Two Surprises! (long post)

I received two surprises yesterday. First thing in the morning I was feeling a little overwhelmed by "things" and decided to spend some time just praying, not reading the Bible (which is still good) but just really pouring out my heart and then listening to God. I felt refreshed and ready to tackle the things that were on my list. As the day went on I received an unexpected package from my sweet cousin up north. She sent me a bunch of wonderful little things like magazines and sample packets of things along with some organic snacks and a canister of organic cereal. All kinds of things that we can use. It was all very wonderful and extremely thoughtful! I thanked God for planning this gift to arrive the very day I needed a 'pick me up'. That was a great surprise!

The second surprise came about 6:20pm. We got an email that said as of March 1st there are new requirements for the medical documents we are to bring over to Moscow. Basically we need to get more stuff done... See the doctor again... get more paperwork notarized, etc. At first I handled it ok, but after hashing things out I just kind of, well, let's just say I got really, really frustrated.

I thought we were done with all of this paperwork stuff and basically just had packing left. Now there is yet another "issue" we have to deal with before we leave. This was not a great surprise.

Today, after speaking with a friend, we realized that God knew all of this and had everything planned out. It becomes a kind of cliché but it's really, really true. We had complained that our court date was further away than expected. Turns out, if it hadn't been set up for that date, we would really be scrambling, or maybe even in a position where it would be impossible to complete the necessary documents. The other thing I had kind of complained about was that our doctor decided to do a full blood work panel, instead of just the ones the Russian government required. There were many, many more results on the lab reports and I didn't want the doctors over there to give us grief or raise a red flag about anything on there. Again, it turns out that the very things our doctor tested us for that I thought shouldn't be on the report are now the things the government is requiring. How awesome is our God! I should know it by now... God can be trusted.

So, long story short - things are tough, things get better, things go really bad, in the end God is really Good.

Starting our 6th Trimester

We are on the verge of beginning our 6th trimester. (See ticker way below). It's not your typical pregnancy, but it feels similar to one none the less. We started with tons of paperwork and have gone through this process growing with anticipation for our son-to-be. We are anxiously awaiting his arrival and are swollen with love and desire for him. There's so much more to be said about the similarities but I think you understand.

I received our (hopefully last) necessary documents for our upcoming trip. I will be making one more drive to Tallahassee (Lord willing) early this week and then everything will be in place for our departure. The countdown starts this Saturday! Please continue to pray for us as the travel portion of this expedition takes a heavy toll, not to mention the time in Russia amidst people who have a fairly different culture from our own. It will be a great experience and we look forward to it, but we desperately need to be led by God's wisdom in everything we do and say.

Thanks for all your prayer thus far. We know God has been working on our behalf and we are so grateful!

Flights Set, Visa in transit... All Systems Go

So the title is a little weird... We've got 24 days to go. Sounds like a lot but we know it will go faster than we expect. I've booked our flights, decided to do it on our own instead of use an agent and I am praying there aren't any problems down the line. It is very strange seeing our son-to-be's name on the flight confirmations. It is a good kind of strange though. :)

Our Visas should be back in a couple of weeks. The good thing about this longer than expected wait is that we don't have to pay the expediting fees like when we only have the typical 2 weeks notice.

We're trying to get the house and gear ready for our departure/return. We're still praying the fellow adopting couple will get the same court date as us. They will probably find out next Wednesday so please keep this in prayer. It would really be nice for both of our families if we traveled together.


Happy Valentines Day.
(Our family coordinator suggested we make this special since it will be the last one we have without having to find a baby sitter! Woohoo!)

COURT DATE!

We heard from our family coordinator this afternoon. We have an official court date! We are so thrilled to finally be at this stage. I will give you more details later but we leave here in exactly 4 weeks from yesterday! This is further away than expected and kind of disheartening but we know that God has it all under control and we trust Him completely. We get to see our little boy very soon! Woohoo!

Next Phase

We had our home visit tonight to fulfill the last of the requirements for the Home Study Update. As usual, it was very pleasant and not too grueling. We're hoping our report will come quickly. I found out that this update will need an apostille so that means at least one more trip to Tallahassee before we head out to Russia.

We also found out that our Petition is on it's way to Russia, as of this past Monday. The earliest we could hear something about a court date and travel itinerary would be next Wednesday the 11th. So, we're back to "waiting". Well, meantime we are preparing for travel, collecting all the necessary clothing and accessories. This will help so we're not scrambling at the last minute.

On a side note, the family that got their referral and petition at the same time we got ours is having a slight delay in getting their petition off to Russia. At the last minute they found out they need one additional document from their state (they should have it very soon) before they can send it off. We would really like to travel with this family so please join us in prayer that we end up with the same court date, God willing. Thank you!

Happy Birthday Luca!!! I miss you!