Waiting for news and praying...

It is now 5:25 PM in Addis Ababa. The court day has certainly come to an end - the decision that has been rendered to finalize our adoption or to delay remains unknown. I'm anxious to hear, Gigs is anxious to hear, Big Brother is anxious to hear. Friends and family continue to pray. Friends have called, friends have emailed, friends have commented on the blog....

I pray for good news, but right now I cannot help but pray for peace for someone who had to make her way to the capital from 220 miles away to stand before this judge and make it clear that she consents to this adoption. I cannot imagine her grief. I cannot imagine having to make this choice. I sense in my aching heart the love required to do this. And, I weep.

One Week and Counting

One week from tomorrow is our scheduled court date in Ethiopia to finalize the adoption of our girls. I honestly do not know where the last month has gone. We could be travelling to pick the girls up in as little as 5 weeks.

I am overwhelmed with emotions and feel somewhat unable or unwilling to unleash them; I'm not quite sure where it will lead. Most of the time I am overjoyed and excited; at other times, I feel full of anxiety about the unknown. This is such a monumental thing that will drastically change so many lives. Knowing that is one thing, experiencing it firsthand is another.

At some point, I want to write a message to each of our girls. I want to addess some of their very limited history and birth family. I want to share about being a mom again. I want to explore my concerns and anxieties. I instead will focus on the practical for the time being - there's the room preparation, minimal, but necessary clothing purchases, language studies, pediatrician selection, etc. Oh, and of course, all the other things that go on whether we have this impending change or not, you know, like work, and groceries, and housekeeping, etc. This is where I must focus for now.

I think I've come down with a bit of a cold and I'm going to bed early - there's a little germ monger who was here visiting I have to thank for that! Love and miss you Josiah!

12 days until Court!

I'm starting to feel like there's just not enough time to do everything that will be necessary to prepare for the girls to come home. My best friend is here visiting with her 3 1/2 year old son. I was teasing her that she should have probably visited me before we said yes to two children, one of which is close in age to her son, Josiah. I am trying to imagine how I will do this with no language. I am ordering language resources to study tomorrow!

Okay, the other thing I must say is that my head is still not in the game - I sent my Dad a father's day card, thank goodness, because I totally spaced on Sunday and didn't call home. On top of that today was my mom's birthday and I don't know how it got to be June 23! It was June 1 yesterday. I did remember and told my friend, I have to call my mom. Mom called me before I called her as I was waiting until company left and then we rushed off to dinner. I missed mom's call while there - it's just been that way. Yesterday, right after my BFF, Deedlebug arrived we were having sandwiches and I uncapped a jar of marinara sauce, but I forgot that I had loosened the top. I picked it up, aimed the top at her and popped the bottom with the palm of my hand (to break the seal) - well, you can imagine what Deedlebug looked like - half the jar flew out all over her face and chest and all over the kitchen. Welcome to Virginia Beach!

Court Date Assigned!

We received our court date this week and it is just 18 days from now - July 6! It is hard to believe that after 3 years of this crazy process that we could be official parents in a little over 2 weeks. Praise God!

Several things must happen after we pass court - the E Country government will issue birth certificates and then passports; the girls will have another round of blood tests; then our embassy appointment will be confirmed. Our agency has 2 days per month for which their cases can be heard at the American Embassy. It looks like we could make the August 5 or August 19 dates if things go ultra-smoothly.

We are not required to be present for court as we have a power of attorney who handles this in country. We will get short notice and be required to travel to pick the girls up and attend the embassy appointment for the purpose of obtaining their IR-4 visas. We'll then travel home with the girls and begin the post-placement process. We'll have several visits by our local social worker over the next year and then we go through a final re-adoption in Virginia at which time the girls will become American citizens. Every year thereafter, we must send a report to E Country until the girls are 18.

Well, this has been a very technical report of the events of the week and doesn't begin to address the emotions that Gigs and I are feeling. I'm not quite so able to put that into words yet, so suffice it to say - AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!

No news to speak of

Well, I have not updated this blog because there's really been no news. I did hear from our agency rep that the girls were moved to the transition/foster home that the agency sponsors in the capital city, however that is all she said. Our in-country coordinator has had no electricity for days and he was not apparently able to contact the state-side people after mid-week. We're hoping that there's still a chance he was able to submit our paperwork and request a court date for us. It's very difficult not knowing the timing of things, but I do understand that this is international adoption and such luxuries as information come few and far between.

I'm feeling pretty peaceful that the timing is in God's hands and that it will come, it is just a matter of time. We could get in before the rainy season and be home this summer; we could get pushed to October when the courts reopen and travel in November or so; we could get in before all the pending cases are heard; we could get pushed behind all the waiting cases; we could get in before rainy season, but not pass the first time, then be pushed to fall. I could go on and on and in my mind, I do. My concern is just that we get through the process and home as soon as possible for the girls and so as not to risk something freezing up or closing. I try not to dwell on those scenarios (back to that peace thing...), but of course, we've seen it happen so many times.

Hopefully, we will have good news to post about our case as well as the other cases held up in the ban.

Please pray that the girls are settling in, not too frightened and confused, and getting good care; that they are making friends with the other children; and, that they are being prepared (as much as is possible) for the adoption. Also, pray for God to move in Ethiopia and kick Satan out of this process - Satan so obviously loves to keep families apart and he surely hates adoption!

How fast will things move?

Now that we've accepted our referral, it sounds like things could happen very quickly. The agency anticipates getting our court date next week and anticipates that the court date will be prior to rainy season court closures. Our in-country coordinator is travelling to pick the girls up tomorrow to bring them to our agency's transition home in the capital city. On one hand, that's great - it's another step forward in the process; they'll probably have better care; we'll get more updates, etc. On the other hand, the girls have probably been through much change and loss already and every move, being surrounded by all new people, rattles a kid's sense of security; it adds another element of trauma; teaches them they cannot count on anyone. Looking in those sad, scared little eyes, I can see that there's already some hurt and much uncertainty there. It breaks a mother's heart to think about their child hurting; I have that feeling - wishing I could take the pain for them or at least comfort and reassure them that not all change is all bad. Every child deserves a family and a mother to care that much for them - I hope that one day soon they will accept my love and believe again.

Thank you for this opportunity, Lord, but please guard the girls' hearts and minds during this transition, let it be quickly viewed as positive by the girls and bring smiles to their faces soon, Lord. Let them be children...Help us to prepare to love them and to help them heal and to trust. In Jesus name, amen.

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!