checking eachother out!
Thursday, December 23, 2004
Tuesday, December 21, 2004
a couple more photos coming...
have a couple more photos to post but we're having technical problems -- stayed tuned!....
Sunday, December 19, 2004
He DOES have lungs afterall!
We think that Cedar is just now starting to realize that his world has been upended. Last night brought our first assurance that this little one does in fact have a set of lungs in him! Our happy little babe wasn't so happy last night. In spite of a long spell of unhappiness (not Mom & Dad, just Cedar), and all the blunders these new untrained parents are making, we all managed to get sleep at various times throughout the night. Today has been smoother, but HyunSoo isn't as smiley as he has been in previous days. Can't wait to get that full-faced grin back more often. :)
Today will probably be our last post documenting our Korea journey. Just wanted to share a couple photos, and say thanks again to everyone for supporting us in getting this far. Your encouragement and excitement have been a blessing beyond belief.
Merry Christmas,
Andy, Rebecca & Cedar
p.s. photos to be posted here ASAP, as soon as I figure out how...
Today will probably be our last post documenting our Korea journey. Just wanted to share a couple photos, and say thanks again to everyone for supporting us in getting this far. Your encouragement and excitement have been a blessing beyond belief.
Merry Christmas,
Andy, Rebecca & Cedar
p.s. photos to be posted here ASAP, as soon as I figure out how...
Saturday, December 18, 2004
Cedar is HOME!!!!!
WwwwwooooooooOOOOOWWWWWWW!!!
We are HOME!
Your good wishes and prayers must have been heard, as the plane trip was all peaches and cream. Cedar HyunSoo is just such a good little baby. He cried less than two minutes the entire flight, and that was because his parents aren't trained well yet. :) Several Korean grandmothers, and his own American grandparents, helped us along the way. Korean airport security folks, customs agents, immigration, and just about every Korean on the plane (men and women) also flirted with HyunSoo at one time or another.
Steve, Jeanine and Alison picked us up in SeaTac -- a joyful reunion! Cedar met his future girlfriend, although we aren't sure that Alison is convinced of that yet.
The carseat was the next big challenge. Living in a city with an amazing mass transit system, we figure he probably has never been in a carseat before. He loves to be carried and snuggled, so sitting all alone in a carseat for the 90 minute trek from SeaTac was a whole new experience. Our little one did reasonably well in the carseat for about 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it turns out it's about a 95 minute trek home! After he regained his freedom from the carseat, he was back to being a happy boy. What a good kid we got!
So - home now, and YYYAAAAYYYY for grandma & grampa!!! Andy & Rebecca got a 4-hour nap while Grandma & Grampa took care of our sweet one. Also, BIG HUGS to friends and family too. We came home to a cooler full of dinners and homemade goodies, welcome banners, and some special treats for Cedar. Can't tell you how much it means to know that you all travelled with us, sharing our updates and our excitement. Thank you so, so much. Hard to put into words how much this means to us. It's been a journey of a lifetime, and we are only just beginning.....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
p.s. -- will post a few photos once we get the blurry out of our eyes
p.p.s. -- We are feeling brave! If you'd like to meet our sweet little one, just give us a call. We think we'll be ready for visitors Sunday afternoon.
We are HOME!
Your good wishes and prayers must have been heard, as the plane trip was all peaches and cream. Cedar HyunSoo is just such a good little baby. He cried less than two minutes the entire flight, and that was because his parents aren't trained well yet. :) Several Korean grandmothers, and his own American grandparents, helped us along the way. Korean airport security folks, customs agents, immigration, and just about every Korean on the plane (men and women) also flirted with HyunSoo at one time or another.
Steve, Jeanine and Alison picked us up in SeaTac -- a joyful reunion! Cedar met his future girlfriend, although we aren't sure that Alison is convinced of that yet.
The carseat was the next big challenge. Living in a city with an amazing mass transit system, we figure he probably has never been in a carseat before. He loves to be carried and snuggled, so sitting all alone in a carseat for the 90 minute trek from SeaTac was a whole new experience. Our little one did reasonably well in the carseat for about 90 minutes. Unfortunately, it turns out it's about a 95 minute trek home! After he regained his freedom from the carseat, he was back to being a happy boy. What a good kid we got!
So - home now, and YYYAAAAYYYY for grandma & grampa!!! Andy & Rebecca got a 4-hour nap while Grandma & Grampa took care of our sweet one. Also, BIG HUGS to friends and family too. We came home to a cooler full of dinners and homemade goodies, welcome banners, and some special treats for Cedar. Can't tell you how much it means to know that you all travelled with us, sharing our updates and our excitement. Thank you so, so much. Hard to put into words how much this means to us. It's been a journey of a lifetime, and we are only just beginning.....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
p.s. -- will post a few photos once we get the blurry out of our eyes
p.p.s. -- We are feeling brave! If you'd like to meet our sweet little one, just give us a call. We think we'll be ready for visitors Sunday afternoon.
Friday, December 17, 2004
We survived night #1 & are headed HOME!
Andy enjoyed a good night sleep last night....Cedar slept most of the night (with a couple of midnight snacks and some TLC)....Rebecca didn't sleep much --- a mind whirling and spinning with all of these new things and news from home.
We all woke up this morning to a smiling baby -- such a nice surprise! (look what Santa left us!)
Andy & Rebecca are both still struggling with being sick -- stomach ailments, heckuva cold, etc, but we remain in good spirits. SO GLAD to have the grandparents here too -- they have been a great support.
We're headed to the airport now & will arrive in SeaTac around 10:20 in the morning on Asiana direct from Seoul. We have to go through immigration with our little critter, which may take a little time. Feel free to meet us at the baggage claim if you want to meet Cedar! There will, of course, be other opportunities in the near future, so feel welcome but not obligated to stop by SeaTac. Steve & Jeanine are picking us all up, and we'll head for home. This continues to be amazing.
Please send good wishes for the flight home....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
We all woke up this morning to a smiling baby -- such a nice surprise! (look what Santa left us!)
Andy & Rebecca are both still struggling with being sick -- stomach ailments, heckuva cold, etc, but we remain in good spirits. SO GLAD to have the grandparents here too -- they have been a great support.
We're headed to the airport now & will arrive in SeaTac around 10:20 in the morning on Asiana direct from Seoul. We have to go through immigration with our little critter, which may take a little time. Feel free to meet us at the baggage claim if you want to meet Cedar! There will, of course, be other opportunities in the near future, so feel welcome but not obligated to stop by SeaTac. Steve & Jeanine are picking us all up, and we'll head for home. This continues to be amazing.
Please send good wishes for the flight home....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
AAAAhhhhh we got a kid!
Holy cow! We have a kid!!!! :)
Ohmygod!
OOOhhhhboy!
It's a boy!!!
Wooohooo!!!
Acck!
Went to Holt this morning, and basically after one signature, they handed us our son, and said "You can go now." Wow.
Everyone in the room was crying. Except for Cedar. The foster mother was really broken up, and told us through tears at least five times to be sure and take good care of him. She is really a special lady, his oma. After we got back to our flat with HyunSoo, we opened the bag of goodies they gave us at Holt (including a "Guide for Adoptive Parents and Children" -- so he does come with instructions!). Inside an envelope we found an amazing surprise -- a professionally done portrait of the foster mom and HyunSoo. It is truly a beautiful gift. ...more tears...
So far so good... We've all happily survived the trek back across Seoul, including a 45-minute subway ride and a couple of good 1-mile jaunts through the neighborhood. He is fascinated by the camcorder, and by Andy, and quite content to play with us on the floor. Not sure he realizes his world has been turned on end yet, because we've seen no tears but our own yet. We're only 8 hours into parenthood....how long do you think our luck will hold???!!
When the diapers say they hold 18-24 lbs, how many days is that? :)
Hoping for smooth sailing on the flight tomorrow. Can't believe this day is finally here. Can't wait to show him & share him with everyone at home.
Love,
Andy & Rebecca
Ohmygod!
OOOhhhhboy!
It's a boy!!!
Wooohooo!!!
Acck!
Went to Holt this morning, and basically after one signature, they handed us our son, and said "You can go now." Wow.
Everyone in the room was crying. Except for Cedar. The foster mother was really broken up, and told us through tears at least five times to be sure and take good care of him. She is really a special lady, his oma. After we got back to our flat with HyunSoo, we opened the bag of goodies they gave us at Holt (including a "Guide for Adoptive Parents and Children" -- so he does come with instructions!). Inside an envelope we found an amazing surprise -- a professionally done portrait of the foster mom and HyunSoo. It is truly a beautiful gift. ...more tears...
So far so good... We've all happily survived the trek back across Seoul, including a 45-minute subway ride and a couple of good 1-mile jaunts through the neighborhood. He is fascinated by the camcorder, and by Andy, and quite content to play with us on the floor. Not sure he realizes his world has been turned on end yet, because we've seen no tears but our own yet. We're only 8 hours into parenthood....how long do you think our luck will hold???!!
When the diapers say they hold 18-24 lbs, how many days is that? :)
Hoping for smooth sailing on the flight tomorrow. Can't believe this day is finally here. Can't wait to show him & share him with everyone at home.
Love,
Andy & Rebecca
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Gotcha Day postponed
Hey all
A slight change in plans... Andy is flattened with the same sickness I had two days ago. It seems to be the regular flu (I'll spare the gory details), and we are afraid of sharing it with HyunSoo. Today was to be THE DAY that we pick him up, but given our state of health, we called Holt and asked to postpone a day. It was a long night, but Andy seems to be slowly pulling out of it, so hopefully we'll be set for tomorrow. It is disappointing to postpone our Gotcha Day, but when you look at the whole scope of things (a two-year adoption process for starters), this is just a minor blip on the screen. We can handle one more day of waiting! He's worth waiting for :)
So...in this land of fabulous food (translated roughly as ginger beef, BBQ pork, kimchi, noodle soup, dumplings, potstickers, seafood omelettes, chicken stew, squid, sushi and rice), Andy and I are now unable to eat much! My Dad theorizes that perhaps it's morning sickness! On a brighter note, since we are travelling with my parents, we have upgraded from our traditional backpacker-style accommodations to a few nicer places to rest our heads. Hate to admit it, but we are kind of enjoying this cushy (relative to what we are used to) style of travel!
Would love to post a few photos of us with Cedar, but aren't sure about downloading images from the camera. I've already fried one piece of electronics, so we are afraid to attempt much else, particularly with something as precious as photos of our first moments together. We'll wait until we're home this weekend to share photos of our little one. Did I mention he is as cute as ever? Even Andy is convinced we got the cutest one. :)
Hey - thanks everyone for your replies to our posts. It is such a joy to read them - a true bright spot in an already wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing in this journey with us.
If Andy is well enough, this afternoon we will move back to the flat we have rented. I don't know what Internet access (PC bang) is like in that part of town, but will give a virtual yaaahhhOOOOOO if we can once we have Cedar with us. Our new Gotcha time is 10:00am tomorrow.
Love to all
Rebecca & Andy
A slight change in plans... Andy is flattened with the same sickness I had two days ago. It seems to be the regular flu (I'll spare the gory details), and we are afraid of sharing it with HyunSoo. Today was to be THE DAY that we pick him up, but given our state of health, we called Holt and asked to postpone a day. It was a long night, but Andy seems to be slowly pulling out of it, so hopefully we'll be set for tomorrow. It is disappointing to postpone our Gotcha Day, but when you look at the whole scope of things (a two-year adoption process for starters), this is just a minor blip on the screen. We can handle one more day of waiting! He's worth waiting for :)
So...in this land of fabulous food (translated roughly as ginger beef, BBQ pork, kimchi, noodle soup, dumplings, potstickers, seafood omelettes, chicken stew, squid, sushi and rice), Andy and I are now unable to eat much! My Dad theorizes that perhaps it's morning sickness! On a brighter note, since we are travelling with my parents, we have upgraded from our traditional backpacker-style accommodations to a few nicer places to rest our heads. Hate to admit it, but we are kind of enjoying this cushy (relative to what we are used to) style of travel!
Would love to post a few photos of us with Cedar, but aren't sure about downloading images from the camera. I've already fried one piece of electronics, so we are afraid to attempt much else, particularly with something as precious as photos of our first moments together. We'll wait until we're home this weekend to share photos of our little one. Did I mention he is as cute as ever? Even Andy is convinced we got the cutest one. :)
Hey - thanks everyone for your replies to our posts. It is such a joy to read them - a true bright spot in an already wonderful trip. Thanks for sharing in this journey with us.
If Andy is well enough, this afternoon we will move back to the flat we have rented. I don't know what Internet access (PC bang) is like in that part of town, but will give a virtual yaaahhhOOOOOO if we can once we have Cedar with us. Our new Gotcha time is 10:00am tomorrow.
Love to all
Rebecca & Andy
Back in Seoul
Hey y'all! Rebecca recovered from her one-day flu, due to all the nurturing care her husband provided (Andy made me write that :) We are back in Seoul now (grandparents too) -- got up this morning and took the bullet train from Daegu to Seoul at an amazing 300km/hr. Spent the morning at the well-baby check-up. The doctor told us we have a "perfect baby"!
The baby check appointment was quite an experience. The room was about 12'x12', and there were probably at least 10 other foster moms, plus babies, plus another adopting couple, plus a social worker, plus the staff, plus us, plus a VERY hot space heater, just in case the temperature might drop below 120! HyunSoo/Cedar is just the happiest baby -- hope he stays that way on the way home, and after we turn his world on end. It was strange seeing all the other babies, knowing that at one moment they are all here together, and within weeks they will be all over the world. Holt works with Germany, Norway, France, the US and perhaps other countries as well. It is a strange feeling being at the center of "where babies come from".
Rebecca got to feed Cedar, and it was the first time she felt that maybe this one is really ours.
Met with Bob & Michelle this afternoon for some shopping and poking around Seoul. Tomorrow at 3:00 (roughly 10pm your time???) they give us HyunSoo for keeps. (AAaaaaaaa!! :) He is too big for most of the clothes we brought (oops), but we'll be OK with a little creative dressing. With Andy and Rebecca as parents, he might as well get used to being neither fashionable or a trend-setter early on!
We're headed back to the hotel to drink plum wine in preparation for this next adventure....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
The baby check appointment was quite an experience. The room was about 12'x12', and there were probably at least 10 other foster moms, plus babies, plus another adopting couple, plus a social worker, plus the staff, plus us, plus a VERY hot space heater, just in case the temperature might drop below 120! HyunSoo/Cedar is just the happiest baby -- hope he stays that way on the way home, and after we turn his world on end. It was strange seeing all the other babies, knowing that at one moment they are all here together, and within weeks they will be all over the world. Holt works with Germany, Norway, France, the US and perhaps other countries as well. It is a strange feeling being at the center of "where babies come from".
Rebecca got to feed Cedar, and it was the first time she felt that maybe this one is really ours.
Met with Bob & Michelle this afternoon for some shopping and poking around Seoul. Tomorrow at 3:00 (roughly 10pm your time???) they give us HyunSoo for keeps. (AAaaaaaaa!! :) He is too big for most of the clothes we brought (oops), but we'll be OK with a little creative dressing. With Andy and Rebecca as parents, he might as well get used to being neither fashionable or a trend-setter early on!
We're headed back to the hotel to drink plum wine in preparation for this next adventure....
Love, Andy & Rebecca
Monday, December 13, 2004
Sick in Daegu
We spent a coule of days being guided around by Rebecca's friend in southern SK he has been a great guide explaining much about the culture. Michelle and bob stayed in Gongahe for an extra day and Rebecca and I were going to head to soeul this morning from Daegu to Soeul, but she woke up running to the bathroom this morning and she hasn't been able to leave the motel room. We are hopping to be able to catch a train tonight.
All for now
Andy
All for now
Andy
Saturday, December 11, 2004
Update from Daegu
Hi! We are in other town for a few days. We don't get to see Cedar again until Wednesday, so we took a train down to the southern part of the country to explore and visit a friend. We are in Daegu, and just got back from dinner with a friend I met when I was here the first time. He and his wife have a little girl -- 11 mos. old and cute as a button. Watching her is a little bit like looking into the future...
We visited their house, then went out to dinner and back to their house afterward. Dinner was amazing -- dejigalbi with about 15 different side dishes. Delicious! Tomorrow we are going hiking together, and then to one of the traditional markets, where they are going to help me find a Korean baby carrier.
I have to tell you about the baby carriers here. The women (foster moms too) carry their babies on their backs in these wrap-around carriers, and the babes just get so snuggled in. It is so cute! Our little Hyun Soo, and my friend's baby too, just look so happy and content back there. When the women go out, they just put a coat on, OVER the baby in the back! Walking behind them, all you can see is the little feet sticking out the bottom - so cute!
I know I'm skipping around a lot, but oh well.. For those of you who haven't been to Holt, I thought you might want a little description. It's a very busy building, with big glass doors and all sorts of people coming and going, many of them women with little ones on their backs. There is a clinic in the downstairs part, and upstairs is the reception area where you meet with the foster mom. There are couches and chairs situated around a coffee table, and that's where we waited to meet Hyun Soo. It was strange, sitting there waiting, knowing that at any moment we were going to meet the little one we've waited for SO LONG to know. And then she walked in, and just like that, there he was! Very simple, no forms, no paperwork, no red tape, just us and the foster mom and DJ (social worker) and our baby!
Happy days,
Rebecca & Andy
We visited their house, then went out to dinner and back to their house afterward. Dinner was amazing -- dejigalbi with about 15 different side dishes. Delicious! Tomorrow we are going hiking together, and then to one of the traditional markets, where they are going to help me find a Korean baby carrier.
I have to tell you about the baby carriers here. The women (foster moms too) carry their babies on their backs in these wrap-around carriers, and the babes just get so snuggled in. It is so cute! Our little Hyun Soo, and my friend's baby too, just look so happy and content back there. When the women go out, they just put a coat on, OVER the baby in the back! Walking behind them, all you can see is the little feet sticking out the bottom - so cute!
I know I'm skipping around a lot, but oh well.. For those of you who haven't been to Holt, I thought you might want a little description. It's a very busy building, with big glass doors and all sorts of people coming and going, many of them women with little ones on their backs. There is a clinic in the downstairs part, and upstairs is the reception area where you meet with the foster mom. There are couches and chairs situated around a coffee table, and that's where we waited to meet Hyun Soo. It was strange, sitting there waiting, knowing that at any moment we were going to meet the little one we've waited for SO LONG to know. And then she walked in, and just like that, there he was! Very simple, no forms, no paperwork, no red tape, just us and the foster mom and DJ (social worker) and our baby!
Happy days,
Rebecca & Andy
Friday, December 10, 2004
In Korea
We met our son today!!!!! He is very cute! :)
....this will be a quick post because we are at a computer sales stall in a huge mall...
After a loooong flight, and a night on the "ondol" floor, we awoke this morning and prepared to go meet Cedar. It was an hour on the subway and then a nervous 1-block walk to Holt. While we were outside taking photos, the foster mother walked right by us with our little one snuggled underneath her coat! I recognized her, but we couldn't see him under there, and she kept walking (to the FRONT door!). We accidentally went in the back door -- oops! So many babies in there, getting check-ups, coming and going with foster moms, etc. It was fascinating to see this other side of things, after wondering for so long.
They took us to a little reception room where we sat and talked a bit with the social worker. She said our son was there already, and then suddenly the foster mother walked around the corner with him on her back! He is SO DARN CUTE :)
We got to spend a whole hour holding him and playing with him while we talked with the social worker and the foster mother. He was fascinated by "Grampa's" beard! Andy has a magic touch -- had HyunSoo/Cedar laughing out loud over and over! Our little one sat with us and played for a whole hour--happy, curious and wiggly! He has very strong legs, and loves to jump up and down a lot when you hold him. We had the camcorder rolling, and have photos besides. On the way there I could barely keep my (happy) tears in check. When we were with him, though, I couldn't do anything but smile :)
We will see him again on Wednesday (your Tuesday), and then we get him (for KEEPS!) on Thursday. WoooHHOOO!!!!! Oh my!!! He is so precious. The foster mom told us several times that he is a very easy baby. They also said he is afraid of cats! Uh oh! :)
We're off exploring for now -- will post more soon.
Amazing trip, this is.
Love, Andy & Rebecca
....this will be a quick post because we are at a computer sales stall in a huge mall...
After a loooong flight, and a night on the "ondol" floor, we awoke this morning and prepared to go meet Cedar. It was an hour on the subway and then a nervous 1-block walk to Holt. While we were outside taking photos, the foster mother walked right by us with our little one snuggled underneath her coat! I recognized her, but we couldn't see him under there, and she kept walking (to the FRONT door!). We accidentally went in the back door -- oops! So many babies in there, getting check-ups, coming and going with foster moms, etc. It was fascinating to see this other side of things, after wondering for so long.
They took us to a little reception room where we sat and talked a bit with the social worker. She said our son was there already, and then suddenly the foster mother walked around the corner with him on her back! He is SO DARN CUTE :)
We got to spend a whole hour holding him and playing with him while we talked with the social worker and the foster mother. He was fascinated by "Grampa's" beard! Andy has a magic touch -- had HyunSoo/Cedar laughing out loud over and over! Our little one sat with us and played for a whole hour--happy, curious and wiggly! He has very strong legs, and loves to jump up and down a lot when you hold him. We had the camcorder rolling, and have photos besides. On the way there I could barely keep my (happy) tears in check. When we were with him, though, I couldn't do anything but smile :)
We will see him again on Wednesday (your Tuesday), and then we get him (for KEEPS!) on Thursday. WoooHHOOO!!!!! Oh my!!! He is so precious. The foster mom told us several times that he is a very easy baby. They also said he is afraid of cats! Uh oh! :)
We're off exploring for now -- will post more soon.
Amazing trip, this is.
Love, Andy & Rebecca
Sunday, December 05, 2004
Update on Cedar
An update on our little one: he is now 6-1/2 months old, and very cute! He weighs over 20lbs, and is said to be easy-going and happy. They also tell us he paddles his hands and feet when placed in the water, and he loves to go outdoors. Must be our kid! :)
Saturday, December 04, 2004
Off to Korea
Cedar is coming home!!! We got THE CALL, and are flying out Wednesday morning to Seoul. Holy cow!
We will upload information on this spot as we can throughout the trip. Internet access is fairly easy to find there, so we are hoping to give frequent updates on our journey into.....into.....what are we getting ourselves into???!?!!!!!:)
Our email while travelling will be wildsoles@hotmail.com, or it looks like maybe you can drop us a line here too. This blogging is new to us also, but it looks like it will be an easy way to keep everyone that is interested up to date.
Wish us luck and a happy journey! Our son is coming home! :)
Andy & Rebecca
We will upload information on this spot as we can throughout the trip. Internet access is fairly easy to find there, so we are hoping to give frequent updates on our journey into.....into.....what are we getting ourselves into???!?!!!!!:)
Our email while travelling will be wildsoles@hotmail.com, or it looks like maybe you can drop us a line here too. This blogging is new to us also, but it looks like it will be an easy way to keep everyone that is interested up to date.
Wish us luck and a happy journey! Our son is coming home! :)
Andy & Rebecca
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