Getting There...

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him. ~ James 1:12

We are so close now I can see the light! I am yet again amazed at the amount of paperwork that our government and China's government need though. At this point, we are waiting on letters of reference from Mia and Michael's teachers. Since it's summer break, getting a hold of them has not been easy. Luckily, I got a hold of Michael's teacher pretty easily and she should have her letter for me next week. Mia's teacher is not home from the majority of the summer so the odds are she won't be checking her work e-mail either, at least not until August. All we can do is pray that it will happen sooner rather than later.

I have started looking up the hotels we'll be staying at and finding out what they look like, their amenities, what's within walking distance, etc and just generally daydreaming about that trip. The furthest I have ever traveled has been Mexico and that was with a tour group in high school and with Nick when we got engaged (never left Puerta Vallarta). To go to a country with a culture so different than ours is scary and exciting at the same time. I keep trying to read and learn about the country, the culture, and the language. I even looked into taking an introductory course in Mandarin but I am still afraid that I will butcher it all together and wonder if it would be easier just to speak in signs and grunts. :)

I have started finding other families who have adopted from China and all over the world actually. My church has been an amazing source of people. They have numerous support groups and play groups for parents who have adopted, are adopting, or are thinking about adopting both overseas and closer to home. It's nice to know that there are other families who have struggled to get the same letters and documents as we have and who have done things "out of order" the same way we have also.

What truly amazes me though are that some families are able to bring along their kids for the 3-week ish long journey. As difficult as it may be to find someone to stay with my kids for 3 weeks, I can't imagine bringing them along. It will be such a draining and emotional time that for me, it just seems so unfair to bring them. I would hate to subject them to what will undoubtedly be mommy on a bad day times 100. LOL I have nothing but respect for those that have been able to handle bringing their kids, regardless of their ages. I will be taking full advantage of the no kid (at least for the first few days) policy and gear myself up for that magical bonding time with our son. His brother and sisters will descend on him in due time.

I keep looking at my binder full of paper and know that it will all lead to an amazing little boy who's 6 inches smaller than Mikey with an amazing smile who loves to play with cars and adores his primary colors - yellow, red, and blue.