Family of 6!

This is our first family photo as a family of 6!  My friend Ruth took it at the airport when we finally arrived home!  

Micah is amazing us with how well and how quickly he has adjusted to all the sudden changes in his little life.  It is as if he has always been here.  He seemed to attach to David and me both from the first day.  He has also joined in with our other kids like he was meant to be.  

The ironic thing is, it's made me a little nervous. :)  After reading the required 300 page book on adoption disorders, I think I am over analyzing everything...looking for signs that something might be wrong.  He is very social and doesn't seem too afraid of anyone.  I start to think, "Is he attaching to us?  Does he not care and will just go to anyone?"  I think that is called Ambivalent Attachment Disorder.  My husband thinks I'm crazy. :)  Well, the thought lasts for just a minute and then I remember that this is exactly what so many people were praying for...that Micah would not be afraid, that he would bond with us immediately, and that it would be as if he was always a part of our family.  So, I am chalking this one up to another answered prayer and moving on to another day!

Home!

We are home!  We got home yesterday afternoon and I could hardly stand up straight! :)  I had some sort of vertigo from the 15 hour flight.  We were up for over 40 hours with the layovers, the flight, and the time changes.  Micah did remarkably well I think for only having been with us for 5 days and then all the plane rides.  David and I spent most of the flight standing up and rocking him so that he would sleep.  He did not get sick or anything, but was very tired and whiny.  Considering it was 1:00 a.m. by the time we got on the plane for America, who can blame him? We did get the bulkhead seat with the bassinet and although he only slept in the bassinet twice for about 30 min a piece, it was worth it just for the break and the leg room and space to stand.  

It was so great to get home and see our kids!  We had to wake Micah up to see everyone at the airport, so he was very solemn, but warmed up to the kids right away.  We went through the driveway at Chick-fil-a and then straight home!  Micah and I were so exhausted, we went to bed at 6:00 p.m. last night and woke up this morning at 6:30!  He only woke up once during the night around 2:30 but went right back to sleep.  

We are so, so grateful we cannot express!  Thank you for everyone's prayers!  My friend Ruth has already put together a slide show of pics with a video of our homecoming, so I am going to try to post it on my blog later today for everyone to see.  Stay tuned...

Well, it's our last night in Kolkata.  I wanted to post just a couple of pics from the last 2 days before we head home.  Once there, I will try to compile all of our India pics into a slide show to post here on our blog.  

On Saturday night, we heard all this commotion out our hotel window.  We looked outside to see literally thousands of people walking down the streets in front of the hotel.  We weren't too worried, we have seen protests going on everywhere in India since we have been here.  We noticed, however, that they were wearing lots of red and gold and carrying flags.  We found out that the #1 and #2 Bengali soccer teams were playing in the stadium above, right behind our hotel.  It was an amazing sight.  David wanted to buy a ticket and head right over, but the hotel staff we have befriended here said David, "might not quite fit in." :)  The haze in the picture is a constant in India...it is the heat and the pollution in the air I guess.

On Sunday, we were able to spend the day resting outside by the pool (above pic of me with Micah) and in our room.  We just rejoiced over what the Lord has done and how far He has brought us.  It still does not seem real.  Maybe when we get home and settled back into our daily routine, everything will hit home for us.

Today, we made a visit to the East India Compassion Office.  It was an awesome experience.  The Lord just worked out all the details.  The director "just happened" to walk into the entrance as we arrived...he said he was not sure why he did but he just felt he should. :)  He showed us around their offices and invited us to share lunch with their staff.  For all those who want to know...we ate authentic Indian food and it was spicy and delicious!  We didn't get sick either. :)  We were also able to meet a team from the main headquarters in Colorado Springs who were there leading a training session.  It was so fun!

To finish the day we stopped by an outdoor mall near the hotel to purchase some little trinkets for our kiddos back home.   Now, we will head to supper, repack all our stuff, make sure we have all the paperwork for immigration and get some sleep for a very long 2 day trip home.  To quote David's dad, "this is a trip that will change our lives."

A day of rest!

Today was a day of rest.  And, I must say a very much needed one for us.  We ate breakfast, played in the room, ate lunch and went out to the pool for Micah's first dip in the pool.  It really was just a dip. He "dipped" his little toes in and then eventually sat on the first step and splashed with his hands.  He was very timid and kept a tight grip on us the whole time.  Then, he had his first poopie diaper!  Yeah!  Now I know you think I'm crazy.  You're probably thinking, "Why is she happy about that and why do we care?"  Well, I really was nervous.  I didn't ask the orphanage director and he hadn't gone in the two days we've had him.  I was afraid I was going to have to call the orphanage and ask when he'd last gone and I don't know if they even call it poopoo here.  I definitely didn't want to have to try to describe it. ;) So, another crisis averted and another event experienced!  

Consulate Day

Well, today was our US Consulate appointment.  It all went very smoothly and we are finished!  We have Micah's passport and visa and we will be ready to leave on Tuesday morning to head home!  We miss our family so much!  While in the consulate David was walking around reading some of the literature posted on the walls (security is so tight he could not even take a book in to read.)  One document was a list of places that are dangerous for Americans to travel to right now...India was on the list.  That made David feel so good. :) 

Micah is doing remarkably well I think.  He actually has 6 teeth and 1 trying to come in.  We have not seen any grieving that we know of.  Other than a couple of times where he has done the "banging his head on the floor" thing, he has been happy and exploring this new world.  He is eating well and slept through the night last night.  The only time he has cried is when I am changing his diaper and that is just fussing.  I spoke with my caseworker and she was encouraging, but warned me not to be too surprised if Micah suddenly goes into fits after a couple of days.  I guess sometimes the kiddos are enthralled in the beginning and then they say, "OK, I'm done with this now and I'm ready to go back home to what is familiar."  Hopefully that won't happen.  David commented at lunch that he is acting like he has always been with us.  I'm not really surprised since that is exactly what so many people have been praying for us!

 We took a driver from the hotel to downtown which was about a 40 minute drive.  What a heartbreaking trip.  It was hard for us to comprehend all the poverty, the desperation, the destruction and the hopelessness we saw just from the window of our car.  Goats eating on the sidewalks, starving dogs rummaging through the garbage, naked children on the shoulders, women and men washing in the polluted river and little children begging at the window of our car while we were stopped at a red light.  This last was almost too much for us to handle.  All I could do was to imagine that it could be Micah standing there barefoot in dirty clothes pounding on the window and begging for money.  I held Micah tighter and thanked the Lord for giving him to us to love and cherish forever.  What an amazing gift we have been granted!

We have Micah!

Well, we have Micah!  Here are a couple of pics from this morning.  The one just above is Utsab with one of his 3 care givers.  You could tell they loved the babies very much.  The next photo above that is all of us with Anju, the orphanage director.  What a remarkable woman.  She runs two orphanages...Micah's and the special needs orphanage.  More about that later.  

Of course the two above are David and me.  Micah did so well.  He did not cry.  He just smiled at us, showing his 4 little teeth, and played "high 5's with David.  He is smaller than we expected.  He seems to be such a sweet boy.  When I finally picked him up from his caregiver, he quickly wrapped his little arms and legs around me and sqeezed tightly.  I'm not sure if he was just afraid in general, or afraid that I might drop him.  He fell asleep in the car on the way back to the hotel and has been asleep ever since...just like his daddy right next to him.  I guess we'll have to wait and see how things go when "my boys" wake up. :)

Hello from Kolkata!

Well, we are here.  Everything went smoothly at the Embassy.  It does pay to get their at 8:00 a.m. and be the first in line.  It doesn't open till 8:30, but as soon as the line begins to form, the process takes longer and longer.  We were in and back out by about 9:45.   The man who did our interview actually called our driver for us, so we didn't have to try to figure out how to use the phone in the waiting area.

We arrived in Kolkata an hour late due to plane delays tonight, but we are here.  You hear about all the stuff in India and wonder what you'll see.  Today we saw cattle by the side of the road, monkeys on the sidewalks, men peeing on the sides of the road, etc. and that was all just on the way to the airport!

Word of  caution to those moms getting ready to travel...  We had heard not to let your driver suggest to take you shopping because they will take you somewhere where they get a cut in the profits of what you buy.  We fell for it, however.  We were so exhausted and not paying attention and when our driver suggested we stop at an emporium on the way back to our hotel, we were for some reason thinking about a little garden area and agreed.  He took us through a small gated area and dropped us off, saying that he would see us in an hour.  We were then left alone in the middle of Delhi in a beautiful store with 5 clerks and just the two of us.  We were then subjected to the drama that only a used car salesman can portray, and ended up buying a few items just to get out of there.  I was horrified, David was amused.  On a positive note, I won't be coming home with an "authentic" Kashmir carpet, but I did get an Indian pillow cover, an Indian "black star" ring, and a rice paper Christmas tree ornament! (David and I always try to get a Christmas ornament from everywhere we travel.)

Anyway, tomorrow will be our "Gotcha Day," and I cannot even express the emotions I'm feeling, so I won't try yet.  We'll just wait and see what tomorrow holds.  Thanks especially for all your prayers.  I have felt a very strange oppression here on my spirit and I feel the need for your prayers to surround us.  Till tomorrow...

Embassy Day

Today is our Embassy day!  We got 3 hours of sleep I think, but to our bodies, it was the middle of the day so as tired as we were, it was still hard to get into a deep sleep.  I think we were also a little bit in culture shock as well, so our minds were working overtime.  

We are so grateful for your prayers.  Our hotel driver was there to pick us up and we are so thankful he was.  He was accosted several times on the way out of the airport by other men wanting to take our luggage.  I don't know what we would have done on our own.  We've lived a pretty sheltered life. :)  And then of course is the ride back to the hotel.  It is true what they say, "You are taking your life into your own hands when you get out on the road. " :)  The lines on the road mean nothing, and the horn honking is pretty much constant.

We have a long day ahead I'm sure as our bodies start adjusting to the time change and culture change.  So far we haven't had anything to eat since we left the airplane, so we'll try that today also.  I guess my next post will be from Kolkata.  Till then...

We made it!

Well, we survived the 14 hour flight and the ride to the hotel, and we are in one piece!  It is 1:00 a.m. here and our wake-up call is for 5:30 a.m., so we are going to try to catch a couple hours of sleep before we head to the Embassy in the morning.  I will try to post again once we are settled in Kolkata.  Just a little over 1 day till we see Micah!

2 Days left...

Well, 2 days left till we leave for India. It still does not seem real. It is hard for me to imagine that I'm going to fly over there on Monday and on Thursday Ms. Roy is going to hand me a baby and say, "Here you go. He's yours." I really can't even imagine. :)

I got this picture today from a father who just traveled to get his daughter. It was not a planned photo opp so he did not get a picture of everyone's baby. So, I am especially thankful for this photo since it will be our last before we pick Micah up. I feel excited and honored that I am going to get to photograph a bunch of babies next week, and I'll make sure not to miss one. :) It is going to be neat I think to see a few of the babies in the orphanage, knowing which "India moms" (my internet friends) they will be going home with soon!

I am going to try to blog each day that we are in India and post pictures from our trip as well...internet service permitting. :) I have so enjoyed following the blogs of the other moms who have written about their journeys. So many people have played a part in helping us bring Micah home. I am so glad that I will have this opportunity to share our journey.

Travel plans...to be continued.

Well, I have just spent the last twelve hours on the phone with our travel agency.   I am so exhausted I'm sick at my stomach and have a headache.  Too many choices to make, with too little time and not enough information.   Trying to decided which airline to fly, what day to leave and return, non-stop flight or layover, which hotel to stay in, how much to spend, outskirts or downtown, in a country you've never been to is a little overwhelming. :)

Our plans as they stand now, after 12 hours of labor, are to leave on Monday.  Flying out on Saturday made our plane tickets $1300 more than leaving on a weekday.  We will return home on the following Wednesday with our "Gotcha Day" being on the 19th.  This will allow us to spend Valentines weekend as a family with our kids here at home before leaving, and I am going to try to cherish every moment. 

Passport Approval!

We've got Micah's passport approval!  I've got to check with the Embassy today in Delhi and make sure there are no holidays next week.  If not, then we will leave on Valentine's Day to go get Micah!  

My hands are shaking so much I can hardly type. :)  I got my infant/child CPR certification yesterday, my video camera is being delivered by UPS this afternoon, and our income tax refund is supposed to come on Friday!  I guess I better get packing and make my final purchases. :)  I'm really not sure if I'm ready all of a sudden, but here we go!

Happy 11 months, Micah!

Happy 11 months, Micah!

This morning I got this new picture in an e-mail, thanks to a mom who just traveled and picked up their son! Isn't he a cutie? Of course I am not biased or anything like that. :)

I am so ready to head out and go pick up my son. My pastor asked me this week what I am feeling right now. You know, I could not give him a clear answer. It is so many things.

ANXIOUSNESS - Checking my e-mail every day to see if we have Micah's passport approval.

AWE - Since the judge signed our papers 3 1/2 weeks ago, the Lord has provided the funds we are going to need for our travel! It is so humbling watching the Lord act on our behalf and use others to do what was impossible for us!

FEAR - It may sound kind of funny, but I am a little afraid of what my little boy is going to be like. What is his personality? Will he like me and feel safe with me? Will he want to be held and cuddled? ...so many unknowns.

PANIC - So much to do and so little time. I am frantically making lists and now my lists have lists and I think I have lost some of my first lists. Aaaaahhh! Ok. I've just got to take it one document and one day at a time. :)

LOVE - I already love this little boy that I have never met so much. It is funny how God just fills your heart, I guess with the love that He has for this little boy whom He knows personally. I think everyone wonders if you can love a second child like you love the first one, or if you can love an adopted child like a biological one. The answer is YES!

Two down, one to go!

Well, yesterday we received our passports and visas, so we can check that off the list!  Today we received notice of our ICPC approval!  Our caseworker at Dillon checked on Micah's passport and it is not ready yet, so we will continue to wait for that one pesky little piece of paperwork.  

We are still going to try to shoot for leaving on the 14th, but we can't purchase the tickets till we have the passport approval in hand.  At least I am going to try to have all of our adoption education requirements done, all of our forms filled out, copied, and ready to go, all of our orphanage donations gathered, Micah's clothes, diapers, etc. purchased, and have the boys room ready to go.  I just want to be ready in case his passport approval comes in time.  If not, we will just go the next weekend, but I'm going to hope for the 14th and pray for patience and a quiet spirit.  Can you tell I am starting to feel restless for the first time? :)  Ok, maybe not for the first time, but who's counting.