Getting Closer!!!

Wow, we have a lot to update.....so much has happened since our last post!!

On October 3rd we learned that we were officially matched with our little man!!  We were waiting for his country to officially say he could be ours!

That started another round of paperwork, and also allowed us to learn more about our beautiful little man.  He hasn't known who we are during this whole process, but we were able to send him a photo book of our family introducing ourselves, along with other gifts to help him learn about us and Maine!! This was so exciting!!

We also were asked what his American name would be, as they wanted to help with the transition and start calling him by his new name.  That is where it gets interesting...

Apparently there is already another Peter in his foster home, and they were concerned that it would confuse them to have the same name!!  So after much debate our little man will be called Theo (Theodore - Gift from God).  He is truly a gift from God, and we are so blessed that he will be joining us soon!

We are waiting for Article 5 at the moment (which is the official US paperwork allowing him to become a member of our family).  Once we get that our wait should be about 10-12 weeks.  We are anticipating receiving that in the next week or so.

Prayers for a smooth process would be much appreciated, and we could be traveling in the end of Jan/beginning of February!!

Quick Update

Quick update.....

Just wanted to keep everyone as updated as possible.

The last few months have been a true emotional roller coaster.  Adoption is definitely not for the faint of heart.... but we are holding on, and holding close to prayer and trusting His plan for us and for Peter.

We finally received supplemental questions from his country yesterday.  This is an expected step along the journey to Matching Approval.  We were not certain that this would ever come, but it finally has.  So we at least know now that his country is finally processing our application.

We still think we are a long way from bringing him home, but we trust that God will protect him and us.

Please keep the prayers coming!!!!!!!!  Thank-you for hanging in there with us.

On Growing Weary...

I've been avoiding the blog again.   Sorry, folks.  It's not that I don't WANT to blog or talk to you....it's just that I'm tired.

I'm tired of waiting.

I'm tired of praying for news.

I'm tired of playing email-tag.

I'm tired of the rush-rush-rush to fill out one more form (that we already filled out months ago).

I'm tired of wondering just when our little boy is going to be in my arms.

I'm tired of trying to answer the question "When do you go get him?"

I'm just tired.   And so I don't blog.  I don't talk about him.  I don't talk about where we are in the process.  I don't give out updates.  I'm emotionally exhausted.

It's been 17 months now since we first committed to this process.   SEVENTEEN MONTHS.   That's a long time, y'all.   We knew going into it that it could take this long......what I didn't know was how much of a toll this waiting process was going to take on us.

The emotional roller coaster of moving forward a step.....and then back two.....then forward again.....then standing still......it's exhausting.   

Every week, I wake up thinking, "Maybe this is it - maybe this is the week that we get matched to him!"

And then it doesn't happen and the crash at the end of the week is torture.

We get little glimmers of hope:  

"He's still available for adoption and the agency is officially recommending your family."

(That was last week's email)

Then nothing.

More silence.

More questions to answer with answers that I don't have.

And I don't feel comfortable talking about any of this with anyone.   Those who aren't adopting have a hard time understanding just what the process is even like.  Our friends who are adopting are struggling with the same thing, and their children are often in horrible situations - overcrowded orphanages where their child never leaves his/her crib.   They don't need to hear it from me, too, when it's already playing on repeat in their own minds.  Peter's in a good place - he's being well cared for.   He's receiving wonderful medical care and treatment.   How could I be so incredibly inconsiderate to complain about MY situation when Peter's in a good place....and they're dealing with the same emotional roller coaster and mound of paperwork and stress and they don't have the reassurance that their child is being well-cared for?

And so I don't say anything.  And I don't blog.  I just keep trying to help their fundraising efforts, be there to listen to them cry and stress, keep praying for their children every night.

I don't tell anyone about the stress of finding child care when our trip comes.   I don't tell anyone about the stress of timing - how I want to go as soon as possible to pick him up, but worry about the cost if we travel in the summer vs the winter as we originally thought we would be.  (Plane tickets are twice the cost if we travel this summer.....and that's a lot of money).  

I try to hold on to the little glimmers of hope.  The fact that he's available.  The fact that our referral is awaiting official approval by the government and could come any day.

I try to push through the days like today, where all I want to do is go back to bed and cry because I'm just so tired of waiting.   

I just keep plugging along....trying to focus on the positives.

It's just so tiring.

I'm weary.

Thankful Thursdays

Join me!

I kind of forgot it was Thursday, whoops!   That's the one real downside I've found of homeschooling so far - it lends itself so well to having a flexible schedule that I often forget what day of the week it is!    

Anywho....today I am thankful for:

- a hardworking husband who is currently teaching the boys how to build something for the yard

- healthy children

- hot coffee that I get to drink WHILE IT IS HOT

- getting in a workout FOUR days this week already!

- spring weather to enjoy

How about you?   Share your blessings today!

Progress - and a request for more prayers!

I finally get to update the blog with actual progress!    Do you guys realize just how *good* it feels to do that?    I've been avoiding this blog for weeks, just because I had nothing of substance to tell you guys, and I didn't want to bore you with just another account of "We're still waiting."

But today is different!  Today, I have news!

Remember that delay we hit a few months ago?  It's been resolved.  The paperwork we were waiting on has been approved by Peter's country.   This is a BIG step forward - finally, we can get on with the regular adoption process and *hopefully* will hear something about what is called "matching approval" soon.   MA will take Peter off of the open adoption list and officially match him to our family.   This can't happen soon enough, in my opinion!  

While we're extremely excited about finally hearing good news - we're also holding our breath.   All this time we've been working toward bringing Peter home (so, about 15 months now), he's been available for adoption by other families.    He could already be matched with another family and on his way home - or already in a home.   We just don't know exactly what his status is.

Our agency is trying to find out that information - trying to see if he is still available for us to adopt him.    Please join us in praying for God's will to be done in this situation.   While we are obviously emotionally attached to Peter already, if it is God's will that he be in another family, please help us to accept that.    My biggest prayer for this little boy is that he have a place to call home and a family who will love him for the rest of his life.   I'd like it to be our family, but if it is not to be, please pray that we can be grateful that he is in a family and has a home.   

If, by some chance, Peter has already been matched or adopted, please pray for our discernment in moving forward with another child.   I don't want to think of that possibility at this point, but it might be something that we will have to decide in the near future.   Please pray that we are able to faithfully carry out God's will for our family, no matter what that looks like.

Thank you so much for your support!!

A Non-Update

Hi all!

Wow, it's been a long time since I've blogged!  I'm so sorry!   I've had a hard time coming on here and posting something, knowing that some of you would see the new post in your email inboxes or on your newsfeed on FB and get all excited.......just to open it up and see that nothing's happening.

But it's been two months......I feel like I'm neglecting you!  So, here's your "non-update" for the day.

No new developments, unless you consider us having to re-do all of our background checks, FBI clearances, doctor's appointments (for the whole family), and vet appointments for the dogs to be new developments.    It's really just been a repeat of last winter - checklists and paperwork.   Nothing too exciting.

It's all finished now, though, which is a great feeling.   We got word yesterday that the overlooked piece of paperwork was just waiting final approval from Peter's government, and then we'd hopefully be moving on to the next step (it's called "matching approval" - where he's officially "matched" to us through a referral process, and then he's taken off of the open adoption list).   We're hoping to have that approval by our birthdays (both in April).   If that happens, then the paperwork delay would only have put us back a couple of months, not the whole year delay that was possible.   Please keep praying - I know those prayers are helping us through this delay!

So there you have it - our non-update.   We're still taking baby steps forward.  It's not much, but it's enough to get us closer to our goal of bringing Peter home!