Sorry for checking out for awhile ...

Some of those who I love so well reminded me that people would like updates so here I go. ALL THE PAPERWORK IS DONE!!! YEAH!!! And the little one's room is mostly done. I am not sure if I talked about it before but when I asked him what his favorite color was he indicated orange. Tangerine orange to be exact. (I personally thought - ick!!) That made this mama-to-be sad given I was hoping to paint his room in the said favorite color when the expected response was to be blue or green. A sign of what it is to be mom. I cannot wait for the horny toads of which my mother remembers so fondly. A total yuck.

I have struggled to accommodate his indication and find resolution between his preference and my inane American need to personalize his room. It seems so like such a silly thing but as many of you know those of who wait try and fix that which is in our control and let God deal with the rest. Hence, the trim in the yellow room will be orange and there are accents that should even out everything aesthetically.

The best thing about the room is that it will reflect the Russian cartoon character Chebrushka which, to the little one, is the story of his life. The little one is a cleft child and while Russia has been fantastic in giving him a functional face and nose, others still tease him. He of course thinks he is beautiful and I thank God for a picture of that moment. On the first day I met him he kept squeezing the toy I brought for him. Then the caretaker (who is so fantastic!) did the same thing so on the second day I asked to stop at a toy store and bought the only stuffed toy that made a sound when squeezed. I found out later it was a well-known Russian cartoon character. In the story, a strange creature arrives somewhere in Russia in an orange crate. To my American eyes Chebrushka looks like a cross between a monkey and a panda bear. Anyway, in the story Chebrushka has no friends because he looks kind of funny until he is befriended by a crocodile, finds a home, other friends and goes to school.

Once I gave that doll to my little one he walked around and played it non-stop until I asked the translator what the toy was singing (my Russian was not up to that!). So it all works out. God puts us on the path. It is our job simply to put one foot in front of another. And trust. And now his room is done in a monkey theme. It is nice since my favorite stuffed toy was a monkey when I was a kid. Seems like a good fit.

On to other things. I finished my art history classes with A's. Now am going to the gym daily in addition to biking to and from work. And I study Russian daily even though it often drives me to my knees. It helps to be distracted. It really does. In addition to getting the little one's room finished I painted most of the first floor of my house. While the more public rooms are done in a tasteful plum and watercolor lily, the master bath was treated to an intense pink. It is so pink it made the adjacent hallway glow. Wow. :) I might have to repaint that next year but for now it really kick starts the day.

So I continue to wait for the travel email. At 5 plus months it hurts. It is my little boy I need to bring home. But I keep finding things to handle for the little one. Portland Oregon public schools have a federal grant for full Russian immersion from kindergarden through high school and I have been working with people to get the little one in sync with it all. There is no other program like it in the country. In addition, Portland has two medical centers that have state-of-the-art, international traveling, cleft palete intervention teams one of which is connected to our Children's hospital so he is covered for medical issues as well as educational needs. As soon as we land, I call and he is in process so that we can evaluate what he needs now. He was a baby when I started this adoption and now he is a young man. My heart hurts.

I miss him so much. People ask me why I adopt internationally, and frankly I am still not sure of the answer. I know I was searching for my child and God brought me to him. He is such a wonderful child and I am so lucky. Thank you God.

I ask you all, if you will, to pray that we finish all this silly legal process stuff soon so that the little one can come home. He is the most amazing child. When I look at him all I can say is WOW.