Joon Song

In the hall closet, on top of a suitcase and behind my black pea coat, I found the bag I was looking for.  It is just a plain white garbage bag, a little tattered and torn in spots, something I packed a long time ago for a friend but never actually got around to delivering.  I dragged it out of the closet and brought it to the couch, reached inside, and found them: the softest, most well-worn and beloved pair of tiny overalls.  They were the first thing I bought when we were waiting for Harrison to come home from Korea; I found them at a yard sale for a dollar, perfect and soft and just the right size.  They looked brand-new back then; now they have worn little knees from the crawling babies that Harrison and Emma once were and the straps are beginning to fray just slightly.  They hold so many memories for me: crawling, first steps, little adventures around our old yard, and even the earliest memories of when they hung on a hanger in an otherwise empty closet, a symbol not just of hope but of promise.  We would be parents.
And next fall, they will crawl (or walk?) again!
In what can only be described as a whirlwind, we decided for sure to adopt again 12 days ago.  We called and asked for an application packet 11 days ago.  We got the packet 9 days ago.  We emailed with our social worker 8 days ago, who came and updated our home study 6 days ago.  We filled out mad amounts of paperwork and made endless photocopies and finally sent it all off with a kiss from big sister Emma 4 days ago.  It arrived at our agency 3 days ago, and we were called that very night with the news that we had been matched with a gorgeous baby boy in Korea. 
I haven’t seen his picture, I know only a little more than his name, but my heart knows that he is beautiful.  I know that he is perfect, the perfect fit for our family.  I know we’ll have growing pains and fits and starts until finally our lives are intertwined, woven into a new and different fabric that will be ever the more richer for having known each other. 
Those soft, tiny pants are getting washed today and hung in the closet that our Joon Song will share with his big brother Harrison and once again they will be my token not only of hope, but of promise.  We are all so very excited!
A few details:

• Korean Name:  Joon Song  (Joon means “superb”)
• American name:  we’ve got it narrowed down to three options, but need to see his pictures before making the final call.  Once we know we’ll share!
• Born May 2010
• Will come home in the fall…October, perhaps?
• We had been thinking of adopting again for a LONG time before making this decision.  Options were weighed, lots of programs were looked at, lots of research went into it.  We are not rash people, at all.  In the end, we followed our hearts while making sure the logistics would all work out.
• Yes, we will gladly accept hand-me-downs!  He will be roughly 18 mos. at arrival.
• We pick up our referral packet on Monday the 14th…pictures after that!