Link

Just an addendum.  I said I would put the link to Grace's homecoming.  Well, you have to click on the title to the last post.  Sorry! But here is the link also, http://someshadesofbrown.blogspot.com   We will post more pictures after the fourth.  She has had great fun with her extended family and is fitting right in to the Trapp family.  She loves sleep and has slept 12 hours the last few nights in her own bed.  She is such a happy little girl. We went to Atlanta to meet with our social worker, and Grace was an angel.  As a mom who is proud of her children, I think that if she had been graded for her post placement, she would have scored 100 percent.  Happy 4th to everyone!

Grace's Homecoming

I wanted to send a quick link to my new friend Mary Leigh's blog so  you could see pictures from Grace's homecoming.    Mary Leigh and I connected through a mutual friend and have been talking often.  They brought home their little boy Bates in April from Korea.  She has been such an encouragement and help through the last few weeks.  As she comments, we met in person for the first time at the airport for Grace's homecoming!  Her sweet family came to welcome Grace and took some great pictures for us.  For this I am forever grateful. Grace and Bates really liked seeing each other, and we are looking forward to some future play dates! As I know it was not physically possible for many to be there, I have such a sweet memory of seeing our families, our dear friends the Troyers, and Browns there.  I will never forget seeing Reed and Annie holding their welcome home Grace sign.  They have been super excited and patient at the same time with her.  Well, she is up again, so I am off.  Thanks everyone again for all your encouragement. 

Settling In

Well, the first night in her new home is in the books, and Grace is going to take some time to settle in to her new schedule.  Her little body is a bit mixed up about days and nights...which, considering all that she's been through this past week, is to be expected.  She slept in stages last night...the first from 900pm-1230am, then again from 400am-800am.  That night shift in between was tough...lots of tears and crying out.  She had a good visit to her primary doctor this morning, who has been so helpful during this process.  He was very impressed by her physical condition, noticing that she has received great love and care from her foster family over the past 8 months.  It has been great to see how quickly she has developed a very strong attachment to Julie.  I've attached some photos from dinner tonight...she had us in stitches for a few minutes at the dinner table...you can see some her little personality on display...very sweet.

Home Again Home Again Jiggity Jog

What a great homecoming!  Thank you Troyers and Browns for joining our families at the airport in Nashville last night.  It was so sweet to see you all when we landed. 

I now remember why I don't like O'Hare and Hartsville...we had a minor (which felt major) delay out of Chicago in one of those small regional jets.  After the space of a transcontinental superjet, it felt like a cracker jack box...and you know who was not pleased (Grace).  We encounterd some thunderstorms which added to the story of adventure and finally landed at 1115pm. 

Before leaving Korea yesterday, we ventured out to a new area and took our own tour of the Korean Stock Exchange.  Similar to the US, their major exchanges are now automated, so there wasn't a lot of action to see, but it was neat to visit.

It feels so good to be back in the US...and on our home turf.  She has really bonded well with Julie, which is a great sign...and likes me the best when she's being held by her new mommy.  Reed and Annie have been so excited, but understanding about her adjustment period. 

Thank you all for your prayers this past week and your encouragement on this trip.  I know we will remember this time fondly.  Thank you especially to the good Merrill Lynch team back in Florence who gives me freedom to be gone last week. 

We are blessed to have been able to bring our new daughter home...and thankful for her sweet life.  I have a feeling that this will certainly be the 'Summer of Grace', as we continue to bond and indoctrinate her into the life of the Trapps and Fergusons.

'I will not leave you as orphans.  I will come to you.' John 14:18

We are in the US!!

We landed in Chicago about two hours ago and made it through customs with Grace asleep on my back. The plane ride was a little bumpy, but Grace managed to sleep eight of the twelve hours.  When get home and settled, I will write a little more of my experience.  Will may put some of his trip home thoughts but right now we are trading walking through the airport with Grace.

What All Fathers Believe

My kids are the best.  It's true.  

For most Dads, God gives you blinders to overlook the tantrems, stinky diapers, bad breath, stubborn hearts, and the host of other imperfections to reach this conclusion...that you've got the best kids in the world.  I have missed you, Reed and Annie, on this trip.  I can't wait for Monday night!  This morning, Grace did her best to make it a special day.  I've included some photos from 'floor time'.  

Up until this morning she had only spent awake time in our arms or on Julie's back...arguably a tough physical position for her to showcase her personality.  But this morning we gave floor time a shot...with some Korean music (who knows what they're saying) and a few toys.  It took her a while but she started playing and we got a glimpse of her playful side.  She is full of mischief.  

As has become our custom, we spent the morning walking about the streets.  We had some Chinese food (ironically it wasn't very good).  On a side note, it seems that one of the common food staples here is a fried egg.  It's everywhere...and on everything...including fried rice with egg...that's right...a fried egg right on top.  I'm just saying.

We tried to come back to the hotel for naps and inventory.  Grace apparently only likes napping on her Mommy.  We're off again, after this brief pause, to have one more city adventure.  Our flight departs Seoul (ICN) tomorrow night at 730pm, arriving (after 13 hours) in Chicago at about 830pm.  We expect to be in Nashville by 1030pm.  I'm sure it will be an adrenaline filled and caffeine induced state of mind...but we feel like we can handle it.  Pray that she will be able to sleep on the flight.

I did not show a picture of where the rice ended up (on the table and floor), but thought the chopstick skills were worth documenting.

Super Mom found a place to change Grace in the restaurant...no small feat.

A few practical good ideas from everyday life in Seoul (this is a growing list):

1) The elevator bank signals which elevator is arriving first as soon as you push the button.  This eliminates the guessing game about which one to stand in front of...and you aren't caught off guard.

2) A small wastebasket under your table at a restaurant.  This is very comforting to those of us who suffer from OCD and insist on throwing away any bit of trash (no matter how small) the moment it needs to be discarded.

3) No tipping!  That's right...just add 15%-20% back into your meal budget.  In Korea, good service is included free of charge.  Isn't that the way it should be?

My Wife Went to Seoul for a Week

And all I got was this sweet little kid.

Seriously...when she smiles she is such a cutie pie...the trick right now is to get her to smile.  I was playing peek-a-boo with her behind one of the street shop stands while Julie was in search of a Tori Burch knock off (which she's still in search of).  It was one of my goals today to get a smile and this was the best!

During her afternoon nap in the hotel room I found some excellent local sporting events on the tele.  The best part about this particular match was that in between rounds they had a Korean Wayne Newton/Neil Diamond floor entertainer crooning to the crowd.  In a country where, at 6'0 180lbs, I feel I could whip about 85% of the male population based on size alone it was good for me to see some physical strength on display.  I won't go into the details but this might be my new favorite sport.  Rooting for Vanderbilt and the Cubs can wear you down.

Allright, back to Grace...and our adoption adventure.  In the spirit of celebrating small victories and answers to prayer, she did take all of her bottles today and her cold medicine.  Her runny nose seems to be improving, and she also let us give her a bath (if you count holding her down and squirting shampoo in the water).  Julie was able to calm her at bedtime and put her down without the crying.  We are so grateful for your prayers and support.  Please continue praying for her heart to heal, for us to bond, and for our journey home on Monday.  I'm sure we'll pound some pavement tomorrow in search of some great shopping conquest and start packing up our things in the evening.  

Doses of Reality

All in all we've had a good day so far.  At times, Grace gets very sad about the loss of her foster family...we think mostly her mother.  She does let us comfort her though, which is encouraging.  And today, we've both been able to feed her a bottle...an improvement already from yesterday when she wouldn't take one from us.

Her favorite spot in her Mommy's back (or 'packpack' as Annie would say).  We are glad to have this time over the weekend to bond and get more familiar with each other before we start the long journey home, but we're ready to be with Reed and Annie again as a 'whole' family.  We think that Grace is going to like having a big brother and sister, since she has been the baby of four kids for the past 9 months.

We met a family from St. Louis this afternoon.  They were out wandering around with their 2 daughters, the youngest only since yesterday.  I've included some pictures from our day.

My Turn to Write

It is Julie here.  Thankfully, Will has the gift of words and is much better at telling our story than I am.  But I wanted to write from my experience yesterday, so I would not forget.  Thank you all so much for your encouragement.  It truly has helped us through this journey.  Yesterday was wonderful and hard with the full range of emotions.  Grace was blessed with the most amazing foster family.  In God's goodness, she was child number four in that family.  Her foster mother said she was such an easy going baby which will help her jump right in to ours.  Her foster mother is a christian and told us she prayed for Grace during her bottle time.  Grace was also her first foster child and she told she prayed more for Grace than she did for her own children. She had a special bond with her.  Grace and the children also had a special bond.  We received a book of Grace's first few months of life.  There were many pictures of them holding her, playing with her and loving on her.  Grace's face lit up when she looked at them.

She has cried alot and has bouts of sadness as we know she is grieving the loss and change.  Pray that she will be able to heal and attach to us.  She also has a little cold and I don't think she feels 100 percent.  We are off to explore the city because we noticed yesterday she really enjoys the hustle and bustle outside.

With a full heart,  Julie

Our Family of Five

Well...it's official...we've got her.

After all this time waiting she's finally with us.  It was a sweet meeting with the Holt officials at the agency office and with Grace's foster family.  Apparently, since she returned to Seoul she has been with a different family.  This family has young children, 5th, 4th, and 2nd grade.  They came with their mother to the office for the exchange.  The foster mother was amazing.  She is a strong Christian and Grace was her 1st foster child.  We will keep in touch with them through Holt.

They gave us a picture album with some great photos from her 9 months with them.  I thought Reed would especially love to see that she likes basketball.

She also loves baths and music.  Her favorite toy was the photo album we sent over with our family pictures.  When Korean children turn 1 they put a selection of different items in front of the baby to see what career they will achieve.  On her first birthday, she picked up a pencil, a sign that she will be a scholar.  It's about time our family got one of those.  Annie, she loves the phone and dolls.  What more could you want?

At the beginning of our meeting the air conditioner broke.  It's only about 90 degrees but on the second floor in a small room with our nerves already on edge it was toasty.  Grace got fussy towards the end because it was almost time for her nap and it was hot as blazes.  When we left she was upset...and early indications are that she has some powerful pipes.  The cab driver was unaffected though...slicing through the concrete jungle with precision.

Our first bonding moment in that cab was very sweet.  We sang a few verses of Amazing Grace and Jesus Loves Me, two songs that we sent over to her on a CD (thanks Gary Baker).  Of course she has heard the hymns every night since we sent them and they comforted her right away.  She went to sleep on Julie in the taxicab.  I don't think there are many people at all who can sleep in a cab in Seoul, but we've got one of them in our family now.

She's napping while we're resting and we'll head out in a bit to continue exploring.  I'm sure we'll be more and more ready to come home as the days go by, but right now we're just glad that she's with us.  Please pray for her adjusting to us and for her cold.  She is taking medicine for a runny nose right now.  Thanks for all of your support.

Love, Will & Julie

South Americans Rule in Soccer

Once I get Grandfather's password I will add some video clips from last night.  It was pretty amazing to be in the middle of this country during an important World Cup match.  While the Koreans lost, the people here cheered up to the last moment and held their collective breath on every kick.  Even some of the plays that I wouldn't have thought were important elicited loud cheers.  It was fun...except they lost.

On a separate note, we ate California Pizza Kitchen for dinner last night and had some Korean beer.  We also found a battery charger for our camera...so we're back!

Eccus is the premier brand of Hyundai.  These cars are everywhere.

Another universal truth...the 'Hot Now' sign is a powerful thing.  This Krispy Kreme is in our new hotel's basement...not bad.

Some scenes from last night's match.

On the Eve of a Homecoming

Julie and I spent all day walking the city with a Holt Agency volunteer, Ou Mingyeoung.  She was a recent college grad, a double major in English and Chinese literature, currently looking for work in the hospitality industry in Singapore.  It was quite helpful to have a translator on hand today, and we spent most of the time exploring the National Palace.  It was constructed in the 13th Century and rebuilt in the mid 1960's after it had been damaged during the Japanese occupation.

On the grounds of the Palace is a museum of Korean history.  It was very interesting to walk the timeline of national history, and to also get more familiar with many of the customs and rites of passage for the Korean people.  In some ways it was sad for us to realize that Grace will not experience some of her culture and the richness of her history.  Of course we will do our small part to keep her connected to it and curious about it.  I'm sure that we'll have a chance to return with her at some point when these questions arise but with each day it's obvious that this is a strong culture.

Our focus these next few days is going to be on getting to know each other.  While we are excited to welcome her as our daughter, and we are realizing again, especially while we're here that it's going to take time for her to learn that we are Mom & Dad.  Please pray that our hearts will begin to bond and that we'll have patience for each other.  Our meeting is scheduled for tomorrow at 130pm.  We do expect that it will only last an hour or two, and that we'll stay close to the hotel when we return.  We'll try to load some photos tomorrow so that you all can see her.

Some new good ideas from Seoul:
1) Use of underground tunnels to cross the street.  Atlanta needs to send an envoy over to take notes.  Partly because traffic doesn't stop for anyone, and in part because there's a premium for commercial retail space, these underground tunnels are the only way to cross the main streets...so if you're frequently lost you feel like a gopher...continuously submerging to cross and coming up to get your bearings...it adds to the adventure.
2) A steering wheel knob.  Attached to the left side of taxi cabs steering wheels is a knob that you hold to make fast or wide turns...both of which happen often and with great conviction.  This helps eliminate the rug burn version of wheel rash that might occur for these drivers...only slightly kidding.
3) A doorbell for your waiter.  If you've ever been bothered by the over-eager waiter that can't wait for you to order before returning to your table half a dozen times, or conversely flirts uncontrollably with the kitchen staff and can't ever be found, this is your answer.  When we stopped for lunch, Mingyeoung looked over our menus, answered some questions, talked a bit and then pushed a button that rang the doorbell in the kitchen.  Our waiter bounded up, took our order, and wasn't seen again until we rang the bell again.  It was fantastic.

It was so nice to talk to Reed and Annie tonight.  It sounds like you are having a great time with Boompa and Gigi.  We pray for you guys each day and can't wait to bring home your new sister.

We are off to watch the soccer match tonight with the other hundreds of thousands of 'Red Devils' (the nickname for Korean soccer fans) on the main lawn at City Hall.  It will be exciting if they can win or tie with Argentina.  We'll try to get some pictures up soon.  Remember us tomorrow evening, as we'll be on the verge of meeting Grace.  While all of these little adventures are fun and exciting, she is the real reason we've come and as you can imagine, we are anxious to meet her.

We have thought a lot about Grace today.  We bought a picture with her Korean name printed on the edge, thinking we would hang it in her room.  When asked which picture we wanted, the shopkeeper explained that one was for 'Good Sense' and the other symbolized a 'Strong Will'.  As a parent, we were tempted to select a constant reminder of good sense, but in thinking about her and her life so far we both knew that a strong willed emblem would be more appropriate.  She has already shown herself to be strong willed, in surviving a premature birth and living this first year as an orphan.  Tomorrow that will change.

I am reminded tonight of what Paul writes in 1 John 4 about love.  When we are bound or crippled by a fear of the unknown or we worry about things out of our control, it is comforting to remember that we are not called to do anything outside of ourselves that hasn't been done for us already. I don't have to save Grace from growing up without a strong sense of her Korean heritage.  I just have to love her.

In verse 9 Paul writes, "We love because he first loved us".  And here we are.

A Night in Seoul...or Has it Been a Week?

We are tired. 

We pushed through today, adjusting to local time. While we had ambitions to power nap, it never materialized. Maybe it was Julie's double espresso shots or all of the back and forth from our conveniently located hotel (not). We are planning to change hotels tomorrow to a more central location...one that might also enable us to watch Korea v. Argentina in the City Center tomorrow night and take some walking trips with Grace this weekend.

I'm starting a list of things that Seoul needs. My first few observations include:
1) More garbage cans...seriously. I can't believe that in a city of 10 million plus we can only come up with 8 public trash receptacles. We can do better...
2) Wider streets...or fewer cars...though I don't see the latter as possible at this point. Who knew Frogger was more fun to play in real life that on Atari?...if there are doubts give it a try.  At one point this afternoon I looked up the street and saw a car, van, delivery truck, moped, and horse trying to share the road and this was during the same hour school recessed for the day (many kids school year round).

3) A new complement to a cup of raspberries.  Street vendors are pushing roasted silkworms as an option right now...and boy do they smell awful.  Julie almost ate one but couldn't get past the texture...I understand.















My favorite good idea that we need to take from Seoul was:
1) A robotic construction flagman. Why waste a real person's time just standing in the road waving an orange flag waist high from right to left?...let a robot do it...and they do.

Two universal truths:
1) Road rage is alive and well in any country.
2) Most taxi drivers are certifiably insane and show complete disregard towards traffic laws...both from the backseat as a passenger and as a pedestrian trying to cross.

There were two providential encounters today. This first with an adoptee, John, probably my age (maybe Julie's) who was born in Korea but adopted by a Swedish family and raised in Sweden. He runs an organization that tries to help adopted kids reconnect with their natural families. He lives in Seoul (though he doesn't speak a lick of Korean). We struck up a conversation with him on the subway...which we maneuvered with great skill...except that after we got off the subway we walked for a mile in the wrong direction (sorry Julie).

The second encounter was with a dear couple, Jim & Miriam, who just adopted their little girl on Monday. They are from California and have 2 boys waiting for their return back home. We had dinner with them and asked them lots of questions. They were very kind and patient to share this time with us right now and were very helpful. You can pray that their little girl would continue bonding well with them.

Well, it's off to bed now. The local time is 950pm and I last slept on Monday night for a few hours enroute...or was it Tuesday? Thank you all for your notes of encouragement. We do feel your support. I was listening to a U2 song today and forgot about this line that now struck me in a unique way. Maybe Grace will be a Bono fan.

"Grace...it's the name of a girl.
It's also a thought that...
changed the world".
-U2

Our Soles are Finally in Seoul

If you ever have the opportunity to fly Asiana Airlines, take it. It's a wonderfully run airline, apparently last year's Airline of the Year, as awarded by Skytrax.

We had a bumpy ride over the Pacific and into Siberia, then we had a few thunderstorms to dodge during the descent into Seoul (ICN), but all in all a very good experience. It looks like we will get some rain showers this week.

Reed, we were flying at 38,000 feet and the temperature was 60 below zero...much colder than you ever felt in Chicago! I have screened 'How to Tame a Dragon' and you're cleared to watch it. Mommy wanted you guys to know that she ate Bibimbap on the plane. She said it was tasty. They served it for dinner while Daddy was snoozing.

I hope our return trip is as smooth...Grace will let us know soon enough. Please pray for her flexibility and rest during that long journey home.

Julie and I are pretty tired, as adrenaline is wearing off and we're gearing up to be tourists for 2 days. We're heading out to the markets in search of pajamas and a few gift boxes. We'll try to nap for a few hours this afternoon.

As to be expected, the upcoming World Cup match against Argentina is very much on everyone's mind here. It's everywhere. The other hot topic here is the increasingly agitated relations with North Korea. We were careful to avoid the airspace coming in on our commercial flight (thank you Kim Jung Il for the extra 45 minutes of jostling about) and our driver from the airport talked about the sanctions for a good part of the drive.

Tip of the morning: for every 10 cars on the drive in from the airport, 6 were Hyundai, 2 were KIA Motors, and 1 was foreign. There have also been a few familiar brand names spotted near our hotel...including our first stop for Starbucks. Seoul is a very developed metropolis, with better technology and urban planning than many of our large cities.

Wheels Down in Chi-town

Just landed in sweet home Chicago (once upon a time...go Cubs!). So far this late night departure feels like a good plan...shouldn't be difficult to sleep. They also have Sapporo in the lounge...thanks Boompa.

Things to do in Nashville When You're Delayed

Well, we're in the Nashville airport...paying a criminal 9.95 for internet access. Our flight to Chicago is delayed by an hour and a half but with our departure to Seoul at 1am we're still in good shape. Thanks to all who have prayed...even little details right now are resolving themselves in our favor. Apparently we don't have to retrieve our bags in Chicago and re-route them to Seoul...they have checked them through already so the transfer in O'Hare should be smooth (famous last words).

Reed, I hope you beat Boompa on the Wii and catch a lot of fish...send me an email picture of that bass. Annie, you left one of your purses in the car, but it will be waiting for you in Nashville. Be sweet to the dogs.

If anyone is having trouble making comments or sharing this link, I apologize. It's possible I have a setting malfunction or the browser is incompatible. We used Google Chrome but hear that Internet Explorer has worked for some folks. Sorry...hopefully it's not as frustrating for you to read as it is for me to resolve.

Thank you MaryLeigh for your consultation enroute to BNA and your insights...you've quickly become a great resource for us and thanks to Aunt Chrissy for her attempts to trouble shoot the blog.

Cheers, WT

Summer - 2010

For not being much of a 'blogger', this is pretty easy so far. Thanks to my sisters (in law) for the idea and prompting to put this journey out on the web (thanks Al Gore). And a special thanks to all of you who have prayed for us and our new daughter, Grace, who we are adopting from South Korea. We are starting the blog to share this chapter of family life with you and hopefully shed some light on our upcoming trip to bring her home. When God revealed to us that his plan for growing our family was through adoption, we didn't know that it would be so long and frustrating. However, now that we stand on the verge of bringing this to a close it's all somehow worthwhile and purposeful.

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope".

We especially want our sweet children, Reed & Annie, to see how this week is going and start getting pictures of their new baby sister. What a surprise she is in for! We leave on Monday night from Nashville, through Chicago, to Seoul. We haven't heard yet when we will meet with the agency for our 'exchange' but expect that it will be Thursday or Friday. For those who do, please pray that she will be able to attach to us and transition into her new family with ease.