*one week ago today*

{one week ago today, we became a family. what a thrilling day that was. b and i slept in until a little after 9 a.m. and woke up to tons and tons of texts, e-mails and facebook wishes! so many of our friends posted pictures of their adorable kiddos with welcome home signs. it was incredible! it was like the whole world was welcoming Oliver home. i can't tell you how much that meant to me and b. it totally got us pumped and even more excited about our son finally coming home. it was definitely the best feeling anyone could ever feel. as we got ready to do some errands b called my name and said look out the window!

someone had placed balloons on our mailbox! something we've seen so many times before in our neighborhood but never on our mailbox. i guess it was something we both longed for...it took awhile but we finally found out that they were from our sweet sweet neighbors! (thank you s,m and a!!)

b and i got "ready" meaning no showers...just clothes and a little make up for me...we then headed to Trader Joe's...i had a list of items we needed to pick up for O based on a some things his foster mother said he ate and some things we knew we wanted to try with him. at check out, the lady who wrung us up asked us how our day was going and what we were doing...b said well we are going to meet our son tonight! then he showed her O's picture on his cell phone. she got so excited and asked us more questions. after she was finished wringing us up, she told us to hold on a minute. a quick second later, she was back with a bouquet of flowers and said congratulations! it was so so very sweet! we were both really touched.

after TJ's, we grabbed some starbucks and went to get the car washed...after all Oliver needed to have a clean car to drive home in right? ;) i think b and i were just on a excitement/happy high the entire time. we kept getting texts and facebook messages through out the day. it was just an awesome feeling.

b and i were so giddy driving through the car wash talking about how we will be taking O with us next time and wondering if he will love it or hate it. ha! can't wait to find out the answer. i snapped this picture after the car was cleaned. we then headed home.

shortly after being home and putting the groceries away...i decided to sweep the house. there was apart of me that wanted everything in it's place and the house looking super clean before O stepped through the door. i know he would never know the difference but i think it was more of my anal side coming out! ;) while i was sweeping the house..we got a delivery...it was this stuffed bear and balloons from O's grandpa and grandma T (my parents). i was already smiling that day...but this made my smile grow even larger. i loved seeing a card signed by my dad with the words..."grandpa". he's been a grandpa for 12 years now...but this time..it was for MY son. yay!

after cleaning the house, i decided to put the diaper bag together. i didn't want to be rushed doing this and wanted to have all the essentials...just in case. a pair of clothes, some snacks, a drink and a few items to keep Oliver preoccupied in the car if he got fussy.

i will say...the day went super fast...i remember people asking me if i felt the day was going slow and i said no way. it was so fun and exciting...the hours just kept flying by. before we knew it, it was time to get ready. by 7:30, my friend Bridgette, her son Beau and her talented brother-in-law, Brandon from Simple-Color came to our house to take photos. it was crazy how fun everything felt...like we were hosting a big shin dig. we took photos outside and did a little video and talked about how Oliver would be coming home in a matter of hours. then it was time to leave for the airport. we packed up the car and drove south to the airport. b and i were pretty much bouncing off the car walls. we were jamming to music and holding hands. our smiles never faded.

as soon as we got closer to the airport...the nerves kicked in but the excitement stayed. we found the perfect spot to park, got out, grabbed all our items and walked towards the airport doors. this place has become very familiar with b's travels but i never had the feelings quite like i did walking toward those electronic doors. my life was about to change and i was about to see my son for the first time. my hands and jaw started to shake but as we got to the waiting area just in front of the escalator the calm hit me (something i prayed for). we decided to not wait there since we still had a little over an hour before he landed. we ended up moving across the way so that we could meet up with our family and friends. again...we were feeling like we were having a party at the airport. i wanted to dance and laugh and just have so much fun. seeing each and every person coming to welcome home my son was exciting. we kept looking at our phones and taking pictures and just talking about seeing Oliver. then it came time...Oliver's flight was close to landing...so we all took our positions in front of the escalator. b and i chatted and felt like we needed to pinch each other..Oliver was coming home and would be in front of us before we knew it!

we waited for a while...all chit chatting about when we thought he'd be coming up...and then he was there like magic. wow. he was in front of us...walking towards us with a little bed head. he-he. i remember thinking...he's here...he's really here. my friend Bridgette once told me that when she met her son at that very location...the people around her just faded away and there was only her, her husband and her son...that's exactly what happened. i saw him and b..that's it...no one else. i picked my son up for the first time and felt the incredible urge to hug him..i wanted to do this for eternity. he was so calm holding his little police car and bundled up like it was winter. he was looking at all the people who were snapping pictures and crying. his escort was so very sweet and we got to chat with her about how he was on the airplane and what he had eaten etc. we asked to have our picture taken with her and she agreed. what was an incredible feeling was when she had someone snap a picture of us with her phone. the sweet young lady had brought my son all the way from Korea and i just wanted to hug her and thank her. she quickly left and it was just us with our friends, family, social worker and our agency's director. we decided it was time to go home...by then it was close to or after 11:00 p.m.. before we left, b's co-worker, Cindy bought O a balloon from the newpaper stand. it was a balloon he kept pointing to...it said..."Welcome Home". my heart melted and i felt like he knew he was home. the most amazing thing happened though...as i held my boy walking towards baggage claim with his new balloon...i got him to laugh and squeal. i did..not someone else...me...his mommy. his laughter was something i had never heard before and it was exactly how it should have sounded.

we walked towards the car with O's entourage following quickly behind. i got a little nervous thinking about putting him in his car seat for the first time..but it went so smoothly. i remember our friend, Susan waving and blowing kisses to O through his car window and our sweet little guy...blew them right back! i sat in the back with Oliver to make sure he was okay and surprisingly as we started to drive home...he laughed and smiled and hugged his blanket (Aunt Susie bought him two years ago!).

everything was just perfect in the world...finally.

our first family photo...

we want to thank EVERYONE who took part in Oliver's homecoming whether you were at the airport with us or with us in spirit. you made Oliver's homecoming so amazing. thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

p.s. all these photos were taken from our phones so they aren't the best but stay tuned!! we had Brandon from Simple-Color photograph Oliver's homecoming and he's putting them all together right now along with (what I know will be) an amazing video. once he's finished..we will share them with you!

okay..now i need to get some sleep! more later!!