Counting down the minutes

It is now only a matter of minutes before Mike's parents arrive to take us to the airport. The emotions are overwhelming. We just talked to Viktorija on the phone and to hear the excitement in her voice is worth millions! We will be taken to meet her at her foster home on Monday morning. She told me that her foster mom is going to make coffee, and for me, sweet tea:-). I thought that was very sweet. She tells us that there is "LOTS" of snow and it's very cold. This California girl is going to have the adventure of her lifetime! I'm bursting with joy over the mere days until we see our daughter!!

Thank you to all of our family and friends who have been praying for us, and encouraging us. I have received some of the most wonderful and touching emails over the past few days. God has sent the perfect words at just the right times. Of course, He does....He knows what we need. For it is He who has paved the way for us to go on this journey. We fully trust that we are in His care.

The next blog will be from LATVIA!!!!

Love to you all.....

7 days and counting!

Oh my goodness!! With only 7 short days to go, I find myself wondering how I'm going to get everything organized for our trip, while working at the same time. So much to do, so little time! My personality is such that I'm usually ready for events far in advance. Although we've been ready and waiting, there are now things that have to be done that couldn't be done before. We've made the flight reservations, and today will make our hotel reservations. I thought I'd faint when I was told that if we check more than our 1 allowed checked bag/pp, it wold be $250!!!!!!!! So, there will be no extra bag for the things I wanted to take for Viktorija. We'll get creative with our packing, I guess. Our flight will be approx 16 hours. I'm thankful for the NOOK Mike got me for Christmas! I can read, access internet, play games, etc. This should keep me occupied for some time:-)

Continue to keep us in your prayers. My heart races, I can't sleep, and I have mixed emotions that go from excitement to fear. Once I see her sweet face and can hug her I know I'll be fine. But, for now, we press forward the best we can, with God's help.

Our date has come!

By now, most of you probably know that we found out our first court date in Latvia will be Feb 14, 2011!! We are beyond thrilled that the moment has FINALLY arrived! I think it's fantastic that our reunion with our sweet Viktorija will be on VALENTINE'S DAY!!! That day will have extra special meaning from now on.

We were excited to call Viktorija on Sat. to tell her the good news, only to find out that she had a stomach bug and was not feeling well. She sounded so pitiful on the phone, even though we could tell she was trying to act excited. We called her again today to see if she was feeling any better, and she sounded good. She was happy and laughing. She asked Mike if he would read her "Vinnis Puks" (English: "Winnie The Pooh") in Latvian as he had done when she was here last Summer. She got the biggest kick out of Mike's attempt at pronouncing Latvian words. She also asked him if he would sing to her in Russian again. Again, it was Mike's attempt to sing along with a Russian girl band CD. Viktorija enjoyed this and obviously has thought about how it made her laugh. Memories like this, of her stay with us, have helped to sustain her while she's been away from us. She told us she is praying for our safe flight and for her "American school". She has had plenty of time to think about everything. Although I know she is excited, she is in for some pretty big changes! I consider her one of the bravest people I know. I'm so nervous about going to Latvia (for many reasons), but when I think of what she did last Summer coming to America and not speaking the language well, or knowing much about us, I realize my fears are kind of silly. If a child can change her whole life forever, I can certainly take a 3-week trip to a foreign country!! It will be enlightening to see where she comes from. And, I know she will like to teach us about her culture.

We have SO MUCH to do in the days to come. My lists have lists! Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for the biggest event in our lives. We plan to post pictures and videos while we're in Latvia as often as possible so that you can share in our journey.

Love to all of you!

Christmas without Viktorija

When I woke up this morning I asked God to give me the strength to focus on all of our many blessings and not the fact that our daughter was not here with us for this special day. It turned out to be a wonderful day with many reminders that God is very much in control. We spoke to Viktorija before my family arrived to have Christmas lunch with us. She sounded good. She laughed after we sang to her, "We wish you a merry Christmas". She told us she had been to church today and that she was also going to church tomorrow. It is "family day" at her church. Mike told her she could carry a picture of us with her, and that we will be with her in heart and spirit. She liked that.

We then called Viktorija a second time today after all of my family was present. They each were able to say "hello" to her and tell her that they loved her. This is the first time she has heard anyone else's voice (besides ours) on the phone. After we told her again how much we love her, and said our goodbyes, she said, "goodbye my family, I love you" to all of us. Of course, this was a touching moment. Not to mention, she has the sweetest phone voice...ever!!!! Wow, do I miss her! I want to hug her and never let go. But, even with all of hte emotions that I am feeling, I feel very much at peace in God's timing. Next Christmas will be extra special:-)

A lovely lady that my mom works with (whom I've never met) sent a gift for Viktorija. It was a lovely snow globe with a generous monetary gift attached. As I shed my tears, my family sat quietly in amazment at the kindness and generosity of this wonderful lady with a heart for orphans.

This was another reminder to me of how God knows our needs and how He uses many different people to meet those needs. It wasn't just the monetary gift, it was the love behind it that moved me so much (the love of someone I've not met...yet, and the love of our ever present Lord and Savior).

As I sit here quiety pondering this beautiful day, I think of the greatest gift God gave to the world...His very our son. "For God so loved the world, He sent His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life". The greatest gift of all! I am humbled and so grateful for a love such as this. As much love as I feel for our daughter, God loved us even more. It's difficult to imagine. But, I'm so thankful!!!!!

where we stand now

It has been quite awhile since I've blogged. Merely because we had no new news. Dec 7 was the day we got our "official invitation" to go to Latvia for our child...this is a formality. We were then told our court date would soon follow. Well, it's now 12/21 and no court date yet. Mike contacted our adoption liason yesterday to see if we were any closer to having our travel dates. We then got the sad news that we may not get to travel until Feb, or even March!!! Since we were counting on Jan, this was a HUGE disappointment! Mike works at McGuire Nuclear Station and the month of Feb begins at outage. This is a time when nobody is allowed to take time off (approx 30-40 dys). Needless to say, Mike was very stressed and unhappy yesterday. I pray for patience and God's perfect will and timing. I know He has a reason for the timing, even though we don't see, or understand, it. We pray for Viktorija to maintain her faith and positive attitude while she waits for us to come and get her. When we last spoke to Viktorija she told us she was packing her suitcase so she would be ready for us. This is the hard part!! This is a child who has only dreamed of having a "real family"...something many of us take for granted. It will be difficult to tell her that there will be a longer wait. I think we'll try to avoid that conversation until we do know our travel dates for certain. We ask our friends and family to continue to pray for Viktorija, and us, as we wait on the Lord. Pray that our travel will not interfere with Mike's work outage. Pray for our financial situation as we move forward with the adoption and her education when she arrives in the US.

I heard a song on the radio today called "All I want for Christmas is a family". I don't know who sings it, but it was kind of gut-wrenching for me to hear. Through the roller coaster we're on, God has been ever-present to remeind me that He is indeed in control. We are truly blessed to be on this journey with Viktorija. It's amazing what God will do in your life if you let go and follow His lead. To God be the glory!!!!

Adoption Shower

Today was a very special day for me (and Mike). My sweet mom and sister, Tracey, had been planning an adoption shower for me, and today was the "big day". It was such a beautiful event! A big "thank you" to mom and Tracey for your hard work in putting together a very memorable event. Everything was absolutely perfect!! And, that cake was out of this world!!! I was so touched by the outpouring of love I felt today. Tracey wouldn't tell me ahead of time who to expect at the shower. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see many friends I haven't seen in awhile, and many other friends and family. Each and every person there today is very special to me. I don't think I can ever express the true gratitude I feel for the support and love that each individual has given us throughout this adoption process.

Viktorija will have a great start when she gets here!!!! She received gift cards so we can shop for clothes or other necessities when she arrives, she got some games that we can play as a family, some toys (ie: barbies, and barbie heads so she can fix hair and makeup), and a bike!!! She has never ridden a bike before, so this will be a new, fun adventure for her:-) We also received some towels and blankets for her bedroom and bathroom. Every single item received is so appreciated! I will certainly make sure that Viktorija knows who gave her the specific items. Mike took pictures of everything so we can share this with her.

We weren't sure how Viktorija would react in a situation involving so many people. When she was here in the Summer she would withdraw in larger groups. So, we thought we would have the shower prior to her arrival so we could prepare. When she's home with us, we will make sure she gets the opportunity to meet every person that has prayed for her along the way. We try to tell her how many people love her and pray for her everyday.

Viktorija is doing well. We still enjoy our weekly phone calls to Viktorija and receiving emails from her. She is already trying to figure out what she is going to pack in her suitcase for America.

We are a step closer, having had our final fingerprinting session for Immigration last Friday. Our paperwork should be on it's way to Latvia soon to add to our dossier. Praise the Lord that this part of the process is over! I'm now starting to work on filling out applications for grants.

We will keep you updated as things progress. Our love to all of you special people!!!!!!!

Where are things now?

It's been a while since we've shared with our family and friends where we are in the adoption process. The reason for that is much of our time has been spent obtaining/processing paperwork. All of the work we've (well, mostly my wonderful husband) been doing has been put together to form our dossier. This is a large packet of documentation that is sent to Latvia first for translation prior to review by the ministry of affairs. Once all of that takes place, we will receive an invitation to go to Latvia for our first court appearance (we will make 3 trips total). I am so happy, and thankful, to say that our dossier went to Latvia a week ago with a family traveling on their final adoption related trip! That is a HUGE weight lifted! We are now awaiting our information from the US Dept of Immigration. They have scheduled our fingerprinting (this will make the second time we will have to be fingerprinted) for Nov 5. Once that is done we should receive our immigration documents within approx 8 days. Then we will send that paperwork to Latvia.....and wait.

We heard from our adoption liason that our hopes of getting Viktorija here by Christmas are very slim. But, we know God's timing is best. We speak to Viktorija on the phone once a week. She sounds so good! She is so full of hope (thus the middle name we've chosen for her...HOPE). She seems at peace now with whatever the time frame is. Although, she would like to come home now, she has gained understanding about the adoption process through her foster mom, her psychologist, and our openness about each step of the process.

With every day that passes we love her even more. We so look forward to the day when we can hug her again! When we asked her what she is looking forward to most she responded, "to see you and hug you and kiss you". When asked what will be her favorite thing about coming to America she responed, "having a family!".

I try to imagine how it will feel for her to come home and know that she never has to leave again. All of the little things we take for granted, she thinks are fantastic. We have spent a lot of time in the mountains this month and we constantly find ouselves saying, "I'll bet Viktoirja would like to see that sunrise", or "I'll bet Viktorija would like to see the "Fall colors", and the list goes on. Everything will become so new again, looking through the eyes of a child.

Please pray for all the orphaned children that will be coming for 5 weeks at Christmas with New Horizons For Children. I've been watching their pictures on the website and with every child that is selected by a host family, I thank the Lord. This is another opportunity to make a huge impact on a child's life. I'm so thankful that we chose to follow God's lead in the Summer when we hosted Viktorija. I am now so humbled that I will be her mom. I can't imagine loving a child more!