Finally Home!

It was finally time to go home. Evelyn was very excited at the airport while we waited on our Southwest Airlines flight home. The flight home was great. Evelyn never made a sound. She even slept through the landing and it wasn't the smoothest landing we've ever had.

There were tons of people waiting for us at the airport when we got home. We can't tell each of you enough how much we appreciate you making our homecoming so special. When we got home, we saw the whole house decorated for Evelyn. We loved having our families stay with us when we got home - all 6 of them! We found room somewhere! The accomodations weren't the best, but we are so glad they stayed.

We got home just in time to go to two more showers in two days. Once again, we were overwhelmed by the generosity and kindness of our friends.

Thank you once again to all of our friends and family for praying for us and being there for us through this whole process. We finally got her home, but it's really just beginning!

OUT AND ABOUT

Today was our most adventurous day yet. After sleeping in and laying around for a while we headed out to Santa Monica to see some sights and hit the beach. But, instead of hitting the beach, Kristina did what she does best - she found a mall. It only took her 2 days to get her baby to a mall. After hanging out at the mall for a while, we went to the beach, then back to the hotel for our last dinner in LA.

We can't wait to see everyone at the airport tomorrow night. We will be arriving on Southwest flight 2647 at 6:20 pm. Don't forget that Southwest is at the EAST Terminal. For those of you that can't make it but still want to meet Evelyn, please give us a call and come on by.

Life is Hard

Apparently getting up for breakfast, a diaper change and a few minutes of playing is just too much. This is how she spent most of Wednesday and Thursday morning - asleep. The good news is that this is how she has spent most of the last two nights. After a quick bottle at 2:30 AM, she goes right back to sleep. I know what you are all thinking and YES, I (Rob) got up to help.

Our sight seeing plans for Wednesday were quashed when none of the rental companies at LAX had an extra car. Not a single car to rent at LAX!?!? This is really a busy place though, there is not a single hotel room left around LAX either.

Evelyn had her first visitor. Becky and Mr. Taylor's son is starting USC in the fall and since they were here in the area, they stopped by to say hello.

Without a car, we were really ready to go somewhere so we rode the shuttle over to the airport for dinner and to see The Grandfather, Jeanna, and Aunt Abby off to Milwaukee for their late night flight. Then it was back to the hotel to get some much needed rest.

As I type, someone is waking up, and this is how happy she always looks when she is awake. Thank you for the comments, we LOVE reading them!

Evelyn's Debut!

Finally Together

After many long months, the family of two has become three! Evelyn is finally in our arms! The morning began with breakfast and a quick shuttle ride to the airport. Upon arriving, we met Miss Betty, a volunteer who has greeted families and babies for 19 years. While she went to meet the escorts at the gate and walk Evelyn through customs, we waited anxiously in the common area of the airport. As Rob and I were talking, I turned around and suddenly spotted Miss Betty carrying Evelyn. I began to cry tears of joy as I exclaimed"There she is!" I can't begin to describe the emotions that came over me as Miss Betty put her in my arms. All I remember is how wonderful it felt and how easy going Evelyn was. She was smiling the entire time and even laughed at her daddy. After a few minutes went by, Miss Betty introduced us to the two escorts who brought Evelyn to the U.S. Then it was time to head back to the hotel and she took a brief nap and bottle. We walked to a local restaurant for lunch and headed for the pool for about 30 minutes. She is currently sleeping in the portable bassinette we brought from home. Hopefully tomorrow will go as smoothly as today. She is such a beautiful blessing!

L.A. Bound!

Good news--we are headed for Los Angeles today! We got the call around 9:00 a.m. that confirmed Evelyn was ready for travel. I can't tell you how excited we are right now. We want to thank everyone for all the kind words of encouragement and prayers--we have felt so loved by all. With that said, we plan to update the blog during the week while in L.A. Also, we will arrive home with Evelyn on Friday at 6:20 pm via Southwest Airlines (East Terminal). We would love to see all of our family and friends there to greet our little angel! Hope to see you soon!

AAAGGHHH!!!

Can you hear the frustration and stress in my voice? I just spoke with Alice from the Dillon office in Tulsa. She wanted to update me on what they knew about Evelyn's travel plans. At this point, she still does not have a visa issued, but Eastern asked the Embassy when they thought it might come and they told them it would probably be issued on Monday. With that said, we still don't know 100% if she will come to the U.S. or not on Tuesday. If she does, then she would arrive at LAX at 9:50 A.M. So, Rob and I are still in limbo about whether or not to go ahead and book flights and hotel. I am ready to pull my hair out, I think.

One Step Closer

Or maybe I should say two steps closer. At moments it feels like we have lived 3 weeks in just actually 1 week since getting the call that Evelyn may come home. Monday, we were asked to sign additional papers that the embassy wanted in Seoul. Then, last night, Alice from the Dillon office in Tulsa, called at like 10:00 to ask us to fax the paperwork to her. Apparently, the DHL truck did not get to Seoul yesterday with our documents. Eastern wanted a fax copy so that the Embassy would start paperwork (hopefully) to get her immigration permission and such. So, I frantically ran next door to our neighbor (we are so thankful for Sandy) to use her fax machine. In the midst of all of this, Alice did inform us that Evelyn has her passport! While this is a celebration, we are cautious because she still does have the other paperwork cleared. So, in a nutshell, we are still waiting to know if she will come home next week. These are the days I feel I am about to lose my sanity! Poor Rob...

Evelyn's Growing!

We received a medical update on Evelyn yesterday. After converting her measurements, we realized that she is 11.79 lbs and 22 inches long! She is definitely eating well while in Mrs. Lee's care. We are so grateful to have a loving foster mom in Korea.

Later this morning, I have a baby shower hosted by our Sunday school class. Rob and I are so overwhelmed by everyone's generosity and support during this time. We are so blessed to have such loving family and friends.

Decision Made But Tenatively

I want to start by thanking the many of you who emailed or commented to us that you would pray for Rob and I. With that said, we have made a hard decision. There is a strong possibility that our little girl could be coming home in about 2 weeks! What made the decision so difficult was that we had to decide to have her escorted home rather than us travel to Korea. Our hearts were set on meeting her foster mom and seeing her culture, but we could not pass up the chance to have her home quicker. Of course, this all depends on if her travel documents are expedited and cleared prior to July 24th. So, tenatively, she could be escorted to the U.S. in two weeks, but if the documents don't clear, then we will have to wait longer and we would be able to travel to get her. Rob and I are very excited about this opportunity! Our next decision is whether we will fly to L.A. to meet her or have her brought to us in STL. We will keep everyone posted with any and all news that comes our way. We really do want all of our friends and family at the airport to meet her and welcome her home.

New Photos Arrived!

We received a brief update from Dillon today along with two new photos of Evelyn! She seems to be just like Rob--loves to sleep! Almost every photo we have received of her, she has been sleeping peacefully! She did have surgery on June 26th for a herniated belly button, but did very well as all went smoothly.

Please say a prayer for Rob and I as we have a big decision to make in the next 24 hours. I don't want to say what it is right now, but please pray for God's will and wisdom.

What's Been Going On

The summer has been a busy time in the Simmons' household! In June, we took a family vacation to San Francisco. It was sunny, but cold! While there, we received word that another Dillon family had taken some new photos of our little girl, Evelyn. We were excited and grateful to receive 11 photos of her. She has certainly grown and changed since the first photos we received of her!

Now that July has arrived, we continue to get ready for Evelyn's arrival. On the 4th, Rob spent the morning staining a swingset for her in the backyard. Then, on the 6th, we welcomed the newest arrival to the Payne family. Avery is a beautiful little girl! Hopefully the next time we are at the airport, it will be to get our little angel!