Favorite things to do...

Well, there are 3 things Kelsey has shown us she loves to do. She loves to play, eat, and sleep. She especially loves to eat fruit, so she's been trying out all kinds of different fruit. So far, we know she loves watermelon, peaches, and blackberries. She is not a fan of raspberries!! Here are a couple of pictures of her enjoying her blackberries. I had to strip her down and cover her up. She still has a little purple staining on her hands...but she LOVED it!


Sleeping, another favorite past time. She will sleep anywhere and through anything...thank goodness. Even Hercules can't wake her!! I took this picture today...the first time her and daddy have fallen asleep together. This was their morning nap.

I know I look beautiful in this picture, ha! But, she looks cute. Rusty and I were ready to go to bed at 12 a.m. But she was just waking up from her 4 hour nap. So, we put her in bed between us with some toys while we watched a movie. The movie ended and she was still wide awake. At some point, Kelsey and I must have fallen asleep. Rusty snapped 3 different pictures and each time she was in a different position. Once, she was asleep across my belly...I never woke up and neither did she!

And finally, playtime!! And, specifically playtime with her sound stage. She plays with this toy ALL OF THE TIME!! She stands up and dances and laughs at herself in the mirror. It is so funny. I'm waiting for her to start singing! Oh yea, check out the cute ruffles she is wearing...courtesy of Brittany. I love them and they are personalized!!!

Hanging Out

We had fun the other day with our friends at MOPS. Here is a group photo compliments of Ms. Angela. What a good lookin' group.

Kelsey has been using her lion quite a bit lately. She may be walking sooner that we think. I'm not sure Rusty and I are ready for that one. We are still getting used to her crawling.

Thursday Fun

Thursday was an exciting day for us. Rusty and I took Kelsey to the Salato Center to see the ducks and get some fresh air. She wasn't real sure about the ducks, but enjoyed the ride in her stroller.

Later in th evening Kelsey and I went to our 1st MOPS meeting. It was the kick off meeting for a new year. She had fun kid watching and eventually fell asleep.

Our 1st playdate

Gretchen, Libby, and Rebecca came over to visit and brought us dinner last night. THANKS!! It was wonderful. Libby and Kelsey are about the same size and had fun playing along side of each other...not too much interaction yet. But, I think it was a successful visit.

Here are the girls playing.

Kelsey had watermelon for the 1st time last night and she LOVED it!!

Visitors Welcome

We are attempting to get on a schedule, but haven't had a lot of success, yet. Today we took Kelsey to Owen County to visit our schools. She was overwhelmed, at first, but did really well with everyone. So, I think she is ready to handle more visitors. She doesn't let very many people hold her, but she will smile and play with most people. Give us a call if you want to come by and see her.

Here are a few new pictures we've taken recently.

Okay, here is the long awaited update...

Well, after 25 hours of traveling, we finally made it home. We were all very tired, but tried to stay up as long as we could to try and get back on schedule and readjust to this time zone. We ended up in bed around 11 or so and were back up at 3. That was a 3 hour feeding and play time with Kelsey. Then, we were back asleep again until 7:30. Then, we were up for a bottle. But, then she slept until 10:30. She did really well today. She only had one 2-hour nap and ended up in bed at 11. Now, I'm updating the blog, checking email and trying to get some laundry done. Hercules has been pretty good so far, but neither one are real sure of the other. It's been interesting.

Well, here are a few new pictures...grandparent pictures are still to come...she still hasn't warmed up to everyone. So, getting pictures with the family has been difficult. But, she is getting better! She has really attached to me...I guess because I at least look familiar to her.

So, if you were wondering what a high tech family looks like...check out this picture.


Rusty and I were on our laptops and she was having a cow because she couldn't pound on the keyboard. So, we got out my old laptop and she pounded away. How ridiculous is it that an 8 mth old has her own computer!!

She was eating baby food as a snack and formula as her main meal. So, we are trying to flip her feeding habits. She loved the baby food!




Okay, bath time...every baby has to have a picture with their hair sticking straight up and here they are.

We are all still adjusting, but having fun enjoying her. Maybe next week we'll be ready for visitors since family has been here.

Kelsey

The separation from her foster mother was hard on her. She cried a lot on the way back to the hotel. She actually cried herself to sleep. Once we got back she took a 2 hour nap. Isn't she so sweet when she is sleeping.

Once she woke up, she did very well. So, we were able to have some play time with her. When she smiles, her entire face smiles. It's so cute. We attempted swimming, but she didn't really care for it. I think the water was too cold...even though it was an indoor pool. So, we just played in the room. But, her bathing suit is adorable on her.

We are just about finished with packing so we are all heading to bed. Our flight is at 11 and the van is picking us up at 7. We'll need a few days at home to readjust and get settled in. So, this may be my last post for a few days. It all just depends on how things go....

Hyndai Department Store

Today we ventured further away from the hotel and hit a local department store. It was amazing...several stories tall...at least 8. The store was divided up very differently than ours. Each clothing section was divided up by brand and/or designer. There were more than enough people willing to assist you; even if you didn't want assistance. There were also separate cash registers within each section. On one floor there was a grocery store and a food court. Plus, there were also counters that each contained their own specialized treat. We picked up some baby snacks for Kelsey for the ride home. The foster mother said she likes egg balls that are covered in potato. They remind me of Kix cereal. But, she loves them.

Well, we are just resting at the hotel for a few hours before we head over and pick her up. We get her at 3 p.m. today. I'll try to post again tonight...just depends on how things go. If not, we will be leaving tomorrow morning and getting into Kentucky late Friday night.

Thanks for all the comments posted to the blog. We really appreciate all of the support. :)

Namdaemun Market

Well, we ventured out again this evening. We were finished being adventurous with food. So, we settled for Burger King. Rusty stole a fry off of another girl's tray at the counter. He thought it was our order and it wasn't. Typical of Rusty!! Mom and I just laughed and Rusty was so embarrassed and that is not something that happens very often. But many of you know, we get more laughs out of Rusty than any where else.

We are beginning to get the hang of the subway...we are pretty good on transferring and figuring out the stop we need, but getting out of the subway has been confusing. The subway has several different exits and it's confusing to figure out which one we need to take so that we are closer to our destination...we are getting better. Either way, it's still a TON of walking. Even with my tennis shoes, my feet hurt. Another confusing part of the subway is the way people walk up and down the stairs and hallways. It's opposite of us. If we are going up the stairs we stay to the right, but they stay on the left. I'm reminded I'm on the wrong side when I look up and see all these people walking toward me.

We got to Namdaemun market around 7 pm. Some of the stores/booths were closed but many were still open. We had A LOT of fun. This was my favorite place to shop. And that is exactly what we did. Souvenirs for everyone!! Here are some photos...

Get ready for another laugh at Rusty's expense...while we were at the market a man walked up to Rusty and rubbed his tummy and then put his ear to it...as if he were pregnant. Rusty just laughed and said, "9 months!"

I almost forgot...of course we got a hanbok from the foster mother, then mom bought her 2 more for when she gets older. When we were leaving the market I saw dog clothes and I had to check it out. Then, I saw a hanbok for Hercules!! Can you believe I found one for him?! I can't wait to get their pictures taken together!!

Well, we are going to get as much packed as we can tonight since we may be a little preoccupied tomorrow evening. But, we'll update after we get Kelsey tomorrow.

Our First Meeting

Well, here she is!!! She was very shy and very attached to her foster mother. And, the foster mother was very good with Kelsey. She tried to get her to come to us and play with us. Kelsey did warm up a little bit more before we left. She was scared of Rusty at first, I think it was because he looked very different to her. But, she kept looking at him during the meeting. So, she was interested.

Kelsey and Dad

Kelsey and Mom
First family photo!
Here is a short video of Kelsey playing with Rusty.

The foster family gave us her hanbok for her 1st birthday. It's beautiful. They also gave us a photo album full of pictures of her and the family. We feel very blessed to have spent this time with the family. Well, we are headed off to find food and shop, again.

Getting ready...

We are getting ready for our first meeting with Kelsey. We decided not to do much this morning, just hang out at the hotel and get ready. We all got a good night of sleep. We were still so exhausted that it was so nice just to relax and sleep.

Breakfast was interesting. We had spaghetti, waffles, scrambled eggs, fruit and toast. We could have tried carrot soup and salad, but decided to pass on those. We weren't really feeling that at 8 am.

Well, after meeting Kelsey we're going to go shopping and try to find a hanbok or two. I'll update again later on and post new pictures of the baby.

Dinner and Relaxation

Well, we explored a little more on our own this afternoon. We really didn't buy much, but had fun exploring. We went to the top of this building...on the 33rd floor is a restaurant. Here is a veiw of downtown from the window.

Then, we ate dinner at a Korean restaurant by our hotel. We were a bit overwhelmed by the menu....we didn't know what anything was. There was very little english on the menu and we weren't really sure what we would be ordering. So, we all decided on a beef stew. It was very good and we were all pleased with our choices. And, it was a very affordable meal.

After dinner our feet were killing us from all of the walking and our bodies still ached from a long plane ride. So, the 3 of use went to the hot tub downstairs. It was wonderful.

We finally took some time to take a few pictures of our suite.

Tomorrow we go and meet Kelsey at Holt. We'll get to see her at 1:30. Of course, I'll post pictures sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening. I think we are also going to try to go to another market to look for hanboks and pajamas. And we're going to visit the reception center. More later.

City Tour and Shopping

This morning we got up early and enjoyed our continental breakfast at the hotel. It was yummy. We had toast, cheese sticks, bagels, eggs, and pineapple ham. Then, we tackled the subway and made our way to Holt. The subway was not a problem...here is mom.

Mom and Rusty both remarked how much they have been stared at on the trip. It's funny to me because I am commonly stared at and now no one even seems to notice me. I just fit right it..until I talk of couse.

Of course, we got lost. We found the old Holt building without any trouble, but couldn't find the new building. We asked several people for directions, but they kept trying to put us on the DMZ tour...but, we found 2 older men that were able to help us. After blowing me kisses, we were on our way.

After arriving at Holt we waited for several other couples to arrive before leaving. Then, we took the subway to the Deoksugung Palace. It was very interesting to hear the history. Here are a few pictures.

We are pretty boring and had lunch at McDonald's. It was packed there, but there is nothing like Micky D fries. Below is a lamp we purchased for Kelsey's room. We're not sure where to put it, but I fell in love with it. The entire lamp is made of paper and the stems bend. The flowers are a light pink color and has tiny white flowers on it. We are having it mailed back to the US because we don't want to have to worry about taking it on the plane. We'll try to update again later.

We're Here, finally!

Well, we are finally here. It feels like we left years ago. The flights were VERY long and boring. Let me start at the beginning.



When we got to Cincinatti I had to go in this puffer machine and Rusty's carry-on was searched because of his contact solution. But, we got on the plane and it left on-time. Our flight attendant on that leg of the trip was very nice and had adopted her son from Korea in the 70's. So, she was very nice to us and we talked to her quite a bit.



Then, we went to the Minneapolis airport and changed planes. Here is a picture of us before the 12 hour flight. Can you tell we were still pretty excited? Well, that changed by the end of the day.


Now, on to the 12 hour trip to Tokyo. Ah, that was horrible. Mom and I sat together and Rusty sat in the next aisle. We had a guy between us and he wouldn't switch places with us. I watched a movie and ate. They fed us 3 times on that trip. We had a snack, dinner, and breakfast. It seemed like we were eating all of the time.



As tired as we were...we still had a good time in Tokyo. It was neat to see a different culture...even just in the airport. Our first excitement were the toilets...I know what you are thinking. But, I was amazed and EJ will appreciate this since he's been the family bathroom inspector since we were kids. And of course, I took a picture of this...yes, I am wierd. But, I had to share it. The toilet has a bottom washer on it, a deodorizer, and the sound of a toilet flushing. Here is a picture of the directions that were posted on the wall and then a picture of the arm off to the side of the toilet....it cracks me up.

Our next little bit of entertainment came at Rusty's expense, of course. We were all tired and sore after sitting still for so long. So, Rusty and mom decided to sit in the massage chair for 10 minutes. It cost them 200 yen or $2 for 10 minutes. So, Rusty exchanged money for them and they tried it out. Rusty went first and this is where it all started. There was this Japanese family that was sitting close to us. A mother, father, and 3 children. The mother took a picture of Rusty with her cell phone and her and her son were talking and laughing about Rusty. We're not quite sure why. But, it ended up being a family affair. Mom and I just sat and laughed. Rusty was oblivious. He was just enjoying his massage. But, we all got a laugh at his expense.

We finally boarded the plane for our last leg of the trip, or so we thought. It was a 2.5 hour trip to Seoul. I sat by a Korean girl who had just finished studying in Portland and was on her way home. She was very sweet and I talked to her for a little bit about Seoul.

Once we got to the airport we managed to navigate through customs, baggage claim, and money exchange. We feel rich since 1000 won is a dollar...so it looks like we have a lot of money, but not really.

So, our last leg of the trip was really the van that we rode in to the hotel. The hotel was about an hour away from the airport and it was a scary ride. The streets here aren't very wide. It was pretty scary, they cut each other off and run red lights. Oh yea, and almost ran over pedestrians.

Once at the hotel, we checked in and were informed of our upgrade. We were upgraded from a 2 bedroom 1 bath to a 2 bedroom 2 bath. We were very excited...now we won't have to share and we can sleep in a few more minutes. It is as nice as the pictures we saw on their website. We are staying at Fraser Suites. Well, it's 11:54 am Frankfort time and 12:45 a.m. Seoul time and we have our city tour tomorrow morning. We still haven't figured out how we are getting there or what time we need to get up. So, I'd better hop off here. We are having a good time and are glad to be here. I'll update again tomorrow evening. It was a long trip over here, but I'm glad to be here and have this experience. It really is amazing.

Oh yea, we have already met other couples that are adopting. We'll see some of them tomorrow on the city tour and others on the plane headed back home.

We're almost ready!

We are still packing last minute things. Of course, it's mainly Rusty's stuff. We are leaving the house around 9 a.m. I'll update the blog alot over the next few days. So, check regularly.

Travel Arrangements

Well, we are leaving on Sunday afternoon and returning on Friday. I'm a little disappointed on the flights, but the olympics has made traveling to Asia very difficult. We could get the flights I want if we are willing to pay $5000 per ticket for coach!!!

We are still waiting to confirm our hotel arrangements...the travel agent has not gotten back to me yet.

But, we have confirmed our times that we will get to visit with her at the agency and we will visit with her at 1:30 on Wednesday and then we'll get her on Thursday at 3:00. So we'll have her a day before we will leave.

We are Korea-bound!!

I called DC this morning and found out Kelsey's visa was issued. So, I knew it was just a matter of time before receiving the travel call. I never thought it would be an hour later. But, it was. Rusty and I were sitting in a district-wide confidentiality training...one that we have EVERY year. So, I gladly stepped out to check my new voice mail and it was Sue from Holt. She said Kelsey was clear and we could travel as soon as this weekend. So, I've called a travel agency that they recommend and I'm waiting for them to get back to me. But, we'll be leaving sometime this weekend and returning in 5 or 6 days...we are going to be flexible on our days and times hoping to get a better rate. So, now I'm doing my own research and waiting for her to get back to me. Then, I'm going to tie up some loose ends at work, pack, and LEAVE!!

Visa Interview Scheduled!

I called DC this morning and we received GOOD NEWS!! Kelsey's visa interview is scheduled for MONDAY!! Usually the visa is issued on the same day. So, we may be getting a call next week sometime.

Visa Update

I received an email from my agency today...after inquiring about Kelsey's paperwork. The agency said they are working on her processing the paperwork for her visa. Once that gets submitted, it will be about a week and a half later that it will be issued and she will be ready to travel home. So, I hope we will be getting a call in the next few weeks.

Frankfort Shower

Well, the Frankfort shower was wonderful. The house was full of friends and family and we had a great time. Kelsey got lots of really cute stuff. I think we are ready for her to come home.

Food!

Vanessa always makes the BEST cakes!! And look, it's monogrammed.

Here is a cute plate, cup, and utensil set.

Bath set: hooded towel and cute baby toys.

Grampy bought Kelsey her 1st baby doll...isn't she beautiful.