Gotcha Day 4.16.10

Nick and I got ready and both of us were talking about how we just wanted to throw up. I was so excited, nervous, scared, and really wanted to hold it together and not be a crying mess before we even got to Holt.

We left our room at 1, for our two o'clock meeting cause it has been taking about 45 minutes for us to get there. I was so all over the place I hit the up elevator button, not the down one.... duh!

We navigated the subway with no problems, and stayed together the entire time, no backpacks in getting shut in the subway doors. We kept saying, I'm going to throw up to each other. I really thought I might throw up, or have to go to the bathroom! I was a mess.

Headed out of the subway was a sign for Holt Children's Service, I, of course, had to have a picture taken. Out of the subway tunnel we came and there it was, HOLT!
We got to Holt and saw the families truck outside, but didn't see anyone in it, so we went inside. We were just standing in the lobby and Bates' foster mom came out from inside the waiting area and waved at us. We went in with her and she brought Bates over. I didn't grab him from her cause I didn't want to make him upset, yet. But of course, I started crying. She grabbed my hand and put it on her chest and said something very sweet in Korea as she had tears running down her face.

Eventually Bates came to me and did that on again off again fake cry. Bates foster dad came in with arm loads of bags.

Bates was getting pretty upset at this point, so I handed him back to his foster mom and we all headed upstairs. We went in the same room as our first meeting and DJ came in. She had our stack of paperwork and said she would be right back with our Holt Blue Bag.

She came back in with the blue bag, and so the whirlwind meeting began. She went over the things in his medical file with us and over his paperwork we must turn in to the immigration office and all that jazz. In all honesty, I have no idea what she said. She went over what was in the blue bag as his foster mom made him a bottle for us to take as well as a bottle of something that is like Pedialite.

DJ translated for us what his schedule this morning has been. He ate a little and threw up, so his foster mom gave him another bath. They are sending the Pedialite stuff in case we think he is dehydrated. He wouldn't take another bottle and only took a very short nap!

Then the foster family gave us some gifts. Holy moly did they spoil us! They gave us a traditional Korea wall mask hanging, a Korean fan, some Ginseng Tea (cause the Foster mom said we would need our energy! Ha) and some Korean "moonpies". In our gift to them we included some good ole Tennessee Moon Pies!

They gave Bates so much stuff, man they love this little booger! They gave him a pair of pjs, two outfits, a hat, two childrens books with musical cds, a traditional Korean Hanbok (that he wore on his 1st birthday!), and three pair of shoes. His foster mom said she is giving us shoes cause she really wants him to walk. So she wanted us to be be prepared. I told her we would make sure of that and send her video when he finally decides to walk!

They also gave us a cd full of pictures of him, a photo album full of pictures from his year with them, cds of Korean childrens music. They were absolutely wonderful.

His foster mom stopped and told DJ that the outfit he had on was sent to him by his birth mom for his first birthday. Ok, tear fest. Now I'm talking the quivering jaw kind of crying!! How sweet that his birth mom sent him a gift for his birthday and how sweet that the foster mom thought to put him it in. She said today was a very special day, so she wanted him to wear it.

We plan on taking some pictures of him again in the outfit and sending them back to Korea to his file and maybe one day his birth mom will get to see him in the outfit she sent.

His foster father asked us that if we adopt from Korea again to please bring him back to see them. We assured him we would bring Bates back to visit one day!

We were all standing there. I was crying, of course, his foster mom was crying, and even DJ who does this everyday was crying. She said he is a special little boy and that she would continue to pray for our family.

Before she handing him to me, she held him for a few minutes just talking to him. She was speaking in Korean so I have no clue what she was saying. It was so sweet, though. As she was talking to him, she started crying and kept giving him kisses.

Then it was time. I put my carrier on and his foster mom brought him over to me and helped me get him in the carrier. He was SCREAMING! I mean like sobbing hysterically. He was arching his back and try to get away and kept turning and looking for her. It was heart breaking. Nick gathered up our gifts and his stuff and headed down the stairs with the foster dad. Nick said that most of the way out of the building, his foster dad was fighting back the tears. The foster mom, DJ, me and Bates road down the elevator and he screamed the entire way.

On the street DJ hailed us a cab, told him where to take us, and loaded us in. I couldn't look back. I couldn't see the face of the woman who has poured her heart and soul into my son as I was taking him away. Bates could see over the back seat so I had him wave goodbye as we drove off.


He was hysterical in the cab. I mean crying so hard he was gagging. I was sure I was about to get throw up down my shirt. He fought me for about 15 minutes and slowly his eyes closed and he was out like a light. It was pitiful, even in his sleep he had big ole tears running down his face.
It took about 20 minutes to get back to our hotel and I think I cried the entire time. I couldn't believe it, we made it! My son was finally in my arms, I was so overwhelmed. I couldn't stop the tears. Our journey to him was over, now our life with him begins...