September Re-Cap

As usual, I am way way behind on the ol' blog here. I do have some posts in the works about Lennox's airport homecoming and how he is doing. But for now, here's a recap of September after Lennox joined our family! 

Beckett turned 5 the day we arrived home from Korea! We were barely holding our eyes open by that night, but we managed to have a little mini-party for him! 

It was so neat watching Lennox take a bath with his brothers that first night home. We'd waited a long time for this. 

The first few weeks, he preferred using his chopsticks every time he ate. I think he's learned the ease of a fork and spoon now, but it was so cute watching him work those chopsticks like a pro. 

Sleeping is much better now, but those first couple weeks were killer. THIS was a precious site. 

Snack time!

A quick little ice cream run with these boys while Lennox was down for a nap one day at home with daddy. 

My four sweets after Lennox's first Sunday at church :)

Soccer season has come and gone - Brody had a great season getting to play with his friends! 

Lennox helps me take the bigger boys to Awanas on Wednesday nights. It won't be long, and he will be ready to join them! 

A post from Brent...Full Circle

Brent wrote this post this week and asked me to post it to the blog. :)

Next Saturday night in the Little Rock Airport, a meeting of four ladies and their sons will mark a major milestone in their lives.  All four will have traveled to and from South Korea twice in one year to meet their sons and take custody.  They are all great friends but would have never met without a chance meeting at the Dillon International Office in Little Rock.

In the spring of 2012, four random couples met at Dillon for an international adoption seminar.  Each couple had chosen adoption for various reasons and was there to learn more about adopting internationally from South Korea.  We were asked questions throughout the day.  Laura answered the questions directed at us, and the husbands seemed to answer most of the questions for the other couples.  On the way home, Laura made the funny comment that the other women didn't seem to talk as much as her. 

A few weeks later, contact information was passed around to keep in touch with the other couples.   Each couple was on a different step in the adoption process, but the timelines were very similar. The ladies started slowly getting to know each other more and checking on each other as the weeks and months went by.  Friendships were created and grew and then proved to be invaluable throughout the rest of the process.  They would encourage and pray for each other as time moved on.  In a way that no one else would understand. 

The ladies that Laura did not think talked very much were the same ladies she ended up talking to every day and relied on constantly for strength to make it to the next step in the adoption process.  They talked often throughout the day.  There is always a running group text message between all of them.  There are still very few days that go by that they are not texting each other.  I am not sure that any of them really worked the last two years.  

In the past few months, three of the ladies have brought their children home.  Kimmie brought Lyle home in June, Kara brought Collyn home in August, and Laura brought Lennox home in September. When Brooke lands in Little Rock with Samuel, it will complete an incredible journey for all four ladies and their boys.  When they take their group photo of them and the boys, tears will be shed.  Tears of happiness, for they are all together with their sons that they have all prayed for the last two years. The boys will be raised by great mothers that are even greater friends.

Our time in Korea with Lennox

We only had two full days in Korea with Lennox (Friday and Saturday). We were originally scheduled to fly home the next Thursday, but because we got his visa and everything completed very quickly, we had our flights changed to Sunday. 

Lennox woke up a happy boy on Friday morning about 7:30. He didn't get upset when he saw that he was still there with us...he just got up and walked into the kitchen asking for milk.  We gave him his bottle, played for a while, then since he seemed to be doing well, we got dressed and headed out for a little breakfast. 

It's hard for me to look back at these pictures and see the uneasy and unsure look on his little face, especially now that we've seen a lot of his personality and know how big he really smiles. :) 

He seemed happiest when we were out and about strolling through the city. Looking back, maybe he was happiest then because he thought we were going to take him back home. But I will say that he didn't get upset when we would return to our hotel, so I think he just really loved playing outside, and it helped keep his mind off of everything. 

One of our favorite things was to walk through one of the smaller palaces. It had a lot of trees and shady areas and was just really pleasant. 

He also really enjoyed the fountains at City Hall! 

The only time he would get sad was at nap time and bedtime. He wouldn't get hysterical, just very sad and would cry quietly. I would just walk around with him on my shoulder, and he would eventually fall asleep. 

We even braved eating out at Bennigan's one night! 

He woke up on Saturday morning and just looked at us like, "Really? I'm still here?" 

He thoroughly enjoyed his Krispy Kreme! :)

And a mid morning nap in Insadong. 

Taking it all in on his last day there. It was so heartbreaking to me to watch him stare out of the window looking at his city, knowing it would be at least a few years before he is able to come back. 

Precious boy watching cartoons from his stroller before bed. 

Sunday morning, getting one last good look. 

We had the hotel van take us to the airport, and he got so upset as we climbed in. I know he just didn't know what was happening or where we were going, and he didn't have good memories of the van from a few days prior. So that probably wasn't the best idea. But we didn't want to take a taxi as his foster father was a taxi driver, and we thought that might upset him as well. He did calm down quickly and even took a little nap as we made the hour drive to Incheon. 

He was all smiles once we got to the airport and got settled! It was very bittersweet leaving South Korea with him - we were so thankful to finally have him with us, but we were sad for all he was leaving behind. South Korea will always have a big part of our hearts. 

Lennox's Forever Family Day

I am finally sitting down and making time to write a little about our "Gotcha Day", and how things have been going since then. These days have been very busy and full of adjustments for everyone, but I do want to have it documented. For him, and for us. 

We made it to our hotel on Wednesday evening around 7:00, unpacked, ate dinner at Mr Pizza, and crashed. We were exhausted and knew that we needed to be as rested as possible for the following day! 

We were up pretty early on Thursday morning, so we had plenty of time to childproof our apartment, get Lennox's toys and things set out, and get ourselves ready. It was so strange leaving our room knowing that he would be with us when we returned! 

We walked down to the Starbucks there in Insadong for breakfast. :) Yummy muffins, coffee, and juice. We talked a lot about how we expected things to go, what our game plan would be, and just how we couldn't believe we were finally doing this! 

After breakfast we walked around the area a little bit, just familiarizing ourselves with any little play areas and places to eat. We had really hoped to stay at the same place we had stayed previously, but they were full. So, we were staying at the same serviced residence type place, just at a different location. I finally couldn't take the waiting any longer, so we hopped in a taxi and headed on over to Eastern. We were plenty early, but I knew I wanted to find this little florist I'd heard about that was nearby to purchase something for his foster mother. 

We found it easily and had the sweet lady inside wrap up a beautiful green plant in a bright yellow planter. We hope she remembers sweet memories of her time with our boy anytime she looks at it. 

We walked back to Eastern and realized we were still a good 45 minutes before our scheduled custody time. This is when the nerves really set in, and we were so anxious just sitting there waiting. I was texting some friends asking for prayer, and I was also wishing our other boys were there with us to keep my mind occupied. Brent ordered a fresh strawberry juice from the cafe there, and I went in to purchase some Eastern mugs for me and my dad. It was just such a surreal moment sitting there waiting for him, as we knew this time he would be leaving with us. I told Brent I compare it to how I felt as I drove to the hospital to have our other boys. So much excitement and anxiety! Then, before we knew it, he and his foster family pulled up in taxi right in front of us. 

She led him over to us, and he grinned and waved. We spent a few minutes with them outside, then his foster mom motioned for us to follow her in. It was still a good 20-25 minutes before our scheduled time, and our social worker was busy with another family, so we just played with Lennox in the lobby while we waited.  I really wish we'd had a translator in there with us, because I wanted so badly to be able to visit with his foster mom more, but because of the language barrier, we just did a lot of smiling and pointing and laughing. I could see that she would get teary-eyed occasionally...it was so bittersweet. We were eventually called into the office where Brent and I had to sign a lot of papers and they presented us with several gifts - a namechop (or name stamp) of his Korean name and a beautiful mold of his little baby feet were two of our favorites. 

We were then taken into a back room where his foster mother showed us what all she had sent for him to take home - some clothes, stuffed animals we had sent, toys, snacks, his hanbok, etc. We talked back and forth a little bit just about Lennox and a few things his fm wanted us know about him and getting some last minute questions answered. 

At that point, we were taken back to the front of the building, where we were just waiting on the driver to arrive. His sweet foster mother was getting so sad and upset at this point, Brent and I tried to just kind of stand back and give them these last few minutes with him. We know they love him so much, and it was heartbreaking to see them telling him goodbye. It truly was. I just felt helpless at that point and honestly didn't know what we should even be doing. Part of me wanted to go hug her and comfort her, but I also knew they needed this time with him. Brent and I kept looking at each other like What do we do? A few minutes later the driver pulls up in the van, and they whisked Brent and I outside toward it. I stopped by her and hugged her tight and just told her thank you over and over. I then shook his foster dad's hand and told him thank you. I got in the van first, then Brent got in next to me. His foster dad was holding him at this point, they gave him one last hug and handed him to Brent. This was all just such a blur. Lennox seemed to just kind of be confused by it all. Just as they started closing the van door, he yelled out for Omma and Appa. Surprisingly, he never cried. As we drove off, I looked back, and his foster mom was so upset. It was such a heartbreaking moment. They are such amazing and strong people, and we are so thankful for the time they spent loving Lennox. I pray she knows how loved he truly is. 

Lennox never cried, but just seemed really sad and confused. He eventually just laid his head down on Brent's shoulder and fell asleep. 

We were driven straight to our visa interview at the US Embassy. Lennox woke up when we got there and was surprisingly very happy the whole time we were there! There were several adoptive families there getting their visa, so the room was full of busy little children and overwhelmed parents. Ha. We met several families there who we are still keeping in touch with, so we are thankful for that! It took a couple hours total, but he snacked and played and walked around. I'm sure he just thought we had taken him on a fun play date. ;) When they called our name to come up to the window to answer a few questions, they had us raise our right hands. Lennox grinned and raised his hand too. It was so funny, and he had everybody laughing. 

After we had his visa and passport in hand, the van took us back to our hotel. He got very upset when we had to get back in the van. Poor boy, I know he was just so scared and confused. He calmed down easily, and we quickly got him in the room and settled, but he just wanted to sit in Brent's lap and take his bottle. Very understandable. :)

And within thirty minutes, he was sound asleep again. I think sleeping was part of his coping and grief. 

He woke up in a fairly good mood a couple hours later, so we played in the room for a while, then took a short walk around the block in the stroller, which he really enjoyed. (He likes to put on a hat and sunglasses anytime he goes outside ;) ). 

He just wanted that bottle in his mouth the whole time, so we happily obliged. 

We expected him to get upset when we got back to the room, when he realized we hadn't taken him back home, but thankfully he seemed ok and just wanted to play and explore. He even took his shoes and socks off on his own, which was very encouraging because, in Korea, that means you are going to be staying somewhere a while. We fed him a little supper (I think he ate a little rice, a tangerine, and one of those squeezable fruit/veggie pouches) and played some more. 

And then we discovered how much he loves bath time!! :) Luckily, I had packed some new bath toys, and those came in so handy throughout our trip!  I think he stayed in the tub a good hour that night. This was when we got our first big smiles and giggles. :)

After his bath, we lotioned him and put on his pajamas, and we could tell he was beginning to get really sad. Not hysterical, just a little teary and sad. This was all completely expected, and in fact, very minimal compared to what we had been told he may do. He would sit in our laps for a little bit, then get up and sit on the floor. Then he would pull his stroller over beside the couch and sit in it. Then back in our laps for a few minutes. We could tell he wanted to be near us, but he just wasn't sure how close. He went back and forth for about an hour, then eventually ended up falling asleep in the stroller. He stayed asleep while I transferred him to our bed, and he actually slept until 7:30 the next morning. 

He was a very brave boy on what had to have been a very scary day for him. It was a day full of emotions for everyone, and honestly, I'm thankful it's a day we all have behind us. It wasn't easy, but God was faithful to carry us all through. 

Airport Arrival & A few thoughts...

Dear Family and Friends,

We are so eager to be home and to celebrate with so many of you! We have had some friends and family ask about meeting us at the airport, and we would genuinely love for each of you to be there as we arrive home with the newest member of the Little bunch! We were able to get his visa very quickly, so we will be coming home early! We will leave Seoul at 11 am on Sunday and we will arrive home early afternoon (we think around 2:00 maybe?...will keep you all posted...) on Sunday at the ElDorado Airport. You have all been a vital part of Lennox's homecoming - through your prayers and support. And we would be honored to have you all there waiting to welcome him home!

While we are excited to head home to the boys and everything that is familiar, sweet Lennox has no idea what is about to happen. He is leaving behind everything he has ever known by coming home with us on Sunday. All of the sights, smells, sounds, language, and people in his new home will be foreign to him. And he will have lost so much. Brent and I want to do our best to make Lennox feel secure, safe, and attached to us during this scary time of transition for him, which goes well beyond our arrival at the airport. 

We are beyond excited for so many of you to meet Lennox. He is an amazing little guy. But there are a few things we want to mention. Lennox is not fully aware that we are his forever family. We have to be very intentional in our bonding and attachment so that he learns that Brent and I are his mommy and daddy, and that he will stay with us forever. In our short time with him, we have learned that he is a very outgoing, happy-go-lucky little boy, but his whole world has recently been turned upside down, and he is very confused. Brent and I want to make sure he learns that WE are his parents. We are the ones he should come to to have his needs/wants met. Therefore, as we arrive home, we really just want to be mindful of this, especially in these initial days of him learning his new life with us. Just know that he may need a little time to learn who his parents are and our role in his life before we start regularly introducing other family members and friends. You can see how he could become easily confused, as just a few weeks ago, we were also just some fun people who played with and hugged him. We just aren't sure how he will react to all of the excitement and new faces. We would like to ask that he not be picked up or carried away from us. But lots of smiles, waves, and high fives are certainly welcome! :) We don’t say these things to sound harsh or dramatic, but more as a way to prepare everyone for what we think will be best for our little guy and his transition into his new family. 

Once we leave the airport and take him home, we will be staying pretty low key for a few days as we introduce Lennox to his new home and learn more about each other. He has a lot to figure out (as do we all!), and we just want to keep things as simple as possible for him. We will slowly start to venture out and welcome visitors as we feel he is ready.

Everything we've read and researched has stressed this over and over for a healthy attachment. We need him to learn that we are his parents. He will still be looking for his foster mommy that he lost, and he could become overwhelmed very easily, despite his outgoing personality. We need him to learn that we are mommy and daddy, and that we will be the one to meet his needs. So, when the first visits happen, please remember that signs of affection need to just be from us for awhile. We need to be the only ones to feed him, change him, comfort him, put him to sleep. Again, this is just to help him learn that we are mom and dad. And remember, these things are only temporary. 

Thank you in advance for your understanding and respect of how important these next few weeks/months are for our family. We want to start off doing what is best for Lennox, even though parts may be difficult or seem unnatural. We look forward to continuing to share life with all of you! There are no words to sufficiently thank you all for joining us on this journey, and we would love to see many of you there to welcome him home at the airport! Little Family of 6 will be together soon! Praise God!

Love, 

Brent, Laura, Brody, Beckett, Levi, & Lennox :)

Traveling to Seoul - Trip 2

The time has finally come to go pick up our sweet boy!!! We just can't believe it. 

Dad and Karen drove us to Dallas Monday night and stayed the night with us there. We got our bellies full of breakfast...

And then they dropped us off at the airport! Eek!!! :)

A couple hours later we were on board ready to go!!

Our flight was pretty uneventful. A little bumpy, but not terrible. It was a little more relaxing without the boys with us...haha.. and I think I actually slept about 4 of the 14 hours. The rest of the time we watched movies or read. 

Finally, we were landing in beautiful Seoul! It felt SO great to be back! Especially knowing this time we would leave with our little man in tow. 

Our sweet driver from Eastern was there waiting on us to get us to our hotel. This is the van they drive us around in - the "Love Mobile" ;)

Here are a couple pictures of our little apartment we will be in this week. 

We were up early this morning, filled with lots of nerves and excitement. We've waited for this day for so so long, but I know what a hard day it will be for Lennox and his foster family. I've been heavy-hearted this morning as I think about his foster family gathering all of his little things and preparing to tell him goodbye. This is just hard. I know the joy will come, but I also know it'll be quite a journey to get there. We have his little backpack packed, toys set out, and we plan to leave our room in about an hour. We will go eat breakfat, take a taxi over to Eastern, and we want to try to find his foster mother a bouquet of flowers or something nice to give her. We take custody of him at 11:30 am (9:30pm US time), then we head straight to his visa appointment at the US Embassy at 12:30. It's going to be quite the day. We will update when we can.