Thoughts of Trip #1 to Korea

Now that we are safely home and the jet lag fog is beginning to lift, I will comment on this experience.

Impression of Seoul...
Seoul is a clean, safe city.  The people are nice and everything is in English as well as Korean.  It was very easy to get around.  The subway was comparable to London's Tube & The Washington City Metro System.  It is also very affordable.  Dave and I each bought a subway pass for 10,000 Won ($8.39) and it lasted us the whole week.  We did a lot of traveling around the city.  We took a cab once and it cost about $6 for a 30 minute ride.  Our tour guide was great for our sight seeing day.  She took us to a traditional Korean restaurant.   I really loved the noodles in broth and Dave liked the dumplings.  It was easy to order.  It is also completely safe to drink the water.  There's also American food available.  I loved the combination of traditional and modern architecture.  Aside from it being the rainy/typhoon season, it was the perfect trip.  Our hotel, The Courtyard Marriott, was also great.  It had a phenomenal breakfast with a  good variety of food.

My thoughts about meeting our son...
Luke and his Foster Mom were one of the last ones to arrive at our scheduled meeting time.  We waited as patiently as possible as other families got to meet their kids.  When we saw him in the doorway, we recognized him immediately and our hearts pounded.  He was even more beautiful in person!  He was anxious to play.  He wanted to run, throw the ball, climb on things, and see all the other toys the kids were playing with.  He did allow us to hold him some.  He loved playing with the bubbles!  We asked his Foster Mother questions about his eating and sleeping habits.  She said that he eats well.  He is a squirmy sleeper and sometimes has night terrors, but goes right back to sleep when his back is rubbed.  He is not a big talker and will throw a temper tantrum if he doesn't get his way.  We witnessed that when it was time to go.  He was not interested in leaving after our first meeting.  We noticed that he sits in the W position - something Lilly did at first too.  We are aware of things we will need to work on with him.  All Foster Parents have different parenting styles.  We know that his Foster Parents care for him.  They have fostered many kids.  His Foster Mother said he is such a sweet boy.  He is active, for sure.  Overall, I think the meeting went well.  We were fun playmates for him and I'm not sure it registered with him that we are his parents.  That will come with time and effort.  We are anxious to see how he fits in the mix with the big kids and what he'll think of Mars.  There are so many changes ahead for all of us.  We do know that God has picked this boy to be our son and we look forward to being together as a family!  His Foster Mom gave me a whole bunch of pictures and videos of him from his first 20 months of life.  It has been neat to see how he has changed and grown.  I'm thankful for that little gift.