We spent the morning together at the Bronx Zoo. When we first met up with her, Gabe was predictably very shy and buried his head into my shoulder. He doesn't warm to new people easily anyway and I think the added pressure that this was a very important person, made him even more shy. Mi Yeon was such a good sport, even though I knew all she wanted to do was pick him up and squeeze as hard as she could. We started to look at some animals and that helped him warm up. Mi Yeon is smart and good with kids so she started to play hide and seek with rocks...that game speaks no language. The two of them ended up spending a lot of time hanging out under a tree playing with rocks and acorns. Whenever I mention Mi Yeon or see a picture of her now, he always says "we played with acorns." We really didn't care if we saw one animal, all she (and Dave and I) wanted was for her to just BE with him. I was so proud that he warmed up and really had fun with her.
Before we made the trip, we talked a lot about who Mi Yeon is and what the visit was about. I'm so glad we prepared him that Mi Yeon would be going back to Korea and the 3 of us were going back to Chicago. Towards the end of the day he kept saying "Mi Yeon, back to Korea." He wasn't saying it in an anxious way but a reassuring way. Around 2pm, Dave wisely said that he was going to fall asleep and she should start to say good bye to him. We headed to the exit, exchanged some gifts and had a very teary goodbye.
The take away feeling for Dave and I was the undeniable, unrelenting, true love that she has for our son. I can't fully describe the overwhelming sense of pride, luck and love that we felt that so many people love our son and will always be in his life. In all my years, I will never adequately be able to thank Mi Yeon and her family for giving our son the great start in life that he will reap the benefits of his entire life. We are so blessed to have them in our lives and as our family in Korea. We can't wait to for Gabe to be reunited with Mrs Park (his foster mother) when we travel back to Korea to bring Levi home!
13 comments:
I'm glad the visit went so well and that she was patient and understanding when he was shy at first. What a gift it is to have that relationship!
What a special opportunity!
Truly special. It sounded like Gabe and Mi Yeon shared a very special and intimate interaction, and I liked how you and Dave sort of stepped back to let them bond. What a great day. And your last paragraph hit the nail right on the head.
Thanks for your this writing! It was so lucky that he didn't refuse me..It was very special memory to me, too! I hope he remember our meeting and me..I and my family are waiting for your visit in next year! :)
Oh wow! Such a wonderful afternoon to remember. Mrs. Park will be in awe of how much Gabe has grown for sure!
Great post and what a special opportunity for Mi Yeon to be able to visit you, Gabe and Dave. You handled the situation flawlessly.
our son's foster mom's name is Mrs Park as well... I imagine this is a common name, but you never know. do you know her age by any chance?
This was such a special meeting! It sounds like it couldn't have gone any better, and it left all of you with wonderful memories.
Why is it that even though I've heard this story and seen these pictures before, I'm crying? Sheesh, Joanna. You did it to me again. Seriously, this was such a special opportunity. It's awesome you guys made the trip to NYC to see Mi Yeon and it won't be long before you see her (and her mother) again in Seoul!!!
SO, SO special! for everyone! it sounds like it went so well and that you continued to build on the already great relationship you had with MiYeon...and this was so beautifully documented, too!
This makes my heart explode. Gabe's relationship with Mi Yeon is so so special. What a gift!!
What a very special day that was for all of you. I love the photos of Gabe & Mi Yeon picking up the acorns by the tree. So sweet. I have a feeling when he sees her next time (when you go to Seoul) he will warm up to her much more quickly, especially now that he has these photos to look at and talk about regularly. These foster families are amazing in all they do for our children and us.
I've intentionally saved this until I knew I could savor every morsel. (And maybe shed a tear or two) What an amazing opportunity!! I can only imagine how much love there is there... Beautiful.
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