Trying to learn the 'Unknown'

We've posted before about the many questions we have, both about the process of this adoption and about the children involved. We've found that our curiosity is also sometimes your curiosity. You'll ask us some of the same questions we wonder about on a daily basis. I ran across the following article which opens one tiny window into what adoption can be like for the child. Below is an excerpt, and here is the link if you'd like to read the entire post. Why adoption means no spoons and sitting in the dark....

"The other night, I was sitting in the living room reading and I heard him start crying and calling my name. “Mommy”, he cried.  I went into his room and he cried for a glass of water and I gave him a drink and lay by him until he went back to sleep. This moment was so big in his little world. When we first brought him home, he cried silently in the dark. I would hear his quiet sobs from the living room and I wondered how many nights in the orphanage he cried silently, alone. It wasn’t until recently that he has started to call out. It wasn’t until recently, that he realized that when he calls out from the dark place, he has a family that will come. A mommy and daddy that will fight the monsters with him. He has a family that will sit in the dark with him as the pain is expressed and eventually healed to be replaced by scars."

Is it packing time already?

Well, probably not, but I can't help setting aside certain things we know we will need on our trip. It is recommended that we pack melatonin since we'll be on a completely opposite day/night schedule. We're also encouraged to begin now eating (or taking) a probiotic every day to make our insides as strong as they can be before encountering so many new things. I'm also thinking ahead to our daughter's needs with sunscreen, sunglasses, hats, etc. Her albinism causes sensitivity to sun and bright light. And as far as we know they will come to us with only what they're wearing.

Do you know how difficult it is to guess what size clothing a child wears just from a picture? That's what I am attempting to do. The fact that I have a few children already helps by giving me reference points--Our new son is definitely smaller than Grant, so I'm guess he wears 7/8. I'll pack a few 5/6 and 10/12 things just in case I guessed wrong. I'm assuming our new daughter will be about the same size as Clare. I'm pretty confident that she will wear 10/12, but I'll pack a few things on either side. And we'll be in larger cities in China, which means I'll be able to find clothing stores there to supplement what I take.

So yes, I can't help making a pile of things I'll be taking with us, though I haven't put anything in a suitcase yet. I'm consulting packing lists from previous travelers to make sure I am prepared. We are still on track to travel in the next 4 to 6 weeks so we're getting pretty excited!

Time for an update!

Though we still aren't close enough to set a definite travel date yet, so much has happened over the last few weeks since our "Waiting" post. I thought you guys might like to hear about our progress.

First, school is a much lighter load right now. 3 out of 4 children are finished, and the 4th should finish in less than a week! We are ALL excited about this. Of course, wouldn't you know that only a week or two into summer break I'm already hearing, "I'm bored." They had better watch out--I'll be handing them a cleaning rag!

I've also been able to add a few more things to the freezer to use as meals when we get home from China. I enjoyed working with these helpers to add a few lasagnas to our list.

Yesterday, we received our passports back from the Chinese Consulate in Chicago with the visa stickers attached. We are now legal to enter China, although we have a few steps left before we can purchase plane tickets.

Jason's dad found us bunk beds for the boys' room. We're looking forward to getting those set up and setting aside room in the closet for a 2nd set of clothes.

Last night at 9:00pm, we officially "met" our son on a video call. It all became very real to me last night. I have a son in China, whose favorite colors are yellow and blue, and every second of waiting is now torture! We are trying to arrange a video call with our daughter as well, but still haven't heard back from the orphanage. We are praying for this same chance to "meet" her as well.

So now what? We are waiting for the Department of Homeland Security to give provisional approval for our children's visas. According to average wait times, we should have had that yesterday. I called and found out it will be a couple more days. Though every wait feels like forever, we're still on track to travel end of June or early July.

Since things begin happening more quickly near the end of the adoption, I'm sure we'll update more often. Thanks for following along!