This is LONG (sorry) and very overdue, but here is how Cade came to be a part of our family:
I ran into a friend from church at the commissary one day and she asked me if we were still open to adopting again. I of coarse said yes and she asked if we were open to adopting a baby. I said yes. She said she had a distant niece that was 15 years old and going to give birth in less than a week. The mother didn't want to keep the baby, for obvious reasons, and my friend wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting. I told her yes, but that I also needed to talk to Tyler (already knowing his answer!) I called her the next day and told her we would love to adopt the baby. She said she was going to have the birth mother come and stay at her house so that she could help with the delivery and so that she would be closer to us. The birth mother lives about 4 hours away.
I mentioned all this to my dear friend, Jihyun who helped us with Lily's adoption, so that she could help us with the paperwork for the baby. Jihyun wasn't aware that we were interested in adopting again from Korea.
Well, a couple days later we got word that the birth mom had changed her mind and that she was going to give the baby for adoption to an agency who would help with medical cost and give her a little extra money. We are not allowed to give any extra money to the birth parents. We were quite discouraged, but this isn't the first time this has happened to us. The next day Jihyun calls me to say that she had just gotten word that there was a 2 month old boy that needed a good home and wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting him. We couldn't believe it!! Two baby opportunities in less than one week!! We said yes and Jihyun said she would get back to us.
Apparently there is a pastor of a Korean Christian Church who was taking care of the baby and she wanted to find a good Christian home for him. We spoke to her that night and she was going to call the parents to have them meet us the next day with all their paperwork.
In the meantime, Tyler is still at work late and I'm frantically trying to get in touch with him to let him know that we are getting a baby the next day!! He was debriefing his flight and couldn't be interrupted. So, I talk to me dear friend Chris who happens to be the commander's wife and tell her what is going on. She insist on calling and talking to her husband. Low and behold he is in a meeting. Come to find out he is talking to Tyler!! So, Chris has no problem interrupting them to let them know what is going on. Finally, Tyler knows!!
It is hard to sleep that night, but somehow we manage. The next morning Tyler goes to work for a meeting and I wait at home for a phone call to tell us what time we are going to meet the pastor and parents. We wait and wait and wait and no phone call. Finally we call them and it turns out the pastor hasn't been able to get in touch with the parents yet. They are probably working. That weekend is the Korean Chusok Holiday (American Thanksgiving on steroids!! Huge Holiday) and so we figure that at this point there isn't enough time to meet the parents and get to the government offices before they close for the day and also for the weekend. This is okay thought because in the meantime, our commander makes a few phone calls and gets us approved to move to a 3 bedroom apartment. So, over the long weekend we will move our house and be all nice and ready for the baby to come the next week.
I had an eye appointment so I decided to go to it since we weren't' getting the baby that day. As soon as I walk in the door Tyler tells me that they just called and said the parents are getting their paperwork right now and that we need to leave to go meet them before the government offices close. Wait a minute!! This isn't happening today!! It's going to be next week!! Ok, it's happening today, right now!! I ask our friend Myoung to go with us to help translate. She is so excited to help, so her and her daughter come along for this crazy ride.
Tyler's first concern is to get a car seat for the baby to come home in. My concern is to get to the parents before the offices close. It's 3:15 and the office closes at 5:00!! We gotta go!!!!!!! But, Tyler being the wonderful dad is more concerned about the stupid car seat! We finally track one down pick it up and race off! I'm a nervous wreck. I'm going to pick up my new baby! I can't breath. What is going on? Are we ready for this? Heavens no. Lily is beside herself too. She is so excited to be a big sister. I'm glad someone is calm. We get there and meet the parents. They sign papers and then we have to go to a different office to get his passport. So, we go with them in our car to the City Hall where they file the paperwork for his passport. This was a little awkward, but necessary. The mother was a little emotional which was good for me to see. I would be concerned if they weren't a little sad about this. But you could tell they were. They let us take a picture of them that day so that KiSung would have something of them.
After getting the passport paperwork completed, the parents leave and we drive to the church to see our new son!! I was overcome with joy, fear, love, concern, happiness and all kinds of other emotions when I saw him for the first time. He's a fat little boy!! I love it!! There were about 4 other ladies from the church congregation there who had been helping to take care of him for the last month.
We found out more of his story at this time. His mother got pregnant and the church helped the couple to get married. She was 16 and the father was 18. So young, too young. The first month he was in an orphanage because the parents couldn't take care of him. When the pastor heard of this, she said she would help take care of him. So for the second month he went to a few different homes of women in the congregation and they took care of him. Finally, the pastor encouraged the parents to adopt him to a good family. They were just too young to care for a child.
The pastor mentioned this to a friend of hers who told our friend Jihyun about it and Jihyun called us!! What a wonderful blessing. We will forever be grateful to KiSung's parents for the sacrifice of wanting to give their son a better life. What wonderful people they are and we will teach KiSung just that. His parents did the true duty of parents and put their child's welfare first.
While we were at the church, they let us take some pictures of the KiSung's parents wedding book. Here are just a couple from the day they got married:
The last picture is of the parents and the pastor. We will forever be grateful for these three people who have changed our lives!! Thank you thank you thank you.
