We are still waiting for our travel call to come from South Korea. We don't expect it until August. In the meantime, we got to go to a travel information meeting at our adoption agency. It was so interesting to get the "play by play" of how our week in Korea will go. We will fly into the capital of South Korea, Seoul. It is 15 hours ahead of us, so our days and nights will be completely messed up. The flight will be at least 16 hours long. The climate in Korea during August will probably be hot and humid. After settling in at the guest house connected with the Korean adoption agency, we'll get to meet Sophia on the next business day. We'll only get to spend a couple hours with her before her foster mom, Mrs. Park, takes her back home. Depending on how that visit goes, we may or may not get to have another visit during the week. During the next few days we are supposed to (and excited to) absorb the Korean culture by visiting museums and shopping areas, (basically being tourists). We will be mostly on our own, but there is an extensive subway system in Seoul, so it should be fun finding our way around. We have few goals to accomplish before we come home. We want to take hundreds of pictures, buy 18 gifts for Sophia (one for each birthday as she is growing up), taste authentic Korean cooking to decide what things are worth learning how to make, and soak in as much "culture" as we can. We are getting excited for the whirlwind of travel and the homecoming of Sophia. Jacob is so cute about it all. I wish we could take him with, but the plane tickets are too expensive. Daily, he talks about his baby sister and all the things he will help her with when she comes home. Lately, I've been passing the time by starting to create a "lifebook" for Sophia. It's basically a scrapbook that tells the story, in kid-friendly words, of her adoption. It starts with her birth and has information about her birth-parents and birth-country as well as information about our process of adopting her. This kind of book is supposed to help adopted children feel more comfortable with the story of their birth and adoption, and it can lead to necessary conversations as they grow older about the questions they have about their birth-families. It is totally "up my alley" and I'm enjoying the creative process involved in putting it together. It is a bonding experience even though I haven't met my daughter yet. I've also been trying to figure out what kind of podaegi to buy. If you look at the picture of Sophia on her foster mom's back, you'll notice that she is snug and comfy in a baby carrier. It's called a podaegi, but there are all sorts of styles to choose from. It's customary for Korean moms to carry their babies around in a podaegi even when they are two years old, so I figure it will be a good way to soothe and bond with her right away. I'm hoping to order and receive it before traveling so I can try it out on a few babies. (Chris and Jason, I might need to borrow Luke)!
