Friday, October 24, 2014

Saying Goodbye... For now

Today we are leaving Seoul. It's a complete mixed bag of emotions. We are crazy excited to see Nash but sad to be leaving Leo. Friday was an extremely eventful day. We had our court hearing and then our second meeting with Leo. Our court hearing lasted approximately 10 minutes and we think it was uneventful (which is what you want!). Our agency prepared us. We were given a list of possible questions we might be asked.  The judge was very pleasant. She asked us where Nash was, how do we incorporate the Korean culture in our family, and some logistical questions about how long I would spend with Leo before returning to work. We were there with other families. Some of which were first timers. I didn't envy them. They seemed much more nervous than us.  

After court we had our second meeting with Leo. I'm not sure how it could have been better than the first but it was. Leo was so engaging. Giggling and playing around with Bret. He loooooves Bret. It's exactly what happened when we met Nash for the first time. Nash took an immediate liking to Bret and only warmed up to me weeks later. Last time I felt really bad about this...but my attitude this time around is completely different. It might take a little time, but everything in the end balances out. I think Leo is going to be really social. I keep comparing the meetings in my mind to when we had Nash's and Nash was much more serious. Still can be at times. I told Bret that it was a long time before we could make Nash giggle. During the course of the meeting we got lots of giggles from Leo. Before long it was time to say goodbye. It was tough. This part of the process really sucks. I know it's not for long though. We are hoping to travel back by mid-November.  

My final thoughts. Overall, this trip I felt more relaxed and less anxious (accept when we were almost at the airport for our return flight home and I couldn't find our passports. They should have been in my backpack. Instead, Bret must have placed them in the luggage because that's where I found them and it's the only logical explanation). Anyhow, when we traveled for Nash, I was much more like the couples we saw in court. Nervous, serious, forgetting that the end was near and to really just enjoy every moment. Leo's foster family is really amazing. You can just feel how loved he is and how they have tried to prepare Leo the best they can. He is obviously is good hands and that helped ease my mind as we said our goodbyes. At the end of the meeting I asked them if they had any questions for me. They had two. One was what we named Leo and the second was if we were bringing Nash back when we took custody. I took that as a sign that we should. I mean, how hard can that be traveling with two toddlers, half way around the world.....ok, let's change the subject before I change my mind again.  

A gift from Leo and his foster family. 









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