Patience is a Virtue

I have written consistently on what it is like to wait. This, unfortunately, isn't like waiting in line at the grocery store where the end is actually in sight. Although I can scarcely see the light at the end of the tunnel, it is there and I have to have faith that it will get brighter and brighter as time passes. But, what to do with all of this time? I decided to call Holt this past Monday to see where Emme is in obtaining her EP (emigration permit). Lisa tells me that my wait could still be a long one...they have just started with the children whose acceptance papers were submitted in March. We didn't submit until the middle of April. Sigh. I then contacted immigration to see where in tarnation my I-600 is hiding. She was actually nice enough to get it done that day. So, that should be in my hot little hands next week. Not to mention that I thought I only had to wait a week and half to two weeks to get that and it has been over a month. Sigh again. The good news is that most of the paperwork on our end is done, at least for now. Although, the nerd in me wants more busywork to do. I know, very sad.
I sent over our first care package on Monday also. It took about one week for me to compile all the things I wanted to send over. Thanks to a great new friend that I met in our Parents in Process meeting (thanks Heather), I was able to send over some neat stuff. I purchased a recordable book with Daddy, Mommy and Owen reading it, a Sesame Street book with little CDs, little snacks, a dolly holding a soft blankie, three or four onesies, chocolate for the foster family, a toy camera, disposable cameras and a few other small things. I actually got to wrap some of the gifts in princess paper. Weird. The only paper around here is monster trucks, Spiderman or Mario. This will taking a little getting used to, but I am up to the task! Emmeline's birthday is on the 23rd, so I am hoping it makes it there in time.
I have also been purchasing things for Emme's room. I have decided on a pink and green (although mainly pink of course) motif. When Troy takes the boys to the races in a couple of weeks, I have to get some work done in there. Drew is going into Tate's room with him and I think they are going to love bunking together. Drew is not too thrilled about being alone in his room now, so the timing should be good. Hopefully, all goes well.
On that note, that is all the news for now. I am hoping for nothing but good news and eagerly anticipate that travel call!

An Empty House

It isn't very often that Troy and I are at the house all by ourselves! My in-laws are in town and took all three boys camping across the river. I should be doing many different things, but can't seem to get myself off this chair. The house is so quiet. Let me tell you this...I love my boys as much as any mother can love her children, but just thinking about what I would like to do today is lovely. My plan was to plant some flowers, but the rain has dissolved that thought! Perhaps later this afternoon. Troy is parked in front of the television. Two races in one day! And he can watch every minute of them (not that he will because I am sure he will sleep). I love you boys, but I am really enjoying my restful afternoon.
So, where are we in the adoption process? A good guess would be waiting for something. You would be correct. We have sent in the I-600 form, which is basically permission to accept an orphan into our family permanently. This is different from the I-600A, which is the advance petitioning for an orphan. We already received that one back, so hopefully, the next form will come quickly. I sent it in two weeks ago and was told it would be seven to ten business days before receiving approval, so hopefully, it will come this week. Emme's emigration permit has been applied for (I think) and that will take about two months to get back. Then, her visa is applied for. I believe this takes a couple of weeks. There is also a few more steps beyond that. We are hoping she will be home in September or October. The earlier the better if you ask me. Unfortunately, no one asks.
I underestimated the feelings I would undergo as we await our travel call. People ask me often how many children I have. My instant answer is three. That is not true any longer. I have four....one I have yet to meet. It is truly a strange thing...knowing I have a little girl who is nearly one and lives on the other side of the world. It is a difficult thing to wrap my mind around. So, yes, I have four kids...yet it really doesn't seem that way. It will.

Emme

One of the main reasons that adoption takes so long is because of governmental policy...not just that of the United States government, but Korea also. It seems that every division is just so backed up! For example, our little girl's visa takes two months to get and then there is more waiting after that. I just submitted her legal paperwork and our I-600 immigration form on Monday, so hopefully we will hear back from that late next week. Then, we wait. And wait. And wait. And then probably wait some more. But, this is what we signed up for. And I will wait as long as I need to in order to get my daughter home! I look at her picture every day and wonder what she is doing at that very moment. It seems strange to me that I know she exists, but she has no idea who I am! She will eventually....I hope she likes me.
We finally decided on a name for our little girl. Troy took a while to come around to it, but put it on the mother's ring he got me for Mother's Day. What a guy! We haven't quite decided on Emmeline or Emmelyn, but we will call her Emme. Also, we have chosen Joelle for her middle name. This is Jo for my mom, -ell for my grandma, and my middle name is Daelle, so it's close to mine. All in all, I am thrilled. My little prize...my Emme.

My Boys

I was just checking my blog tonight and noticed the picture of all three boys at the top. I found myself wondering about time and curious as to how it passes so quickly. That picture was taken one year ago on Easter. To me, my boys look the same, but if they were standing in front of me right now, I would see the differences in them. In this life, the only job I ever really wanted was to be a mom. Everything else came after it. Last night, the boys were particularly clingy. So much that I hid in the laundry room just for ten minutes of peace and quiet. Tonight, I am embarrassed by that. They are little for such a short period of time and there I was, huddled in the laundry room. Now, I do think that every mom needs some time away, so maybe it is just guilt that I am feeling. I love my boys with every ounce of my being. My life would be empty without them. God gave me three precious children and sometimes I just need to remind myself that it won't be like this for long. That is actually a song by Darius Rucker (Hootie). I am not a fan of his, but this song has deep meaning. It seems like they grow an inch in the blink of an eye. I simply want my boys to know that I love them more than anyone else ever could and I will never stop hugging them too long or kissing them one to many times. No matter how big they get, they will always be my little boys.

The Only Thing that Stays the Same is that Everything Changes

I decided I had better update my blog before our daughter actually comes home. ;-) We received a call in early March about a little girl that needed a home. This was nothing that we had anticipated...we had still thought that our little one was going to be Ethiopian. Holt sent us the child's file and we fell in love! She is a beautiful nine month old baby girl. She appears very healthy at this point and we hope she stays that way! If not, we are her family and will love her regardless! We have been told that six months is the normal wait time, so we wait. Troy is planning on traveling with my dad. Unfortunately, I am not going. I would love to. The idea of both Troy and me on a flight is slightly scary and I want to use my time off work to be home with the boys and my new daughter. I do think that this is going to be a long six months! Please pray for all of us...our daughter, her foster family, our family and everyone who will be in this precious little girl's life. Thank you again for your continued love and support!

Fingerprint Appointment!

We got our fingerprint appointments in the mail yesterday! Mine is on St. Patrick's Day and Troy's is the day after. I am excited! The only problem is that the government may be shutting down. Ugh. Figures. The one time we need something from the government and it may not be functioning. Let's hope the people in Washington can figure something out! I need to get this done! Why is it always something? I never would have guessed that this was a possibility....let's hope it all works out!

On the Wrong Side of the Circle of Life

It has been a week of major downs and an up for us. We have known five people that have gone to heaven this past week. Five. The one that really hit home was the husband of my cousin. He was killed in a freak accident at the age of 33. He and my cousin have three small children and it really leaves a person to wonder why this happens. No one knows. When I reach the pearly gates, that is one of the many questions I will have for God. Why? I don't know that He will have an answer for me and frankly, I may not even be interested in the answer once my earthly life is gone and I have no worries. But, while I am here, I would like to know why awful things happen to good people. It doesn't seem to make any sense at all. Tomorrow, we have to put my dog to sleep. He has been my buddy since we brought him home from the pound six years ago. Samson has been a great dog for our family and will be sadly missed. Having to say goodbye to those that we love in this life is so hard, but I have faith that we will all be together again. One of the wonderful things is that today is my Drew's 4th birthday! We had a great day together! We went to McDonalds Playland for lunch and visited Jumpin' Janes for supper and had lots of fun with the cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. We are so lucky to be loved. Happy Birthday sweet boy...I love you more than you will ever know!