Who needs sleep?

(Dustin here) We made it! 17 hours of air travel and we are now in Seoul... and may we say a pleasantly uneventful trip thus far. The snow and ice in Minnesota was unable to stop our departure and the rest of the trip went very smoothly. Korean Airlines is wonderful and, so far, highly recommended!

It has been a whirlwind since we arrived... so no pictures yet until tomorrow. We just dined on some"korean style" sushi... interesting (ali said "sub par".) For now, we will sleep (enter exhaustion here)... tomorrow is a big day. Tomorrow, we meet our son for the very first time at 11am. :)

Greetings from Seattle! I feel blurry!

(dustin here) Just because Ali doesn't know how to use a camera phone... she is still ok. After 6 attempts, this was our best shot. :) Maybe I am just not photogenic. Only 11.5 short hours to go...

Leaving Minneapolis on our way to Seoul!

Seoul Bound

In less than 24 hours we will be on a plane to meet our son. Today, I think, is the first day we get checked on our parenting skills. We had to choose clothes for the trip, we are sterilizing bottles, and making sure there are enough things in our bag to keep Jaden somewhat entertained on our enviable 12.5 (yes, you read that correctly) flight back from Seoul to Chicago. I was fairly proud that we didn't have "much to do" today -- I thought we were pretty set. But, I've been up since 7, it is now 2, and I haven't put anything of Jaden's in a bag yet -- let alone of my own. Welcome to our new life.

The house is a bit of a disaster, but I've made sure Jaden's room is properly organized. Here's a picture of what awaits our little boy. The quilt is compliments of my mother. I.love.it. Thanks mom, I can't wait to introduce you and everyone else to the latest addition to our family.

Until Seoul then.

Travel Call!!

9:32 am I'm typing a letter of recommendation for a student and thinking about how I really didn't want to teach in 15 minutes time.

9:33 am An email from my husband comes across my screen that says: Call me!

9:34 am Dustin and I know we are going to be parents within the week! We got the travel call from our agency and Jaden is ready to come home!!

We are leaving on Sunday and will arrive in Korea on Monday. Our return flight is on Friday. My head is still spinning. What a great day!

Showers

In the past three weeks, Dustin and I have been brought to a state of speechlessness. We had two baby showers thrown for us. One, by our neighbors -- the couples who live in the closest proximity to us in Suburbia-land. The second, by my closest neighbor (both in terms of geography and friendship) and former roommate/card-playing partner and current friend. Both showers left me with a feeling of "is this for us?" and full of love and goodwill. I'm not kidding about this, despite the cheese-factor you may be feeling. My neighbors, friends and relatives have made Dustin and I feel ridiculously loved and supported. I want to share three examples of this.

1. Homemade woodworking

At the couples shower, two of our neighbors made Jaden homemade gifts that go far beyond my talent with glitter and glue.

We love them. The toybox already has two footballs in it.

2. Long Distance

My mother-in-law lives near Atlanta, GA. She works in the field of health care benefits, which we all know is crazy right now because of open enrollment. She took time out of her schedule to fly up here on a Saturday to attend the second shower. It won't surprise you when I tell you she is one of the most generous, caring, selfless people whom I've ever met. It was so exciting having her here to show her Jaden's room, diapers, blankets, etc. I love her lots.

3. Thoughtfulness

My two friends who hostessed the second shower need to open a catering business. Between the cake and the food spread, I felt like I should have paid admission to attend.

The two organized the shower with an Asian theme -- all of the food was so inspired and was nothing short of fantastic. There were fortune cookies and paper lanterns. To top it off, one of the hostesses and her husband gave a gift that still make my eyes water -- a traditional hanbok that Jaden can wear for his first birthday.

I guess I just wanted to take a moment to share some of the highlights of the showers. Everyone who came, all the gifts and notes that were given; they all make me feel more secure and supported while on the precipice of parenthood. So, once again, thank you.

Giving Thanks

Jaden will have three moms in his life. I think a lot about all three of these moms on a daily basis: his first mother, his foster mother and me. I think about these three moms so much. I will meet his foster mother soon. She has taken care of him every day since he was just a tiny, tiny baby. She knows his cries when he is hungry, she took care of him this fall when he was sick, and she is preparing to say good-bye to him in the next few weeks. I want to write her a letter to have translated into Korean. I want to tell her how much peace her love and care has brought to my husband and I during these torturous weeks waiting to meet our son. I want to tell her thank you.

I may or may not ever meet Jaden's first mother -- his birthmother. Her story is one I cannot imagine, but her life will be linked forever to mine. I do not want to trivialize or minimalize her decisions and sacrifices by speculating what may or may not have been. But, I do want to recognize that I think of her daily. She knew Jaden from the beginning, and has given us a son to love for a lifetime. Our gratitude for this is indescribable.

Over the past two weeks, I feel like I have started identifying as a mother. There is no rulebook here -- becoming a mother through adoption. I am overcome with excitement, fear, love, amazement, and awe simultaneously. I'm going to be Jaden's mom. I don't want to let his other two down.