Carefree Timelessness

What is the best way to enjoy a Saturday of carefree timelessness with two energetic boys?  Hit the Sculpture Trail at Cheekwood, and run them through the woods!

 They especially loved the glass bridge.

 We always have time to stare at a beautiful butterfly willing to pose.  The truly amazing thing is to see wild creatures (yes, Elliot and Gavin) transform into peaceful little ones to absorb the moment with the delicate butterfly!

Onto adoption news (or a lack thereof...)  This Thursday marks four weeks that our paperwork has been in the hands of Moldovans.  We talked to the agency on Friday to learn that Moldova has decided it is important (and now absolutely necessary) to submit TWO original copies of our dossier.  You may recall that the dossier is the big chunk of documents we gathered over time and them had notarized, certified, and apostilled.  The good news is that the first completed dossier keeps us in the "line-up."  The bad news is that I am now waiting again on documents like certified birth certificates and a certified marriage certificate from three different states while also gathering other items like medical clearance, proof or residence, home study reports, etc.  Once I have all 20 required original documents in hand, George and I will sign for the notary public.  Fortunately, I know the drill for the certification at the county clerk's office and the apostilles at the Secretary of State's office.  No worries.  This is a very minor bump in the road compared to things I have been told to anticipate along the way in this adoption journey.  I do so like the "end date" of pregnancy.  "What?  It's been 40 weeks now?  Well, by all means, let's schedule that delivery for tomorrow!"  I'm just going to keep making up my own secret "due date" and then adjust accordingly if it comes and goes without my little dude's arrival!

When I am not talking to Elliot and Gavin about how we are going to be patient with our new little person(s) upon arrival, I am wondering what he is doing in Moldova right now.  For example, "Let's see.  It is 8:08pm in Tennessee, so it is 4:08am in Moldova.  I hope he is sound asleep, getting some good rest."  Is he content there because he knows no different, or does he nuzzle against the side of the crib at night just to feel secure?

Also, I can't help but ponder what the logistics of this process are truly like.  Is there a big adoption headquarters in Chisinau, Moldova, with a bunch of kids' faces plastered on the wall like "Most Wanted" posters?  I imagine a couple of people with a pile of folders on their desks, sipping black coffee as they read about families in America who would like to take a little person back with them?  What do they think of us?  Do they think, "Ah, I am so excited for them and the child they will love!" or are they disgruntled as they ponder, "Who do they think they are coming over here to grab a child to raise as an American?"  

I don't know the answers to any of these questions and likely never will.  I just know that God has His hand in it all.  He has known since the beginning of time who the person would be who picked up a file from a Tennessee family and to join them together with a future family member(s) with the simple slide of a paperclip.  Can't you just see it now?  With the file in one hand, they grab a picture off "the wall" with the other hand.  Voila!  New family!  Then the file with the face paper-clipped to the front sits in the "matched" basket for a couple days until the part-time girl comes for the weekly pick-up.  

Meanwhile, I want to yell at the imaginary girl, "No carefree timelessness for you!  Hurry up!!  Run, run, run!  Don't you know we want to start hugging on this little man yesterday?  The faster you move, the faster he gets used to knowing what it is to be loved.  Let's feel the sense of urgency together!  Move, move, move!!  He needs to wrestle with his older brothers.  They want to teach him to burp at inappropriate times and then laugh uncontrollably until Mom's reprimands also turn into laughter.  Elliot wants him to start learning the best way to climb our poplar tree in the backyard.  Gavin needs to help train him to put his shoes in the shoe bucket, so they don't get lost in the wrestle room toy explosion...and then convince Mom he deserves a treat from the "treat basket" for it.  He should soon be cuddled up in his mama's lap reading Goodnight, Gorilla and holding hands with his daddy as they search for crawdads in the creek.  There is time for you to enjoy carefree timelessness later but NOT NOW.  Please, PLEASE don't get another cup of coffee until you have moved that file to the next person.  Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you!"  I pray that we are enjoying carefree timelessness soon with another little one.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps."

Proverbs 16:9

Just Because I Want To

Elliot and Gavin likely still have aching cheeks from smiling all Saturday at the church festival.  For the cost of a $10 wristband, they had unlimited pony rides, rock climbing, bungee jumps on the trampoline, and bounce house access.  What more could a little dude ask for?  If only our church had a festival EVERY weekend!  When we went to church on Sunday morning and saw the field empty, Gavin said, "Oh, no!  The party is gone!"

Well, the party may be gone until next year, but I have a zillion pictures to remind us of the fun!  Yes, Elliot reached the top of the climbing mountain to ring the bell...numerous times!  Yes, Gavin rode all four of the ponies at least once.  So what was missing?  A "who" actually.  We are eager to have a little dude from Moldova join our crazy family.  George and I daydream about what our little one will be like.  Will he run first to the train? Will he break his mama's heart and be disinterested in the horses?  Will he make his dad proud and go directly to the dunking booth to throw out a pitch?  Will he only notice the big puddle in the middle of the field, and jump in like his big brother Gavin (true story)?  Who knows?  Who cares?  Not us!  We are going to love him whether he dives in or watches and absorbs it all.  We're just gonna love him!

My friend Cari visited last week and reminded me of a story I once shared about Elliot.  He often asked me why I loved him, and I worked harder each time to come up with a more original, creative answer. "Because you make my heart smile...because you teach me to appreciate spider webs...because you could talk about snakes for as long as someone will listen...because you hug better than any little dude ever..."

Exasperated with this one day, I turned the tables and asked him, "Why do you love me?"  He paused for a brief moment and simply replied, "Just because I want to."  Really?  I could have been using this answer the whole time?  Ah, the young grasshopper had put me in my place.  Not only is that why Elliot loves me, but I think that is how God would respond...just because He wants to.  That is exactly how we are going to love the little dude God made to be with us but chose to stick in Moldova initially.  Why would God choose to put our babe on the other side of the ocean, I wonder.  Maybe just so I would work on my Romanian phrases...maybe just so we would be forced to educate our loved ones on the geographic location of a little-known country (a very, very, very little-known country, I should say)...maybe just so we would be forced to reflect upon our marriage, our childhood, and the way we choose to parent (through questionnaires during the application process that could be a post in itself)...  Who knows, but I am grateful God put a little critter in Moldova for us.

Why do I love Elliot?  Why do I love Gavin?  Why do I already love the babe who just needs a ride home from Moldova?  Honestly, I can't help it.  I just want to.

"We love each other because He first loved us."

I John 4:19

Waiting (Im)patiently

While we are busy enjoying lazy weekends at the creek with our first two little dudes, our other little man is in Moldova unknowingly waiting on administrators to pour through paperwork on his behalf.  As I write, our big chunk of paperwork is being translated from English to Moldovan (a variation of the Romanian language). Only six of the 22 America-based agencies who requested adoption partnerships with Moldova were approved, and at this point two of the agencies have yet to submit an application for adoption. Part of "waiting patiently" for me means constantly attempting to calculate how much of a workload the Moldovans have right now in putting together families. Because Moldova had been closed to international adoption until reopening this year as a Hague Convention country (international treaty that provides rules for international adoption), I calculate that they will surely be eager to get their hands on our application packet! God's timing is always perfect, even if it takes longer than I prefer.

Your Moldovan language lesson for this week:  

     "Te iubesc!"  (pronounced "tay you besk")

     "I love you!"

I just discovered my new favorite internet site, http://translate.google.com/. It is soooo cool! I can type in whatever I want in English, and it will tell me how to say it in Romanian/Moldovan. You can even press a button to hear how it is pronounced. Our little man may not be talking a lot, but he is only going to recognize the Romanian language. For that reason, I want to have a few Romanian words in my vocabulary. We are working on the basics with the help of a few CDs from the Pimsleur Language Program. One of the books I am reading talks about possible language developmental delays because of an orphan's limited exposure to language.  I am sure that we can more than catch him up in the language area once he is in our family!  There is no shortage of words in our home. Okay, I admit that I am responsible for most of them, but lately Elliot is giving me a run for my money!

We will continue to turn our impatience into patience while we wait and will keep you updated with any news...  "Te iubesc, my loved ones!"

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love."

Ephesians 4:2