He's Standing Up!

It has been pretty exciting on the adoption front lately. Two of the women I've emailed regularly just got their legals, and will soon be planning their travel. Two families from our agency have recently picked up their children and are enjoying their new families. We know that our documents have been scrutinized by the courts on August 2nd. We are just waiting for the judge to approve and sign them.

I am worried because this judge's term ends soon, and we haven't heard whether he will stay or leave. If he leaves before signing our legals, it could delay us while a new judge has to learn the job. So I perseverate on this all of the time. We've gotten a bunch of recent pictures that reveal so much of his personality, that I really feel like we're missing out now. I've scheduled lots of work for the next few weeks for a couple of reasons . . . the extra cash will be nice, Dan is still on vacation, so the kids don't have to go to daycare, but mostly to just keep my mind off of this.

The family that is currently in India with their beautiful daughter sent us more amazing pictures of Max. Once again, I am so thankful that this family took time out of their precious journey to pass on these treasured photos. She also passed along this message:

"Rup has a huge smile and really bright eyes. . He melts your heart. He smiles easily and seems both energetic and laid back at the same time. He was playful, interactive and made good eye contact."

We have all been to the travel clinic for our vaccinations. We had a lovely Doctor named Dr. Goswami who is from India. She said she was jealous of our upcoming trip. Her best friend lives in Kolkata. When she found out Dan was a music teacher she told us that Kolkata is the music center of India and gave us a music history lesson. It was wonderful. She may have us bring some music back for her. Just another of the amazing people we've been connected with through this journey.

We had the chance to spend some time with Dan's brother and sister-in-law and their kiddos last week. We don't see them nearly often enough, and we had such a great time by the lake. They are very excited for us and have started putting together some stuff for Matri Sneha. I can't wait to introduce them to Max.

Off to a family reunion. It's a gorgeous day for it, and I'll show off all the new pics :)

Tee Ball and Storyland

Around here, we are getting ready to get the broilers "done in" and then I'm hoping to get the laying hens outside finally. The barn is a bit crowded with the hens, ducks and goats. Dan is thinking of getting a pig in the fall to roast at either the reunion or Maddie's birthday next year. I think it will depend on how much room we can create in the barn and what the cost will be to raise another critter. We are enjoying the lake, and went to Storyland last week. It drizzled all day, but that was perfect. There were no crowds and it was warm enough so the kids didn't care. It was a really great day. Maddie's favorite part was milking the pretend cow, and Myles loved the tractor ride. Oh, my little farmers.

Oh, and TEE BALL!! Auriana and Madeline play tee ball - sort of. They look cute in the uniforms. They hold hands on the way onto the field, and as balls go two inches to either side, and over their heads, they chat and play in the sand. Madeline follows the coaches around and tells them stories the whole game - we finally gave them permission to say "NO MORE TALKING." Myles cheers them on "Go Ball Go"

As for Max. . . We are still waiting for the courts. We don't have a time frame, we just wait until we get news. We are preparing for travel. We have appointments at the travel clinic next week, and we have been buying some supplies for the trip. We would like to start collecting donations for the orphanage. Max has everything he needs courtesy of his older brother, and a big loving family. Instead we would love it if folks would shop for things the orphanage needs. Crib sheets are number one on this list. They also need preemie bottles, onesies, blankets, and regular sized flat sheets. For more ideas, just ask us.

I know you all come here for Max pics. Another wonderful family is currently picking up their son and has sent us a number of pictures AND A VIDEO!! Max is wearing blue, and looks to be a little devil in the video. To view the video click on the blue "rup" at the end of the pics, and on that page click on the blue "movie." And here are the pics. The last one is a view of the room he is in including some of the amazing women who care for him until we are able to bring him home. I am in awe of these women who love so many babies and then have to say goodbye.

Enjoy!

rup

Delayed News

I'm a slacker. The past few weeks have been busy with Maddie's birthday / 4th of July, and decisions to be made about work.

On July 3rd, we recieved word that CARA (the agency that oversees Indian adoptions) had granted us NOC (no objection certificate). This means that our paperwork can now move on to the courts in Kolkata to grant us guardianship. First our documents will be scrutinized by court staff, and if they recommend that we be approved, the judge will review and sign. This is the messy part. There could be delays, the judge could request additional paperwork - it is just really unpredictable. To add to it, this judge may leave in August which will cause a delay while the new judge learns his job. Although the current judge has been difficult in the past, currently he is signing pretty consistantly, so we hope he chooses to stay.

We are still hopeful that we will have him home for his birthday. It has been our goal from day one, and at this point it is very possible. Just please pray that our process continues to go smoothly.

The waiting is getting increasingly difficult. As much as I love getting news and pictures, each update seems to increase my anxiety about what could go wrong. Most days are pretty good though. Most of you know that Dan is the most laid back, patient man alive (he married me didn't he), but I know he's anticipating too. He is shopping for luggage, and how to dress and pack for the journey.

We have also decided to bring my Mom along on the journey. We are lucky enough to have a large family that my kids are extremely comfortable with, so we're gonna steal her to calm our nerves, be an extra set of hands, and to take lots of video and pictures. She was in the delivery room for Maddie (and would have been for Myles if he hadn't come so fast), so it is fitting that she be there for this "gotcha day."

And now, what you've all been waiting for - a very clear, gorgeous picture of our little guy. Just over 7 months old. God Bless this family for taking time out of their own journey to provide us with a preview.

Those Gorgeous Eyes!

Just look at them. They are amazing. He looks so happy and healthy. I finally feel like I have a peek into his personality - he'll fit in just fine. We aren't sure who took these great pics - we know it is a family who took time out of their trip to get their child, to give us a glimpse into our son's life. Every new glimpse makes me miss him more. But it is so comforting to see him smile, and respond to people. To see that he is being touched. CARA reviewed our file for NOC, and requested additional paperwork from the orphanage. The info has been sent and we're hoping to hear in the next couple of weeks. The waiting is getting more and more difficult. I need to reach a milestone. I need NOC to come, just to check off a box and feel a bit closer. Maddie thinks that if she sends Max an invitation to her birthday party, he'll have to come. I wish it were true.

Summer is Here!!

I know everyone reads these for Max updates. Unfortunately, there is not much news on that front. CARA issued some paperwork that the judge needed to continue to process cases, so hopefully progress will be made in that area soon. Right now, there are early storms in Kolkata, so all offices are closed. Max saw the orthopedic surgeon who feels that his foot will be corrected with physiotherapy - no need for braces or surgery! We will still have him evaluated once he comes home - for our own peace of mind.

Dan is on summer vacation which means much more family time! The kids are already loving it. We also have a new dog - Maggie. She is a German Shepherd - a sweet girl who is growing on us all very quickly. One of Dan's co-workers had to move into a rental with no pets allowed. They were going to bring her to the shelter, and of course we couldn't let that happen. I'll get some pictures of her to post soon.

We have some plans for the summer. Madeline and I will be taking a trip to Broadway to feed our shared obsession with musical theater. I'm trying to get some decent priced tickets to a show she can see. Myles is quite content riding on anything with a motor. He goes from the jet ski to his 4 wheeler, to the tractor, to Papa Winnie's golf cart (Papa is the handsome gentleman below with my kids. His middle name is the same as Max's.) Of course with his irresistable grin, there is no shortage of people willing to ride along. Hopefully we'll get to make a family trip to Storyland.

So we will pray for better weather in Kolkata, for the judge to start signing legals, and for our NOC to come soon! (As I edit this, the courts are reopened, and the judge signed a family's legals today! Perhaps the tides are turning!)

Still No Eyes!

Today, once again, we were incredibly blessed with more pictures of our little guy. Jaime is happy, since he looks "brown" in these pics. Dan and I are happy because he looks so darn healthy. I know in my head that he is tiny, but he looks like he's got meat on his bones.

These were taken by the gracious executive director of our adoption agency at the beginning of this month. Still no view of his eyes, but if they are half as precious as the rest of him, they'll be stunning. For those of you who remember, Maddie's umbilical cord didn't fall off for 5.5 weeks, and I convinced myself that God had forgotten to make her a belly button. I've developed the same paranoia with Max's eyes. God bless my husband for being the rational one of the family:)

For those of you who did not hear the news yet, Dillon's license with CARA was renewed last week, so there's one less obstacle to overcome before we get to bring Max home. We haven't heard anything about our NOC, which will be the next update we get on our status.

This wait is much harder than I anticipated. We expected our wait for a referral to be much longer than our wait to travel, and I wonder if that would have made it easier. Perhaps not. I saw a sign today that read, "Patience is trusting in God's timing." This shall be my mantra when this wait becomes unbearable. I just hope God isn't running behind schedule.

A different view of Max

I check my email frequently these days. I wait for updates on Dillon's paperwork with CARA, any news of our paperwork (we know it has reached India), but most of all I wait for any snippet of new information on Max.

Today, I feel like I won the lottery. I opened my email and there was an email from Tami titled Rup with an attachment. I opened it to find an adorable picture of our little guy. Tami was going through pictures taken by a family that traveled in February. She found the picture of Max in there. So here's the new pic. He is just over two months old here, so very tiny. I still don't get to see his eyes, but his profile is amazing. I'm more in love with him than ever, and the waiting gets harder.

To the family that was able to capture this early moment in our son's life. . . Thank you SOOO much! We're missing so much of him in these months, that having this early picture is amazing. I'm sure you understand completely. I hope that when we travel we will be able to pass along the amazing favor to one of the next Dillon families.