It has been about a month since we inquired about M* and submitted all of the things for our homestudy to be updated. As of today our child abuse checks are still not finished therefore our homestudy is has still not been reviewed by Gladney and is not on its way to CIS. I am very, very discouraged. I am trying to take all things in stride but I am getting a little irritated that such a trivial check (considering we had these done about 11 months ago and to date have not abused any children!!) is holding us completely up. Grr. I want to scream. Then I think about Eric and Tara who are still waiting for a successful court date and I feel sad for them. Thank goodness M* doesn't know about us yet so she isn't wondering where we are or when we are coming. Whoever said adoption is the "easy" way to have children, NEVER EVER adopted. In the meantime here are pics and videos of Ian. He keeps me cracking up and on the edge of my seat (literally, chasing after him) every day. In one video Ian is showing off his new cruising skills. He is so close to walking. He takes steps but loses his balance pretty quick so we are still working on it. In the other video he is just being his usual silly self. Enjoy.
Do I have anything on my face??
Too precious for words. Don't move Pacey... Brothers
Fingerprinting Day!! We're coming for you sister!!
He wants out!
I am trying to keep our blog up-to-date with nothing to report on our adoption. =( We have someone on the inside working to get our child abuse checks by the end of the week for us. If this person is able to pull some strings I will owe her big time! Once we get these we will wait for CIS approval, once again. Gotta love the waiting.. BOOO.
In the meantime I have a little, tiny distraction. Who am I kidding, there is nothing little about this distraction!!! He has a big personality as you can see in his pictures. Tooth number two has broken through today and we expect to see 2 teeth by the weekend!
I read on someone's blog that said it may be obnoxious to brag about your child but she couldn't help herself. I must follow her lead. There is just something about this kid that steals my world. It could be the way he talks all day and acts like I am the fool for not understanding. Or maybe the way he judges all things first by touch then by taste! It also could be the way his little pacifier quivers when he is just too tired to object to bedtime and he pulls the covers over his head in an effort to halt my ability to continue dressing him. I can't put my finger on what is so captivating about Ian, but he is even more wonderful than the day they placed him in my arms 4 months ago.
The video is of Ian's cousins helping him out in a friendly game of tag.
This week Ian got his first tooth and started saying "Ma-Ma"! FINALLY!!! I got to hear him do it for the first time after I had been at work all day. He waited for me to get home to say it which makes me very happy that I wasn't the last to hear it! The tooth finally popped through this week after many months of chewing on everything and having a swollen spot where the tooth was coming. Ian is growing up so fast I can't believe it sometimes. I made a DVD of our journey to him this weekend and when Cortney and I watched it we were both so surprised to see how little he was then. We are just a few days shy of having him in our arms for 4 months! I can't believe next month is birthday month. I don't think I'm ready.
We are currently completely held up on our second adoption. Everyone, even the USCIS, seems to be moving right along with our paperwork but our homestudy is still held up due to our child abuse checks. We had these checks done less than a year ago but for some reason the office that handles that is being so slow about getting the new report to our homestudy agency. This is the 4th week of waiting for a child abuse check to come back. A check that my social worker friend assured me takes only seconds to produce. I want to call and scream and yell at the lady in the Protection and Permanency office. However, that wouldn't be a very good thing to do so I am praying that the estimation she gave me is on the long side and that our checks will get to the homestudy agency sometime this week. There are days that I'm not ready for this again. I have said that many times but often I find myself not wanting to feel all of these emotions again. The constant state of hurry, trying to beat the clock (government shutdown), and no one understanding the urgency and dire need for everything to be perfect. Then I look at the pictures that tell a story about a little girl who needs a mother, father, and baby brother desperately, and I press on.
This week Cortney and I have also been thinking about all of the things our 8 year old daughter will need! What does an 8 year old need? EVERYTHING!!! I am looking forward to buying her bedroom furniture and decorating her room. My first purchase for her was pajamas. All very cute and very stylish since from the pictures we have so far and our first meeting, she appears to be quite the diva! I haven't bought any clothes because I have no idea what size to buy! But I am enjoying looking at little girl things!
We still aren't sure about the school situation. M* is in an all English speaking school but has only been there since Aug 07. She is said to be in the 2nd grade but I worry about the transition into the mainstream school system. I am not sure what we will do there. I have ready some interesting things about our options but my mind is not totally made up. Permanent homeschooling is not an option for us but possibly a good way to play catch-up. I just don't know yet.
I leave you with a video of Ian not quite using his table manners! He usually spits everything back at me at least once!
Tonight as I watched American Idol gives back my heart ached for so many reasons. Largely my daughter, 9000 miles away, knowing nothing of a family awaiting her with as much love as she could ever want. I don't know how God steered my heart to Ethiopia but I thank Him every day for the opportunity to have Ian and M* in my life. As I watched the stories of poverty and despair tonight I saw one common thing...hope. Hope like we could never imagine, a will to make it, and appreciation for help.
Pray for the millions of orphans that cannot be saved, children who will die from diseases that could be cured without a mother or father to comfort them.
I wish I had more to report on anything but the truth is we had a very relaxing weekend just hanging out with family! I continue to make progress on paperwork and I am proud of what I have been able to do while juggling many tasks. I have had some super help though. Cortney, my once paperwork fearing husband, is now the king of perfect documents! He searches through each document that he is responsible for making sure everything is perfect. He has had to have a few re-done but he fought those fights and I got to just sit back and watch! It is wonderful!
Some days I wonder how we ever get anything accomplished. Our lives have changed so drastically I don't even know how to begin to articulate that to all of the about-to-be parents. There are things that I never imagined would be difficult that now are IMPOSSIBLE! Running errands, shopping without a cart (for even just a few things), getting in the car in the morning (21 lb baby, 10 lb car seat, 15 lb diaper bag, 5 lb purse, 3 lb lunch, cup of coffee = scalded, broken down mommy). Don't get me wrong, the child is a dream to have! Anyone who can make me laugh at 3 am should get a prize or something! Just the way of life has changed. So as we approach this adoption and the preparations for M* complete organization has had to prevail.
On a side note, we got our fingerprint appointment for this Friday, April 11th. It has only been about 2 weeks since I sent in our I-600A. I was a little shocked to get an appointment that fast but I am not allowing any false hope of a quick I-171H. I am planning on being realistic, enjoying the process, not wishing life away, and praying that God will bring her to us as quickly as possible.
Crawling on all fours! Our latest accomplishment! Carrying a princess necklace...daddy's least favorite toy!
Cutest little shoes on the cutest little feet!
We had to keep the pacifier in to keep the rocks out!!!
Too precious for words.
Don't move Pacey...
.JPG)
