Forever Ours!

Well, today Isabella became forever ours! 

In the state of Tennessee, you must wait six months to finalize an adoption.  So, in the last six months, we have met our post placement requirements by meeting with our social worker three times and we have stayed on top of all of Isabella’s medical appointments.  After we got our home study updated and got new criminal background checks, we were good to go!  Tuesday morning we got the call, can you do Thursday at 9am?  Uhh, of course! 

We all went downtown to the City County building.  We all went through security, the boys thought that this was super cool (after they went through, Luca was not sure about it at first).  We had to walk past all of the very interesting folks that go to court on a Thursday morning; boy oh boy, there were some!  We got into the judges chambers and my heart was beating a little fast, very nervous!!  We met with the judge, had a quick swearing-in (so that we would tell the truth of course), promised to love Isabella forever, and then the judge signed Isabella’s final adoption documents.  It was a done deal!  Isabella was ours, and also a United States Citizen.  What a big day for her, and she was consumed with getting the lollipop from Noah.  To her knowledge it was like any other day, she wanted what her big brother had!! 

Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us over the past year, what an emotionally up and down year it has been!  Tomorrow will be the one year anniversary of the day that we received our referral for Isabella.  We are so glad that this chapter in our life is closed and we can go to living a wonderful life as a family of FIVE!!

As many of you know, I am not good at posting on the blog, but I will try to add pictures here and there.

I love my new hair!

Has it been forever? Ummm yep!!

Things have been crazy busy around the Moro house lately.  Isabella is settling in so nicely now.  She loves everyone in the family and has started smiling a lot more.  She is in physical therapy 3 times per week and is progressing wonderfully.  I hope that you all have a great summer and hopefully it won’t be so long until the next post.  Here are the first birthday pictures that I promised. Tiffany

Ok, so I am not the best at keeping this blog updated.  I know you are still waiting to see the birthday pictures.  I am having a bit of trouble getting them onto my computer.  I am not tech savvy for those who do not know that 🙂  This picture was taken on Saturday from my mom’s cell phone.  Isn’t she the cutest thing you have ever seen?  She is pretending to sneeze here.  Things are still going well with us, just very busy.  I’m off for now….

Happy 1st Birthday Isabella!

Stay tuned tomorrow for birthday pictures…

Hello everyone.  Sorry it has been a long time since I have posted.  Things are going great in the Moro household.  I am still trying to figure out the new baby thing with three kids.  It has taken some adjustments, but all is well.  Everyone is bonding well with each other and Isabella loves her new family.  She is happy, smiling and making huge strides each week in her development.  She is such a good and easy going baby, wow, we are lucky.  From the first day with us, she has slept through the night.  She is happily saying “mama” and “dada.”  We never dreamed that she would be saying these words so soon. 

We have gone to the pediatrician twice and all blood tests have come back wonderful.  She even says that Isabella is pretty much on track with other 11 month olds.  Wow!  All of this in three weeks.  I am going to close for now.  Love to all…

tiff

Things have been a little crazy over the past few days in the Moro household.  Getting used to have three children is taking some time, but we are all adjusting well.  Isabella is quickly adjusting to her role as little sister and loves watching her big brothers sing, dance and try to make her laugh.  She has fallen in love with her daddy (and daddy has fallen in love with her).  Isabella and I were up this morning and she was giving me lots of big smiles and laughs.  Marley, our golden retriever is having second thoughts about the new addition.

I tried uploading the video today to youtube, but at the end, there was an error.  Hopefully we will get that up quickly.  For now, I will leave you with these pictures.

I slept pretty soundly until 6am this morning.  We are so excited to be able to meet Isabella today.  I cannot believe that this day is finally here.  We are in Troy Ohio, about 3 hours from the Detroit airport.  I am blogging while watching the kids swimming in the hotel pool, highlight if the trip so far. 

I just checked Isabella’s flight and she is still over the ocean, but getting ready to enter into Seattle, Washington.  She will arrive in Chicago at 9:58 this morning.  She will go through US customs in Chicago, so we will not have to wait for that when she arrives in Detroit.  She will leave Chicago at 2pm and arrive in Detroit at 4:25.

Isabella Minjoo is leaving Korea this evening at 10:40pm (which is 11:40am, Tuesday in Korea).  We are so excited to finally get to meet our baby.  I have had so many emotions over the last few days.  I am finally comprehending that the primary caretaker that Isabella has known as her mother has put her to bed for the last time.  I wonder what Mrs. Kwon is feeling?  I am sure that she is just as sad as we are excited.  In a few hours, Isabella will be leaving all that she has ever known, with a person that she has never met before.  She will fly 17 hours with a stranger on an airplane where she will be handed over to a very excited family that she has never seen or met before.  We will be speaking in a language that she has never heard before and we will look so different to her.  This is extremely emotional for me.  We have prayed for months now that God would allow Isabella to hear our voices and see us in her dreams, so that when we first meet, we will be familiar to her.  We are placing all of this in God’s hands.  I have shed many tears this weekend and tears of anxiety for Mrs. Kwon and for Isabella.  I have also wondered if Isabella’s biological mother knows that she will be placed with her forever family tomorrow afternoon?  I am so incredibly grateful to Isabella’s biological mother.  She could have chosen to terminate her pregnancy.  But, she did not; she chose life.  Now we get the privilege to raise this little gift from above.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Pray for Mrs. Kwon, pray for Isabella at 10:40pm tonight and all throughout the day tomorrow.  Pray for us all at 4:25pm tomorrow when we all meet for the first time. 

What an amazing ride this has been.  I am so glad to know that the “process” is almost over.  We are looking forward to the next step of beginning our lives together as a family.  With the help of God, we are ready for the next chapter in this journey and whatever challenges lay ahead. 

Thank you all for praying for us faithfully and reading the blog faithfully.  Please keep checking after Isabella arrives and we will post pictures and videos as quickly as we can.  Oh, and if you are confused about her name, I know that I have mostly referred to her a Minjoo.  As soon as we got our travel call, something clicked in my head, Isabella is her name.  We will call her Isabella Minjoo for a few weeks until she knows Isabella.  Then we will call her Isabella.  Okay, I will call her Isabella.  Most everyone else will probably call her Bella; that name has already stuck with so many people and she has not even arrived yet! 

We will be Detroit bound this evening, never thought this day would come!

Happy Day 😉

tiffany

TRAVEL CALL!!!!

Isabella will be in Detroit on Tuesday at 4:25pm.  We are so excited!  We should be home on Wednesday sometime.  Thank you for all of your prayers!  Remember to pray for Isabella to remain healthy and for safe travels.