It’s been a long road. When we started our adoption process we knew
there would be ups and downs, good days and bad days. One of the
reasons we chose to adopt from Korea was its stability and reliability,
but along the way we ran into a few unexpected bumps. After a getting
our “packet” sent to Korea early, we were very optimistic about getting
our baby even sooner than we had thought. Then we started getting news
that Korea was slowing down their process. The hardest part of those
months was not knowing what or when things were going to happen. No one
knew, and that was frustrating. We originally thought we would be
getting an 8-10 month old baby, but that changed to a 15-18 month old
toddler. There were a few tough days as we adjusted to the idea that we
wouldn’t get to see him take his first steps or say his first words.
But…then we got his picture. All the bad days were instantly forgotten,
and we knew that everything happened exactly like it was supposed to.
We are completely and totally in love with this little boy.
Our back porch now has a jogging stroller and a tricycle. The living room has a toy box filled with planes, boats, and cars. His bedroom has a crib with stuffed animals, a dresser full of clothes, and a changing table loaded with diapers and wipes. But there is one important thing missing… him.
We are in the last stage of waiting- that period between
getting the referral and traveling to bring our child home. This time has been a bit surreal
actually. We had been waiting for
months for our referral. During
that time, we said over and over again, “If we only had a picture.” Then out of the blue on a Monday
afternoon, we opened an email and there it was- a picture of him, our
baby. Instantly, a picture was no
longer enough. Now our arms ache
to feel the weight of him in our embrace.
We want to know his smell, to tickle toes, and coax a smile from his
lips.
For us this time has been about dreaming about the
possibilities of what might be. Will he
enjoy playing in the sandbox we built for him? Will he love the beach like we do, or will he be scared of
the waves?
But it has also been about the realities of preparing our
lives for a new baby. We have
filled out maternity leave paperwork, and kitchen drawers have been
toddler-proofed.
It is hard knowing that he is there and we are here, and that
we can’t be together as one family yet.
While we wait for our travel date to arrive, we were thrilled to learn
that we could send him a care package. We loved finding the perfect items to send him to let
him know our love. In addition to
a few toys and articles of clothing, we sent him a recordable storybook so that
he could listen to the sound of our voices, a CD of our favorite lullabies, and
a DVD of us reading him bedtime stories.
We felt really blessed that our agency helped us bridge the gap during
this time by allowing us to send the package.
We are anxious
to meet him and to get him here.
We are always willing to share his photo with anyone who asked about how
things are going with our adoption.
We have even been known to share his photo with a stranger or two. We can’t help it; we are such proud
parents. So right now we wait, but
we know it won’t be for long. And
occasionally we turn on the nightlight in his room before bedtime- a little
reminder that he will be here soon.
Andy & Kate
