It's Been a Week...since Gotcha Day!

One week ago tonight we were driving home in the pouring rain from the airport!

Andrew slept almost the entire car ride home.

It is so hard to believe we have been home for a week.

It has been a fun week.

I wanted to share more about our Gotcha Day.

So, here goes....

When we arrived at the agency last Friday we had all our luggage in tote ready for the airport.

It was a little bit of a struggle getting in the door.

We thought we packed light but still, sheesh it wasn't so light.

The plan was for us to arrive at 1:30 and then there would be a ceremony at 2:00 in which we would get Andrew along with 3 other families.

The agency had 2 vans ready for us to get into after the ceremony to take us all to the airport.

One van for all the luggage and one for us.

4 families adopting 2 boys and 2 girls.

So, as Steve and I sat there watching the front doors we spotted Andrew's foster mom, dad and Mr. Cutie walking in!!!!!!!!!

I was giving him big smiles and saying hello from across the way to the parents.

His foster mom immediately starting talking to him saying, "Omma, Appa, then something else in Korean."

She was preparing him to come see us.

They sat down next to us on the couch and I pulled out my bag of tricks again.

A ball, a truck, a book, and some snacks.

He came right over to us and began playing but still keeping a close eye on foster mom.

He was so sweet.

Yes, so sweet.

He was interacting with us.

As I sat next to foster mom I couldn't communicate

much but just patted her arm and gave her little hugs to say thank you.

Then Dr. Kim came in and she was going to go ahead with the ceremony and pray over all of the families before the children were handed to us.

I am so thankful for another adoptive mama that posted the prayer on her blog before we left for Korea. It was prayed in Korean but to know the words were so much more powerful!!

There were so many sniffles from the foster families and the adoptive families.

Here is the prayer she prayed.

"Precious lives, our angels, we send away these lives to foreign countries, with scarred memories of their homeland. Please forgive our sins and allow Korea to be a better country, so that we will be adopting children from other countries, instead of us always sending ours away.

We send them for care. So please protect these lives and help them lead a happy life in their new homes. Always provide them with grace and intelligence, lead them to live by the rules of Jesus Christ, to have luck, to help benefit others, and to return the glory to our Lord.

It is our sincere wish that these lives will not forget their home country and the love of the people who took care of them. Father, please remember the foster families who worked hard whether it is favorable or unfavorable conditions to protect these lives, and give them blessings for the benefits they provided with. By your blessings, these adoptive families will be full of love and be under your protection.

Now the children are leaving: Please make their way as easy as possible, lead them to the most pleasant life.

In the name of Jesus Christ,

Amen."

We then said our goodbyes to the foster mom and dad.

We just hugged and she held so tight to little guy just patting him and kissing him and crying. It was so special to see how she had such a bond with him.

I am so thankful he had that his 1st 2 years of life.

It is what is helping him to create a bond with us now.

Steve and I were the first to climb in the back of the van.

The foster dad handed Andrew to me.

Foster mom stood at the sliding door and just watched and cried.

Then Andrew started to cry.

He was losing everything he knew...His Birth Country...all the smells, the food, the people, and the language.

We really realized that as we rode to the airport looking out the window.

We knew it before but it was SO real at that very moment.

We so want him to know his country and his people.

We want to keep Korea alive in him.

He screamed for over 50 minutes to the airport. He cried until he fell asleep.

When we arrived he was still sad but was just doing his little sad whimpering.

It is hard to believe that was one week ago today.

It is a day I want to forever remember and cherish.

We love Korea.

We love his foster family.

We love that God chose Andrew to be our child to raise to know and love Him.

We love that we get to spend our life with him.

We love this baby boy!