We have our Homestudy draft almost ready to finalize. Ben & I went and got our fingerprints done for our second background check yesterday. Those will be mailed in today and take 3-5 weeks to get back. If I had realized that we needed this I would have done it earlier. The Homestudy only required us to go to the local county building and have a quick search done. Oh well. It will all work out in God's perfect timing. We just ray that they will take the shorter time to get back. We should be filing out USCIS paperwork very soon for our immigration approval. The health forms have been an absolute PAIN.. I am so thankful that the ladies up at our doctor's office have been so good about it all. They are all very excited about Jacob. The receptionist said she thinks he looks like me. Funny how that works out. We certainly did not plan that out at all.
Yesterday I ordered two photo books online from shutterfly. These are filled with pictures of our family, home, and town, to show the people who work in the country where Jacob will live, and the kinds of things we like to do. We ordered two so that one could be left with an older child (if we add a second), and we would still have one to show judges, workers, nannies, etc. Then when we come to visit them in the orphanages we can show them pictures, and maybe some of the faces and places will be a little more familiar.
Coming home will be a shock no matter what we do though. Most of these kids have not been outside the orphanage walls since going in. In the not so great places they may have not ever left their crib. No amount of photos is going to prepare them for riding in a car, on a train, in a plane for hours and hours, etc. This is why it is so important to avoid the huge welcoming parties at the airport when new kids come home. It is exhausting and overwhelming. We plan to lock ourselves away in our home with just our family for a bit while we recover and start to adjust to the new normal. Since we should be home in August, I hope we can do some smaller meet and greet get together type things in September or October after we have bonded as a family. And for my church friends, don't expect to see us at church for a couple weeks. It will all just depend on how we are doing.
How you can pray for me today: That I would stay focused and press on with everything that needs to be done. It gets tiring to do the same paperwork over so many times!! I also need to get the house ready for our family Easter gathering this Sunday and work on art stuff. Also, please pray for clear guidance for us, and for Jacob to get the attention and love he deserves while we wait to go get him. Thx!
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| (Jacob at 16 mos) |
