The Final Post (also known as post #450)

Abby's superb reign as the only child has come to an end, and alas, so too must abbystott.blogspot.com. But don't fret, a new blog can be found at http://lots-o-stotts.blogspot.com/.

In closing, here are a few photos and videos from Abby's last full day as THE ONLY CHILD -- March 8, 2009! It was a good day. It began with an ice-cream cone at breakfast and two desserts at dinner (the waiter seemed to have a soft spot for Abby).

In between the sweets, Abby toured a palace, went swimming, and danced in her new hanbok (the traditional dress of Korea).

And at the end of the day, she ended her reign -- about 6300 miles from home -- tucked in peacefully with a few of her beloved animals.

Our Second Visit with Daniel

We had a great afternoon at Eastern Social Welfare Society today. We had a meeting with Mrs. Kim, the President of the agency. She gave Abby a gift and shared with us her take on the history of Korean adoptions.

We then had lunch at the agency and had the opportunity to talk with other families -- two American and one Australian -- who are adopting. Our lunch was bibimbap -- a mixture of rice, veggies and beef. (Let's just say Korea has been pretty hard on this vegetarian!!)

And then we got to visit with Daniel again. Mrs. Lee and our social worker gave us some time alone with the baby. He did great and even smiled and laughed!

Looking at Daniel, Abby said, "I think I could just push him into my heart!"

Daniel sneezed and when I said "ah-choo," he laughed. So of course we all kept saying "ah-choo" over and over again to get his attention!

Mrs. Lee's youngest daughter sent a gift and wonderful note along for Abby. Abby loved the gift because if consisted mostly of Korean sweet treats!

I was able to ask Mrs. Lee questions about her family and the picture book she gave us of Daniel's time living with them. This is a picture of her with us. Daniel has lived with her and her family since he was two months old. We are all laughing because our social worker said, "Say kimchi!" Kimchi is a staple in Korea and is pickled vegebles.

I love this picture below with Daniel on Mrs. Lee's back. He was wearing the hat when we first saw him this afternoon. She is carrying him the traditional Korean way.

But alas, our day came to an end and Daniel and Mrs. Lee went home and we returned to our hotel. Abby has been in a Korean cab five times and has fallen asleep four times!

Gyeongbokgung Palace

It was beautiful in Seoul today -- other than the terrible smog courtesy of China -- and we spent a good amount of time outside touring Gyeongbokgung Palace -- one of five palaces in Seoul for the Joseon Dynasty kings.

We got to see the changing of the guards and pose for a family photo with a guard.

Our Korean Queen

Abby is basically remarkable! We spent the day touring a palace and the Korean National Folk Museum. Abby was pleasant, inquisitive, and simply put -- A QUEEN!

The Korean National Folk Museum had a wonderful children's museum and two lovely young women doted on Abby and dressed her up as a queen. Here she sits in her thrown. The screen behind her signifies that her reign reaches from the sun to the moon and to the mountains!

Daniel's Crash

Here's a cute video of Daniel that we took yesterday. The woman that picks Daniel up at the end is our social worker and she translates for us.

Abby and Daniel Playing

This is a video of Abby and Daniel playing yesterday. The woman in the back is Mrs. Lee -- Daniel's foster mom.

Meeting Daniel

We met Daniel yesterday! We got to spend about 45 minutes with him. He did surprisingly well with us. We held him and played with him, but he made sure he knew where his foster mom was. (Our first family photo is blurry, but I think we were all feeling pretty blurry anyway, so perhaps it is appropriate!)

He's a big baby and really cute. His hair stands straight up on top!
We get to see him one more time on Thursday, and then will not see him again until we are ready to leave on Monday.