Referral Day!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallej - lu - ja! We're jumping with joy to announce that we have received a referral for sibling girls (ages 2 and 4-6) and we accepted that referral this morning. The girls are currently in a city 220 miles outside of the capital city of E Country, and therefore are clear of the ban that's currently holding things up for the other families in our and other agencies. Please pray that the ban is lifted soon and that the ethics of international adoption will have been protected without children suffering needlessly separated from their forever families in institutions.

N is the 4-6 year old - her orphanage paperwork indicates that she is 4 years old, however the doctor who performed her physical examination in February indicated that he estimated her age a little older - it's sad when six is considered old, but that's how it can be. We'd rather know there's this possibility and we are okay with that. When children are abandoned and sometimes even when they are relinquished, birthdates are unknown, so it's hard to say for sure. We can have the children evaluated once they're home and come a little closer for school purposes, etc. She is tall and lanky and thin and has round deep-set dark eyes. The picture is scanned and the quality is terrible, we can barely make out her delicate nose. N does not look very happy in her referral picture, she looks scared and sad, which breaks my heart. I know it may not be accepted immediately, but I can't wait to comfort her and love her and hug her and make her trust that everything will be alright and to see her smile.

J is the 2 year old and she is a roly-poly little thing with cherubic cheeks and sweet eyes and a delicate mouth. I just want to shnuggle her. Gigs suggested she had a pillow under her shirt, but I said she could not deny the bod with those cheeks. Mmmmmm, I could eat 'em both up.

We're hoping to be assigned a court date for July later this week or early next week - we'll see what happens. Everyone asks, "What's next then?" The process goes like this now:

1. Our In-country coordinator goes to the Court to request a date and presents our paperwork.
2. He is given our court date.
3. Our agency tells us our court date (hopefully this week, maybe next)
4. In the meantime, the girls are moved to the transition house in the capital city where they will be cared for and updates provided to us - hopefully with some smiling pics.
5. Our power of atty goes to court on our behalf on our court date.
6. We pass with no problems (or not and are assigned a new court date).
7. We get a call or email saying we passed court; the children are legally ours.
8. Sometime between court and Embassy appt the girls are tested and determined to be negative for TB (or not in which case they stay in country for 6 months of treatment).
9. We plan travel around a US Embassy appointment made by our agency.
10. We travel to E Country and meet the girls.
11. We all go to the US Embassy appointment to get the girls' visas.
12. We all fly back to the States together and live happily ever after...after our transition and bonding period, of course.

I've been weepy and overjoyed and freaking out all day; am having a really hard time focusing on work - good thing I had lots of meetings - that's always easier to focus on. I'll fill you in on another amazing little thing that came about today as well when I have a bit more time.

All Praise be to God - miracles happen even amidst a ban in the Country - God's timing.

Please pray them home with us and for the Courts to start hearing all waiting cases!