The day we became a family of four!

WOW!!! Today was such an amazing, emotional day for all of us. This is the day we dreamed of. The day Kai officially became our son. The day we became his forever family. The day we finally became a family of four.

We left the hotel a little before 1pm and arrived at Holt a few minutes before 1:30. We walked into the office, and they directed us to the waiting room where we would have our meeting. We talked with our social worker who answered all of our questions just before Kai and his caregivers arrived. About 15 minutes later I saw Kai turning the corner through the mirror near the door. I just gasped…not believing that this moment was really happening. The RC nurse and one of the volunteers carried him in. He looked so adorable. Little green shorts with the cutest buttons on the back and a crisp clean white shirt with an alligator on it.

He sat on the volunteers lap and looked around the room studying each one of us. He slowly moved to a standing position near her and then sat on the floor. The nurse gave me a piece of cheese to feed him and I opened it and he walked over to the table to get a bite. It wasn’t long before we noticed some smiles showing through.

We talked for a few more minutes and then we headed downstairs for Kai’s preflight physical. There were so many babies in the office that day getting there WBC’s. All were so beautiful. The sw gave the nurse Kai’s medical folder and she looked at the name and then at him and said, “No not Seung Gi.” He was so loved by everyone and it was so hard for them to see him go. It only took the doctor a few minutes to check him over and we gave him our gift and headed back upstairs.

When we returned back to the office, we signed all of the documents and were given a blue bag from Holt. It was filled with diapers, wipes, formula, some clothes and a few gifts for our family. Then it was time to go. We asked for a picture of the three of them with Kai before leaving. Then it was when it all became real. As they handed him to me, I could see how very hard it was for the caregivers to hand him to us. It would be the last time they held him, touched him, saw his sweet, precious little face.

They walked us out and helped us to get a taxi. I turned to look at the caregivers and they had tears streaming down there face. I lost it. I began crying and held him so close to me. Then I gave each one a hug and thanked them for taking such good care of our baby. As they put us in the taxi they said, “goodbye and God bless” and shut the door. They waved as the taxi drove off and Kai began to cry and waved back to them. It was by far the hardest thing I have ever done.

He cried for a few minutes and fell asleep on my chest on the ride home. Just feeling him so close to me and feeling his little heart beating made this whole journey worth every minute. At that point it didn’t matter how long we waited or the frustration between each step. He was with us and that is all that mattered.
When we arrived back at the hotel he woke up and was very scared. He had his eyes on all three of us, and if anyone left the room he got very upset and began to cry. We showed him his toys, feed him a bottle, gave him a snack, and skyped some of our family. He loves looking out of the window and also loves to be held…preferably held by someone who is standing up.

We decided to get out of the room for a minute and get some fresh air. We took him to the rooftop and took a few pictures. He noticed the pool, and boy did he want in. He was not up for walking around, so we took turns holding him…he is so heavy:) Here’s a cute story for you. There is a spot on the roof were you have a great view of Seoul Tower. Justin took Kai over to the spot and said Seoul Tower and pointed. Kai lifted his hand and pointed in the same direction and just smiled. He is such an amazing, happy little boy.

Later that evening, we met with the other families in the lobby to take pictures of Kai and one of the other babies. Most families are receiving their babies in the next few days. Since today was also Kai’s first birthday we bought him a little cake at the bakery on the corner and had a little party for him. We all gathered around and sang happy birthday and ate. He LOVES cake! He would smile with every bite. He really came out of his shell at the party. He walked around the room and even bowed when seeing knew people…so cute!

We ended our first night with Kai with a bath. He loves water too! He splashed water everywhere and thought it was the funniest thing ever. We put on his pj’s and made him a bottle. He wouldn’t let either of us cuddle him or feed it too him, so we layed him on our bed and he drank it by himself. A few minutes later Justin tried to pick him up to hold him, but noticed he was sound asleep. We all gave him a kiss and put him in his bed. He slept from 8:30-7:30. He whimpered a few times during the night but went right back to sleep. He is such a great baby!

Such an amazing feeling to know our family is complete and we are finally all here together. Thank you to all who have prayed for us and followed our journey. We loved sharing this experience with you. We will update again once we are home.