Waiting THURSday . . .

'cause I didn't make it on Wednesday. We have all been sick 'round here. Ick. I am sick and tired of kleenex, boogers, motrin, fevers and everything to do with all of it. Sick. And. Tired.

Kaleb was so willing to 'share the love' with us all about a week ago. Then Abram got it, then, you guessed it, I got it. MAN, it was a nasty one too. Now were all on the mend, well, kind of. While laying on the couch yesterday, I did have time to think about my theme for the infamous Waiting Wednesday post, but I just couldn't pull my but off the couch to type it up. SO, here it is . . . on Thursday. I'm sure you all understand. :)

IF (and it's still a BIG if) we end up going to Korea to pick up our sweet, adorable little girl, here are some things that I would love to experience while we are there. For the record, Chad and I really want to go and have our passports (his is in process) just in case, BUT we aren't 100% positive that we are in fact going. I know, talk about wishy-washy. We are tentatively planning to go to Korea, but there is a slight possibility that we might escort. Make sense? Believe me, you'll know when the time comes. When we talk about traveling vs. escorting, these ten things make traveling a much more appealing option.

10 Visiting the DMZ, a.k.a the Demilitarized Zone. The 38th Parallel that separates North Korea from South Korea. Seoul isn't very far from the DMZ and it's somewhere we would like to visit. It looks pretty interesting.

9. Lotte World. For those of you who don't know, it is like Disneyl@nd in Korea. It's the largest indoor theme park in the world. Plus, our first Korean Drama that we saw and fell in love with is "Stairway to Heaven" and many scenes were filmed at Lotte World. Can't WAIT to go here. I'm pretty sure we could spend an entire day just hangin' around in Lotte World.

8. The Food. Oh yeah. Maybe not all the food, (I've heard there are some pretty crazy things offered in Korea) but the regular stuff like Bulgogi, Kimchee and many other things. I have list of restaurants we have to try while we are there. Definitely looking forward to the food.

7. The Eastern Nursery. Eastern is the agency in Korea that facilitates the adoption stuff on Korea's behalf. This is where we will meet Joye for the first time (not in the nursery, but another meeting area) and the nursery is where the newborn babies are until they are assigned a Foster Family. Families can go in and help hold and love on the babies. How cool would THAT be?

6. Experiencing the culture first-hand. Just to clarify, I am NOT against escorting. I think some do what's best for their family and, again, we may chose this option. However, I have talked to many Adoptive Families and asked their opinion and they all collectively say, "GO!" Now, if we do escort, there is an option of going back as a family and we have talked about this, as well. There are many benefits to going to Korea and experiencing Joye's culture is a BIG one for us.

5. Meeting Foster Mom/Family. This is another big one for us. I would love to meet the woman that took care and loved on my daughter. I would love to give her my appreciation and thankfulness in person. Also, get first-hand information on how Joye likes to be held, tips on how to help her to fall asleep, what she eats, things she likes and doesn't like. VERY important information.

4. Shopping. I have been trying to tell my dear sweet hubby that we need an entire suitcase for all the stuff that we are going to bring back. He's STILL not down with that idea. I don't know if it's because he doesn't want me to spend tons of money or that he knows that he will be responsible for juggling THREE suitcases on the way back. Because I'll have Joye to contend with, I can't be dealing with the suitcases! I'm still not quite sure why he's against it. ;)
It's not that big of a deal. j/k

3. In addition to experiencing the culture of Korea, I would love to have pictures, videos and memories to show Joye someday. So #3 is PICTURES. Lots and lots of pictures. Pictures of our first meeting, pictures of Seoul, pictures of us with Foster Mom holding Joye. Just memories of how she came to be a part of our family. I have labor and delivery pictures of the boys' birth-days. This would be the same thing, by definition.

2. Possibly visiting the Hospital where she was born. Joye wasn't born in Seoul. She was born in a province south of Seoul. This is something that we just recently started talking about. It really depends on how far it is, and how much trouble it will be to get there. If it happens, great! If not, no big deal. I'll have to talk to AAC and see how feasible it is. It would be nice, for sure.

1. And the number one reason, we want to go to Korea is . . . to be able to bond with her, get to know her, and just 'be' with her as she flies to the United States. The separation from her Foster Mother will be tragic, and I want to be the one that can comfort her and just hold her while she grieves. This is really the biggest motivator for me. Will she bond if we escort? Yes! It's really a personal choice for me, I really want to be the one that gets her after she leaves the only woman she has ever known. I don't know why. I just do. If we escort, I'll get over it.

When we weigh the two decisions, there are many things we consider. We would LOVE for us all to meet her together. But in terms of my 'Mommy instinct', I just want to be there with her, when she leaves Korea. Selfish? Maybe. But in the end, I know that our Creator will lovingly guide us to the right decision.

To those of you who have been to Korea, what was your favorite things to see/experience?
Do tell! I would love to put more things on my list!