The White Home: Birth city, Barbed Wired Fences, and Baseball. Busy Day!

Oh my...I don't even know where to begin with today!

First let me just say two things.

Our adoption agency is amazing!

The Korean people...well they are amazing!

So when we were here to get Leah two and a half years ago, we said that when we come back we want to go see more than just in Seoul.

Luke was not born in Seoul. Actually just north west of Seoul in Paju.

When we were planning this trip several months ago, I mentioned to my good friend Kim, how we would love to go a visit the city where Luke was born. She gave me some contacts at our agency and we set the ball rolling.

They were so gracious to set us up with a driver and translator! Paju is not a common birthplace in the adoption world, so both were needed.

We had no agenda really, just wanted to visit the city.

Well our agency was able to provide us the actual place where he was born.

So off we went!

It was kinda surreal.

We walked into the clinic and a kind woman (nurse?) was able to go get his file and share with us the information that was in the file.

I really didn't want to push too much. I want this to be mostly about Luke being able to get the information he wants someday and not about us digging up pieces of his past that are really his story and his birth mothers story.

They were able to share with us everything we already knew.

Kinda validates that our children today are being provided accurate and the most information available.

However in the file was a sonogram picture.

They asked if we would like a copy!

ummm YEAH!

So in my mind I am thinking they will go and make a photo copy of it for us...

nope out comes the scissors and they literally just cut it out of the file!

Then they took us to the room where he was born.

The actual room.

We stood there and looked in and saw other babies being presented to their fathers and friends.

Luke stood their silently and watched.

It was almost like he didn't want to leave.

I looked at Jason and said quietly "this is it! he is getting it!"

I walked over to Luke and rub his shoulders and ask him if he has any questions about being a baby like this one time too!

He looks back quietly in the window....

Turns to me...

Looks at the baby some more...

Then says the most profound words any 6 year old boy could ever say.

"mommy. that baby puked! can he do it again?!"

*I have decided to remove any information from the pictures that identify the hospital/area for privacy reasons*

After our visit we went out for some lunch!

It was the kind of place where you eat sitting on the floor!

I have wanted to do this for a long time!

After lunch went over to the observatory.

Yup! We were able to see and get pictures of North Korea!

It was really really really cool (well to us anyways!)

See kids! Those houses are fake!

We actually watched a 10 minute video (in English on the 4th floor), about the topography of the border. It was really interesting!

Remember those times when you were little and you would go on family vacations and your parents would take you to some place you had no interest in at all, but now as an adult you would totally go there again and drag your kids too...

Full circle moment.