Wonderfully made by Him

To Russia with love...

2012-02-01T15:19:00.000-05:00

We are nearing the 6 month mile mark of bringing James home. While each milestone is sentimental, this one carries a little more weight. It is time for our "Post Adoption Report" which will be sent to Russia! From my understanding, a long list of people will get to read our report and view all the pictures we send with it. Our facilitator, the director and staff at the orphanage, the social worker, and the JUDGE are among them! How exciting!

***Full disclosure here: We have already sent one Post Adoption Report to Russia. In September, our region refused to consider any other special needs adoptions until they received an update on our family and James. There is another family adopting a precious little girl with Down syndrome from the same region, and their adoption was put on hold. Without blinking, we did a full report which Russia received in October and subsequently re-opened our region for these "special" adoptions. The White family just went to court last week to adopt precious Elisha and will bring her home next month!!!! Praise God for giving another orphan to a loving family!***

For the six month report, our social worker came to our home and observed James and our family for a couple hours. She took notes on all James' medical activity, his therapies, and any other important highlights from the past several months. Her report will be accompanied by pictures with descriptions. I thought it would be great to include those in this blog post so you can see what Russia will see!

In November, our church had a Fall Festival. James loves being outdoors and had a blast that day!

We visited with my sister and brother-in-law and precious Masha (adopted from Russia, August 2011). Not the best picture quality, but isn't Masha a charmer?! These two cousins are SO LOVED and WANTED and none of us can imagine life without them.

We made trips to Gatlinburg, to Nashville, and to Dollywood in December.

Christmas had a whole new significance this year. Our family traditions now include James, and seeing things through his eyes and sharing moments that only happen in FAMILIES made us appreciate each other so much more. We are blessed beyond measure. I mean it when I say this: I wish EVERY family could experience the blessings adoption brings.

So we baked Christmas cookies...and made a huge mess...and had a blast. James loves to copy his sister and brother and he joined right into the fun.

All too soon Christmas arrived and of course several pictures from Christmas Day went into our report. James joined right in as we opened presents that morning.

James loved his new rain boots!

We thought this simple light-up toy might be his favorite...and we were right!

He loves cars, so we HAD to get him his own motorized vehicle. It took him all of two seconds to figure out how to drive it. Such a boy!

I was *very* emotional during the Christmas morning service at our church. This year has been such an emotional journey for all of us. The humble birth of our Lord and Savior became so much more precious to me, and my heart was overflowing with gratitude that morning.

A blessed family!

The first week of January, James had eye surgery to correct his strabismus. The jury is still out on whether or not this one surgery will be sufficient, but we are seeing a big difference already!

Just look at our boy only two weeks post surgery!

So all the above pictures are en route to Russia right now! It is exciting to imagine hearts changing as people flip through these pictures and see this "child with no promise" FLOURISHING in a family. God is good.

Last weekend, my husband's parents and his brother Doug visited for several days. James has seen them several times, but this time was different. We have seen some huge changes in James in these past few weeks...he is becoming more and more comfortable with showing affection and I honestly think it has taken him this long to "recover" from all the changes in his life and start trusting all this as permanent. In any case, he is opening up emotionally more than ever before and it has blessed this mama's heart!

The change was visible most of all when he was around Uncle Doug. James just LOVES him! Here are some snap shots from a shopping trip:

James asking Uncle Doug for a "fist bump" (he learned that from his older siblings, of course!) and Doug obliged him!

He asked over and over again for Doug to pick him up and Doug would hold him and hug on him. I was in tears every time!

A hug for grandma, too!

What a precious gift James is to our whole family. We see such tremendous progress in so many areas, but along with that it becomes apparent where we have more work to do. With the help of three therapists (physical, occupational, and speech), we are trying to help James "catch up" in many areas. He gets therapy four mornings a week. James doesn't like a lot of this, by the way! None of us truly like hard work though, so it is understandable. We love his spunk!

At home, we are still struggling with communication and language barriers. I can tell James is possibly very confused right now as he is losing his first language and still hasn't fully grasped English. I've read this is common around the six month mark for many adopted children. We still say a few words to him in Russian along with the English to help him understand. Speech therapy is going to be crucial as we help James learn to talk and express his needs. He is using some sign language which is a big help.

Health wise, he is doing great! He still seems to have a lot of tummy troubles so we will have him tested for allergies soon. He is getting more adventurous with food so we wonder if the new variety is causing the issues or if there are things we need to avoid. It is a bit of a guessing game right now!

Since his eye surgery, I have noticed he is walking with more confidence! He used to fall down many times a day, but I've noticed it is rare for him to fall now. I think his depth perception has greatly improved, and I am so happy for him!

I think I've hit on all the highlights for now. I could seriously write a book about all that God is doing in our family. Our hearts are forever changed by this little boy! He is perfect in every way!

"Every good and perfect gift is from above..."

James 1:17

2011-12-28T19:59:00.001-05:00

One year ago today...

I saw this picture on Facebook:

Along with the words..."Dillon will be institutionalized soon if he is not adopted. Are you his forever family?"

What happened next still brings powerful emotions when I think back to the moment. A wave of love washed over me...and his little face kept me up all night three nights in a row. I knew God was speaking to ME through that photo and question. There was no denying it. And then, when I finally found a moment to share this picture with my husband and children...they too instantly felt a supernatural love and desire to adopt this unknown child.

How can I thank my friend Cynthia Coffey for posting those powerful words? Or Theresa East, who selected this precious child from dozens, even hundreds of photos of orphans and decided to be his warrior? How can I express my deep gratitude for Reece's Rainbow, the wonderful organization that fights tirelessly to help the "least of these" find families?

How can I ever thank each of those who helped us bring this little boy home? Many of you reading this right now donated your time, your money, your love and most of all your prayers! You sacrificially gave and we will *never* forget how God used each of you to help carry out His plan for our family!

One year ago today...we were a family of four traveling to visit family for the New Year holiday. We were happy and completely content in every way. But God...well, He had bigger and better plans for us! And the instant we said "yes!" to His will, He showed us WHO HE IS in ways we could NEVER have known without this adoption.

One year later, our family...Christmas morning:

We are the recipients of a gift we could never have imagined this time last year. The little boy in that grainy photograph is no longer a "child with no promise" sitting in a cold, run-down orphanage unwanted and unloved. He hasn't been transferred to an adult mental asylum somewhere on the outskirts of that little Russian town...a place where he would have lived out his days hidden from the world.

He is loved. He has value. And, oh my, does he ever have promise!

And he knows it:

Just look at the transformation since we first met him back in May...only 7 months ago this was our boy:

He didn't know he was worth something...that he was already loved by hundreds of people across the ocean. He didn't know what it felt like to have a mama kiss him and hold him close. Or how much fun he would have playing with his daddy. And he sure didn't understand the joys of having a brother and sister. He didn't even know what it felt like to have a full belly.

One year ago today. Just a moment in eternity.

But it is eternal.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."

John 14:18

"Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

Matthew 25:40

A long overdue update!

2011-11-15T11:37:00.001-05:00

Oh my...has it really been three months since we brought our little boy home? It has been such a full and fun and challenging time that I'm afraid I allowed this blog to fall by the wayside. But I really, really, REALLY want everyone to know how wonderful James is doing! He is literally transforming before our eyes and every day he is displaying new skills and emotions. It is the most "redemptive" process we have ever been a part of short of our own salvation.

Okay...pictures speak louder than words, so I am going to SHOW you some of the highlights since we've been home.

James' first time in our pool. He was fearless!

James' first Sunday at church:

His first visit to the pediatric opthamologist:

We took James to the Ripley's Aquarium of the Smokies...he LOVED it there!

Our sweet boy!

James, where is your nose?

Enjoying downtown Gatlinburg. Notice the blue toy "wand" in James' hands...he picked it up at the aquarium gift shop and would not let go of it! Of course, we HAD to buy it for him.

We took him along on a field trip called "Down on the Farm" and 4H kids had some animals there for the children to look at. James was fascinated!

He also REALLY liked this bin of corn kernels.

He climbed right on in!

We went to a family celebration of my parent's 40th anniversary and James got to visit with his cousin Masha (adopted from Russia in August by my sister Tara). These two are "orphans no more"!!!

A sweet friend gave us free tickets for a day at Dollywood. The splash pad was a HIT with James. I didn't have the heart to stop his fun so I went ahead and let him get soaking wet...jeans and all.

After a change of clothes, we let him ride his first amusement park rides. We wondered if he would like them...I'll let you decide:

We have a walking/bike trail right by our house, so we enjoy family bike rides. James LOVES to get pulled in his carrier.

We also have several nice playgrounds nearby, and it is so fun to watch James play! I can't help but think of the dismal playground at his orphanage...

We took James to the Knoxville Buddy Walk which is sponsored by the Down Syndrome Awareness Group of East Tennessee (DSAG). We had so much fun meeting all the wonderful families and their "buddies" out there! DSAG even brought our family on stage and introduced James to everyone! We pray that the exposure will lead others to consider adopting one of these precious children!

Most recently, our family visited a local pumpkin patch. They had a petting zoo and James was just plain adorable out there! We had him do the "chicken dance" by the chicken pen:

You can probably tell we've been a little busy. :)

Sprinkled in with all the fun stuff have been a lot of doctor appointments and also some testing with our local school. James tested for an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) and will start receiving occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy as early as next week! We are so excited for him to progress even more than he already has!

After our visit with the opthamologist, we had to start "patching" James' right eye a few hours a day to help strengthen his left eye. It has been 10 weeks and the doctor just scheduled him for eye surgery on November 29th. Both eyes will have the muscles tightened and there is a 93% chance this will correct his strabismus. I think I'm most thankful we won't have to patch him anymore! Here's a "happy" patching moment (most of them were anything BUT happy)! We have gone through over 200 patches if that tells you anything!

James is now starting to talk! He is saying ball, book, bye-bye, hi, wow, uh-oh, and ow. So cute! The orphanage workers told us he didn't say any words (in Russian) so it is thrilling to us to hear each new word. I'm still working on "mama," by the way. Soon!!!

James is allowing me to comfort him more and even permits a few minutes of rocking and singing before bedtime. His favorite song is "Jesus Loves Me" and he does all the hand motions with me.

He gets ecstatic when Glenn walks in the door from work every day and James literally runs to him. He also brings Glenn picture books to look at with him every evening. It melts my heart!

There have been a lot of challenges along with all the progress and we are still learning about this little guy and how he thinks and reacts and what he likes and dislikes, etc. Every day I question how we do things and try to find what works best for James and our family. We pray every day that God will take this little boy and transform him for His glory. We have no doubt that God chose James for our family and our family for James. It is a process, but one that brings us MUCH joy and draws us closer to our Help and Rock...the Lord Jesus. I'm so thankful that even though our lives have changed so much, HE is the same yesterday, today, and forever!

Thank you all for your prayers and your patience! I really do intend to keep up this blog!

Getting to know you...

2011-08-22T22:43:00.001-04:00

James has been home for two weeks and we are all doing really, really well! He is learning what it means to be in a family, and we are learning more about him every day. I thought I'd share some fun facts about our James.

He is incredibly observant and has a great memory. He watches what everyone is doing and copies everything. He's a quick learner. We get a lot of questions asking about his level of understanding, and I can say without a doubt that this boy understands just about everything that is going on around him.

James loves to go places. He is the first one to the door when he sees we are getting ready to leave, and he can't get into his car seat fast enough! He is one of the most content passengers I've ever seen.

He loves music. He loves to dance and clap when he hears a beat. When I play classical music, he is spellbound and sits still. But not for long. This boy is on the GO. He moves from one thing to the next and it is usually something he should not be doing!

Which will explain the following picture:

Yes, James has a shiner. Right as we were all ready to leave for church Sunday morning (isn't that when everything happens?), James decided to pull the wrought iron fireplace screen over on top of himself. He cried and I couldn't figure out if it just scared him or if he really got hurt. By noon, it was obvious that it hit him near his eye. Poor baby! Thankfully, it wasn't too bad and I doubt he'll try that stunt again. Like I said, he's a quick learner.

He didn't like stuffed animals at first...but now he loves them and carries them around the house. One of his favorites is a musical dog. James literally lays on top of it so it will play non-stop. He gives it kisses too:

James loves grass. I doubt he's ever played on grass before! I never saw grass at the orphanage. There were only a few patches of weeds here and there. He LOVES to sit on the lawn and play with the grass. When we are out and he sees grass, he heads straight for it.

James' favorite thing to do (still) is to play ball! Glenn is such a great daddy...he gets James laughing and hollering LOUDLY! I have to share this mayhem I captured on video the other night:

James still loves his bath time. He has a plastic bucket that he fills with water and then dumps it over his head...over and over and over again. He doesn't mind water in his eyes one bit!

Many of you have asked if we are getting any sleep. I am SO happy to report that James is sleeping through the night now that we switched him to a crib. He actually loves bed time and goes straight to sleep without any fussing. Yay!

He is such a joy!

We can't believe how much James is changing...he is blossoming almost by the hour. I love sharing what God is doing in this little boy's life and in our lives as well!

"The LORD is good to all, and his mercy is over all that he has made."
Psalm 145:9

Happy Birthday to James!!!

2011-08-19T00:45:00.001-04:00

LOOK WHO IS FOUR!!!

It has been long overdue, but James FINALLY had a birthday celebration...yes, his first one ever!

His grandparents and Uncle Doug came up from Georgia and met him for the first time.

It was especially sweet to see Doug and James interact. Doug is so loving and gentle.

James brings his ball to Uncle Doug.

Doug and James were backseat buddies as we ran errands together.

We owe so much to Doug. He is one of the biggest reasons Glenn and I chose to adopt a child with Down syndrome. Doug is "wonderfully made" by our Heavenly Father and he is perfect just the way he is! He is 52 years old and enjoys spending time with his nieces and nephews, traveling with his parents (he especially loves cruise ships), swimming, going to the beach and celebrating his birthday.

Speaking of birthdays...back to James' celebration!

We took him out for one of his favorite foods...hamburger and french fries! (I promise, we are feeding him fruits and veggies every day...this is special occasion food!)

Red Robin...YUMMMMM!

He was fascinated by the TV in the floor. So many new and cool experiences!

Then, back home for the real party!

His first piece of birthday cake.

PRESENTS!

You know we HAD to give him a ball pit. We saw how much he loved the one in the orphanage visitation room on our first visit in May (we never were taken to that room again). But we remembered his love of that ball pit and how much fun we had playing with him.

This video was taken right after we brought it in the room:

And later his brother and sister joined him in what they dubbed the "ball pit hot tub."

He finished off his night with a little Bible story book at bedtime.

James is also a bit of a celebrity. Our local news station came out to do a story about him for his birthday. You can check it out here.

We are thankful for the opportunity to share our family's love for this little guy, and our prayer is that God will be glorified. It is because of HIM that James is now our son. If you look at this adoption through a human lens, it really doesn't make sense. So many things stood in the way of this sweet boy having a family: his rejection at the hospital at birth, his placement in a remote orphanage, the money and the bureaucracy standing in the way of an adoption, and the sheer distance between Russia and America. Not only did God choose to remove all those obstacles and send him a family, He also chose to do it BEFORE his fourth birthday! His days at the baby house orphanage were numbered once he turned four, and the Lord ensured that this sweet boy would never spend any time in an institution.

"Wonderful are YOUR works; my soul knows it very well."

Happy Birthday, James! You are precious in His sight! You are loved. You are HOME.

Welcome Home, James Ivan!

2011-08-10T11:38:00.001-04:00

We left Moscow the morning of August 6th, knowing we had over 18 hours before our day would end in Knoxville. We were most concerned for little James, since he was so used to a regimented schedule at his orphanage (he slept over 15 hours a day!) and this trip would be far from anything he ever experienced! I know many, many friends and family members were praying for us! He did so well! However, he didn't sleep much at all. During the 11 hour flight, he only slept a little over an hour.

Even though he didn't sleep much, he did so well! He loved looking through magazines and Amelia and I kept him entertained with games of peek-a-boo and lots of cheerios.

When we completed customs at Washington Dulles, the officer stamped James' passport and said, "he is now officially an American citizen." I felt a wave of emotion and a huge lump in my throat. I honestly thought I was going to start weeping right there! He then told us we would probably miss our connecting flight, so I didn't have time to nurse those emotions! We literally ran through the Dulles airport and got on our plane with only 2 minutes to spare. Whew!

I am SO glad we didn't miss that flight! Look what was waiting on us in Knoxville!

The moment we saw everyone is one of the best moments of our lives!

James was sleep deprived, but perked up when he saw the balloons!

The airport is a 30 minute drive from our home, and all three children fell asleep on the way.

We were greeted by an amazing surprise when we got home. One friend had left a wonderful home-cooked meal waiting for us. Another friend had cleaned! And our church family had signed this picture for us!

They also brought us groceries!

James sees his new bedroom for the first time!

He immediately crawled in his bed. He was SO tired!

He had to eat something and needed a bath before bedtime, but when I finally tucked him in, he went straight to sleep.

James slept well, but Glenn and I woke up at 3:30am and couldn't get back to sleep. Jet lag and the time change really messed us up! We met all our family for lunch since they were traveling back to Georgia and we wanted to see them one more time. James did so well! He interacted with everyone and was so adorable! My sister Lydia played a game of peek-a-boo with him and I think these pics are so cute:

Glenn went back to work Monday morning, and it was a big adjustment for all of us! After spending 24 hours a day together for 3 1/2 weeks, it was really hard.

On top of that, James started feeling poorly on Monday afternoon. He stopped eating and drinking and cried pitifully. One of the sad aspects of adopting a child who has spent his whole life in an orphanage is that he really doesn't like to be held and cuddled. We know this will change in time, but it was VERY hard for us to watch him be miserable and not be able to comfort him. He preferred just laying and crying. It was a long night. I took him to the doctor in the morning, and he really didn't have much wrong...just some congestion and drainage. He also has some fluid in his ears. One friend reminded us that East Tennessee is one of the worst places in the country for allergies, and it may take some time for his little respiratory system to acclimate. Other than that, we really think the big issue is sleep deprivation. He wouldn't sleep Monday night or nap on Tuesday. That alone can make a person miserable (umm...yeah...I can attest to that).

He did SO well at his doctor visit. He was cute and charming and the doctor really had fun with him. He is still very under weight for his age, but he has gained over two pounds since leaving the orphanage last Wednesday! Whoa! It won't take him any time to catch up!

We covet your prayers as we all adjust to a new normal. There is much joy and happiness, but there is also a lot of exhaustion and new responsibilities. James is an active toddler who is enjoying his new freedoms. His world has been very small until now, and he is ready to push some boundaries! We love that about him, by the way. He is up for anything, and I think that will serve him well as he adjusts to so many changes. He is also very affectionate and responds well to positive reinforcement and praise. BUT, he is also a child who has had literally no training and we can't leave him unattended for even a minute. You can imagine the challenges that presents as I try to unpack, do laundry, etc. We are all learning as we go!

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.

Psalm 28: 7-8

Tender Mercies

2011-08-05T11:41:00.002-04:00

James' Russian name is "Ivan." It means "God is merciful." When I first read that, the tears poured down my face. It was one more indication that this adoption was His plan from the very beginning and I think God has taken great pleasure in showing Himself in the details.

One of the most remarkable aspects of this adoption has been that it placed me and my sister, Tara, on a parallel journey. She and her husband, Jonathan, have been in an almost two year process of adopting a little girl from Russia. We hoped and dreamed that we could be in-country at the same time, but anyone who knows anything about Russian adoptions knows that planning is impossible. You are at their mercy, and when they say to jump, you only ask "how high?" We could only hope.

Jonathan and Tara met their daughter for the first time a month before we met James. They received a court date of August 9th. It looked like there was no chance we'd travel at the same time and even if we did, we travel to separate regions. We are only in Moscow for a day or so on each end of our trip. Well, we believe we experienced a miracle, because we found out we'd be in Moscow TOGETHER on August 4th and 5th. Yes, that was yesterday and today. We stayed at the same hotel and walked the city together! It was so touching when they walked into our room. James went straight to Tara and hugged her over and over again for several minutes. It was precious.

We loved spending the day together taking in the city and introducing James to his whole new world.

Red Square!

They are going to make such great parents! We just wish their little girl was with them today. Soon!!!

And here we are as a FAMILY OF FIVE:

We thought it was pretty special for James to walk around in Red Square, with his brother and sister at his side. It truly felt victorious to see him there.

We felt so carefree...James was ours, and we could take him anywhere and do anything! We were able to just have fun together as a FAMILY!

Grant had to be get his picture taken with these guys:

We introduced James to the wonderful world of ICE CREAM! He took to it mighty fast and we loved watching him enjoy himself. This is the first of MANY good things to come!

We ended the day by vegging out in our hotel room with Tara and Jonathan. They got to see James taking his bath (he was a wild man again) and we just enjoyed our short time together. James is doing so well. We were out all day long and he never cried or even fussed. We were watching for signs that he was getting overstimulated, but he really seemed to enjoy taking in all the sights. He was fascinated by the nervy pigeons that would come right up to him. He watched people with interest. He didn't seem to mind the crowds at all and we were so impressed with his easy-going temperament. Once again, he went to sleep quickly and slept through the night. Our little batman:

Today was an important day. We went to the U.S. Embassy to get James' visa. It was some of the easiest paperwork we've done (good ol' USA) and it literally took minutes. We had some consolate paperwork to do as well, but then we were free for the day. James fell asleep in my arms on the way back to the hotel.

For lunch, we walked to a nearby McDonalds, and introduced him to another yummy treat: the all-American hamburger and french fries. Oh my...he ate the entire hamburger and almost half the fries.

On the way back to the hotel, we HAD to stop to get him another ice-cream cone. He gripped it so hard his fingers pressed through the cone. You can tell he is all business about his food!

It is almost bedtime here. We are packing our suitcases for the last time. Our plane leaves tomorrow at noon, and we arrive in Knoxville at 6:21pm. James will be HOME! I can't believe I'm able to type that last sentence!

"...because of the tender mercy of our God, whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high, to give light to those who sit in darkeness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."

Luke 1:78-79

GOTCHA DAY! - August 3rd, 2011

2011-08-03T16:47:00.000-04:00

I asked for prayer for James, and there must have been a prayer chain like none other! Our gotcha day was incredible, and James is my new hero. That boy amazed us all. He has been nothing but charming through a VERY long day! We are thanking God tonight for His grace and mercy towards our family, and especially towards James.

Gotcha Day didn't exactly go as planned (nothing new in the world of Russian adoptions), but I sure wasn't expecting to hear the facilitator tell us that only Glenn would be traveling back to the orphanage to pick up James. What?! We questioned him, but there was only room in the car for one of us, and all the paperwork that needed to be signed is in Glenn's name. We asked if Amelia could squeeze in the car, too. She is so good with James and we knew she would be a help and they said yes.

So last night we had our last dinner together as a family of four. We were all feeling a bit sentimental but also very happy that the long wait was over.

Glenn and Amelia headed out early this morning. There were still some documents to be signed, and paperwork to pick up before going to the orphanage. They arrived at the orphanage around noon.

Here is a picture of James with his groupa leader. She seems to be the one who spends the most time with him and I know he will miss her. She is a cheerful person and always has a smile on her face!

Below is a picture taken with the orphanage director, Angelika (in the white coat). We have become very close to her these past weeks! She is such a caring person, and she is thrilled we are adopting James. She was our cheerleader in court. We are going to stay in touch with her via e-mail and she asked that we send her frequent updates and pictures of James.

James was placed in a car seat and they drove off. He left behind all that he has known for four years.

Not that he seemed upset. In fact, he took a nap on those bumpy dirt roads!

Grant and I had to take a taxi to meet them at the airport since our plane was leaving for Moscow at 5pm.

So many new sights and sounds! We road the bus out to the airplane on the tarmac:

James was perfect on the plane. He did some "rocking," which is a coping technique common to children who have spent time in an orphanage. I hadn't seen him do this before, and even though it saddened me I was glad he was able to cope with all the change we put him through today.

After a 2+ hour plane flight we were finally in Moscow. We were SO happy when we finally arrived at our hotel. First on my list was to give that boy a BATH! We wondered how in the world he would react to a bubble bath, but we had nothing to worry about. He loved it and went a little crazy, quite honestly. He was splashing and crawling back and forth, sticking his face down in the water...he was having a blast! We were laughing hysterically at him! Glenn captured it on video, and I have to post a clip! Warning: this is UNcensored and does include a cute baby bottom!

Bath, fresh pajamas, some yogurt and cheerios, and our little man's big day was finally over. I laid him in the crib and he babbled for a little while until he finally dozed off. Sweet to the very last second.

Honestly, we expected today to be difficult. Instead, our Heavenly Father lovingly carried us through.

James is sleeping soundly and I can't stop looking over at him even as I type this blog.

"This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes." Psalm 118:23

Back to the orphanage

2011-07-27T15:28:00.001-04:00

This morning, we packed our things and headed back to the area where James Ivan's orphanage is located. The road is so bad, the orphanage director joked that it is "extreme even for Russians" and that in America we would have to "pay for such an experience." Well, I don't know about that last part. Today, the bumps seemed even bigger, our driver drove faster, and Amelia, Grant, and I were bouncing all over the back seat and hitting our heads on the windows! Glenn tried to shoot some pictures along the way, but they just didn't turn out that great. At least we can give you some idea of the scenery.

The road (or lack thereof):

A village home:

Another village:

We were excited to see James! We hadn't seen him since court, and although he doesn't realize what transpired, we sure do! :)

Okay, he is adorable, right?! But I just have to take a moment to say this:

I CANNOT WAIT TO CHANGE HIS WARDROBE!!!!

Everytime we see him, we cringe at what he is wearing. Grant especially has been concerned about the pink socks and purple shoes. Today's dinosaur bubble really got us, too. I'm totally going to prep this kid up in seven days. :)

Moving on...

He loves bubbles!

I love his little profile!

It was one of the hottest days yet. We were all sweating and tired, and poor James wore out very quickly. He began to whimper and even poked out his little lip. I held him and comforted him, but he was just pitiful. I told Glenn I look forward to the day when he will have a full belly, plenty of fluids, and some air conditioning. Oh, and a cute outfit.

James Ivan's music class

2011-07-26T08:17:00.000-04:00

While we were visiting James at the orphanage last week, they called us over to watch his groupa have a "music class." All the children lined up on the little bench, and a woman with an accordian began playing. Glenn was rolling the video camera (James is seated on the far left wearing a white cap):

As you can see, our little boy really follows directions! He was so much fun to watch.

Next, the lady called another little boy up to lead the groupa in a song. James was supposed to stay seated, but instead he walked up in front of everyone and started singing too. Later, the Director spoke about this in court and told the judge that it was the first time James ever sang a song. She told the judge he did it because of us! We captured that moment on video too:

How can anyone say this is a "child with no promise?" We are so in love with him! :)

Catching Up

2011-07-25T15:45:00.000-04:00

Oh my. What a wonderful weekend we've had! We have been celebrating since our positive court outcome!

Speaking of which, we know that God answered those prayers on our behalf. Thank you all for praying for us. Some friends told me they set their alarms and got up in the middle of the night to pray. We are so humbled by your faithfulness. The court hearing lasted over three hours, and at least one hour of that time Glenn was on the stand by himself. He was full of strength and reserve when asked to address the issue of why we would choose a child with Down syndrome rather than a "healthy" child. He did an incredible job, and he is the first to give credit to the Lord. The morning of court we claimed the verse, "Take no thought how or what you shall speak, for it shall be given you in that same hour what you shall speak." (Matthew 10:19) That is exactly what we experienced! Glenn explained we have a special love for those with Down syndrome, in part because of the relationship we have with his older brother Doug. He told the judge we decided as a family to choose such a child. We showed her pictures from our visits with James, and how well he responded to us and our children. When it came time for the prosecutor to question Glenn, she only asked him a couple questions! We were shocked, since we had been warned she may interrogate us. When my turn came, I only answered a few questions from the judge (I can't even remember most of what was said now), and then the prosecutor asked me three questions...none of them hard hitting. It was such a surprise.

Then, the orphanage director spoke and made me cry. She told the judge that since we have been visiting Vanya (that is the name he is called at the orphanage), he has "developed many emotions" and has been "showing new skills." She said she heard him say "papa" for the first time. She told the judge that he sang a song during music time while we were there and he had never done that before. She said she has seen many changes in him in only a few days of our attention. I was crying as she spoke and felt the judge watching me intently. Then, the social worker spoke and she also made me cry. She told the judge she had seen how much love we had for Vanya. She said that I would make a good mother to him. She said he "has no future here" and all his family has "rejected him."

After the judge read her verdict and granted us the petition (I was crying, of course), she stepped down from her bench and stood in front of us. She said she wanted to talk to us as a "woman" and not as a judge. She looked at Glenn and said that she thinks we have a "wonderful family." She told him she believes he will be good to Vanya. She looked at me and said she believes me when I say that I love Vanya, and she knows I will "take good care of him and give him many opportunities." She had tears in her eyes!! She took my hands in hers! Then the director of the orphanage came up to me and hugged me and she was crying too. Everyone seemed surprised by such a wonderful outcome. We weren't surprised. We knew there was an ARMY of prayer warriors across the ocean praying over this trial!!!

Unfortunately, a positive verdict doesn't mean we can go get James out of the orphanage. We are required to wait 10 days before the judge's decision becomes law, and only then can we go pick him up. It is so hard to wait!

Since we were already in the city for court, we decided to stay for a few more days. We had a motive though. Several weeks ago we found a blog from a man who takes mission trips to this area. Through him, we were put in touch with a Christian couple living here. Ross and Dena adopted two children earlier this year. Aren't they a precious family?

They took us out to "Pasta Hut" (a version of Pizza Hut) to celebrate our adoption with an American favorite: pizza and Coca Cola. We enjoyed every bite, and the fellowship was even better than the food. They have a heart for the people here and are doing a great work for the kingdom. We walked down to the city center and enjoyed a typical Friday night for families in this city.

Grant taking Timmy for a spin in the city square:

Amelia and Masha made a special bond right away:

On Saturday, Ross took Glenn and Grant to a museum celebrating the invention of the AK-47 assault rifle. Glenn even got to fire off five rounds on one. Amelia and I chose to stay behind on that outing. :)

That night, they invited us to their apartment and Dena cooked a delicious homemade meal. A Russian couple stopped by the apartment to meet us. They are believers and attend the local baptist church here. They were so warm and friendly to us. It was a fun evening!
On Sunday morning, Ross and Dena picked us up to take us to church with them. The service took place in the upstairs of a home not far from where we were staying.

The picture of Grant (below) is taken in the backyard of the church building:

Here's a shot of the steps leading up to the meeting area:

And a shot of the room after the service:

There were at least 50-60 people attending. We were impressed with such a great turnout considering that the temps were near 90 degrees and there is no air conditioning in the building. The people didn't seem to mind one bit! The music was uplifting (even though we didn't understand the words) and it was followed by a time of prayer. We loved the fervency of the prayer time! People broke up into groups of 2-4 and prayed together for quite some time. After that, the pastor preached a sermon (Ross translated the highlights for us) and that was followed by a time of testimonies. Afterwards, the people were so friendly to us! One man came up and said "you are not American, and I am not Russian...we are children of God." Many others came up and congratulated us on our adoption and told us how happy they were. Ross and Dena told us that word of our adoption had spread through the area and that everyone was talking about the "American family in [this area] adopting a child with Down syndrome." Glenn and I were shocked! We had no idea there would be such an impact.

One woman in particular came rushing up to us after the service and could hardly get the words out for Ross to translate. She went on and on about how happy she was about our adoption and told us she had met James at the orphanage and cried tears of joy when she heard he was going to be adopted. She then introduced us to her two year old daughter...who has Down syndrome. Is she not the cutest thing?!

We felt an instant bond with these people. They were so warm and loving and we really hate to think that we won't be able to visit on another Sunday. I wish James' orphanage wasn't such a long drive, because we would love to spend more time here.

Today, Ross and Dena took us to a local park where the children could play. We then went to eat at a Subway! Yay! The only American chains in this city are Subway and KFC, and they are hoping to get a McDonald's soon. We are so thankful for the good care they are taking of us! :)

After lunch, we visited the Hope Center. This is an amazing non-profit ministry in a place where it is VERY difficult to be non-profit. The center is really just an apartment they converted into office space in this building:

We met the director, Galina, who spent over an hour answering our questions and telling us more about the center's ministry. She shares the gospel with all who enter the doors, and told us that without the gospel, nothing the center does will truly help people. The center tries to meet the physical needs of the people who go there for help. They provide childcare and support for single mothers and families who have a child with disabilities. The Hope Center wants to help families make the choice to keep their children and therefore reduce the number of children in the orphanages. They have a weekly meal and Bible study for older orphans who have aged out of the orphanages. They have a food closet (Ross says they need more money to keep that going). They do a lot of outreach with the orphanages in this area, including a big Christmas program where they give every orphan a gift box and share the gospel during the program. They have a summer camp for children with special needs. Galina told us that this year they could not afford to have the camp, and that really upset us. We told Galina we would tell our friends about the center. They need financial help. It is just that simple. I read the testimonies on the website and shed many tears. It was great to meet Galina. We are so inspired by what the Hope Center is doing! Please take some time to look at their website if you can: http://hopecenter.ru/en/index/

On Wednesday, we return to the area where James' orphanage is located. We will be able to visit him daily until the 10-day wait is over. "Gotcha Day" will be August 3rd. We can hardly wait. :)

An orphan NO MORE!!!

2011-07-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

Please welcome JAMES IVAN WALTERS!

As of 12:30pm (Russian time), "Dillon" is officially James Ivan Walters...our SON!

He is already feeling the love of a family...

More details soon! Right now we are just rejoicing in God's goodness to us!

Cuteness alert!

2011-07-21T14:46:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have to share these two videos from today! Glenn and I have been very touched by the love Amelia and Grant have for Dillon. These videos will show you how much fun we've been having! :)

Day 4 - Wednesday, July 20th

2011-07-21T07:43:00.000-04:00

We are allowed to visit Dillon at the orphanage twice each day for two blocks of time. The first is a morning visit from 9am - noon and today they allowed us to play outside with his whole groupa. There are 8 total children including Dillon and they are all around 3 years of age. We were allowed to play and interact with all of them and it is very bittersweet. Each one of them is precious and loves our attention. Of course, we are focused on getting to know little Dillon, but with all the time we spend there, we are able to play with the other children a little too. The sweet little red-haired boy we loved so much on our last visit is once again our constant companion. Our translator says he is like a "bug" following us around. Not a very nice comparison, but he definitely wanted to be wherever we are.

Today Dillon was much more active and happy. He loved swinging on the swing and playing with a soccer ball. He thinks Amelia and Grant are his personal ball retrievers and loves to make them run after the ball. Toward the end of the visit, Dillon grew very tired. It was so hot outside, and I think that he doesn't get enough good nutrition to give him the energy he needs to deal with that level of heat and activity. They allowed us to watch him eat his lunch again and he ate faster than all the other children! He literally inhaled his food and when the leader reached for his empty plate he didn't want to let go. When the children finished their meals, they each picked up their chair and carried it across the room. The groupa leader gave Dillon an instruction and he picked his chair up and took it there too! It was so cute to watch him carry a chair that is almost as big as he is! One thing we have observed first hand is how independant these 3 year olds are in the orphanage. The workers may give them an instruction now and then, but for the most part they know exactly what they are supposed to do and do it without fussing or any silly behavior.

We left the orphanage after mealtime for Dillon to take his 4 hour nap. I have to confess we were ready for a nap too! :) With temperatures in the upper 80's and no air conditioning, we find ourselves very tired by the end of our visits. We returned to the hotel (no air conditioning there either) and were able to Skype with some of our family. I'm able to check the comments on this blog and Facebook and those words of encouragement from all of you just lift our spirits instantly!

Our afternoon visit was awesome! Dillon was happy and well rested and ready to play! We were put in the visitors room with him and left alone for two hours. It was so much fun to have him all to ourselves! His favorite thing to do by far is to play with the ball. He loves the ipod music and we are very upset that all of a sudden our laptop won't recognize the USB cable on the ipod and now I can't download ANY pictures or even charge the ipod! GRRR! We are hoping that when we go to the city for court we can purchase a USB cable for our camera. It is frustrating to have all these adorable pictures and not be able to share them with everyone!

It is already Thursday, but I will write another entry later tonight. Thank you all for continued prayers and encouragement!

Today's verse from my friend's list:

"The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms."

Deuteronomy 33:27

Day 2 and 3 - Monday and Tuesday (18th and 19th)

2011-07-19T23:35:00.000-04:00

Well, we are back in Dillon's region, and I had *almost* forgotten the culture shock from our last trip. Never fear, it hit us again right away. And this time we get to see it through the eyes of our two all-American kids. It has only been two days, and we have so many stories to tell!   Right now we are just SO thankful we were able to purchase a 3G internet card to use while we stay here! Yay!

First, I must share details about our visits with Dillon. When we arrived at the orphanage we were taken to the visiting room and they brought him in a few minutes later. He looked a little intimidated by all four of us standing there, but he walked straight to Amelia and gave her a big hug. We all melted right there!  He hugged Grant also, and then I picked him up to hold him. At first he was resistant, but as our time together went on, he allowed me to hold him quite a bit. We brought out a bouncy ball and Amelia and Grant rolled the ball back and forth with him. He never got tired of it! We noticed he was not nearly as active this time, but thought maybe he was just overwhelmed by all the attention. Toward the end of the visit I brought out the ipod touch and played a little train game that had music. He loved it and held it up to his ear like a telephone and kicked his legs to the beat of the music. So cute! I showed him how to touch the screen to pull up the trains and when the game finished he would show it to me so I could start it again. I think the ipod will be our best friend on the long plane flight home!

This morning we went for our morning visit and I knew right away he wasn't feeling well. We took him outside and he didn't want to walk or play on the playground. I carried him and he put his head on my shoulder. I told the translator we should go back indoors and she agreed. We spoke to the doctor at the orphanage and she told us Dillon had been sick with a virus but his fever was gone and he was on the mend. We left him for his naptime (from 12-4pm) and when we returned he was in much better spirits. We think the long nap really helped him. He loved the play time and we got some adorable smiles and giggles out of him.  Here is the only picture I captured on the ipod touch (our camera's USB cable still hasn't shown up).

I think he was having a good time! :)

Amelia had him belly-laughing at one point, and we were loving every minute with him. All too soon it was time for us to leave but it is not as hard since we know we get to go back in the morning. We are allowed to visit him every day from 9am until 11:30am and again from 4pm to 6pm. I will try to get more pictures to download this time!

The staff at the orphanage has been wonderful to us. They provided Dillon's schedule and a list of all the foods they feed him at the orphanage (it is a very short list). The director is also the orphanage physician and she spoke with us in great detail about his medical records and his current health. I can tell she truly cares about Dillon and she told us that she likes our family very much. Also, during our time with Dillon we were observed by a psychiatrist and were told she gave us a very good report. We also were observed by a social worker who later asked us a lot of questions, almost all of them pertaining in some way to his having Down syndrome. While she was very polite, it is obvious that she just doesn't understand why we would not adopt a "healthy" child. After almost an hour of questioning she seemed satisfied. I think we got a taste of what the court hearing will be like!

The temperature here is surprisingly warm. It was close to 90 degrees both yesterday and today and our hotel does not have air conditioning. Actually, we aren't staying in a "real" hotel, but rather in someone's house who rents out 4 of their rooms. Here's a picture of the house:

I could go on and on about just these two days, but this internet is so slow it can't keep up with my typing! I will try to do a better job getting pictures and maybe video today.

Thank you all for your prayers! Please continue to pray for our court appointment on the 22nd (Friday).

"But He knows the way that I take. When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold."

Job 23:10

Day One - Sunday, July 17

2011-07-17T14:44:00.000-04:00

We are in Dillon's country! We are staying in Moscow for the night and flying to Dillon's region early tomorrow morning. We are thankful for all our praying friends and family as we travel. Amelia and Grant did great on the flights. It was their first time flying and they both loved it! Grant was especially thrilled by the take off and we had to laugh when he put his arms in the air as if he was on a roller coaster.

We didn't want to waste our time in Moscow, so we spent most of today sight-seeing. I can't find my camera's USB cable, but thankfully we took some pictures on the ipod touch (thank you Christi for loaning it to me!) while we were in the Kremlin:

We walked through the mausoleum where Lenin's body is kept, and that was quite an experience. He died in 1924 so I wasn't sure what to expect, but he was perfectly preserved and everyone filed through the darkened room in silence.

After that we spotted a McDonald's in Red Square so of course we had to eat lunch there!

We spent most of the afternoon touring the cathedrals in the Kremlin. Unfortunately they do not allow cameras so we have no pictures from our time inside those amazing cathedrals. Even Amelia and Grant were fascinated by the elaborate architecture and paintings. Glenn was in his element soaking up as much Russian history possible in a few hours!

We ate an early dinner at an Italian restaurant near Red Square. It has been a full 24 hours since we hit the ground in Moscow, and we have really enjoyed some wonderful family time!

We check out at 6:45am and fly to Dillon's region. We will drive straight to the small town where the orphanage is located and are scheduled to visit him in the afternoon! Amelia and Grant can hardly wait to meet their little brother for the first time! Glenn and I are so excited to see him again!

Thank you all for your prayers! The encouraging comments left on Facebook have been such a blessing, and we've read them together as a family. Please pray we will have internet access in Dillon's region. We still don't know for sure where we will be staying but we have requested a place that has some internet connection available. It makes the time in-country seem much less isolated when we can stay in touch!

A sweet friend gave us a special gift as we left town. She wrote down a Scripture verse for each day we are gone. Each one includes a promise from the Lord. I will leave you with today's verse:

"If God be for us, who can be against us? Who shall separate us from the love of God? In all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us."

Romans 8:31, 35, 37

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!!

2011-07-06T15:22:00.000-04:00

I feel like writing this entire post in capital letters TO CONVEY MY LEVEL OF EXCITEMENT!!!! We just got our court date!!!! We leave for Dillon's country on July 16th (yes, that is NEXT Saturday), and go to court on July 22nd! Then, we'll have a 10-day waiting period before we can officially pick him up from the orphanage and call him OURS!!!

We'll be in Dillon's country for over three weeks, so we are taking Amelia and Grant with us. We covet your prayers as we get everything ready to travel and prepare for court.

I have to share a special blessing with you all. We've been praying that Dillon will be home for his birthday. He will be four years old on August 17th! We will be coming home just in time!

"Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom." Psalm 145:3

Our trip - part two

2011-06-15T16:00:00.002-04:00

We knew our last day with Dillon would be difficult. It was Wednesday, and our facilitator had left us overnight in the small village where the orphanage was located since the road was so bad. He discovered a hotel had opened in that town in December. There wasn't one there before. It was newly built, but looked 20 years old (at least)!

We were a bit concerned since we were left completely on our own...no facilitator and even worse, no translator. It was tricky because we had to call a taxi to pick us up at the hotel. Thankfully, our translator had written important communication on a piece of paper, including "Will you call a taxi?" and "Please take us to the orphanage." Thank goodness! We arrived at the orphanage at 9am and were told we could stay with Dillon until noon, then leave and come back at 4pm. Two visits! Yay!

Dillon was brought to us in that same visitation play room, and we were so happy to see him again.

The worker who was assigned to stay with us actually spoke a little English and we asked if we could take Dillon outside to play. The weather was so nice while we were there and all the flowering trees were in full bloom. She brought out a coat and hat for poor little Dillon to wear again. After he was bundled up, we went out to the playground, but the worker motioned that we could go for a walk outside the gate. We wondered how often, if ever, Dillon went outside that fence.

He was especially fascinated by the passing buses and would stop and stare when they drove by. We also pointed out all the stray cats and dogs (there were many) and he would respond with smiles and pointing.

A playground was around the corner and he loved going down the slide (with Glenn's help, of course).

He absolutely loves the way his new daddy plays with him.

During our two previous visits, we found that Dillon did not like to be held and was resistant when we tried to do so. We can only assume that being held hasn't really been a good thing for him, or that he is just not used to it. Either way, it saddened us. We wanted to hold him so badly! We discovered on this walk that when he became tired he would let us hold him.

And when we got back to the room, he let me cuddle him for a few minutes. I was loving every second of it!

It didn't take long before he was ready to play again. We played a little game of peek-a-boo around some of the play equipment and he caught on right away. He was so adorable!!!

He has the sweetest profile, don't you think?

The worker stayed with us during our visit and since she spoke a little English we were able to ask some questions about the orphanage. We found out that there are 80 children in that orphanage (another person told us 60, so we are unsure which figure is accurate) and they are all under the age of four. It is bizarre how quiet this building is when you imagine all the babies within the walls. We never heard any noise at all! This orphanage is a "baby house" and once the children are past age four they are moved to a different orphanage. (That is typically when special needs children are sent to mental institutions.) She told us Dillon is the only child with Down syndrome at the orphanage now, but that there were others who were transferred out in April. Of course our minds go wild wondering where those poor children were transferred, and if Dillon would have been transferred had we not been coming for him. We will probably never know, but we do know that God has given our process wings and brought us over to him much more quickly than was predicted.

This worker also asked us questions about Dillon's future in America. She was obviously intrigued as I explained to her that Dillon could attend school. I threw in a few more tidbits...that he will get therapy for speech and motor skills, and that we plan to enroll him in swimming lessons and music classes one day. She looked surprised but seemed very happy for Dillon. We also showed her a photo album we had made of our family and our home (we prepared it to show to the Ministry of Science and Education and also to the judge in court). She took the album and circulated it around to all the orphanage staff. I had intentionally added several pictures of Glenn's brother Doug, who has Down syndrome. There were pictures of him with our family at the beach, in the mountains, on Easter Sunday in his suit, etc. We are praying that seeds were planted that may help those staff members see these children differently. Keep in mind that in this orphanage Dillon is listed as a "child with no promise."

They brought Dillon's lunch up to the visiting room. He had a bowl of broth and I don't know that even half of that soup made it into his belly. What a mess!

It was almost noon, and Glenn and I were so thirsty from all our walking and play time. We knew Dillon had to be thirsty too, but all he was given with his meal was a half cup of warm tea. We honestly don't know how he is not dehydrated!

We were told it was his nap time and we had to leave, but we could return at 4pm for our final visit. We took the bus to a stop near our hotel and walked the rest of the way. Our walk took us past a lovely building...the boyhood home of Tchaikovsky, which is made into a museum.

The lake across from the house is said to have inspired "Swan Lake" and it was a lovely spot in this tiny little town. Our interpreter took our picture here the day before.

We returned to the orphanage for our afternoon visit, but we were a bit early. The director ushered us back to the room where Dillon and the rest of his "groupa" eat, sleep, and play. It is a medium sized room with eight little beds on one side, some toys against the back wall, and a sink area near the front. When we walked in, we were greeted by a table full of little 3 year olds eating their dinner. We heard a few say "mama, papa" when they saw us. I was scanning the group for Dillon, but the director pointed to another table behind this one and there was little Dillon, eating all by himself with his back to the other children.

We went right over to him and sat on the floor next to him while he finished eating. I was already very emotional knowing this was our last visit, and now I was fighting back tears as it sunk in that Dillon spends his meal times separated from others.

After Dillon finished eating, the worker bundled him up in his coat and hat again in preparation to go outside with us (never mind that it was 75 degrees outside). She then pointed to the beds and said something in Russian. Dillon walked over to one of the beds and the worker motioned for Glenn to take a picture. He was showing us his bed!

The director took us out to the playground and motioned for us to put Dillon in a "jump up" that was hanging between two trees.

The director didn't speak any English but did somehow convey to us that she was leaving for the day and we recognized the Russian words for "thank you" and "until we meet again." We thanked her as well, and she left us alone with Dillon on the playground. It was so nice to be out from under all the watchful eyes for a little while!

Dillon LOVED the "jump up" and we got some of the cutest video of him jumping and "talking" to us while in it:

We tried to play with him around the playground, but it was a very difficult place to be with a small child. The ground was uneven, and tree roots and concrete chunks were terrible tripping hazards. There was a wooden boat that had rotted and had splintering wood dangerously sticking out. There was a "play house" of sorts, but Glenn and I said it was the most depressing place to play we've ever seen:

Dillon truly enjoyed all the attention we were giving him.

We had been alone with Dillon for an hour when his groupa came outside to play too. There were seven other children and they all came over to where Glenn and I were playing with Dillon. It was truly heart breaking for both of us. One little boy and girl in particular would not leave us and kept saying "mama" and "papa" to us. They are the two in this picture (along with the groupa leader):

We were not supposed to interact with them and the workers kept calling them away from us. I also wasn't supposed to photograph any of the children, but they were so close to us and Dillon they made it into some of our pictures.

This precious girl kept calling Glenn "papa" while he played with Dillon. It was ripping our hearts out!

I know the orphanage workers try their best to care for these children, but you can probably tell from these pictures how dirty the children were. Their clothing, faces, hands...everything. I had been dismayed at how dirty Dillon was, but then I saw all the children were in the same condition. Honestly, I don't know how these ladies could keep the children clean when they go out to play on that dirty playground.

At one point, the groupa leader brought out bubbles and all the children gathered around her. Bubbles are universal when it comes to entertaining 3 year olds!

These two little girls sat in this swing for at least 45 minutes. No one ever came and pushed them...they just sat there quietly the whole time.

We knew our time with Dillon was growing short. Glenn and I were already fighting back tears over all these sweet children, but we knew the worst was yet to come. We were pushing Dillon in a swing and he loved it and gave us some of the best smiles of the day.

The bigger Dillon smiled, the harder I cried. We had stayed past our visiting time, and the groupa leader motioned to us that it was time to leave. As we gathered our things, she held Dillon and kept saying "paka, paka, paka" and motioning for him to wave goodbye. I walked over and hugged him one last time and started sobbing. Glenn had tears in his eyes too, but he took me by the hand and we left the orphanage.

We were picked up by our facilitator and taken back to the "city" and back to the creepy hotel. I have never felt so emotionally drained. I cried off and on the rest of the evening and wasn't able to eat dinner that night. I was broken hearted over the other orphans and overwhelmed with sadness at leaving Dillon behind.

The next day our translator asked us to be ready at 7:30am. It would be the first of two full days of medical visits for us. Glenn and I had to be examined by eight different physicians, including an oncologist, a neurologist, a psychiatrist, a narcologist, and others. Never mind that we had all this done here in the states, too. We went from clinic to clinic all day (both days) without even taking a break for lunch. I won't go into detail here, but it was very difficult. The medical buildings were run down and the floors were dirty. The equipment was old and outdated. Each building had its own distinctly awful smell. I struggled through those two days, and won't go into too much detail here. I think most families opt to have their medicals done in the capital city, which has better facilities and doctors who are used to doing adoptive medicals and the exams are more cursory. Had we known this, we would never have done our medicals in region. However, it gives me strength knowing that every thing that happens in my life is dealt from the hand of a loving God...even the trials and tribulations. One friend made the observation that perhaps all these difficulties will make our "gotcha day" that much sweeter. I agree. I'm pretty sure I'll do some sort of victory dance when Dillon is handed over to us as our son.

Friday was our 16th wedding anniversary. We spent most of the day having medical exams (we actually had Electroencephalograms performed on us that morning...I kid you not). Happy anniversary honey! We don't have epilepsy! Yay! (I can joke about it NOW...at the time it was far from humorous!)

After a long day of medicals, we were taken to an office where all our court documents were ready for us to sign. Glenn pointed out that all our adoption papers are dated May 27th...our anniversary. Of course, that brought more tears. God has revealed Himself to us over and over again through this adoption process. It is such a comfort to see His hand in every detail.

After signing the papers, we raced back to the airport and flew to Moscow. We were so tired, but had not had a good meal in 10 days and were determined to find a restaurant where we could celebrate our anniversary. We walked to Red Square and found an Italian restaurant where we enjoyed the best Italian food EVER. Or at least we thought so at the time. We were so happy to have such a hard 10 days behind us.

May 27th - Married 16 wonderful years!

Now that we are back home, the hard part is waiting to get our court date. We were told our region moves quickly and that we may be able to travel in July. All of our paperwork is completed and in their hands. We are praying for God's perfect timing.

They who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings like eagles;
they shall run and not be weary;
they shall walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31

Our trip - part one

2011-06-07T22:33:00.000-04:00

This post is a DOOZY! I intended to blog during our whole trip, but obviously that didn't happen. So, finally, I'm going to give some details and show some pics. There were SO many blessings and answers to prayer that I've been wanting to share too. God was so good to us.

The trip to Dillon's region took us three days. We did a one night layover in Moscow, and took advantage by staying close to Red Square. A twenty minute walk put us in front of some of the most amazing buildings we've ever seen.

A facilitator from our agency met us in order for us to give him our payments for in-country services. It was a huge relief to get all that cash safely into his hands!

Later, we asked the concierge at our hotel to direct us to a traditional Russian restaurant. She sent us a few blocks down the street where we ate our first meal in Dillon's country. Glenn wanted to immerse in the culture and ordered venison.

I was far less adventurous and ordered fish. However, my biggest concern was finding wi-fi so I could let everyone know we were okay. Little did I know the rest of our trip would be spent searching, hoping, and praying for wi-fi (and never finding it)!

The next morning, we flew out to Dillon's region. It was a three hour flight and we knew the region was going to be very different from Moscow. But we were filled with anticipation as our plane landed...we were so close to our little boy!!!

The airport was by far the smallest one we'd ever seen. While we waited for our facilitator, I went into the ladies restroom. I decided I could wait until later. Here is what made me change my mind.

It was culture shock right from the start!

Our facilitator met us and loaded us up in his car to take us to our hotel. When we arrived, we noticed right away it looked nothing like the pictures of the hotel where our agency told us we'd be staying. When we asked him, he told us the other hotel was "closed" and this one was "much better." Hmmm. The entire lobby was black...I'm not kidding. Every surface...walls, floors, counters...all black. The elevator was the size of a small phone booth and we laughed as we crammed in with our luggage. Later, we started calling that elevator the "Portal to Hades." (You will understand why as you keep reading). Gotta keep a sense of humor...

The hallway was dimly lit, and our room was, um, not-so-nice. The water that came out of the faucets was yellow-ish. Every time we flushed the toilet, it backed up into our shower. The shower fixtures were rusted, and the curtain was filthy. Speaking of curtains, our room had none. We learned very quickly that our region has a short night time. The sun comes up around 3am, so we never got much sleep. The hotel was also experiencing some electrical problems (or so we were told later) and even with our European converters we blew out our appliances...my girlfriends will understand the crisis of not having a hair dryer or flat iron all week. We also did not have electricity for one whole day...it was great fun trying to find our way down the already creepy hallway and locate our room door...in the pitch dark. Glenn and I both managed to keep a sense of humor about the whole hotel experience. The only thing that really upset me was that they did not have wi-fi or an internet hook up. We had planned to skype with our children and friends and family as much as possible while we were away. The hotel had one computer in the lobby that we could pay to use and I was only able to use it the first day we were there.

The next day, we were taken to the Ministry of Education and Science. There, we met with an official who asked us a few simple questions and showed us a picture of Dillon. It was a baby picture and it made me cry. She gave us a sheet of paper that told us the names and ages of his parents, and it stated that he was "rejected at the hospital." Now we know this sweet boy has never known a life outside of an institutional setting. One other note on this paper brought tears to my eyes (and still does). At his orphanage, Dillon is listed as a "child with no promise." Those words are heartbreaking! I have so much I could say about this, and I may have to save it all for another post one day. For now, I must point out that Dillon is created in God's image. The Bible tells us we are ALL created in His image. I am SO thankful that Dillon does indeed have promise. God has specifically placed him in a family that will love him and teach him about the love of Christ. Dillon is part of a plan that will result in the glory of God. Those words will never again define this precious little boy.

We were given permission to visit Dillon at the orphanage. The ride was harrowing! It was over an hour away via dirt roads. Our facilitator was also our driver and the man was crazy behind the wheel. The speedometer hit 140 kilometers and we went air born in the backseat at every pothole.

Finally...Dillon's orphanage.

The entrance:

The orphanage is a concrete building with all metal doors. There is a fence completely surrounding the building and play yard. We were taken immediately to the director's office, which was very small and we had to squeeze in along with our facilitator, interpreter, and a social worker. The director was a middle-aged woman wearing a white medical coat and we were told she is also the orphanage physician. She was very gracious and when she spoke to us she smiled and seemed genuinely pleased to meet us. She read all of Dillon's medical records to us and for the most part we already knew all the information. She then asked if we were still interested in adopting him; we both said yes (immediately) and she asked if we would like to meet him. When she left the office to go get him, I started crying. I felt the social worker studying me closely and that actually helped me get my emotions under control.

It was only seconds before a worker opened the door and in toddled little Dillon. After all the months with just one grainy photograph, it was almost unbelievable to see him in the flesh. I fell in love with him all over again!

Dillon bypassed all the adults and went straight for the objects on the director's desk and started pulling them off. Everyone in the room jumped up at the same time to stop him. Glenn and I got to him first and I pulled out some stacking cup toys I had brought with me and offered those to him. He took the stacking cups from me and immediately threw them as hard as he could. I had to laugh...he is all boy! The director told the translator to take us to the playroom, and I picked up my son for the first time. What a moment. We were taken to a room that had many nice play things in it. That room was such a pleasant surprise...the rest of the orphanage was very different. We assume this room is used specifically for visitors and adoptive families.

The other four adults all sat in chairs on one side of the room and we sat down on the rug to play with Dillon. I have to admit it was awkward to be watched so closely as we met him for the first time. We were told the social worker was there to observe how we interacted with Dillon and she would report to the court. No pressure, right? We were not allowed to take any pictures that first day, and I'm so sad we don't have any to document such special moments.

Dillon seemed to be on high speed the entire time. There's a good chance it was the first time he's ever had so much attention from adults. He is walking, but is very unsteady and falls down a lot. He must have fallen twenty times and never cried. Not even a peep. I'd read enough materials to know that is common for children in orphanages. Still, the reality of it was very sad.

During that first visit, Dillon did not want to play with any of the toys we offered him. It seemed to us that he did not know how to sit and play or even be held. I ached so badly to hold and cuddle him, but he would not allow it that day. Glenn and I both expected this to be the case, so we were not worried or upset. We know that it will take time for Dillon to adjust to us and our love.

A friend saw some of our orphanage pictures on Facebook and commented that it didn't look like such a bad place. It took me aback, since Glenn and I both felt it was one of the saddest places we could imagine. The building felt cold and isolating and everything looked in need of repair. The odor in the building is hard to describe. It was a combination of sewage-type smells, antiseptic and medicinal smells, and food cooking. But it wasn't those sensory feelings that made it so bad. I was struck by the reality of my little boy's life thus far. He will be four in August, and he has NEVER been tucked in bed at night by a parent, been rushed to when he gets hurt, had his boo-boo's kissed, been fed when he feels hungry, much less been played with one-on-one or had his abilities focused upon. His life has been a series of days that are the same, one after the other. His wake time is scheduled, his meals are scheduled, his nap time is scheduled, his potty time is scheduled, and his bed time is scheduled. The next day, it all starts over again. Add to that some things we witnessed showing he is treated differently from the other "normal" children, and Glenn and I don't expect Dillon to leave this orphanage unscathed. How could he? However, we have peace that God has chosen this path for us and for Dillon. He alone can heal broken hearts and bruised spirits. Our time spent in that orphanage gave us a much deeper burden for orphans.

While we were playing with him, the social worker asked us questions. She asked if we had any experience with Down syndrome. Glenn told her about his brother, Doug, and explained that Doug lived at home with his family. Then, she asked how our children felt about us bringing "this type of child" home. We told her how excited Amelia and Grant are and that they love their uncle very much. She seemed very satisfied with our answers. We feel that having Doug in our family will really help us in this adoption. The people in this country are truly bewildered as to why we would want to adopt a child with Down syndrome. When we mention Doug, no one questions us any further.

VISIT #2

The next day we returned and signed a "consent to adopt" form. Tears of joy! After that we were allowed to take pictures of Dillon...yay! They told us it was his meal time and asked if we would like to watch him eat. Oh yeah! They took us to a little corner that had a small table and chair set up and he was seated eating his "porridge." Man, was he ever focused on that food! We praised him and got some smiles out of him, but he would go straight back to eating.

This smile melts me!

We then were taken back to the special play room and Dillon LOVED the ball pit! We are going to have to buy him one of those!

Here's a video clip of ball pit fun (you'll get a glimpse of his cute personality):

We brought a special photo album with pictures of our family for him to look through. He loved it! He would point at the pictures and make a little gasping sound. It was so cute!

He loved action and would give us the cutest smiles and giggles when we played with him. Here's a clip that shows how much he loved the photo book we brought. I love how he is trying to "talk" and communicate:

It was a beautiful sunny day and we asked if we could take him outside. They brought us a coat and a hat to put on him. Really? It was in the 70's outside! We learned it is a cultural thing; every child we saw was bundled up in spite of the warm temperature.

He wouldn't put the photo album down and wouldn't let anyone take it from him, either.

Dillon kept walking over to the fence and looking out. Our translator (pictured below) made a very poignant remark. "He wants freedom," she said. Soon, sweet boy! Soon you WILL be free!

The play ground was in terrible condition. All the wood was rotted or splintering, all the paint was peeling and chipping...it was very unsafe. All I could think about was the many fun, safe playgrounds we have in Oak Ridge alone. It made me so sad for all the little orphanage children.

One last shot of all three of us!

Sorry for the length of this post, but this is only the first half of our trip! I will post the second half soon.

Please pray with us that our court date will be soon! They have all our paperwork so it is just a matter of them assigning us a time.

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

Back home at last!

2011-05-30T19:53:00.000-04:00

We finally landed in Knoxville yesterday afternoon. What a huge relief! The trip is long enough without delays and missing flights, so we were definitely happy to have it all behind us. We missed our children more than I can describe, and almost broke traffic laws to go pick them up! They were well taken care of these past 10 days by the Harris family, who generously offered to take them along on their family beach vacation. Our children had a wonderful time while we were gone and that was such a blessing and comfort to us!

I have so much to share I don't even know where to begin! Let me start by sharing a NEW picture of our Dillon! Drum roll please................

Isn't he adorable? We think he looks very different from the picture we've had all along. He definitely looks older, even though he's still a little guy. He's amazing. He appears to be very healthy and is quite active. He's walking and feeding himself independently. He smiles and giggles frequently when we play with him. He is making some sounds in an effort to communicate. He loves music and playing with balls. We are thrilled and thankful for so many positives! Look at his amazing smile:

We only had internet access a couple times during those 10 days. It was so hard to have NO contact with our family and friends! I kept a journal to document our trip and I will copy my notes into this blog over the next day or so.

I can't express just how much we appreciate all the prayers that went up on our behalf. There were many, many answers to prayer and reassurances that this adoption has been orchestrated by HIM.

More to come...

Day 1, 2, and 3 - Travel

2011-05-23T03:06:00.000-04:00

Dear friends, we are finally in Dillon's region! It has taken three days and four different flights, but we are finally here. Our trip was long but uneventful, and we are thankful for that. We are 8 hours ahead of EST, so it is already Monday morning here and we are waiting for our driver to pick us up to take us to the Ministry of Education and Science in Dillon's region. After we meet with them, we will be told which orphanage Dillon is in and we are hoping we will have enough time to make our first visit. Our driver says it is over an hour away and he does not think we will have time. We are praying he is wrong. These past three days have seemed like an eternity and we can hardly wait to meet him at last!

We do not have wireless internet at our hotel, but there is one computer in the lobby we can use for a fee. I will try to update from it as I have the opportunity. We will also be on the lookout for cafe's or other places that might have free wi fi. I'm not holding my breath for that, though. We are experiencing a region that does not seem westernized in any way.

Thank you all for your prayers. We are missing our children very much and have not been able to speak with them because we have not had internet to use for skyping. We were able to use our emergency international phone to make a few brief calls, but our intentions were to skype with them daily. Also, we ask for prayers for safety and health. I woke up this morning feeling feverish and light headed. Not sure what is going on, but please pray for strength as we have such a busy day ahead of us.

I hope my next update will include an account of our first meeting with little Dillon!

Leaving tomorrow!

2011-05-19T14:42:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow! We leave TOMORROW! It has not fully sunk in yet, but we will indeed get on a plane early tomorrow morning and head across the ocean! So much has happened since we received our travel date...we've booked flights and hotels, made arrangements for our precious children who we must leave behind, finished up a school year (today was the last day), and SOMEHOW gathered all 35 documents required for court in Dillon's country. Here's what 35 court documents look like in case you wondered:

We won't be going to court on this trip, but they asked us to bring those documents with us. I don't think I've EVER accomplished so much in a three week span, but that just goes to show how the Lord has provided strength!   The verse that comes to my mind almost daily is Luke 18:27, "The things which are impossible with men are possible with God."

And so we are spending the rest of today checking off lists, packing, re-packing, and packing some more. Our excitement is palpable around here! We haven't really had time to sit and think about what the next week will hold, but I know that a wonderful moment is coming...the moment they bring little Dillon to meet us. What will he think of us? Will they tell him we are his mama and daddy? Will he look very different from the one photo we have of him? So many questions, but we will soon have some answers!

I will try to update this blog daily while we are there. I'm praying for wi-fi at our hotel, but we will go in search of it if we don't have it there. So many of you have prayed over us, loved on us, supported us financially, and shared our excitement for our little boy! We want to continue to share this journey and show you what GOD has brought about!

Unfortunately, I will be unable to post anything about our location (or even which eastern European country we are in), but I can still post pictures and details about our meeting with Dillon and our daily experiences.

I want to say a special thank you to all of you who have donated to us. When we decided to adopt a special needs child from eastern Europe we knew it would be a giant leap of faith on many fronts. One of the biggest hurdles for so many who are adopting internationally is the financial burden it presents.  We committed to Dillon in mid-January and have only had four short months to come up with the money required to this point.  Yes, we are still short on funds, but God has laid it upon many, many hearts to help us. We've never experienced anything like this...the sacrificial giving from our friends and family and even by people who do not know us personally.   I know that in these economic times money is tight for so many...and yet you gave!  Thank you for your sacrificial gifts and please know that you are vessels used by our Heavenly Father to bring an orphan home!

Many have prayed us to this point. Many have called, e-mailed, followed our blog, posted on Facebook...encouraged us DAILY!   We are almost there! May God increase our faith and yours through His work of love!

Our next post will be from another continent! Love you all!

WE HAVE A DATE!!!

2011-04-27T16:25:00.002-04:00

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." John 14:18

Oh my...we have a date! My head is still spinning since I received the call! We leave for eastern Europe on MAY 20th! I'm still in shock at how soon we will get to meet our Dillon!

We've been praying that we could travel in May. However, I was concerned about how this trip might affect school and my job since I work at the school my children attend. When I was told we travel on the 20th, I couldn't believe it...our last day of school is the 19th! We are amazed at God's goodness to us!

This first trip will take about a week, including travel time. Tentatively, we will meet Dillon on Monday, May 23rd, and according to our itinerary we will have three days to visit him at the orphanage. We will also have some super-fun doctor visits while we are there (yes, I'm being sarcastic). Glenn and I will have to be seen by eight different physicians. We've been taking our vitamins!

I covet your prayers over these next 3 1/2 weeks. We have a lot of paperwork and running around to do before we leave. Pray that Glenn and I will draw closer to our Heavenly Father and rely on Him for our strength in these upcoming days. And please continue to pray for little Dillon. He has no idea he will be meeting his mama and daddy in just a few weeks! I can't imagine what that moment will be like for all of us.

Waiting for a travel date

2011-04-25T23:42:00.000-04:00

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. I love to reflect on the death, burial, and resurrection of my Saviour. In recent months, the gospel has become especially sweet to me. I've had a relationship with Christ for many years, but my appreciation for His sacrifice has deepened and grown. I'm certain our calling to adopt Dillon was the catalyst for this growth. I can't help but meditate on my own adoption by a loving God who saw me as a spiritual orphan and chose to make me His child...loved unconditionally. Thank you Lord, for making that possible!

We are still waiting for our travel date for trip one. Our dossier has been in Dillon's country for almost three weeks. Our adoption agency expects news very soon. I hope I will have new pictures of Dillon at that time! We can't wait to get a more recent picture of our little boy.

We have been blessed with friends who have organized fundraisers for us. If you live in the Knoxville area, please check out our "Ice Skating for Dillon" weekend at Cool Sports.

If you like Thirty One products, please consider making your purchase from the Thirty One fundraiser for Dillon. Proceeds from each purchase go towards helping us bring Dillon home.

Thank you all for your continued prayers on our behalf.

One Step Closer!

2011-04-07T17:57:00.000-04:00

Today we got some GREAT news! Our dossier is on it's way across the ocean! It feels miraculous, since only one week ago we got word the dates were wrong and we needed to re-do some stuff that wasn't fun the first time we did it. However, we were able to get everything taken care of in one day and sent it to our agency who did the final apostilling and sent it on it's way. Our agency sure is working hard for us and for Dillon!

Our agency's director told us it is still realistic for us to travel in MAY. Yes, folks...MAY!!! My face hurts I'm smiling so much! So, here's how it works. Our dossier will arrive in the capitol of Dillon's country in approximately 4 days. We were told that once there, it will be translated and certified before being sent to the region where Dillon is located. Our director said it typically takes four weeks to hear back from them.

Another exciting aspect to our adoption is the fact that my youngest sister and her husband are also adopting from the same country as we are, and they are making their first trip at the end of April to meet their little girl! They've been in this process for well over a year, so it is amazing that our trips are so close together. These little cousins will arrive home within weeks or months of each other, and 2011 will be a year of miracles for both our families.

We give thanks to the One who put us on this journey! Only He can orchestrate our lives so beautifully. Even with bumps along the way, I can say without any doubt that this is HIS path for us...a path bathed in His love for Dillon.

Where to begin?

2011-04-02T15:44:00.001-04:00

Oh what a difference a week can make! Last weekend we were on the mountaintop, celebrating the success of our Date Night fundraiser, and so incredibly humbled by the generosity of our friends and loved ones. We still are, of course, but this week has been tough. We've experienced some trials that seem trivial in the big scheme of things, but we struggled to keep our "attitude of gratitude." I've learned how weak I truly am, and just how in need I am of a daily infusion of God's spirit and grace.

I took our mini-van in for a routine oil change on Wednesday afternoon. I mentioned to the tech, that, oh, by the way, the engine light came on that morning. No biggie, right? Just probably overdue for that oil change. Those dashboard alerts come on randomly all the time.

After settling in the waiting room with the kids, the tech comes and finds me. Well, that little engine light has a code, and the code tells them that our torque converter in the transmission has failed, and guess what? We need a new transmission. Normally, that wouldn't trigger quite the reaction that it did (I burst into tears), but the big bucks are hard to come by these days, and we are already doing everything possible to trim our budget.  Now, this van is a Honda. Yes, it has 127K miles on it, but we've kept that thing serviced regularly and planned to drive it for quite a while longer. My hubby gets on the phone with the tech to get the details, but he didn't want to make a split-second decision. We were encouraged to call Honda to see if they would help us with the cost since we had been taking it to the dealership for all our service (still waiting to hear back).  The van was running fine, so I drove it home and we made it a matter of prayer.

Thursday was THE day. The kind of day that makes for a great story years later, but is wretched at the time. I drove the van to school and dropped the children off. I work in the middle/high school office, which is crazy on a good day, but Thursday was THE day, remember, so it was loco to the extreme. I won't go into detail, but I left the office that day questioning whether I could keep working there after this year. It was emotionally draining, and I cried publicly (which I really hate, but seem to be doing a lot of lately) so I was very happy to pick up my kiddos and head home. I'm nearing home, feeling better by the moment, and enjoying the view of the lake and mountains when VROOOOOOM!!!! My mini-van started sounding like a stock car at Talladega. Me and the kids are laughing and freaking out at the same time...it was so loud! I slowed down to turn onto a side road, and my van just stops mid turn in on-coming traffic. We are screaming and I'm flooring the pedal...and it starts jerking inch by inch across that lane. The oncoming cars slowed down, and we made it to the side of the road and out of danger. With shaking hands I called Glenn and then a towing company, and then we had nothing to do but to sit in a van that smelled like burnt rubber. Did I mention it was raining? It was great. But while sitting there bemoaning my day, and dwelling on my circumstances, my heart became convicted. How easily I slip from gratitude to griping! I quickly asked the Lord to forgive my selfish attitude and then reminded my children that we needed to stop and thank the Lord for His protection. We bowed our heads and thanked Him for getting that van to the side of the road, and slowing down those oncoming cars. It could have been so much worse, and I am very grateful for those last few bursts of movement from that van!

If that were everything that happened on Thursday, well that would be enough, right? But, nooooo...there's more! That night was our school's big Spring Program and our children were so excited to go. They'd been practicing the songs for weeks, and we knew we couldn't miss it. It's a big deal. So we scarfed down some dinner, and headed out to the other side of town for their program. En route, I checked my e-mails and found one from our adoption agency. Our dossier was completed earlier this week, and was to be sent out on Wednesday (we were SO excited)! Well, it was supposed to be sent out, BUT this e-mail had some bad news. Our dossier papers had been dated and notarized on the 23rd. The home study didn't get notarized until the 28th. What? They had told us it was dated the 21st! Well, our documents HAVE to be dated AFTER the date of the home study.   We have to re-do all of our paperwork. Signing, notarizing, and county certifying...all over again. Sets us back at least a week. Out of everything that happened on THE day, this was by far the most devastating.

We recovered enough to enjoy the spring program (although my children were the ONLY ones in the whole school who weren't dressed in white and khaki...I completely forgot that detail.) Poor Grant...he was wearing a red and navy shirt. Click here to play Where's ~~Waldo~~ Grant. He couldn't blend in if he tried. Sigh. I'm sure there were some people laughing at the blond mom who missed the memo.

Here's the beauty of our Lord. The program was all about worship. Our hearts HAD to focus on His goodness. Watching the children sing these songs celebrating who He is gave us perspective. God also surrounded us with loving friends that night. One family offered a vehicle for us to drive this week until we figure out what to do with our van. Several other families came up and loved on us and we couldn't help but leave with smiles on our faces. Thank you, Lord, for Your people. :)

So, it gets better. I won't leave this post without some really good news. Yesterday, the Lord went before us (I know some people were praying...thank you!!!) and the right officials were available for all our documents to be completed. That is no small task when you are dealing with county courthouses and certification. We were able to mail off our dossier to our agency before the post office closed.  I'm still in awe that we got it done!

We need prayers that our dossier will be ready to send to Dillon's country SOON!   Our agency said it is possible to have it on its way in a week. Please pray! Every day feel like an eternity when we know our little boy is in such a sad place. So much depends on others, and it is hard not to feel frustrations at these hiccups in our journey. But we rest in the knowledge that God's timing is perfect, and there is a reason why this paperwork needed to be delayed.

One more piece of news before I close. In Dillon's country, special needs children are looked upon as burdens and a shame to society and are put away into orphanages and institutions. Very few special needs adoptions have ever taken place. Last week, a judge in Dillon's country said "no" to a family wishing to adopt a little boy with Down syndrome. They were told that their precious boy needed to stay in an institution with others like himself. That he was better off there than with a FAMILY. Yes, it sounds crazy and unbelievable, but it happened. You can read their story here: http://oureyesopened.blogspot.com/2011/03/kirills-story.html and here: http://www.examiner.com/adoptive-families-in-atlanta/adoption-family-fights-to-adopt-son-despite-judge-who-says-no?fb_comment=31236631

This family is now appealing this decision and they need our prayers. However, there is hope! Another family had their court date with the same judge this week. The judge said yes this time! We can all speculate why she would change her mind in a week's time, but I believe it is a direct answer to prayer. God is changing hearts all over Eastern Europe and we need to keep praying. Glenn and I are burdened for these countries. They need to know God's love. They need to hear that everything He does is good and perfect...even creating a child with special needs. Have you ever spent any time with someone who has Down syndrome? Then you KNOW what a blessing they are! Our prayer is that through all these Reece's Rainbow adoptions, God will show the people in these countries that their children are worthwhile no matter what!

If you are on Facebook or Twitter, I would encourage you to follow Reece's Rainbow adoption ministry. Celebrity and actress Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond, The Middle) is donating one dollar for every Reece's Rainbow Twitter follower...up to $10,000!

If you read this whole post, thank you! It's a doozy. Blessings to each of you!

Love Abounding

2011-03-27T20:57:00.000-04:00

Glenn and I have NEVER experienced such love and support as we have these past several weeks. Our friends and family have amazed, blessed, and convicted us. God is using His people to do His will, and we are humbled.

Last night was our big fundraiser, "Date Night for Dillon." This was arranged by my friend (and fellow Dillon Fan Club member) Cynthia.  Her church opened its doors (and classrooms, kitchen, sanctuary, and just about every nook and cranny) to us and asked nothing in return. Cynthia told me the church membership is full of adoptive families, and the church as a whole focuses on ministry.  What a blessing!

I felt as if I floated through the evening. The love for Dillon and our family was literally palpable, and it would take up pages and pages to tell you all the wonderful things that were said and done last night. Three of my sisters drove over 4 hours just for this event. Several dear friends came out and stayed for the entire evening to help entertain 34 children. I'm telling you...we are blessed!

Of course everyone wants to know the final amount! The total: $1,190!   Unbelievable! I'm telling you...we have amazing friends! As we left the church late last night, I announced that total on Facebook. Literally minutes after I posted, a friend sent me a text. She and her husband want to give us a matching donation. How does one respond to such an offer?   Well, I cried of course. And I cried some more when I read her next text. She wrote that she loves Dillon. Our heavenly Father knows who to use, doesn't He?

Thank you, my friends, for being the hands and feet of Jesus. You all are part of giving an orphan a family that loves him dearly because our Abba Father loved him first. God tells us over and over again in His Word how important orphans are to Him, and how He cares for the fatherless. You can be sure you are doing His work!

This adoption process has been humbling. I've said that before, but it is so true. We look at what God is doing and stand amazed. We've had people write us encouraging e-mails and notes, pray for us and with us, put money in Dillon's fund, and put money in our hands. We've been thrown a fundraiser, and others have offered. We have one man who is giving us a percentage of the income from his lawncare business. We've been hugged and loved on by many. Last night, my seven year old son Grant cracked us up. After I received the text about the matching donation, I was talking to Glenn and said, "I don't know how to describe how I'm feeling right now. I just feel so, so..." Grant chimed in and asked, "Do you feel like a million bucks?"   I laughed, but then shook my head. "No," I said. "Actually, I feel quite worthless." That about sums it up. Glenn and I feel honored that the Lord chose this path for us. He chose us for Dillon. We know we don't deserve these blessings.  We look to our Savior and know that He paid the price. We find our worth in HIM.

I will leave you with my favorite quote from Oswald Chambers: "The knowledge that God has loved me to the uttermost...will send me forth into the world to love in the same way."

Gratitude

2011-03-06T22:25:00.000-05:00

This morning, a friend recommended that I read Isaiah 58. She is also in the adoption process, and said this passage has meant a lot to her this past week. And so I did, and the following verses prompted this post:

"...and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
     then your light will rise in the darkness,
and your night will become like the noonday.
    The Lord will guide you always;
he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land
     and will strengthen your frame.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
     like a spring whose waters never fail."
~Isaiah 58: 10-11

The sad reality is that money is a huge obstacle for families wishing to adopt. International adoption, in particular, is unbelievably expensive.

We know without any doubt that God led us to Dillon, and that He gave us a love for this little boy that is unexplainable in human terms. It is supernatural, and that knowledge has given us the stability we need to face the big stuff in his adoption. So when the financial commitment was laid in front of us, we only had one recourse. We hit our knees, and began praying right away that God would provide.

Almost immediately, He reinforced our faith with direct answers to that prayer. My wonderful friend, Cynthia (remember...she is the one who re-posted Dillon's picture on FB) offered to hold a fundraiser for us. Within days of our commitment to Dillon, she had lined the whole thing up! I love her heart for adoption.  One of her children is adopted so she knows first hand the financial strain that is placed on adoptive families. So check out her clever idea for our fundraiser: Date Night for Dillon!

"...He will satisfy your needs." I am so grateful.

We were advised to open up a bank account just for Dillon's adoption. We found out the bank required at least $100 to put into a new account.  The very next day I went into work, and my friend Cynthia (again) met me at the door. She handed me a $100 bill and told me that someone in her family had heard our story and gave her the money to give to us.

"...and will strengthen your frame." More gratitude. God is moving in the hearts of people I don't even know. How amazing is that?

Fast forward to this week. On Monday, as I was driving my children to school, I told them we needed to pray specifically for God to provide a large sum of money. We had three big checks that needed to go in the mail before week's end in order to keep the adoption ball rolling. So we prayed. To be completely honest, I just didn't see any way that money would just "show up" and I began to worry. I know I'm not supposed to worry, but my faith was weak and I felt overwhelmed by everything. But God...wow. He is so good. He is faithful...even to an undeserving, worrying, weak-faithed girl. On Thursday, my husband received a phone call. The person on the other end had put a check in the mail that very day. A sizable check.

"You will be like a well-watered garden..." My eyes are well-watered, that is for sure! My heart is overflowing with gratitude for His provision!

Then, today. On the heels of that wonderful news, a young couple at our church gave us a card. In it, was a check for Dillon. It was a large, sacrificial amount of money for anyone to give, and my heart was convicted immediately. Would I have given so sacrificially to a family adopting a child? A few months ago, I think the answer would have been "no." It took me a good 10 minutes to compose myself enough to go thank them. They have no idea how timely their gift was for us, and how God used their willing hearts.

"like a spring whose waters never fail." God will not fail us. He led us to this path, and He is going before us and showing us that His resources never run dry. He is our source, our daily bread, the giver of all good and perfect things.

My sister (who is also adopting from Eastern Europe) and I were just talking last night about how discussing finances make us both uncomfortable. Finances are very personal, and telling people about our needs is humbling. Today, I knew that I HAD to share these details. It is for His glory.

Answering a couple questions...

2011-03-01T18:55:00.000-05:00

Adoption is not for the faint hearted. I feel like I'm running a marathon...on a treadmill. Each day there are several adoption related things to do, and I seriously don't even have the time to get my regular activities done. Thankfully, God gives renewed strength each day!

A lot of people are asking where we are in the process. I'm not 100% sure how to answer that question, but I will try! We have finished our home study, and have started compiling our dossier. Up until just a few weeks ago, I had no idea how to pronounce "dossier" much less know what one is!  I have since learned that a dossier is a set of documents, including our home study, that must be compiled (very precisely) and sent over to the country from which we are adopting.

We hope to submit the dossier in a few weeks. This is fairly ambitious, but we are VERY motivated (see picture of Dillon above). Our adoption agency says it will take several weeks to process the dossier, but eventually we will receive a date for our first trip. During the first trip, we will get to meet our little guy for the first time, and actually get to spend some time with him at his orphanage. (Oh happy day!) Sadly, that trip is just a brief visit. While we are there, we will set up a court date to finalize the adoption. That date may be up to three months after our first trip.

Once we return home from the first trip, we begin compiling a second dossier which must be submitted before our court date.  Our second trip will be lengthy. We will go to court and formally adopt Dillon and then...wait some more. His country requires a 10-day waiting period after court.

Another question that many people have asked is "How can I pray for you?"  Now THAT I can answer! Here are some specific requests you can take before the Lord on our behalf:

1. Pray for a speedy process. Dillon's country is notoriously slow for adoption. But God can go before us and show Himself far more powerful than any bloated government system!

2. Pray for our family to draw our strength from our Heavenly Father. We have an enemy, and he would love to destroy the work God is doing through this adoption.

3. Pray for God to provide for our monetary needs. Adoption requires a considerable financial commitment, and we are stepping out on faith like we never have before.

4. Pray for our little boy.  Ask God to keep him healthy.  Special needs children are at a higher risk of illness and even death in orphanages in Dillon's country.

Thank you in advance for your prayers! And thank you for caring enough to share this journey with us!

Sharing Our Story

2011-02-26T13:05:00.000-05:00

If you are reading this blog, you are most likely aware of our adoption story. Even so, I’d like to take this opportunity to share it once again. It was first written by Dillon’s “Christmas Warrior," Theresa, on her blog found here. She did a beautiful job and I think you can read between her lines and feel the amount of emotion shared by all of us involved. I am so thankful for Theresa and her heart for Dillon! You will also find our story on Reece's Rainbow's "New Commitments" page found here.

Of course, there are many details not found in those posts, so I plan to share those in the days to come. Adoption blogs have been a source of encouragement and inspiration to me along this journey, and I love to think that God could use my blog to do the same for others.

Dillon is in a country in Eastern Europe that needs to remain unnamed in my blog. This country is sensitive about special needs adoptions, and I must use discretion with what I write online. Also, I will continue to use the name “Dillon” when referring to our sweet boy. “Dillon” is not his real name, but is the name given to him by Reece’s Rainbow to protect his privacy. We have been told his real name and we plan to keep it, but can't share it here. Since he is already 3 ½ years old, he is probably quite attached to his real name! Want to hear something really beautiful? His real name literally means “Yahweh is merciful.” Yes, He is!

Glenn and I want to thank all of you for your prayers and encouragement. God has placed us on this journey, and you are a part of it with us! We are open books when it comes to our adoption process, and please don't hesitate to ask us any questions! In fact, we can't think of anything we'd rather talk about right now!