Our Timeline to the Big Hug in India

Many ask me about our timeline in this adoption journey. I myself am a student of other people's timelines in that it helps me to set my expectations (and then adjust when my timeline is longer!) Here is a glimpse at ours:

• March 2012    Prayerfully decided to begin the journey and signed with an agency
• April 2012      Met with Catholic Charities to begin our home study
• May 2012       Completed the mandatory hours for training
• June 2012       Home study completed
• July 2012        Submitted to US Immigration the I-800A application to adopt international orphan
• August 2012   Received approval to adopt a child from US Immigration
• August 2012   Submitted dossier to Moldova (yes, Moldova...this story has twists and turns)
• April 2013      Lost our Uncle Joe, who had been serving as a missionary in India...and explained to our boys that Uncle Joe was in Heaven helping God pick a little brother for them...
• May 2013       As paperwork began to expire, began to pray for a "shout" from God about switching countries
• May 8, 2013   Agency provided information on waiting child in India whose name means "Shout"!
• June 2013       After much prayer, we officially withdrew from Moldova and began to pursue our son in India
• July 2013        Submitted dossier to India
• August 2013   Catholic Charities submitted our request for "change of country" and also an extension of our approval
• Sept 2013        Received approval for I-800A change of country and extension
• Oct 2013         Received approval for I-800, which was for our specific son rather than just general
• Nov 2013        Received ARC approval from India and "No Objection Certificate" on the same day
• Jan 2014        Received verbal court approval
• Mar 2014        Received written court order
• Apr 2014        Received passport for our son
• May 2014       Travel to India to meet our son and bring him home
• May 8, 2014   Met our son for the first time at his orphanage in India (Exactly one year since the date we first saw his pic!)

Woohoo! Going to India for our Babe!

 Hunting for eggs on Easter morning

 Our next Easter pic will have our new babe!

 India time--10am, Mon...Nashville time--11:30pm, Sun

Last Skype session before we meet!

I have been putting off writing this update until I could make time to make it sound eloquent and cool. I've decided I can't wait until that happens...

Woohoo! We are going to India to hug our babe! Our written order was signed, the passport for our babe was received, and our flights are booked. Did I say, "WOOHOO!"?

For those of you who want to lift us up in prayer, here are a few bullets to keep you busy...

• First...a big praise that we soon get to hug our babe!
• Logistics of flight connections, hotel reservations and just generally the crazy things that happen when you travel
• Health of all while traveling (and those left at home...we always got lice or something crazy like that when mom went out of town and left us with dad...)
• Court appearance, medical appointment, embassy interview in Delhi
• Mom, Aunt Rita and Aunt Jean as they care for E and G in our absence
• Peace for G as he steps away from work for the trip (with his internet in tow)
• E and G as they get used to sharing attention and super hero costumes with another little guy
• Most importantly, for our sweet little boy as he gets used to our rowdy, crazy family, who already loves him dearly

I reserve the right to keep adding to this list. I started with three bullets this round but couldn't stop there. Even now I am thinking about prayers I should send up for diplomacy between India and Pakistan...

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another." 

John 1:16