Tater on Ana...

Our oldest is now somewhat aware of the adoption process and likes to talk about Ana.

Whenever he sees the picture of Ana, he says "there's Ana! She's wearing a zyelyony [Russian for green] shirt!"

When we listen to our CD of folk music from Ana's country, he announces "Ana knows this song!" at the beginning of every track.

"She will be a baby," he says. "She will think I am funny."

When he makes 'families' he always includes an Ana character.

I am so excited to see how they interact! I think he will be an excellent brother :-)

Approved (again)

Our updates to our I800a were finally approved! Hopefully this is the last thing needed to get our dossier reviewed in Ana's country!

Also Adeye at No Greater Joy Mom wrote this awesome encouraging post...

Dear Ana,

It has been a long time since we made a commitment to adopt you, and an even longer time since I first saw your sweet little face on Reece's Rainbow. I remember the excitement of scraping together everything in the bank to pay the commitment fee-we couldn't wait to get on our way to bringing you home!

Now it feels like we have been on our way forever. Your little brother G has grown from a newborn to a babbly crawly six month old and still we haven't made our first visit with you. 

I wonder about you; do you look at all like the picture that we have of you? Are you doing well? Are you warm enough at night? Do you get yummy nourishing food? Does anybody look at you and make you smile?

I pray for you, that God would keep you warm and safe and bring you home to us soon. I pray that He will prepare you for us, and that your little heart will be able to love your family.

We aren't much, just a mama and a papa and two brothers. Our house isn't that big, and we don't have fancy stuff. But we are a family. Papa and I are commited to loving every child in our family and giving them the very best. That means you, too, Ana! It won't always be easy, for us or for you, but God will take care of us and give us the strength to glorify Him as we love each other.

We hoped to have you home by August (that's when your country and every other country in Europe goes on vacation, sweetie), but now with the updates that we have had to do through USCIS I am not very hopeful. Maybe we can get our first set of travel dates before then?

Ana, I am so excited to meet you, because God has lead us to you and I know He only gives His people the very best. You will be the perfect daughter for us! You will be the perfect sister for your brothers, and cousin for your cousins, and niece for your Aunts and Uncles, and granddaughter for your grandparents! Did I tell you that we have a large extended family? We do. We will make sure that you don't get overwhelmed by them all at once and try to break them down in to manageable pieces :-)

Ana, I am praying that God will work wonders in the slow bureaucracy of our government and yours and bring you home to us speedily!

I love you!

Hugs and kisses,

Mama

Just waiting...

Doing the next right thing...

Trying not to be angry with institutions that seem so disorganized...

Trying not to feel guilty that we can't do more...

Wishing for travel dates...

Putting our trust in God that He is using all these little things for our good and His glory...

Praying for Anastacia that God would preserve her and encourage her while she waits and waits for the family that she doesn't know is coming...

Cast your burden on the LORD,

and he will sustain you;
he will never permit
the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

Mr. Zip Exonerated

I did that thing.  That thing where you don't think, and merely send some paper (to its end?) by standard US Mail.  Three weeks or so had passed, we called the Feds, who said "No luck, it isn't here, try there" and so we did.  Praise God, today it cleared (the check enclosed), and we are cheered, and Papa knows that if you care about arrival anywhere, you spend the dough and make it go straight to the second address, which will say "ATTN: Hauge".

For Their Redeemer is Strong.

Mr. V.P. annexed Crimea.

There are orphans in Crimea.

There are (were?) American families pursuing those orphans for adoption.

Now, they cannot.

Russians cannot be adopted by Americans.

Why?

Because, amid the serious business of jockeying for power and (mostly) appearance of command, our president, Mr. B.O., has been rolled.  Again.  And again.  And again.  How serious the dungaree phone call photo-op was!  Too bad for the little people.  They get lost in the cracks between the egos (or the ids?).  But anyway, they couldn't have voted for him (whom? anyone?) anyway.  They weren't that important, you know.  Not like the clashing paper titans, the shadow-puppets of geopolitics, projecting themselves onto a blank world (or was it inhabited?  hmm, didn't notice, must not have mattered) and squabbling just as jerkily and inconclusively as a two-bit wayang-kulit. 

But this is gain for a land in every way: a king committed to cultivated fields. - Eccl. 5:9

Thus says the LORD of hosts, Render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another, do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor, and let none of you devise evil against another in your heart. - Zech. 7:9-10

    Do not move an ancient landmark
        or enter the fields of the fatherless,
    for their Redeemer is strong;
        he will plead their cause against you. - Prov. 23:10-11

Kyrie, eleison,
Christe, eleison,
Kyrie, eleison,
Kyrie, eleison.
 Glória in excélsis Deo

et in terra pax homínibus bonae voluntátis.

Laudámus te,

benedícimus te,

adorámus te,

glorificámus te,

grátias ágimus tibi propter magnam glóriam tuam,

Dómine Deus, Rex cæléstis,

Deus Pater omnípotens.

Dómine Fili Unigénite, Iesu Christe,

Dómine Deus, Agnus Dei, Fílius Patris,

qui tollis peccáta mundi, miserére nobis;

qui tollis peccáta mundi, súscipe deprecatiónem nostram.

Qui sedes ad déxteram Patris, miserére nobis.

Quóniam tu solus Sanctus, tu solus Dóminus, tu solus Altíssimus,

Iesu Christe, cum Sancto Spíritu: in glória Dei Patris. Amen.

Dominus vobiscum.
(Et cum spiritu tuo.)

I am a lame blogger

We are all still alive here, enjoying summery weather while the rest of the country is cold...

All our docs are in (or on their way to) Ana's country and we are now awaiting travel dates. We need to figure out which and how many of us will travel as well.

Both of our boys are doing well, and I am very thankful for that. I expect a difficult adjustment when Ana comes home and it is good to have some time to establish a rhythm and convince Tater that I still love him even though I had the audacity to give birth to baby brother.

I am honestly a little scared; how will I be able to show love to all of my children if I am stuck in a hospital with Ana for weeks on end? Or just completely overwhelmed by every day life? I am praying for both my little boys NOW, that God would prepare them and strengthen them. I know God will not put us in any situations that He will not also give us the grace to survive (and give Him glory while doing so ;-)

Also, a friend found a dictionary in the language of Ana's country (not so easy to find!) so I have been enjoying that.

For now, enjoy my busy boys :-)