Monday, May 16, 2011

Great News

No, we don't have a date yet, but our paperwork finally made it to the R country. Eric mailed the documents on April 14th, and we received an email on Saturday, that our facilitator had finally received it!!! We don't have to redo it all now. She is going to look over everything and let us know what needs to be "fixed" before she can submit them to court. After everything is ok, she will submit to the court for a date. If the judge likes what he or she sees, then a court date is scheduled. We could be back in the R country as quickly as two weeks, or maybe two months--it just depends what's on the dockett. So, keep your fingers crossed for a quick date, cheap plane tickets, and uneventful travel.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

R Trip: Day Four

THE BEST DAY!!!
We finally get to meet our girl!!! We drove the hour to her area, got lost, and then picked up the "social worker" person who says we've met the child when we go to court. We are buzzed into the building and go upstairs to meet with the director/doctor and another lady from the baby house. They went through her file with us, explaining all their finding with her medical, why she was left for adoption (her mother didn't think she could raise a child with dwarfism), we were even able to see a picture of her mother. I felt so sad for her mother. How stressful that day must have been for her. The day the doctor's told her that her child had achon. and she realized she couldn't care for her the way someone else could. They said her mother was devestated. We got all her measurements from the last dr. check-up and then they just brought her in.

She was the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen. I had played this visit over in my head a thousand times. I didn't want to cry when I first met her and scare her away, but lately, my emotions have not wanted to do what I expected them to do. Luckily, I held back the tears. We played in the floor for a few minutes and then they led us into a more open room so we could get in the floor and play with her.

She loved the phone her big sister sent for her and the puzzle one of my students sent in. We were able to play for about an hour until she had to go to lunch. The worker told her to give us a hug, and she did, she even threw us kisses. She would tell us her name and when we told her she was beautiful, her response, "Yes, I know." She's going to fit right in with Princess Jules. She's already got Daddy wrapped around her finger.

February 2011

My kids are growing way too fast. I can't believe that we'll be adding another one to our mix pretty soon.
Just an update on the kids on the homefront:
John David:
8 years old; avid ball player; super fast runner (he won't lose a race); LOVES minute to win it, we usually have at least one mission set up in the house. This morning it's the "roll the quarter into the fork" (which he's completed a couple times already) and stacking the cups into a pyramid; spelling is not a favorite subject at school. He tries, really he does, he just gets so frustrated with it.

Julianne:
5 years old going on 13. She's a dancing diva. At dance class, she dances to "Whip Your Hair Back" by Willow Smith and does an amazing job. She's just like her momma. I think that's why we fight so much. I dread the teenage years when we really have fights. She loves to draw and color and will spend hours doing it. She has a collection of Bride magazines and flips through them almost daily. Her favorite TV shows are "Say Yes to the Dress," "Shake It Up" on disney, and Minute to Win It. She's pretty good at the cup stacking.

The Why's...

Why are we adopting?
We know that it truly is a God thing. I can't image going through this process without having faith that He will provide what we need; be it money, comfort, tears, support. We know that He is in control of this whole process. We are lucky enough to have a church, family, and friends who are very excited for us. I'm sure some of them have questions and doubts and wonder why we do this, but in the end, they are almost as excited about this as we are. We know that it is going to have a huge impact on our kids--hopefully a positive one. I want them to know that there are others in this world who don't have the things we have and that we are called to help and support the fatherless. If we can make one (or two, or three, or four) kids fatherless no more, then we should. We should support our friends who are also going through this journey.

Why a child with Special needs?
I honestly don't know. At the beginning of the school year, I decided I wanted to go back to school and get my master's in Special Education. I LOVE my class with my inclusion kids. I've always felt that I worked better with students with special needs. Maybe that's why. Maybe I've seen too many kids who don't have parents who care about them and struggle, but "get it" when you spend a few minutes with just them. We didn't specifically search out a child with special needs. We know that God created her for us almost three years ago.

Why Eastern Europe and not here?
It never was a choice for us. We saw this sweet blonde hair, blue eyed precious doll and knew she would be a part of our family as soon as we could make it happen. We didn't research different countries or programs. We fell in love with a little girl. We are excited (and terrified/nervous) about our travels abroad. We've never been out of the country before, so this is a completly new adventure for us. Eric isn't a traveler. He travels for work and wants to stay home when he's not working. I, on the other hand, would LOVE to travel the world. I want to see what God has created for us. I've been lucky enough to travel all over the United States. Now I'm excited to see Eastern Europe, specifically where my daughter has called home for the past two and half years.

Why?
A friend told me today when I was discussing this with her, "How do you explain your heart?" This so sums it up. How can I put words to what I just know is the right thing? How do I put words into knowing that THIS is the child we were meant to have; she just happens to live thousands of miles away.

A little news, but not good news

Like my friend MaryLeigh said today "we wait, and wait, and wait"

We mailed our court documents almost four weeks ago, and they still haven't gotten to EE where they have to be before may 12 in order for our facilitator to sub,it them when she's in region. We took a cheaper route mailing them through USPS instead of Fedex-ing them. Fedex was going to be almost $500 to send it. Not sure if the lady behind the counter knew what she was doing or what, but we didn't use them. USPS was only supposed to be 7-10 days for delivery, but, that's fell through.

I guess it's back to the notarizing, certifying, and apostiling. If it's not one thing, it's another. Good thing I'm learning patience :)

My Dear Lyubov Jane,

My Dear Lyubov Jane,

I loved you the first moment I saw your picture. I knew that you belonged to our family; that God created you for us to love and nurture and watch grow into a beautiful adult. Your daddy and I had never seriously talked about adopting, but when I saw you, I knew it was meant for us to pursue you becoming part of our family. I never knew how much I wanted you until I saw you—saw your picture was amazing, but holding you in my arms was even better. I did not want to let you go. Leaving your country was even harder. As the miles grew further and further between us, my heart tore more and more. I knew that I would see you soon, but I wanted you right beside me on that long flight home.

When we started our journey to bring you home, we knew there would be bumps along the way. But, we also knew that all of this was in God’s plan for our family. You are our prize at the end of this long, sometimes frustrating, journey we started in October. Everything has moved so quickly, those times that we have to slow down are the ones that stress me out and frustrate me the most. I hoped that we would have you here with us by now, but that has not been in His master plan. We know that we will travel when the time is right. It’s hard not having any control over when I get to hold you and kiss those sweet checks of yours again, but I know in time I will. My faith is with our Heavenly Father that our timing is going to be perfect. You will officially become our daughter when HE sees fit.

I pray for you each night. I pray that you won’t forget us; that you will know how much we love you and want you for our daughter. I pray that you will know that we are your parents the moment we take you out of your orphanage and make our way home. I pray that you will love your brother and sister. I pray that you will run after our Lord. I pray that you will know the Word and live by it. I pray that you will forgive us for taking you away from everything that you have known for the past three years, and love what we can give you in return.

My sweet, sweet daughter, I love you. I can not wait to see the child God has created you to be. Our faith is with the one and only in this journey. We know that you are ours, forever and ever.

Love,
Mom