We got to see Amelia yesterday for the first time in three months and the kids got to meet her for the first time ever!!!!! I can’t begin to describe how amazing it feels to finally have us all together in the same place! The kids adore Amelia. Anna smothers her with kisses, Levi is so patient with her and wants to share all of his toys, and Claire is very much enjoying having a playmate. Amelia is so used to having lots of people around who come and go, it doesn’t seem that she even notices her siblings yet but in time we know she will learn to love them as they love her! Much like last time, she has bonded more quickly than expected with both Justin and I. At first, any touch or interaction seems to upset her but with patience and persistence, she relaxes and at the end of today, was even reaching toward me wanting to be held.
You’ll have to accept my apology for not updating better, we have been exhausted!! Even today, all of the kids fell asleep at 2pm and got a good 7 hour nap in while we visited Amelia so we likely won’t be sleeping tonight either. Slowly but surely, they are getting closer to the right schedule!!
We are learning again that just because God calls you to do something, it doesn’t mean that it’s going to be easy! The enemy is NOT pro-adoption and we have had quite a few bumps along the way.
To start with the good news … we made it!!!! A 9 hour flight, 90 minute layover (where they dumped out ALL of our bags!), another 3 hour flight, a sleepless night, a 2.5 hour train ride, a 45 minute layover outside in the snow, and another 35 minute train ride …. ALL with 4 carseats, 2 big suitcases, a diaper bag, breast pump bag and cooler, and three backpacks. Surviving traveling with little kids is enough to make anyone feel like they can conquer anything!!!
When we arrived at the orphanage, I had the perfect moment planned out in my head complete with beautiful reactions from the kids and a video recording. On the way there (we have to take two taxis), all of the kids fell asleep … un-wakeably asleep! Justin and I spent about two hours alone with Amelia while the others slept on the couch and I only caught Anna’s initial reaction on camera because Levi and Claire woke up and saw her before I could get to my phone. I should know by now that life with this many little kids certainly won’t be predictable!! And still we have those precious moments forever engrained on our hearts.
Amelia is doing well. She hasn’t grown much, if at all, since we left and Claire has grown quite a bit so they are about the same size now and are completely adorable together.
I wish that we could share pictures with everyone but we have to be very careful until the adoption is finalized. You can be confident that I am taking lots and saving them all for you. We will be able to share them in about a month.
And for the “bumps” I mentioned …. the situation with the judge isn’t quite like we were told before we arrived. Typically the district of the court that oversees adoptions from this particular orphanage is a different division than the one that we have to use (due to the address of the orphanage worker who was assigned as Amelia’s legal guardian) so they don’t have adoptions cases very often and aren’t confident in the procedure. Because of this, things are moving much slower than they had anticipated. We were supposed to be able to pick Amelia up from the orphanage either yesterday or today to being our bonding period in a larger city where we had spent weeks finding the perfect apartment (with a playground and just across the street from coffee, food, and a big grocery store) but instead we had to find an apartment in the smaller town where the orphanage is located so that we can be within walking distance to visit with her each day while we wait until we can take her with us for good. Our apartment has no heat, no hot water, there is no nearby food, playground, or grocery store … Oh, and did I mention it’s SNOWING? And we didn’t pack for walking back and forth in the snow. The kids are grouchy, cold, hungry, and tired and already begging to go home. Our little girl needs us so desperately …. thus, we press on! Please join us in prayer that the judge is able to approve the start of our bonding period very soon so that we can take Amelia with us and start the 6-week “clock” of our trip. As of right now, we could be looking at up to 2 weeks before this step is complete. The nuns have told us many times that they are so pleased with our family and one of them went to the judge personally today to see if she could help her move things along, this slower process is a new experience for them too. It’s so special to know that they are working to help us get Amelia home!
So for now, we visit Amelia as much as they will let us and enjoy knowing that we never have to say goodbye again. This is only temporary and we ARE coming home with 4 kids …. someday.
“I called you answered,
and you came to my rescue
and I want to be where you are.”
-Hillsong United "Came to my Rescue"
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