Earlier this week I realized we were running low on kimchi (not sure you are supposed to leave the same jar in the fridge for a year, but it’s still kicking!), and since we are cooking an authentic Korean meal with friends from church tomorrow, I decided to introduce Gideon to kimchi-making too!

Michele’s recipe below (scroll down to the very bottom for JUST the recipe) works with both napa cabbage, which is the traditional Korean way, and green cabbage. I like my kimchi crunchy, so we choose to make yangbaechu (green cabbage) kimchi around our home. If you’re feeling intimidated, don’t be. If I can make kimchi, you can too! Promise.

While we were still waiting for Gideon to come home, another mama mentioned a form called G-884 that we could file with the United States Center for Immigration Service (USCIS) once we got home. We were encouraged not to expect much, as about half of the families in the post-adoption circles I’ve talked to only received copies of paperwork they already had.

To be honest, between the low probability of learning something new and it not being required, I forgot all about Form G-884 for the longest time. But finally, about 9 months after we got home, something jogged my memory, and I decided to fill out the form. Just in case.

We genuinely thought the adoption paperwork was over once we got home. Now we’ve learned to laugh at paperwork, because I’m pretty sure it never truly ends, haha.

We came home from Korea to find we not only had one final mountain of documents to work through, but also that most of the agencies and offices we had to interact with had no idea what they were doing. The post-adoption process varies by state, and Kentucky’s “process” is confusing and inconsistent at best.

Packing was seriously one of the most stressful parts of traveling to Seoul, and it’s still one of the most asked questions we get via our blog! Especially as first-time parents, we really had no idea what to pack, and as super light packers (Brian and I literally shared a carry-on for 2 weeks in Indonesia last year), it just about killed us to think about checking two suitcases, plus managing a stroller, 2 backpacks, and a diaper bag.

It is customary to give gifts to the important people in your adoption process, and for us, it was also a tangible way to show the family who loved our son for the first 27 months of his life just how grateful we were for them. They had clothed him (in nicer clothes than he has here, by the way), fed him, and bathed him, but they also spent hours and hours helping him learn to walk, kissed him and snuggled him, and loved him so well they were willing to show him our photo album and video every single day in order to prepare him to love us too.

It was really important to both Brian and me that we soaked up as much of the Korean culture as possible, so much of our trip revolved around palaces, museums, and markets. That also means we walked whenever possible so we could experience the little side streets and alleys that make Seoul even more lovely. Our days were filled from the time jetlag woke us up at 5:30 a.m. until the time the night markets and shops started to close for the day. Even still, we wished we had even more time in Seoul!

We absolutely fell in love with the Korean culture during our adoption process, and Seoul is truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience. That said, we certainly had a steep learning curve at times as we immersed ourselves in the culture, and we’re so thankful for all the friends and families who shared their knowledge of Korea with us before we ever stepped off the plane. We hope we can return the favor just a little bit!

Jet lag, fatigue, and the buildup of years of waiting made our airport homecoming perhaps the most surreal moment of my life, outside of meeting Gideon. I always imagined I would cry, sob even, but adrenaline was pumping through my whole body, and I remember rounding the corner of security, looking out over the huge crowd of people waiting for us, and just feeling this enormous relief. It was like my entire being exhaled, like everything in me could finally rest, because my baby was finally on the same side of the world as us. Our little family had made it. Through big surprises and hard diagnoses, delays and disappointments, deep joy, indescribable peace, and more tears than I could ever count, we had made it. And we were home.

Gideon was placed in our arms 4 months ago today, and we still haven’t posted his photo on our blog. For those of you who have been following our blog since the beginning and waiting so patiently to see our boy’s beautiful face, we are so excited to introduce you to Gideon Jaewon Troyer!

We’re leaving for Korea. Tomorrow. At 6:40 a.m. At 6:40 a.m. tomorrow, our flight takes off for Dallas, and then on to Incheon, and our lives will never, ever be the same. This is the last night in our home as a family of two. This is the last night Ellie the Cat will sleep with us on our bed, completely oblivious to the tiny human about to rock her world (and ours).

I’m crying as I write this, because I hurt for Gideon. Not because I pity him, but because I know the pain that this life carries. This world is fallen, broken, aching, and it won’t stop being so until Christ returns. And I can’t keep Gideon from hurting, no matter how willing I am to take that hurt myself. There will be times when sitting with him through the night is all I can do. I can see the road that lies ahead, but there are many turns and switchbacks, questions we don’t have answers to yet, and while that isn’t scary to me, it’s heavy.

Well, first things first, of course. Gideon’s Exit Permit was finally approved on January 5, and his case was submitted to Family Court on January 17! This means we are SO CLOSE to meeting our son for the first time! We should know our court date within the next few weeks, and we will hopefully be flying to South Korea in March. We were just a TEENY bit excited to hear the news. Also, PSA: It’s way too cold to take photos outside without a jacket.

Timelines, costs, and adoption processes vary widely among countries, agencies, programs, and even between families pursuing the same country through the same program! Some families find their future son or daughter on a waiting child photo listing and then begin the process for bringing that specific child home. Other families (particularly with Korea, as most agencies don’t have a public photo-listing of Korean waiting kiddos) start the process and are then presented with the option of pursuing an “assigned” or “unassigned” referral.

Eliminating the Adoption Tax Credit, therefore, means kiddos just like Gideon stand even less of a chance at a forever family. In Korea, children age out of foster care at three-years-old and are returned to an orphanage. Their file goes on a shelf, social workers quit advocating, and no one comes back.

No one comes back.

I felt like we were falling. I didn’t understand why God would bring us to this place just to leave us here. God had asked us to jump, and we had jumped, but I was losing hope that this time it would all be worth it.

But our God is a God of miracles.