It has been 23 days since we last saw Vitalik and Lera. For about the last 2 weeks, we have been expecting that any day we will hear our court date and set in motion the flurry of activity that will be required to quickly purchase tickets, prepare for my sister and niece to move back into our house, and head to Ukraine for our adoption proceedings. I have joked that throughout the entire adoption process, I keep hearing Tom Petty singing in my head... The Waiting is the Hardest Part... at least, we certainly hope that it is!
Late last week, we learned that there has been another document that our handler in Ukraine has been waiting for before he can request our court date. We had previously thought all papers were in, so this must have been a request from the court for something additional. We don't understand exactly what this is, but we trust that he knows what he is doing and is taking care of it. It seems that he expects to receive this document today and will be able to call and get our court date. So again this Monday morning, we wake up thinking, "We REALLY expect to hear our court date today or tomorrow."
Throughout this process, we have been asking for prayers for sanity, and all-in-all I think we are managing pretty well. I recently heard someone say that adoption is not for wimps! It's just stressful, no matter how you slice it, and on some level, we won't be able to really exhale until all five of our children are under one roof. Still, we are doing our best to experience this part of our journey as a great lesson in patience. We are TRYING to just enjoy the blessings of each day while we wait, trusting that whenever our court date finally comes, the timing will be exactly as it is supposed to be.
We were recently asked whether this is more or less difficult than a biological pregnancy. It is a really interesting question, and I am sure that anyone who has been through both processes will have their own opinions. For Eugene, this is unquestionably more difficult! I (who never loved being pregnant) think the processes are both difficult (and rich and beautiful) just in different ways.
Our adoption timeline of maybe 7-8 months seems remarkably short compared with pregnancy, and certainly compared with many adoption timelines that many people experience. As such, it sometimes feels a little silly feeling so impatient. Still, we have realized that the timeline is a little different when waiting to adopt teenagers who totally understand what is going on, and who are growing up on the other side of the world while we wait. In some ways, we already grieve the years of their childhoods that we have missed, and that they have missed having a family. Recently, something made me have the poignant realization that I will never be able to pick these kids up and swing them around in a circle or hold them upside-down by their ankles and tickle their tummies. I mean, I know this is obvious, but realizing that those opportunities have already been missed just made me grieve a little bit. Of course, the important thing is that, beginning very soon, we WILL be there to love and support them for the rest of our lives, and I know it is going to be awesome! I guess my point is that every day counts, and the sooner we get to begin being their parents, the happier we will be.
