Started out early morning...somewhere around 11:30 PM last night Oklahoma time. Like summitting Mt. Everest, you start out the night before and enter the Death Zone...okay, it was nothing like that. Our coordinators got us to court early before the masses. We were one of the first family groups to enter the Judge's chambers. We answered her questions. She informed us that this was irreverseable and everything was in order and done. Just to be double sure, after we left the chambers, I asked our coordinator if that meant we "passed court" and she whispered, "Yes, congratulations". I wanted to lose it and give out a bunch of screams and YEH-AHH's! but contained myself given the strict code of silence mandated in the chamber waiting room.
Okay, wait a stinkin moment here...I specifically asked about this moment during our Court Webinar...how will we know if we "Passed Court". This is a BIG deal and I wanted to make sure it didn't quietly sneak by me..."Oh, you'll know" was the response, "I don't want to give it away, but you'll know..." So I am thinking bells, tamborines and drums, dancing ladies - maybe a big GONG. There were no bells. There were no tamborines. There were no drums. No dancing ladies. There was no GONG...I wish she would have given it away because I just about missed this big hairy deal.
WE PASSED, WE PASSED, WE PASSED!!!!!!!
After a quick change of cloths and a drive to the Care Center, we spent the rest of the morning in the beautiful African sun with the children. Stickers were the treat of the day. We gave Wondimagegn a small photo album with pictures of us and the girls. Also included is one where he is waiving to the camera in the Gambella orphanage. His eyes went over and over the pictures one by one. For the first time we were able to tell him that we were there to become his parents. That we were his new mommy and daddy. We introduced him to his sisters. He pointed to us in the pictures then one by one pointed at us. The last pic was of Hannah holding a fish she caught in a local farm pond. His eyes lit up and he pointed right on the fish. I asked him if he liked fish. His eyebrows raised as if to knod yes. I asked him if he likes to eat fish...again his eyebrows raised. Precious...just preciousWe took many pictures and those kiddos learn about digital cameras amazingly fast. He wanted to see the back of the camera to see the pic. I continued scanning through thge photos so he could see some of the street scenes on the way to the Care Center. He brightened and spoke more when he saw the outside pictures. We have no idea how long this grieving process will take. How long will it take to erase memories that create nightmares. To fill the void with joy.
We ate dinner with an adoptive mother picking her son up for the embassy visit and leaving later this week. Her 5yo son was so well behaved, so precious sitting there using a knife to spread butter on a roll. He was a pro by the second butter pattie. =) He enjoyed his first Orange Fresca. He was free, he is loved - it was awesome.
PEACE - OUT!
No comments:
Post a Comment