A Gift

I recently go*gled the name of the orphanage where our son is living. A choice came up on Flic*r (which I knew had pictures) and a comment about it being where their son had spent his first 6 years.

Could it be? Was their son living there at the same time? As I was clicking on the link, I was trying to calculate how old my son had been the year they picked up their son. The second pic I looked at had about 8 toddlers in it. My brain was still trying to figure out my son's age that year. (OK, please remember I usually am on late at night!!) I finally did realize he would not have been that young, DUH........Then the next picture, I quickly scanned the "older" kids standing around. WHOA..........That's MY son!! A picture of him peeking out from behind a caretaker. I can't believe it, another picture of my sweet son at a one point in his life. Pictures of his first years will be so few, so this is such a TREASURE!

I have emailed the person and I hope maybe they have more!

In case you didn't know......

...we get to go bring our son home!!!! :)))

I love our small town feeling bank! I was making a deposit today and the teller was one that has been an employee there a long time. While she was doing the transaction I was asking her about our debit card and ATM card being able to be used in Thailand. She was double-checking with another long time employee who came over to the window also. After answering the first gal says "Going to get another baby?!" Now I realize the question wasn't really PC to many people, however I know there was no negative to the way she asked. They were so excited for us, couldn't believe the ages of our first 2 and I loved every minute of it! They were both a part of notarizing the papers for our first 2 as well!! And remember it! I felt like I had a pregnant belly showing!!

My kids love the "regular" teller because she remembers to put the to*tsie rolls in the envelope!! LOL


More later, I haven't had my computer for 2 days so I have some catching up to do!!

Breathe new life into

Well, how is that for a post title! I was tired of putting update into the title over and over again so I checked the thesaurus. This choice made me feel like I was putting a new cheery spin on a same old same old situation. I need all the cheery I can get.

I didn't call the travel agent. I figured if the price is going to go up then we could just go with the shorter notice which would also be more expensive. And I didn't want to know if it was going up so much that we would be more strapped then we already are.

It won't be March anyway, we would need to fly out next Tues. A week from tomorrow. Not quite possible for a family, kids staying behind, husband's job...

We received an email late Friday night from our agency contact letting us know she had an email response from the US Embassy in Thailand visa unit indicating they had not received the documents she sent. This was from Thursday in Thailand and the documents had been mailed the previous Friday by her. She had overnighted them. There was naturally nothing we could do, it was the weekend .

I do know at this time our contact is doing everything she can to help us.

I also know, above all else, our son has known for 1 full year now that he has a family waiting for him.

I also know we just spent 2 weeks getting documents sent from Thailand to the states just to be turned around and sent back same day. All for future families, to make it easier for them. In other words, we are a test case.

As I said on Friday night to my dear hubby......I am done being a guinea pig.

On another note, in very typical guy fashion, I really didn't have much from my hubby as far as where he stood with the frustrations of this situation. Until Friday night. He was able to express to me his thoughts and it is helpful to know I am not alone in hitting maximum patience.

I can without a doubt say...WE want our son home.........YESTERDAY.

Please pray.....to breathe new life into....

M

Answers

We need some answers.

We chatted with our travel agent last Friday, to ask if airfare had changed since early January. Fortunately, it has not. However, he reiterated the need to have at least 10 days notice for reasonably priced airfare. And the airfare will be going up in April and May. It always does he says.

So we need to know by Saturday. This Saturday. As in 3 days from now. March 7th.

Otherwise it will not be until April. At least. (I had to add this, cause who knows, really)

I did not ask what the airfare will go up to. I didn't want to know. I didn't want to think about NOT having my son home by then.

Chances of knowing by this Saturday? It really isn't 3 days, as it is Thursday day in Thailand right now. 11:12am to be exact. Only 1 1/2 days.

And we need answers from 2 different groups in those 1 1/2 days. First one, then the other. Not even simultaneously.

My mind works WAY too much on this stuff. But it is night time, munchkins are sleeping, dog is snoring, hubby is working. Night time is the worst for me, the thinking, frustration, sadness can overwhelm me so easily at this time of each day.

I need answers. Anyone??

M

New pics!!!!

We had a great day in adoption land yesterday! We not only found out the papers needed came much faster than anticipated but we got NEW pictures that were taken within the last week!! We had NO idea we would get something like this.

Oh, so exciting, yet hard to "see" him and hold in the desire to hop on the next plane to Thailand! The last pic we had was from a year ago and, of course, we think he is adorable. Taller but still very thin.

I wish we could share a pic of our new son, however we have signed papers saying we will not share his picture, specifically on the internet, until he is officially ours!

More tomorrow--kids are gone to Grandparents so Papa and I can do more sorting and cleaning! I need to work fast!!

Love to all,

M

Update and weather

We heard on Friday the Thai SW will work to get the necessary documents to submit to USCIS in Thailand for us. Unfortunately, the documents will need to be sent to the US/our agency and then back to Thailand but that seems par for the course at this point.

We, of course, have no timetable for the wait. Still.

On another note, we have some friends on a cruise of Asia right now. I received an email today saying they are in Vietnam and she says it is "very hot and hot and hot"!! There is not breeze and high humidity. The crazy part is they will be in Bangkok on Tues and Wednesday. We actually thought we would end up being able to be there at the same time! These sweet friends live in IL so it will be some time before they meet our new son. They were also the first to meet our Bug as they met Papa at the airport when we picked up Bug. It would have been very special to meet them in Thailand.

My sweet friend was actually silly enough to ask me in the email if there was anything I wanted her to pick up while she was in Thailand. LOL

I answered with 2 simple words-- MY SON!!!!!!!!

I love ya, L!!


M

Orphanage Donations

The orphanage where our son lives has a wishlist for items they need. We, by no means, have to do this, however, we would like very much to be able to take a suitcase FULL of items to donate to them. They have cared for our son since he was 10 days old. He isn't too far from double digits now, so this has been his home for a long time. We would like to provide for some of the over 300 children that are waiting for their forever families in his orphanage alone.



We need YOUR help to fill the suitcase!





I have listed the items off their list below and would love to share our address with you if you are interested in helping. We have made this a service project for our children in the past when we have done similiar projects! They love to go with to help pick out the items and pack them up! If you would prefer to make a donation and we do the shopping that is fine, too. (More money can go to buying items without shipping costs.) I again, would provide our address to save on the Paypal fee or you can make a donation through Paypal. Please specify it is for the suitcase donations. Please leave me a comment!!

We also hope to take cookies or cupcakes when we are there for a party for the kids! They have sports items listed like soccer balls, basket balls, plastic bats and balls, etc....that we hope to purchase there and take with us.

Fun things to think about while we deal with this dreadful wait and uncertainty!!

Thank you for helping this orphanage provide for these little ones! God bless you~

M


Pencils, pens, texta colors, crayons, pencil sharpeners, rulers, paints and paint brushes, palletes, colored paper for collage, sticky tape, coloring in books, Baby shampoo, soap, baby talcum powder, heat-rash powder, toothpaste, toothbrushes, nail brushes, hair brushes, sun block, babies bottles, Dettol, bandaids, cotton wool, antiseptic creams and swabs, bandages (all types), saline, tweezers, eye wash cups, aloe vera gel, aeroguard or Rid, wool or cotton blankets

102*

That is the temp expected today (Wed in Thailand) where our sweet son is currently living. And it was a balmy 42* when my kids went outside today to run around the circle for gym! Our temp was unseasonably warm, too!

Yikes, is our boy in for a shock!!!!!!!

M

When?

This was the conversation between Bug and I today.

Bug--When is Munchkin going to come home? (Said with much sadness)

Me--I just don't know, Honey.

Bug--Well, we've known about him since I was 4 years old.

Complete pause from me and after a few minutes of thinking.....

Bug was right. He was a few months away from being 5 when we first found our son. Bug is now a few months over 6.

I would love to be able to answer his question.

M

Peace

I am getting nowhere in my pursuit of bringing my son home.

Wait, that isn't exactly true.

I have come to the realization that it is completely out of my hands. It is in God's hands. I know I have done everything I possibly can at this time to........

I was about to say I was trusting God.

But I am unable to completely let go! I went back and changed the last sentence to include at this time. So am I saying for today and maybe tomorrow, I have done everything I can? But wait a few days and then I will need to be back to "doing" everything I can?

Here is what I have been doing.....

Calling every agency in the US that might possibly have any info for me, staying up late at night to be on Thailand time to call there to any agency that might have an answer, reading the same pages on the websites with info on visas, passports, etc....(I could do an infomercial at this point!), dwelling for most of the day on who I might be able to contact, what idea am I missing.....

Here is what I am missing.....

I am missing time with the 2 precious beings I do have right here with me. It will never again be just the two of them after Munchkin #3 comes home. I am missing days of their childhood that we KNOW goes way too fast anyway. I can't get those back! I have missed chances to laugh with them, pray with them, teach them, dance with them, talk with them, etc.....

Yes, I am missing those days with Munchkin #3, but he is not here right now. Peanut and Bug are here.

God has blessed me immensely with these 2 children. The struggle was long and hard. I do completely understand the beauty and wonder of being a Mother. Yet, I have been practically a zombie, living in a place on the other side of the world where I am not really "there" for anyone. #3 is going about his day just as normal, not impacted in any way by the fact that his mother is obsessed with thinking about getting him home. Peanut and Bug are directly impacted and most likely in a negative way.

What if this was to be the last day I have with one or both of them? (God forbid!) Did I live it to the fullest? Do I have good memories to hold on to? Do they? Did I hug them and do they know I love them?

I am literally unable to surrender to God's plan fully.

God doesn't want us to trust Him half the time or even 3/4's of the time. We aren't suppose to put stipulations on our trust. And that is EXACTLY what I am doing! I am telling Him he can have this problem as long as I don't think I could do better. Then I will take it back until I have done what I want....then maybe hand it over to Him again.

How scary is that?! I think I can do better than God!?!!!! WHOA!!!!

So my goal (just so you know, I was doing it again...writing at this time) is to rejoice in the moments I have right here, right now. And to do my best to allow God to give me peace and acceptance of it all being done in His time.

I had that peace when I started this post back on the 22nd.

It lasted a few very good days.

That peace was gone today and I slipped way far down.

I look forward to that peace returning tomorrow.

M

WEEKS

We are finally able to start to count the time left till we meet our son in weeks!!!

Unbelievable--I truly don't know if I had let myself believe this time would ever come. I am so beyond excited as are Papa and the munchkins. Peanut spent the evening dancing, singing and fake crying (you know, squeeze your eyes tightly and maybe a tear will pop out ;))

Now I just need to figure out how I am going to entertain myself during the 22 hours of actual flying time to get to Thailand.

Then maybe I will think about how I will entertain him on the way back for 19 hours actual flying time with very limited (read none!) English (him) and Thai (me and Papa) skills!!

M

Done Waiting

Well, here it is 8 days since my last post. There are many times in this process I need to walk away from thinking about it "out loud". I am however unable to silence it inside. There are times I am unable to think about much else other than the fact that I want to go bring my son home now. I want to see his face in person. I want to hold his hand. I want to see him playing with his brother and sister. I want to be the one tucking him in at night. I want to know he is healthy and not going hungry.

Peanut and Bug would have a comment or two on all those "wants".

Don't you hate it when your own words come back to haunt you?!

I would simply love to be doing all the above, soon.

Mostly because he has waited way too long.

Thank you for praying for us all.
M