Why is Waiting So Hard?

By the title you can see we are still waiting for a court date.  I look at the calendar and the time that has passed since our dossier arrived in Ghana and I realize we haven't been waiting all that long...really.  But it seems like an eternity.  The scary thing is we have a lot more waiting ahead of us.  Let me explain:

Once we go to court we WAIT for the adoption decree.
Then I most likely go back to Ghana and file the I600 and we WAIT for I600 approval (and the timeline for that is unknown right now because of changes)
Then we file for the Visas and we...yes you guessed it....WAIT for the Visas to be approved and printed

We really hope our WAITING is over by February or March at the latest but I guess we will just have to Wait and see.

Waiting is always going to be hard.. mainly because we want it and are ready for it to happen now, and by waiting, we worry that it won't come and that something will go wrong. We are trying not to forget to live in the meantime.  We know waiting for them will be worth it.  We also know the wait doesn't change the chances of it happening.  Yet we are still struggling with the wait and probably will all the way through until we are on a plane bringing A & J home.

In the meantime we are trying to keep busy (and we are!) so why is it so hard???  We have been working on remodeling A &J's bathroom.  I found out men get the nesting instinct too!!  Ha!  Here's proof:

Shower before the backer board was all up....new plumbing!



Tile about half way up the wall

About 2/3 the way up the wall now....we went to the ceiling.

We grouted the tile a couple nights ago.  It looks great!  I will post a pic of the finished product later.  We now need to hand texture the ceiling, paint the ceiling, paint the walls, install some shelves where an old medicine cabinet was and the best part.....accessorize!  As soon as this project is finished we move on to A & J's bedrooms.  The fun part!

In the meantime I have to WAIT until we finish the bathroom before I start the bedrooms.

Amazing 11 Year Old Girl

I want to post today about a 11 year old girl that leaves me speechless.  She is doing more for orphans in Ghana than most adults.  You HAVE to check out her blog at:  http://feedingtheorphans.blogspot.com/

She has accomplished this so far:

Our 11 year old daughter designed a shirt months ago to feed the orphans of Ghana, West Africa. When we traveled a few weeks ago, we visited several different orphanages to deliver food and fed a group of over 500 children. She is still raising money for these kids. 

We are now trying to find monthly food sponsors for the kids at $20/month. This will ensure they receive 3 meals/day. If you are interested in sponsoring a child or making a one-time donation, please let her know. Her t-shirts are still for sale, too. They are $15 each and are youth and adult sizes. All donations and purchases are tax deductible.


Lastly, she is selling bottle cap magnets for $2/each and chokers with a bottle cap for $5. The money from the magnets will help her buy her own plane ticket to Ghana to minister to the orphans. She still needs $550.  - this was posted by her Mother on a forum we are involved in.

She has some videos on her blog and pics of some of the kids A&J have been living with in Ghana.  When she mentions Paul's orphanage that is where A&J have lived up until just recently when they were moved to Auntie Ruth's.

This little girl is amazing!!!

Stay Tuned!!

I think we are going to have some news very, very soon!  I would guess that within the next 30 days we will be the legal parents of A&J in Ghana and we just have to work on the steps to get them home!

Not much to post

I haven't posted because we don't have much to say right now..... we are just waiting.  Waiting for that court date and hoping to hear a date any day! 

Our I600A was filed a little over a week ago so I guess that is news.  This is an "Application For Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition".  We will be waiting on that approval simultaneously as we wait for a court date and then the adoption decree (comes 2-6 weeks after the court date). 

Other families adopting from Ghana have had some great news this previous week.  There were many families that had been waiting for a very long time (more than normal) for the Visas to bring their children home.  Many of those Visas came through last week and families are bringing their kids home!  This is great for them and also a huge plus for families in the process like us because some of the issues the Embassy in Ghana has been working through seem to be getting resolved!  This is great news for A and J because hopefully they will be able to come home sooner rather than later!

I am anxious to share pictures and videos of A and J but can't until after court.  Soon....... very very soon!

Dossier Sent To Ghana!

Well....our Dossier is finally on it's way to Ghana and should arrive there this week.  We are so anxious to hear some news of a court date.  We have been advised to be prepared to travel on short notice and we are ready to go as soon as we get the word!  We have our vaccinations, our travel visas and lots of anticipation. 

A and J are doing well.  They have been moved to a smaller foster home and our being taken care of by "Auntie Ruth".  This will give them a little more one on one care and some female nurturing until they can come home.

We made the decision this weekend to start working on their rooms very soon and start buying things they will need.  We want to be ready if the process goes quick and if it has delays it will give us something in our home that feels like they are part of it.  Also,  we can take pictures and send to them via other families traveling to help give them the security of knowing their new home is waiting for them.

Can't post any pictures yet......but very soon.....after our court date.