Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Care Package to Korea!

Since S's birthday January 4th we've been putting together a care package to go to Korea. It surprised me how long it took for me to put this together. I hemmed and hawed over every decision. Like my 1 year old will care what his new shirt looks like or what we send at all. But I did keep two things in mind - I wanted to send things that would be either helpful to the foster family (below you'll see 2 outfits, winter hat/mittens, and baby soap and lotion) and bonding.

The bonding aspect came into play with the recordable book. I'm sure he'll love the 4 of us trying to say 안녕하세요 (hello in Korean) into the book at the same time. I'm actually very sure they won't understand what we were saying! :) We were able to record a greeting to S at the beginning (all 4 of us) and then Brian and I alternated reading every other page. We also have a stuffed Tiger than was washed in our detergent at home and then we carried it around with us for a couple of days. The kids thought this was pretty hysterical so we had fun with it. And there's the Fridge Farm - awesome toddler toy that both of my kids loved when they were little. Figured if he played with it there and then came home to find it on our fridge that would be pretty cool. Also it could be a good toy for other foster children in the future. Oh, and I just realized that the photo album isn't in the picture - we sent pictures of the 4 of us so S can (maybe) think we look vaguely familiar.

We also have this adorable blanket all wrapped in a ziplock with the air squeezed out so it will fit in the box (I did a lot more squishing after the picture). :)

And here is what we sent for the FF to enjoy:

The re-useable bag is used often in Korea from what I've heard and it can be helpful to bring the goodies from SWS back to the Foster Family's home.

All of that went into a box along with (what I will forever kick myself for not taking pictures of) the kids' homemade Valentine Cards. So cute! B even wrote "I love you S" in hangul by himself (I wrote it for him and he copied it). He did a great job (although I wrote it elsewhere so that they can read it a little easier)! B and E spent a couple of hours creating their valentine! It was important to make it so special. :) I also wrote a note to the Foster Family. That was hard. How do you thank someone for loving and caring for your son for the past 7 months? I plan to bring a letter to his first FF to Korea with us and hope that SWS will send it to them.

So the good news is we mailed it out yesterday afternoon (after spending about 45 minutes at the post office with 2 kids - lots of fun) and we're hoping he gets it by Valentine's Day. :)
I wish I could send myself via USPS and be with my boy, but I know he'll be home in God's perfect timing (not mine, b/c mine puts me on a plane tomorrow!).

2 comments:

  1. Can I just say how stinking excited I am for you all! Love the care package. Hmmmm..."S," did I miss something?

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  2. GREAT care package!! the book and toy are perfect. and, the clothes you picked out are adorable. LOVE the hat and mittens!! oh how i remember sleeping a few nights with a little stuffed dog before sending it in a care package. what a good idea you had washing the tigers and carrying it around for a few days - a great way for you all to connect.
    i think it is so very sweet that B & E made valentine's cards. and to write in hangul - awesome!!!
    happy lunar new year!

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