On Thursday afternoon we got our I-600 approval in the mail. It had been approved on the 20th (which shocked me since it was President's Day) and that means we're one step closer on the US side.
On the Korean side there still isn't any movement but now there's a glimmer of light....we heard on MPAK (an awesome blog that tries to keep us apprised of what's going on in Korea and advocates for the children!) that the Korean Ministry has said that they will start processing EPs sometime next week (March 5-9). They haven't finished all that they have to firm up for August, but they're going to move forward for now. This is fantastic news and while we're all a bit nervous to get our hopes up, they're already soaring!
There's also a wonderful prayer movement going on (you can see that on MPAK as well). We're asking everyone we know to pray at 7 pm EST (9 am in Seoul) for movement in Korea! Please join us!
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Sunday, February 19, 2012
2 months...
2 months ago tomorrow we got a phone call that we'd been waiting for longer than we thought we would! 2 years, 1 month, and 3 days after starting the process we finally heard that we had a son in Korea! The reason SWS stopped giving out referrals back in May was so that there wouldn't be a long wait for travel, unfortunately the Korean government didn't start processing exit permits (EPs) in January like they have each year in the past. We'd heard possibly mid-February, but no word yet. There are many who have waited much longer that we have and their babies are getting older without knowing their permanent families.
PLEASE JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR MOVEMENT FROM THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT ON SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7PM EST (MONDAY MORNING AT 9 AM IN KOREA). THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN WAITING TO JOIN THEIR FAMILIES. PLEASE PRAY THAT THEY WILL START ISSUING EPs FOR OUR CHILDREN AND FOR PEACE FOR ALL THE WAITING FAMILIES. I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, DO YOU? (Stolen from Kala's blog - thanks Kala!).
PLEASE JOIN ME IN PRAYING FOR MOVEMENT FROM THE KOREAN GOVERNMENT ON SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7PM EST (MONDAY MORNING AT 9 AM IN KOREA). THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN WAITING TO JOIN THEIR FAMILIES. PLEASE PRAY THAT THEY WILL START ISSUING EPs FOR OUR CHILDREN AND FOR PEACE FOR ALL THE WAITING FAMILIES. I BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF PRAYER, DO YOU? (Stolen from Kala's blog - thanks Kala!).
Monday, February 13, 2012
Helping Friends Fundraise
If you're looking for a way to support adoption but you're not ready to adopt....
OR
If you're an adoptive family who wants some cool gear
OR
You just want to check out the cool shirts, jewelry, etc. that my friend is selling then wait no longer:
Go HERE or HERE and help them out. They are so close to bringing their sweet boy home! And once he's home.....
We get to go bring OUR sweet boy home! Praying all of these babies home soon!!!
OR
If you're an adoptive family who wants some cool gear
OR
You just want to check out the cool shirts, jewelry, etc. that my friend is selling then wait no longer:
Go HERE or HERE and help them out. They are so close to bringing their sweet boy home! And once he's home.....
We get to go bring OUR sweet boy home! Praying all of these babies home soon!!!
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Update! :)
I can not begin to tell you how happy I am that we got an update. When I first opened it there were just 4 pictures. They were beautiful but sad because my little boy is scared of strangers. You could see the tears in his eyes and it broke my heart. Thankfully when Brian and I finally sat down together to look at the CD there were a lot more pictures including a few happy ones, and some awesome video of our boy. You can tell that his foster family adores him and that he really loves his foster Mom and foster sister (who was also in the pictures). I can't wait to meet them. I hope we have the opportunity to meet the foster siblings, but I'm not sure we will.
The update said that he's scared of strangers (the pictures very clearly told this story too) but that he did regain his smile soon (I really think he's a smiley guy when he's not scared). Also he participated in a dol ceremony which is traditional for a first birthday in Korea. A tray of objects was in front of him and what he chooses gives us a hint at his future. He chose a pencil which means he will be a scholar! My smart boy! He takes after his big brother and big sister already! We can not wait to have him home. I can not tell you how much my heart hurt to see those tears and not be able to wipe them away or pick him up in a big hug. I also know that right now if I did that, it would make him cry b/c I am a complete stranger to him. Praying that the things we sent help to ease the transition a bit. Not sure if he has his package yet. I was really hoping he would have it by Valentine's Day. Not that it really matters.
Next steps:
Still praying for those EPs to be submitted! Say an extra prayer this weekend that they would start this week!!!
Praying for I-600 approval (we probably have a few weeks on this, but hopefully it'll happen without any problems).
Praying for peace for all of the waiting families - it is so hard to see your child getting bigger, know that (s)he's changing and not be a part of it. I wonder how much bigger S is - we didn't get any medical updates. I wonder if he has any more teeth. I wonder if he's scared, happy, sad, excited, what he likes to play with, if his walking has gotten steadier, etc, etc, etc. We just wonder and want to actually be a part of it.
The update said that he's scared of strangers (the pictures very clearly told this story too) but that he did regain his smile soon (I really think he's a smiley guy when he's not scared). Also he participated in a dol ceremony which is traditional for a first birthday in Korea. A tray of objects was in front of him and what he chooses gives us a hint at his future. He chose a pencil which means he will be a scholar! My smart boy! He takes after his big brother and big sister already! We can not wait to have him home. I can not tell you how much my heart hurt to see those tears and not be able to wipe them away or pick him up in a big hug. I also know that right now if I did that, it would make him cry b/c I am a complete stranger to him. Praying that the things we sent help to ease the transition a bit. Not sure if he has his package yet. I was really hoping he would have it by Valentine's Day. Not that it really matters.
Next steps:
Still praying for those EPs to be submitted! Say an extra prayer this weekend that they would start this week!!!
Praying for I-600 approval (we probably have a few weeks on this, but hopefully it'll happen without any problems).
Praying for peace for all of the waiting families - it is so hard to see your child getting bigger, know that (s)he's changing and not be a part of it. I wonder how much bigger S is - we didn't get any medical updates. I wonder if he has any more teeth. I wonder if he's scared, happy, sad, excited, what he likes to play with, if his walking has gotten steadier, etc, etc, etc. We just wonder and want to actually be a part of it.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Legals!!!
Hurray! We got our legals! One step closer!
Legals are the documents that legally give custody to our agency and also prove that S is an orphan and legally available for adoption. That paperwork then goes to USCIS to be processed and we will hopefully receive our I600 approval in about a month. Here's a quick overview of the steps left for us:
Things on the US side and the Korean side are being done in parallel but do not directly effect each other at this point.
US side:
Yesterday our legals were sent to USCIS.
I600 approval means that we are approved to have S immigrate to this country and we are approved to adopt him.
This is where I'm hazy - adoption friends PLEASE correct me!
Then our paperwork goes to the National Visa Center where they do some processing
Once that's done they send our info (P3?) to the Embassy in Seoul (NVC out).
Korean side:
Next step is usually his Visa Physical. They do this a little before they expect to submit for his EP. We won't be notified of this unless we have to sign any paperwork which is completely up to the doctor.
Then our paperwork gets submitted to the ministry to be approved for our Exit Permit (EP)
Once that is approved we are very close to travel.
He will then have his Visa Interview (VI) - which probably isn't much of an interview since he's one, but he has to go.
And his Embassy Appearance? I think.
Once both sides are done they will issue him his passport and say that he is ready to travel and we will receive our much coveted Travel Call (TC). Then we have about a week to fly my parents out here and us over there to bring him home at last! :)
I'm guessing that's clear as much. I'm amazed at how much I understand of this process compared to when we started. I used to read blog posts like this and be completely confused! Now I have a pretty good understanding though parts are still a little fuzzy. :)
Right now we're praying that the ministry allows the agencies to start submitting for EPs. We've heard that's going to happen in Feb. and that once that happens things should start moving normally! :) We're still hoping for TC by May (and not-so-secretly hoping for April). :)
Legals are the documents that legally give custody to our agency and also prove that S is an orphan and legally available for adoption. That paperwork then goes to USCIS to be processed and we will hopefully receive our I600 approval in about a month. Here's a quick overview of the steps left for us:
Things on the US side and the Korean side are being done in parallel but do not directly effect each other at this point.
US side:
Yesterday our legals were sent to USCIS.
I600 approval means that we are approved to have S immigrate to this country and we are approved to adopt him.
This is where I'm hazy - adoption friends PLEASE correct me!
Then our paperwork goes to the National Visa Center where they do some processing
Once that's done they send our info (P3?) to the Embassy in Seoul (NVC out).
Korean side:
Next step is usually his Visa Physical. They do this a little before they expect to submit for his EP. We won't be notified of this unless we have to sign any paperwork which is completely up to the doctor.
Then our paperwork gets submitted to the ministry to be approved for our Exit Permit (EP)
Once that is approved we are very close to travel.
He will then have his Visa Interview (VI) - which probably isn't much of an interview since he's one, but he has to go.
And his Embassy Appearance? I think.
Once both sides are done they will issue him his passport and say that he is ready to travel and we will receive our much coveted Travel Call (TC). Then we have about a week to fly my parents out here and us over there to bring him home at last! :)
I'm guessing that's clear as much. I'm amazed at how much I understand of this process compared to when we started. I used to read blog posts like this and be completely confused! Now I have a pretty good understanding though parts are still a little fuzzy. :)
Right now we're praying that the ministry allows the agencies to start submitting for EPs. We've heard that's going to happen in Feb. and that once that happens things should start moving normally! :) We're still hoping for TC by May (and not-so-secretly hoping for April). :)
Friday, January 27, 2012
Oh my goodness.....
Oh my goodness, oh my goodness! I can not contain my joy right now! Head over to my friend, Becky's blog to see her fantastic news!!! :)
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!).
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!).
Friday, January 13, 2012
Running for Sanity
I started running again this week. One huge blessing is that I now have a running partner twice a week! :) Our daughters are in preschool together and we're going to have a standing running date Wed and Fri right after we drop our girls off. I am so excited about this!
I've found that my emotions tend to be a little more in check when I'm running. I have to tell you that I don't want to know what this week would have been like without it then! Rumors abound out of Korea (not good ones) and it's sinking in that I have a son half way around the world who doesn't know us at all. I have a million questions about him that I can't get answered. It's hitting me this week and it's HARD! I have been near tears quite frequently. So running and prayer, that's what's going to get me through this next part of the wait. And I have to give a shout out to Debra - who is always reminding me to run whenever I start to get overwhelmed and upset! :) And to all of my friends who are currently chocolate free waiting for things to start moving in Korea again (yikes! there's a way to deal with stress - give up chocolate!). Here's to happy news soon!
I've found that my emotions tend to be a little more in check when I'm running. I have to tell you that I don't want to know what this week would have been like without it then! Rumors abound out of Korea (not good ones) and it's sinking in that I have a son half way around the world who doesn't know us at all. I have a million questions about him that I can't get answered. It's hitting me this week and it's HARD! I have been near tears quite frequently. So running and prayer, that's what's going to get me through this next part of the wait. And I have to give a shout out to Debra - who is always reminding me to run whenever I start to get overwhelmed and upset! :) And to all of my friends who are currently chocolate free waiting for things to start moving in Korea again (yikes! there's a way to deal with stress - give up chocolate!). Here's to happy news soon!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
A Little about Our Boy!
OK, for some reason I've been putting this off, I have this desire to almost horde all of his information for myself! I think it may be that I want Brian and I to be the ones who know the most about him (in the US anyway) which won't change as I share some tidbits so I'm finally doing it. :)
Suhbin was born in Busan which is the second largest metropolitan area in South Korea after Seoul and is located along the southeastern coast of South Korea. I've seen some beautiful pictures from Busan and hope to find more. One day I'd like to visit though I doubt it will happen this trip.
He was a teeny baby at birth. Just over 6 lbs at birth which for me is a tiny one! :) But at 10 months he was 22 lbs and 30.6 inches so he's growing up strong and quite tall! I'm sure I'm looking at a bit of a shock to my back and arms since B and E don't get carried often anymore! Going from zero to (just a guess) close to 30 lbs. will be a bit of a change! But one that I can't wait for!
Our little guy loves books, there are pictures of him examining books, turning the pages, he just seems fascinated by them which is great! Our house is overflowing with books so hopefully he'll enjoy that! He also has a stuffed puppy and his foster mom reported that he will not go to sleep without it, he'll cry. But if he has it he'll go to sleep pretty easily. We're praying that puppy comes home with us!
Our sweet boy is a good sleeper! I have no idea how this happened because for the most part I have not heard good reports about sleeping habits - but he sleeps well through the night from 8 or 9 pm - 7 am. :) I know that he will not sleep through the night when he comes home and that there will be a huge adjustment, but it's nice to know that his foster mom has him on a good routine. I wonder if it helps that she has kids at home still? He has 3 foster siblings (meaning the foster parents' kids). They are all older than B but it's still good that he's not the only child in the house, I think.
The biggest blessing though is looking through the pictures. I was surprised at how much peace it brought me to see how well he is doing and really getting the feeling that his foster family is taking such good care of him. I absolutely can not wait to meet his FF, of course I can't wait to meet him even more!
We are so happy to know that SWS has received our acceptance paperwork so things can start moving!
What we need prayers for right now:
1. That legals come quickly and that things on the US side are processed without any trouble.
2. Most importantly - that things start moving in Korea! So far we are over a week into the New Year and there is no news of Exit Permits being submitted, etc. We are truly hoping that children start coming home again soon and that travel calls come quickly and close together after that! We're praying for all the children to come home to their families faster than anticipated now! :) Thanks!
Suhbin was born in Busan which is the second largest metropolitan area in South Korea after Seoul and is located along the southeastern coast of South Korea. I've seen some beautiful pictures from Busan and hope to find more. One day I'd like to visit though I doubt it will happen this trip.
He was a teeny baby at birth. Just over 6 lbs at birth which for me is a tiny one! :) But at 10 months he was 22 lbs and 30.6 inches so he's growing up strong and quite tall! I'm sure I'm looking at a bit of a shock to my back and arms since B and E don't get carried often anymore! Going from zero to (just a guess) close to 30 lbs. will be a bit of a change! But one that I can't wait for!
Our little guy loves books, there are pictures of him examining books, turning the pages, he just seems fascinated by them which is great! Our house is overflowing with books so hopefully he'll enjoy that! He also has a stuffed puppy and his foster mom reported that he will not go to sleep without it, he'll cry. But if he has it he'll go to sleep pretty easily. We're praying that puppy comes home with us!
Our sweet boy is a good sleeper! I have no idea how this happened because for the most part I have not heard good reports about sleeping habits - but he sleeps well through the night from 8 or 9 pm - 7 am. :) I know that he will not sleep through the night when he comes home and that there will be a huge adjustment, but it's nice to know that his foster mom has him on a good routine. I wonder if it helps that she has kids at home still? He has 3 foster siblings (meaning the foster parents' kids). They are all older than B but it's still good that he's not the only child in the house, I think.
The biggest blessing though is looking through the pictures. I was surprised at how much peace it brought me to see how well he is doing and really getting the feeling that his foster family is taking such good care of him. I absolutely can not wait to meet his FF, of course I can't wait to meet him even more!
We are so happy to know that SWS has received our acceptance paperwork so things can start moving!
What we need prayers for right now:
1. That legals come quickly and that things on the US side are processed without any trouble.
2. Most importantly - that things start moving in Korea! So far we are over a week into the New Year and there is no news of Exit Permits being submitted, etc. We are truly hoping that children start coming home again soon and that travel calls come quickly and close together after that! We're praying for all the children to come home to their families faster than anticipated now! :) Thanks!
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Happy 1st Birthday Baby Boy!
Suhbin turns 1 today. Kind of silly, but it makes me happy that he was born at night so that he really didn't turn 1 until today. I was wondering how we would celebrate if he was actually born on the 3rd in the US, but he wasn't so I don't have to worry about it.
I have so much to share about my baby boy, but today I just want to share that I am so thankful! I have prayed and prayed for our little one, and here he is. And he is amazing. He is our SON. He is B and E's BROTHER. We waited on the Lord, and He answered our prayers! Thank you, God! I am so thankful for friends and family that have been so supportive! I would love to name you all, but I also know you know who you are. You have waited with us, been impatient for us, cried with me (Brian doesn't feel the need for that to be an us), and are now celebrating with us so joyfully and I know that we are so blessed! Thank you!!!
Happy Birthday Baby Boy. Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother, and Big Sister can not wait to have you home! We also know you are celebrating with a foster family who is loving you while we wait for governments to agree that we can bring you home forever. We are so thankful for that foster family as well. We can't wait to meet them.
I have so much to share about my baby boy, but today I just want to share that I am so thankful! I have prayed and prayed for our little one, and here he is. And he is amazing. He is our SON. He is B and E's BROTHER. We waited on the Lord, and He answered our prayers! Thank you, God! I am so thankful for friends and family that have been so supportive! I would love to name you all, but I also know you know who you are. You have waited with us, been impatient for us, cried with me (Brian doesn't feel the need for that to be an us), and are now celebrating with us so joyfully and I know that we are so blessed! Thank you!!!
Happy Birthday Baby Boy. Mommy, Daddy, Big Brother, and Big Sister can not wait to have you home! We also know you are celebrating with a foster family who is loving you while we wait for governments to agree that we can bring you home forever. We are so thankful for that foster family as well. We can't wait to meet them.
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