Family Anniversary Day # 3 for Ryan

I thought I would reminisce a little bit and I hope my readers don't mind...

April 12th, 2005

We get the call before 9 in the morning, the one that we've been waiting for, our son is coming home. I'm full of mixed emotions. I'm happy for us, I'm crying over his losses (loss of birthcountry, loss of language, loss of his foster mom, loss of his First Mom, and more), I'm worried (for him, for his foster mom, for his First Mom). We scramble around to get everything ready...all of the last minute preparations.

April 13th, 2005

Jeff is home calling up limo companies until he finds one that will work with us for a reasonable fee. I'm busy packing and repacking the diaper bags and other things for the limo. We prepare the bottles for him. My in-laws are here...they are accompanying us to the airport the next morning. He's in flight with his escort flying from Incheon to Tokyo to JFK airport. I find myself not being able to sleep that night.

April 14th, 2005

My parents arrive at our home. We are getting ready with the bags for the limo and take pictures of us outside the limo and inside of it. I'm sick to my stomach with worry and wonder on how he is and how his foster family is. At the airport we meet a couple from my college alma mater who are expecting the arrival of their first son as well.

There are 3 other couples waiting at the airport with us. They were with a different adoption agency than us. We are waiting for our greeter to come out with the 4 boys along with her own sons that are helping her out. After awhile we were told that "the babies are coming the babies are coming". We all rushed over to the area where the passengers were coming out into the rest of the concourse area where we were. I was directed to the double stroller to the little boy in the back.

I was told that I had to check for his ID bracelet but I couldn't find it. After me frantically checking without any luck, the greeter helped me find it. I immediately tried to take him out of the stroller but had no luck...silly me forgot that he was strapped in. After undoing the straps, I got him out and held him tight. At that point, I didn't notice that we were in an airport terminal, didn't notice all of the other parents around us, didn't notice all of the other people. This little boy who was looking everybody with various emotions in his eyes and on his face.

He went to Jeff and loved playing with his zipper at the airport zipping it up and down. Jeff took him to the telephones there and he pushed every button he could on those phones not once or twice or even three times but many times.

We met one of my friends, Maria who is his Godmother, at the airport...she came to see our little man. Maria gave him a wonderful gift--a Paddington bear and an outfit.

We left JFK airport during evening rush hour...YIKES!!!!! Ryan disliked his carseat at first but got used to it. He loved the rest of the limo ride back home. He pointed at the buttons for the radio in his view and Jeff or I would push the buttons to change the radio stations. In the Hudson Valley area of NYS, we found a soft jazz station that he seemed to like so we left it on there until we lost the station. I was happy in the limo but sad too.

We arrived around 10:30 at night. We didn't know that Ryan could walk. When I put him down on the floor, it was then that I saw that he could walk. I screamed out "look...he's walking, he's walking!!!!". I couldn't believe my eyes. We had no clue. Ryan stayed up until 2 am that first night since he was on Korea time. We stayed up with him and played with toys in the family room.

After that, it was bedtime for all of us. Before I went to sleep that night, my thoughts drifted to the family that took care of him for so many months of his life along with the woman who gave birth to him. I have been thinking of you both daily. I extend my wish of health and happiness always to the foster family as well as my friendship.