Last days in Korea

Today is our last full day in Korea. We are excited and nervous about the long ride home tomorrow morning. Toby has been an absolute joy. His laughs are rewarding to us and our efforts to entertain him and bond with him. His pasty white, fuzzy cheeks easily bring smiles to stern commuters in the subway. Young ladies everywhere can't help but stop, swoon and sing to him "Ahhh!! Gui yepuda!" "Oh my!!! He's so cute!" they say. Tobias is very interested in pretty young ladies. Though I attribute his excessive drooling to teething, he's conveniently dolloped a few gooey ones right when a sweet young thang walks by and makes baby noises at him.

We were told that he slept with his foster parents, a common practice in Korea. It's obvious he likes to snuggle and is easily soothed by touch. As he tries to sleep, he loves to touch your face, the skin on your arms. His favorite head nest sits right between Cameron's arm and armpit. His favorite footrest is right on my belly.

The first night with him was heartbreaking. His sweet smile turned upside down and he cried hard for his "umma", his name for his foster mother. He would turn his head around the room trying to find familiarity. He would crawl out of bed in his delirium holding onto furniture and walking his way to any light or noise as he gasped for air from fits of sobbyin. We sat in bed, watching his every move to make sure he didn't get hurt, and tried to comfort him with words. He would finally surrender and ask to be brought back into bed. He'd then turn and spin, flip and curl unable to find a soothing position, all the while crying an angry cry. Though un-consolable, we knew that this was part of the process of healthy bonding. Shayne and Norah did this differently, and Toby would find his way as well.

Each night has gotten progressively better. He's made amazing leaps and bounds in the few nights we've had with him. Being a novice co-sleeper, I find myself pushing his wriggly toes away from my body at night. Instead of crying, he now giggles and puts his feet right back into my hip or belly settling himself into daddy's arms on the other end. He wakes up once or twice, but sits in bed to play instead of mourn. We are so grateful that God has allowed his little heart to find comfort in us. He loves to look for mommy while I'm getting ready in the bathroom. He loves to be held by daddy's strong arms when he's tired.

He's been walking for only about a week, and finds little motivation to as he loves to be held. This little guy is happy in the Ergo tight up against mommy for hours! He'll sight see, nap, snack, laugh all in one position and perfectly comfortably. It's obvious he's been raised the Korean way - tied tightly up against "umma". Coddled. I could go into a whole rant about Korean boys and coddling, but I shall not. For as a mommy to a little Korean boy, I now find it rewarding and understand why it's done.