Visiting the Palace with our Princess

What a day!  Today we cherished every moment with our precious Hailey;  the laughter, the tears, the smiles, the stares, even the diaper changes and spit ups!  She is ours, and I still can't believe it.  Hailey slept for almost 12 hours last night (snuggled between the two of us).  She woke up once in the night and was happier than we'd ever seen her.  She loves to touch and hit Mike's face, and decided to try hitting my face too!  She was cracking herself up, hitting our faces over and over again and putting her fingers in my mouth.  After a little while, she settled down with her bottle and went right back to sleep.  Needless to say, the midnight play session was one of the most treasured moments of the trip.

Since Hailey enjoyed our walking excursion yesterday, we decided to visit the Gwanghamun palace.  After all, Hailey is our little Korean princess, and she deserved a trip to the palace!  The Gwanghamun palace is the most well known palace in all of Korean.  Hailey did really well and loves being carried in the Ergo carrier.  She hardly fussed the entire day.  It was so memorable to visit such a remarkable, historical site as a family of five.  The palace grounds were breathtaking and we were able to capture many special memories together.

At the end of the afternoon, we stopped by The Kona Beans Cafe, located just around the corner from our guest house.  Again, Hailey did great.  She's happy anywhere, as long as she's on a lap!  She loves to taste whatever we're eating.  We received lots of stares and smiles in the restaurant, and the Korean people have been extremely gracious and accepting of our multi-racial family.

Hailey's favorite place to be is leaning into our chests.  She seems just as content with either me or Mike, and we are grateful for that.  I've had many moments to reflect on our adoption journey this week, but I've felt especially pensive with Hailey clinging close to my chest.  All of the pain, confusion, frustration and loss seems to melt away as I feel Hailey's sweaty little head cuddled against me.  There is no doubt that God divinely placed her into our family.  He spoke clearly to our hearts to follow Him on this amazing adoption adventure over five years ago.  Our adventure has been filled with twists and turns, and we have finally arrived at "the end of the red thread."  Hailey has been pulling this invisible thread to our hearts for five years, and we have found our treasure.  

We have learned so many lessons throughout our adoption journey, but one of the greatest lessons for me has been to follow God's calling, no matter the cost.  This spring I was extremely frustrated with ongoing changes in the Korean adoption program, including paperwork updates and additional costs.  I sent an email to our adoption agency telling them they we were considering withdrawing from the program.  As I reflect on that difficult time, I can't believe that we could have missed Hailey.  Fortunately our adoption agency was patient, and as Mike and I talked and prayed through that confusing season, we felt that nudge from God to "stay the course."  I'm so glad we listened to His still, small voice.  As I'm typing now, I can hear Mike and Hailey gigging together as he's putting her to sleep.   I honestly can't believe that my own frustrations and disappointments could have robbed me from one of the greatest treasures of my life, Hailey Jane.  We are so grateful that God has led us step by step on this journey, we would truly be lost without Him!

Tomorrow afternoon we will fly back home to America, where Hailey will be greeted with her new world.  The past week has been unforgettable week, but we are anxious to get settled back at home and begin our lives as a family of five!