Our little squash blossom

Anybody wanna kiss?

Post-Thanksgiving Greetings

We're home!  Ivy was an amazing traveler and slept all morning while we waited to board our plane in Detroit.  We've been singing praises for our Ergo carrier (thanks, Yvonne & Miya for suggesting that we get one) and Ivy immediately fell asleep as soon as Kevin put her on his back and stayed asleep - as long as he kept walking with her.  I'm sure that he walked several miles back and forth, back and forth, in Terminal A of the Wayne County airport yesterday morning.

You all know what we're thankful for, and what we'll be thankful for in the Thanksgivings to come, but this year we were thankful to gobble down a bowl of pasta and especially appreciate our neighbors, Rob and Cindy, who took care of our cats while we were away and who dropped off pumpkin pie and a 6-pack of Spotted Cow for us last night as we were transitioning from nap time to waking time.  Ivy's nights and days are completely opposite of that in Madison, so we're gently acclimating her to the Central Standard time zone.  And she is working really hard and is teaching us so much about what it means to be a nearly 9-month old teething, jet-lagged baby whose life has just completely changed.  She is a sweet, gracious little girl and the three of us are enjoying being together very, very much.

Ivy enjoyed some traditional Thanksgiving food - she had squash for breakfast and loved it!  She also loved video skyping with her Grandma & Grandpa B., Aunt Kersten & Uncle Jim and her two cousins while she ate her breakfast.  She showed them many tricks.

As close as can be

Ivy, Kevin and I have finally found each other.  Meeting her was a beautiful, amazing moment and she greeted us with smiles and waves.  I forgot my concerns about becoming a family in the middle of an airport and the few people who were in the international arrivals waiting area respected our privacy and I know that we helped make their day a happier one.

We're now back in the room and Ivy is sleeping on Kevin's chest.  We played for a little while and she showed us a few of her tricks: she crawled back and forth between the two of us on the bed, she chewed on a toy and she ate a few bites of applesauce.  She cried for a bit, but swaying back and forth and bouncing up and down in her daddy's arms helped settle her down into a nice deep sleep.  

Getting closer

We left Madison this morning at 10:00 CST and arrived in Detroit at 12:00 pm EST.  

The flight was fast and easy and even more enjoyable because our very dear friends, Joshua and Stefanie, were on the very same flight.  They are shuffling off to Buffalo for the Thanksgiving weekend and Stef kindly changed seats with Kevin so that he and Joshua could sit next to each other and be silly.

Kevin and I were so happy that good friends were on our flight - they walked with us to baggage claim where we exchanged heart-ful hugs before we went our separate ways.  Having them here with us today makes me feel less alone and anonymous. 

Now we're settled into the hotel.  It's zen-like and very peaceful and I think that it's the perfect place to return to with our little girl tomorrow afternoon.  Exactly 24 hours from this very moment we'll be meeting her and taking her into our arms.

But for now, we're collecting our thoughts and settling into the room.  We're going to go back into the airport for a late lunch and we look forward to coming back to the hotel early this evening to soak in the hot tub and prepare for tomorrow.

The CALL!

So, how did the rest of you spend your weekend?  We're spending the weekend packing for a trip to.... Detroit!  We are meeting Ivy and bringing her HOME on Wednesday, November 26.  Hurrah!  The agency in Korea completely surprised us and instead of us flying to Seoul, as we intended to do since the beginning of our adoption journey, they are sending Ivy to Detroit with a loving, experienced escort.  We don't know what happened and this is an extremely rare situation, but I am unconcerned about the specifics - the most important thing is that our daughter is coming home next week and that the three of us will be together for Thanksgiving and for the rest of our lives.  Kevin and I are spending this weekend by going out for dinners and movies, cooking and freezing some meals for our homecoming feast and preparing for our cloistered, special days alone at home where the three of us will start bonding and begin to define who we are as a family.  Thank you to everyone who sent positive thoughts our way.  I am touched by everyone's love and thoughtfulness and I'm looking forward to bringing Ivy home to this amazing community of compassion.  

Creative spirit

Here's Kevin standing in front of one of the paintings that he made for Ivy's room.  I love knowing that she is going to wake up surrounded by the artwork that her daddy made for her, artwork that is warm and nurturing and created to help her feel the love that we have for her.  

We've received many beautiful handmade items for our little girl.  We have handmade blankets from Roxane, Linda J. and Heidi O. hanging over her crib railing and I have a feeling that her Grandma & Grandpa Brommer are busy in their workshops in Cochrane.  I've knitted bibs, burp cloths and a blanket for her and I'm trying to finish a lace scarf that I'm knitting as a gift for her foster mother.  (Wish me luck with that project.  I much prefer the weight of bulky wool to that of soft, airy silk.)  I'm waiting until she's home to begin working on her first hand-knit sweaters and I have a few adorable patterns that I can't wait to try. Working on these projects helps pass the time while we're waiting for the call and if my wrists are sore from all the knitting, well, then the ache is just a reminder of how fiercely we yearn to bring our daughter home.

Peek-a-boo!

I'm looking forward to seeing this little face and can't wait to gaze into my daughter's eyes.  We're getting closer and are still waiting for our agency in Korea to meet with the US Embassy to finish the process of securing a visa for our little girl.  Please keep sending those positive thoughts out into the universe - your energy is helping us bring Ivy home.