Wednesday, July 22, 2009

July 22, 2009 will always be Forever Family Day!

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What an amazing day it has been!

There are hardly words to describe it all, and yet I will try to put some of it into words... for both you to read now and for her to read someday. And of course there are so many precious pictures to document today!

We took our time this morning getting ready and getting down to breakfast. I could hardly sleep again last night and was up pretty early. We headed out around 12:00 and looked for a place called Lotte Mart. I had heard that it was kind of like a Korean wal-mart, so we wanted to go and check it out. Well, the taxi driver was confused and dropped us off at Lotte Department store instead. Uh, this was definitely NOT a walmart! It was like the Nordstroms of Korea and I'm not sure if there was anything in that store under 100,000 won! So we rode the escalators all the way to the top just to say we did, and then headed back out to the street. We walked around for a little bit and then our eyes caught something that reminded us of HOME. :-)
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Ah yes, a familiar sign and I was jumping at the chance to have a bbq chicken salad- my favorite!
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Randy and the boys opted for the pizza...
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After lunch we decided we should go ahead and start heading to the Holt office. It's a good thing we did because it took a very long time to get there with all the traffic and by the time we made it, I was so glad to be out of the taxi! We were there right on time.
We walked into the office and there was Mrs. Kim waiting for us. She started handing us stuff for us and the boys and then we saw her...
Little Sa-ra was asleep in a crib in the hallway wearing none other than the little white ruffle shirt from Monday. She looked like a little angel and I was on the verge of tears just looking at her and thinking about what was to come.
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Pretty soon she was awake and Foster Mother slapped this while baseball cap on her and put a knitted purse around her chest. She awoke a very happy girl.
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Elliana was very happy when Mrs. Kim was right there holding her or near her. She did really well saying goodbye and I think it was harder for me to watch than anyone else. We got it all on video and I'm sure I will cry again when I watch it through.
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After a few instructions and paperwork, it was time for me to strap on the baby carrier and carry my daughter in it for the first time. It was an amazing feeling. I can't describe the joy I felt on that ride home as she looked up at me and as the boys doted on her trying to get her attention.
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The first thing we did when we got back into the hotel room was lay her on the bed and just stare at her. I think she may have a few of them wrapped around her little finger, what do you think?
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She loves her daddy and thinks he's funny.
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Next we stripped her down to change her clothes. Again, she was pretty calm and happy and i was again suprised. At the moment she is wearing a 6 month sleeper, but for most things I think she will be a 6-9 month size... which means all the clothes in her closet should fit just fine!

My very favorite one of the day...
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Can you tell how excited they were about this sweetie pie??!!
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Mommy's little girl- finally!
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Daddy's in LOVE...
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Having her first bottle with mommy
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And she was back asleep before we knew it. So peaceful and precious
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There is even more to share from our adventures tonight, but as I write this it is midnight here and I have got to get some sleep. The foster mom said she sleeps crazy hours from 3am-7 am so we'll see how tonight goes.


About Elliana: She has been extremely easy-going but very quiet and seems more reserved tonight than she did on Monday. She hadn't even made a peep until later tonight. She has had a few times where she has looked at either Randy or I and burst into tears because we are not familiar. This is completely normal and I actually am relieved to see this, as it shows us that she truly did form a bond with sweet Mrs. Kim and eventually will do that with us. She absolutely LOVES the carrier and we walked around town with her in it tonight. To me she seems more like a 6 month old baby- her eating and sleeping schedules, development and social interaction are approprite for that age baby. She loves her brothers and studies them intently.
At the present moment, she is asleep on her daddy's shoulders... so sweet.

So much more to write, but I need to go for now. I am so tired and I update as soon as I get a chance.

What a terrific forever family day! We have our daughter!!!!!!!!!!!!

Love to all,
Candice

21 comments:

nates5bs said...

YA HOO!!!! YIPPEE!!! HOORAY!!!!

M, A, C and K too! said...

She's perfect Candice! Congratulations Mamma of 4!

Christa said...

Congratulations!!!! I have tears of JOY for you and your forever family!!!!!

Lindsay said...

BEAUTIFUL! You are a beautiful mommy and all four of your children are adorable! Praise be to God for placing this precious orphan with her forever family. NEVER an orphan again!!!

Lindsay

Anonymous said...

Candice,
I LOVE the way you have documented this precious event through pictures!! I especially love the one of all 4 guys just staring at her on the bed...hysterical/beautiful/filled with such love!! Your blog is fantastic and I am SO GRATEFUL that the good-byes were as easy as they could be...praise God for that!! Elliana is sooooo beautiful...and so are those sweet boys of yours!! Just so happy for you all!!! ~Pamela (Pamelabous, Holt BB)

emily hope said...

So happy for you!!! Thanks for sharing it all with us! I love the pics of the 4 kiddos. Beautiful. Now, hoping you get some good sleep :)

silverjewel said...

Wow, it doesn't seem like it could have gone better! What a blessing! Don't you just love your beco?

JoJo said...

Congrats!! You have a wonderful family!

Michelle said...

What an exciting day! Just hearing about it and seeing the pictures brought tears to my eyes!

Kim said...

Happy Family Day! So glad she is with you forever finally! LOVE the way her foster mom dressed her! It cracks me up! Have a safe trip home.

Noel said...

I am so happy for you and your family! Congrats! God is SO good and His blessings are abundant.

Erin said...

Congratulations!!! I am so glad your daughter is finally with her family!! Praise the Lord! Love, love, love all of the pictures...especially the ones of your boys and the princess in the middle!! :)

P.S. I WANT her headband...where did you get it???

Sunnymama said...

So Beautiful! Congratulations! Will pray for a save trip home and a smooth transition with all of you!

Elise said...

What a beautiful family!! I can't wait to meet Elliana!

Elise said...

What a beautiful family you have. I can't wait to meet Elliana, she is so stinkin' cute!!!!

Dave and Beth said...

Happy happy tears!!! We are so happy things have gone smoothly for you on your Family Day!! I couldn't stop thinking about you!! Such a blessing!! Hope your family's transitions go well!! Wonderful pics!!

Still hope to run into your beautiful family of 6!!!

Tina said...

Brings tears to my eyes to see you all! What a joy! So happy that all your cloths will fit. She is smaller than Grace. But close to the same weight. She is absolutly perfect.

Jill said...

Happy Forever Family Day! Congratulations!

Lori said...

So amazing!! What a wonderful and joyful moment! Congratulations on your beautiful baby girl! Prayers for all!

Lori (revvie)

Shelly said...

So happy for all of you! The joy is so evident on all your faces! She's beautiful!

marme said...

Crying again!! Great post and I hope you will post the video too so we can cry some more, every time I watch my nieces I cry :)

What a blessing.

Love, MaryAnn (old xanga contact :)

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