October 28

October 28th. Did you know it is National Chocolate Day? It is, honestly (so go enjoy a piece of halloween candy)! It’s also one day after Tony’s birthday (happy first birthday as a Dad!). 

October 28, 2013 was also the beginning of the end of our wait to meet Oliver. Last year on October 28 we received an email with the subject: 
Court Date Assigned!

The email contained some of the most wonderful news we could have asked for:

Dear Anthony and Tonya, 

The Court Appearance date has been set for your case. The Court has communicated to ESWS that the Court Appearance date for the adoptive parents of ChaeHa is on Friday, November 22, 2013 at 10:30 am.   

The Appearance will be held in Korean Family Court. You will come to ESWS on the day of the Court Appearance and travel to Court with ESWS staff/translator.  

The Korean agency will provide transportation to the Court on this day. Please plan to be in Korea 3-5 business days prior to the Court Appearance to allow for time to have the pre-Appearance meeting with ChaeHa. 

Goodness…just re-reading this email is making me cry. During our rather long wait, it was hard to feel as though the whole thing was “real”. We would see photos of a child we had never met (or even heard speak or cry). We would get updates of his measurements and progress. But it usually didn’t feel real. It was hard to see how it would ever turn into anything beyond the paperwork (and wait).

This email helped me move from the abstract to the tangible as we prepared to finally meet Oliver (which was eventually scheduled for November 18) and present ourselves to the Korean Court. It of course threw us into a state of craziness as we worked to schedule our travel, buy gifts, get the house closer to being ready, and more. It made for a few very stressful weeks. But it was finally real!

What a wonderful day last October 28, 2013 was. However, on this October 28 I am truly and deeply blessed with the opportunity to hug, kiss and cuddle with Oliver. To have him here, a part of our family. I have a feeling that these next two months of first anniversaries will bring more tears and more reflection. For now, however, I just need to stop crying!