a tale of two journeys

(big bro view)
on tues 6/28, i had one of the most exciting, anticipated, exhausting, and emotionally mixed days of my life! it started with a reunion with my "omma" (my foster mom). she was so happy to see me, and i her. it was a surreal moment, as it moved beyond pictures and video to REAL LIFE. i could see her face-to-face, touch her, make her smile, hug her and kiss her! she is real, and alive, and in her 18th year of fostering!! she remembered how i was "so handsome & easy-going", and how i LOVED rice crackers!! i embraced her, sang to her, showed off my golf swing, and came to realize she only understands & speaks korean!

i was allowed to tour 3 different infant rooms of orphans, which really moved me and gave me a desire to hold and comfort each baby that was crying. i pray that each of those little babies, healthy & special needs, finds a forever family, just as i did!

my morning ended with a shorter-than-not nap, because it was time to head over to meet my baby bro! i was groggy, but excited, and then, we literally ran into him on our way to our meeting place!! we were all surprised and excited and rode the elevator together. he was a little apprehensive at first, but i used my "big bro charm" and took out my backpack full of toys to share with him. he got really curious, and then ....

(lil' bro view)

... i got comfortable in an instant and wanted DOWN! i wasn't keen on my strange looking parents, but my big bro and toys were just what i needed! my omma unstrapped me from the carrier, and OFF I WENT! i was busy checking out all the toys, stomping my squeaky sandals, and generally raising havoc in the small confined room they had us in. big bro was super kind and mostly generous, trying to show me different toys and treat me like a "baby".

W.H.A.T.E.V.E.R. i'm not a baby!

i was done with the toys and on to the sharp writing instrument mommy had in her hand! i was determined to stick every object i could in my mouth, making my mark in the room! my big bro wanted to "hold" me, but i was too busy walking around, touching this and that, catching glimpses of my parents here and there. i knew i disappointed my big bro's expectations, when he said, "i want to hold asher, but he is too big! (grunt"

just as my mommy & daddy were thinking "how are we going to handle these two monkeys?", my omma said, "it seems asher is a little shy right now because he isn't fully comfortable yet. he is usually very active!" i think my mommy had a near heart attack!

down we went to get my last doctor check before joining my family. before the checkup, i showed them a few more sides of my personality :) first i needed them to see my determination and strong spirit by trying to escape the clinic THREE times (!!), followed by my mischievous grin for good measure. i let my big bro feed me different snacks as we waited, and then on to a screaming match as the doctor checked my ears.

(mommy's view)

the final moments always make me feel like a "child snatcher". 

a beautiful woman, who has poured her heart & soul into raising our son for almost a year, said her tear-filled "good-bye's", while our son was somewhat oblivious to one of the most significant moments in his life. he was "handed off" to me as we prepared to return to our hotel as a family of 4. no tears shed by our curious, independent son. and with mixed emotions of joy & sadness, we departed the adoption agency.

the 20 minute taxi ride back seemed like an eternity for our latest addition. he is a busy, busy, BUSY boy! he does not enjoy "sitting" for prolonged periods. our saving grace was tobe, who helped keep him entertained. 

after doing some family bonding time in the apartment, we decided to head out for a stroll.

it spontaneously turned into a decision to eat out for dinner. i think *that* dinner, marked our CRAZIEST dinner ever! the whole thing is rather a blur, and on the verge of being permanently forgotten!! 

asher did not enjoy the confinement of the booth seats we had, and screamed as we attempted to put him into a highchair. he has the busiest, *quickest* hands i have seen, and reached for all things he shouldn't have! then our little tobe, full of excitement to finally have asher with us, wanted to mimic his lil' bro's activity :) yes, pure joy. between asher's backward arches showing discontentment, tim "patting" the life out of him to prevent him from choking to death, and tobe's moments of "regression", we needed to be done dinner! and done we were.

after our boys' first bath together, it was off to bed. that's when our lil' guy's grieving began. he's (thankfully) not a thumb-sucker, but he is a "feeler". his little hands "feel" for things around him, and that is usually his omma! he successfully slept in the crib for part of the night, however part way through he woke up, and we decided to just have him co-sleep with us. he cried on/off for the remainder of the night, because every time he was "feeling" for something familiar, there wasn't any!

i'm so thankful for all that we experienced today - the good as well as the crazy :) there were a lot of memories and milestones made, which probably will feel more "real" when i have a moment to breath and process!

welcome to our crazy family, asher! believe it or not, your strong-spirit, determination, and curiousity fit perfectly in our mix! i can tell already, you have been given to us from God, for my personal refinement :)

below are two albums - one for tobe's reunion & one for our journey to asher.

2011-06 My Journey Back to Korea	2011-06 My Journey Home