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Birthday Gift! News on Little C's VISA

Jon got a great birthday gift today!


We have been waiting for over two months to hear ANYTHING about Little C and we finally got word today that his VISA medical exam is scheduled for Dec. 15, and the VISA interview is scheduled for Dec. 19. Now we are just praying this really does happen as it is Typhoon season and there is a big system heading towards the Philippines. Not to worry about Little C as his island should be safe, but the main government systems in Manila could be affected which could deter the adoption timeline even more.

Following the VISA appointments we have been told it is typically a quick turnaround until we are called and told we can travel; however, they will be closed for about a week during Christmas so this will add time to our wait I'm sure. So we are thinking we may be traveling the end of January, mid-January at the earliest, could even be February.

So, truth be told, I am accepting this news with both joy and sadness. I only had celebration on my mind with this nagging thought way in the back, and then our son, Caleb, brought that thought to the front....

Caleb: "So this means we will get him before Christmas!?!"
Me: "No, sorry buddy, it won't be until January at the earliest"
Caleb: "oh." with a sad look in his eyes...

I wanted BOTH of my boys home for Christmas. I wanted two extra weeks home with Little C over Christmas so not only I could bond with him longer, but Caleb will be home from school and could bond and Jon would have holiday vacation as well. I wanted to be done with my holiday concerts and then hop on a plane. I wanted to see my son - NOW. Not two more months from now.

I have selfishly thought that now that our life is all falling into place and we would be able to get him in a couple weeks that it would just work out for us. We wouldn't have more waiting to do. Things would finally go the way we were praying for. But, once again, we have more wait time and I'm just plain sick of waiting.

This will give us more time to prepare for him coming home. Both Jon and I will have more time at work to prep for our impending leave time. Hopefully over holiday break I can finish the boys room and get a couple other projects done. Yes, all of these things I guess are "good" for us - but what about Little C? Is waiting in an orphanage yet ANOTHER couple months good for him? Is it fair he has been in an orphanage for 14 months since we first said we were wanting to bring him to his forever family? I just don't get it. Well I do, I get t's need to be crossed and i's dotted so that corruption doesn't ensue - but at what cost to the child sitting in an orphanage? Especially when the child is already five years old and has been on a waiting child's list. I understand adoption corruption with babies - but why are we ALSO making it so hard to bring home the older children. Why does the process not go ten times faster for children over two. It makes zero sense to me. bah.

Ok. Enough of my frustration. Just wanted to share my thoughts tonight. I know the answer can be easy - "It's all in God's time" - but even that doesn't make sense during all of this adoption stuff - I just don't think God wants his children sitting in orphanages for years at a time unnecessarily. I don't think I'll ever fully wrap my head around it all. Tonight I'm just very thankful to know that at least the process is still taking place! I can banish my thoughts of worry that maybe the adoption is falling through, because as far as we know, we will see our little boy within the next two months, and that makes me VERY HAPPY.


 You know what else makes me happy? The fact that as I write this my husband is putting together LEGOS.  :)   We got him a set that is a VW camper van... he's been eyeing the thing for YEARS! I've been saving money from portraits I've taken and some of my lesson money so that I could get it for him. It has over 1000 pieces and he is like a kid in a candy store. It makes my heart happy! Especially when he is able to share his love of LEGOS with Caleb - and soon also with Little C. Good Stuff!

Caleb is the sheep.  :)

Hope you all have a great upcoming weekend! We have Caleb's first theater production he's ever done: "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever". The show started last night and is going great. I'm excited to see him again this weekend. Love sharing the excitement of theater with him. Makes me smile.

God's Blessings!
Mara

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