Update

Well, we're home and settled in! Sorry about the lack of posting, I'm finding myself taking almost no pictures (my usual mode) and don't have the iPad with husband at the ready to hand it to me when the mood strikes. Plus, the living room is much further away than the backpack that Tim carried everywhere. Also, I am finding myself doing things such as shopping, cooking and cleaning that occupy my time. Anyhow, we are pretty settled into a schedule, which makes me and Lolo happy. Get up, eat, get dressed. Activity (playground? yard? friends?) until 11:30, lunch then nap. Snack, play in yard until dinner, watch me cook, eat and play with Tim, off to bed about 8. Sleeping pretty well through the night though sometimes restless. Lolo is learning English quickly and LOVES to go over all the words she knows - coffee, banana, up, eat, food, shoes, two and three are still her faves but she knows through 10, the alphabet song but L and W get her, the Feist Sesame Street song 1,2,3,4, (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fZ9WiuJPnNA), putting hands up like huh if we ask a question. She still likes to eat and pretty much shares whatever I am having. Not afraid of strong flavors and kimchi fried rice with fried egg is a morning staple (http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/kimchi-bokkeumbap) She loves the computer, runs right over if I get on it and wishes I would let her play with computers, iPods, iPad, phones, etc. I'm going to Target later to pick up an electronic toy piano and phone that beeps and buzzes. Won't be the same but it will have to do. Her Korean comes right back out when she pretends to talk on the phone, it is very cute. My goal is to post on weekends now and to include photos but I am currently disagreeing with Picasa so photos will have to wait for next time...

Home!

Okay, I have recovered enough to write a little about our ride home. It really wasn't too bad and I've heard horror stories but still... We took a taxi to Seoul Station at about noon because checkout was at 11. From Seoul Station we took a direct train with three suitcases, two backpacks, shoulder bag, purse and a two year old! to the airport. That went pretty smoothly, good kid room with balls to play in while we waited for our 4:30 flight. Got on plane and all went pretty well - Lolo rode on my lap for about 10 of the 12 hours, wet through diaper (!), shifted around but finally fell asleep at about 12 and slept. My tailbone fell asleep but Tim and I only fitfully slept. The Dallas airport was fine in the end but it looked like we were going to miss our connection which resulted in my only tears of the trip :). Immigration, second immigration office, baggage, customs, drop off baggage, train to separate terminal, back through security and we made it, thank goodness! We had many happy surprises when we got to MSP - Auntie Ellenne, Grandad and Bubbles came to meet us at the airport and it was so good to see family again. Jack and Henry were at our house with Suki to add to occasion. My wonderful Skally and Plathe friends had stocked the fridge with fresh food and Korean treats. Many, many thanks for the coffee, half and half, milk, noodles, bread, blueberries, etc.! Look past how awful I look to see Lolo eating some noodles at 1 am:

We got to sleep about 2 am. Got dressed and played in the yard - the first of many happy summer days:

Last night did not go as smoothly - no one was upset but we only slept from about 10 - 2. Finally all got up at 6 to eat. Thank heavens for iPod or I would be bananas. Might be a long day. Any suggestions for getting sleep schedule in line? Also have not taken another car ride since the airport home - Lolo REALLY does not like being strapped down and pitches a pretty good fit. My goal today - the playground, only a 5 minute drive. I would normally walk but I want her to have some short rides under her belt...

Final Days in Seoul

The past two days have been somewhat uneventful - Monday was rainy and we were outdoors getting wet - the only non-umbrellaed folks out there. Sure we have one that we share and I don't know why we are so stubborn that we don't buy another but we're nuts that way. We tried to go back to eat another mung bean pancake but didn't get off at the right stop, were already wet, tired and crabby (no nap!)and found a similar market but this time instead of mung bean pancakes and pig parts everyone was grilling fish. This was a no stroller day - I just can't bear to have Lolo have a public hissy fit about the stroller in Korea. Thank heavens for all those kettlebells. Oh well, back on the subway and head home for some tv. Here is Otto running in the rain from our hotel room - sure, we were a little concerned what with the sewage scent but a kid's got to move!

After we got back he was soaked so he took a "bath"

Tuesday was better - no rain until the afternoon. We did a little shopping, went to the English bookstore to get Otto a Squish book, Lolo chose this one about Mermaids but the used selection was very low so I just went with it. (Did I mention her favorite colored pencil by far is the "pinku?" She likes to add those vowel sounds at the end of her words) Here I was feeding her a rice and chicken triangle similar to my kimchee egg breakfast number. They come with seaweed that I have always tossed but it turns out she likes it!

Because we are crazy and frugal after spending thousands of dollars we are going to take the subway to the airport which costs $9 instead of the bus which costs $60. Wish us luck!

DMZ

We took a bus tour to the Demilitarized Zone yesterday - the unoccupied area between North and South Korea. It was filled with interesting little military tidbits such as the blockade in the Han River that stops submarines, the length of required military service (SK - 22 months for men only, NK 7 years for women, 9 for men), how the when you look across to the North Korean side there is no grass or trees on the hills - used for fuel and to detect deserters. Here is one of our boring pictures - it is too far to get a good photo:

We did get to go places where you could see more but there you couldn't take any photos. Here is Otto in a little amusement park while we waited for our other bus:

Note the frosty beverage - everyday is hot and humid and smoggy - we've only had one day of just sunshine in the the past two weeks. The tour lasted about 6 hours in and out of the bus and Lolo and I did all of it except for going in the tunnel dug by the North Koreans in the 70s - I can't say I'm sorry - that screams claustrophobia and she had fun playing with the lockers outside. Here are a few more photos - again nothing exciting:

We were dropped off in the international Itaewon area at the end and finally go to go to a Mexican restaurant we had tried to go to two other times - third time was a charm and it was delish! A rare meal that Otto loved.

Here is our standby snack - Smoothie King:

Back to the hotel where the count down continues - 2 more full days and then our traveling day!

World Cup Stadium

Here is the breakfast of champions - kim chee rice with egg:

We didn't go in the stadium but there is a park around it and Tim took some pictures of the plants and walls:

Here's everybody hanging out

And playing in a splash park - Lolo didn't want to play but Otto did!

Otto spent the afternoon playing with this stick...

Later Otto went for a jog by the river during nap time:

And here is a common sight - a bar of soap on swing arm in a bathroom:

Another funny sight - this fitting room. All of the department stores have an attendent at every "booth." They sort of hover over you. The one time I went to buy something the woman was reluctant to let me try it on behind a curtain in the corner of her stall and for the sale shirt said "no try on sale." Uncomfortable. So then it is funny to see this ridiculous thing that is probably for extra busy times but still...

Tomorrow the DMZ bus tour.

US Embassy

Well little Lolo doesn't love her stroller so much anymore - which explains the lack of photos because I'm holding this kiddo instead of the iPad. Without photos I seem to have a lot less to say... Yesterday was misty and rainy, we laid low at the hotel until lunchtime then went to a playground on the way to the Han river. It was pouring rain by the time we got out of dinner but we decided to make a run for the subway station. Tim got wet, Lolo and I stayed dry under the umbrella, Otto splashed in puddles ran around and got soaked.

Today we went to the US Embassy to get Lolo's travel visa. Here we are at the adoption agency ready to go:

Here she is with her social worker:

The foster mother was there to drop off some things she had forgotten and was sort of lurking in the background. She was keeping respectful distance but wanted to see her again. We drove to the Embassy but we were asked to leave our backpack in the car - it had the iPad so we didn't get to take any pictures. Getting her travel visa took about an hour and a half with a little paperwork and some oath's about truthfulness thrown in.(Otto raised his right hand, too) and now she is officially our little girl! The translator sat with us and Lolo spent about half an hour focused on looking through a book with her - it was so clear she was just so happy to be with someone who spoke Korean. Now we know the words for lots of different bugs! Back at ESWS a little more paperwork - foster mother watching us arrive and leave and has brought the heart shaped sleeping pillow (see below), a book, toys and sweet treats for Lolo. I am awed at how much this woman loved her but also trepidatious about Lolo seeing her and grieving for her again. We got back to the hotel and took these pictures with her travel visa - as you can see the momentousness is lost on Lolo.

YAY! The bad news is no leaving early - cost prohibitive. Maybe we'll go see the DMZ instead...

Carribean Bay

No pictures - no energy for sentences even: Felt like I was being robbed - can't bring food in, need to RENT a chair to sit in, etc. we didn't bring camera so we wouldn't have to worry about it. Koreans take their sun block seriously most wearing long shirts, visors, etc. Girls even wear bonnets one had on a tutu, shoes and knee pads. Lolo thought the water was okay but really wanted to go up and down stone stairs. The wave pool REQUIRES a life jacket (rental!) to go in the fun part - I was unwilling. Otto cooperated, no begging, just jumping about in the waves he could reach. He still had a blast. What a good boy. Most families had floaties - not us. Plus we left the sunscreen at the hotel and I was not shelling out $9! Okay - I should have because we all are sunburned but Lolo. Tim had his scariest amusement park ride ever - get into a tube that closes on you, the floor falls out and you drop 3 stories virtually straight down plus a loop - Tim says no peeing your pants jokes here... One more fun detail - there was a diving pool with a 4 foot platform that one person could go at a time and the life guard acted ready to pounce to save you. Everyone oohed and ahhed at Tim and Otto's dives because they were so graceful. These people are not swimmers. Anyhow - we missed our bus home that we had paid for and had to take the city bus to the train, get on the metro at the Gangnam station (NO dancing, Otto - I'm embarrassed enough with my frizzy hair and sunburn) transfer one more time and we're back to the hotel at last. Thankfully Lolo fell asleep on the first bus and is still conked out so that part was easier. Another fun detail - some old guy who really didn't speak English but worked through is with gestures got Otto to sit next to him and "chewed his ear off" uh "gestured his hands off" to poor Otto who was sitting there smiling awkwardly. One piece of good news - we thought the foster mother was going to be at the visa meeting but she won't. We've had as good a time as you can expect but let's not push it...