was abuzz when we arrived.

As our family made its way to the ticket booth, we navigated through dozens of street vendors selling every kind of food and drink for fans to take inside.  The ticket clerk wanted to know which team we were cheering for so she could put us on the appropriate side of the stadium.  Uh, uh ?  Thankfully, Levi thought fast.  Tonight's game was the LG Twins (from Seoul) verses the Lotte Giants (from Busan), and Levi decided since he was born in Seoul, we would cheer for the Twins.  Sounded like a good plan!



Now, baseball might be America's favorite pastime, but Korean fans take cheering to a whole new


level.  They put the FAN in FANatic! There are platforms placed among the seats where cheerleaders and singers lead the crowd in choreographed music and dancing to American songs like "We're not gonna take it" and "I've been working on the railroad".  I don't know if you have to attend some kind of pre-baseball school, but somehow the entire crowd knew what to do and moved in unison.  It was quite a sight to see!

We watched the game and then after consuming a bucket of fried chicken, French fries, popcorn, Pringles, candy, and several sodas, we called it a night and headed back to the hotel.  The kids insisted they weren't tired, but they were snoring within minutes.  A great night.

And, oh, the LG twins won the game 5-4 so Levi made a good choice!