Saturday, October 27, 2012

We're getting so close!!!!!

Even though most days don't feel like it, we are getting so close to bringing our son home.  We have a few more papers to get, get our embassy appointment scheduled, and get his passport before we can book our tickets; but really that's not many steps to go.  We are getting so excited to travel! We can't wait to meet our boy, thank all the people who have cared for him these past few months, and love on all the other kiddos waiting to come home to their forever families.  We know its not going to be easy, but we are ready for this challenge.

There are so many fears we have about traveling to Africa. Most of them have to do with the unknowns. We know Gods plan is so much bigger than our own and we believe that even our trip is orchestrated by him.  I will admit though, one of our biggest fears is that our son will be scared of us. We know it's a real possibility and are preparing ourselves for this, but we are praying he's sees our love and attention as a positive thing and will trust us. Attachment and bonding is such a long process that happens differently with every child. We know this this and just pray that we can begin developing a positive relationship while in Africa that we can build on once we get home.

On another note, Our Son was quite sick this past week and was well taken care of by the men and women from the orphanage. We are so thankful to all of them for recognizing the signs of Malaria and getting him medical attention right away. We are also so grateful for all of our friends and family for your prayers during this time. We appreciate all of your love and support during this entire process and for your love of our son who we haven't even met yet!

God Bless, April

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Still waiting.....


I had typed a really nice letter to everyone about our waiting and our excitement to bring home our son. I talked about how lucky we are that we have such a wonderful family that all be taking care of Carson while we are away. I also talked about how we are still waiting for some papers to come in, translations to be done, and his passport. 
But I lost it!!
 I tried for a while to get it back and then just gave up. So here is an adorable pic of our little 3 year old and I will attempt a longer post another day this week. 
Have a great day!!!
April

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Oh Halloween.....

I have to admit, even before having a child I really was not that into Halloween. I know I loved getting candy, so I had to dress up. But I never really got that into the scary aspect of it.
I now really enjoy Carson getting to dress up and enjoy the fun of trick-or treating, but I hate what Halloween has become. Maybe it has always been this way and I was just ignoring it all this time.
What I am talking about is the super scary grim reapers hanging all over the ceiling at various stores, scary masks everywhere, bloody/gory costumes, and scary home decorations all over the streets. Carson is afraid of all of them. He gets really nervous, asks a ton of questions and just won't let go of me when we go past any of these things. (Don't even get me started on all the women's costumes that are basically lingerie).
I really want him to enjoy the fun childlike Halloween that I remember. I hope my explanations of the pretend stuff are sufficient enough to calm his nerves.
As I think about this for Carson I'm actually thankful our son in Africa doesn't have to endure this right now. Can you imagine being new to a place, with a new family, and very little language skills and seeing a ginormous scary creature hanging above your head? That would be terrifying! If he were home we probably wouldn't be venturing out anyway, but still i think it's scary for any little kid.
Sorry if your the type who likes the haunted house and scary men, I'm not judging you. I'm just saying we will have none of that at our house this year (or probably ever!)

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Today was a Great Day!

Carson turned 3 years old today!!! It was a wonderful day here in the Pacific Northwest and we loved every minute of sunshine. We invited over 50 people to our little house. So it was also nice to utilize our back yard a little while longer.

We had a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse birthday party. Carson was so excited to see all of his friends and family. He had a great time and was spoiled rotten. Thanks everyone for your time and gifts.

We got some other great news today. We are getting closer to traveling to pick up our son. No official details yet. But paperwork is starting to come in and were beginning to prepare for the next part of this adventure.

:) April

Friday, October 5, 2012

Mommy guilt...

For the past week we have been working on little projects to get ready for Carson's 3rd birthday! I know, I know, I can't believe it either. Were having a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse party and its going to be awesome! Aaron and I have had a ton of fun making a piƱata, a Mickey centerpiece, and decorating water bottles. We still have cupcakes and other small decorative stuff to do before Sunday, plus we need to finish cleaning our house!

But with all the excitement this week I've been feeling really sad. Sad because we have a son across the world who is missing all of this; sad we can't just go pick him up to bring him home so his body and mind can start healing; sad we have no idea when we can actually go get him; sad that he has never had a chance to have a party like this or possibly any type of time focused just for him; sad we don't know his past; sad we've never seen him smile; and I'm just sad that our family is not complete. I don't like this one bit. Please pray for our paperwork to come through and for us to be planning our trip very soon!

We love our Son so much, even though we've never met him. We can't wait to get to him and become his parents (and protectors) and help him begin to heal. We believe that God has planned this for our family and we know that the plan is not our own. We knew the adoption process was a long crazy one, however we hope we're nearing the end of the waiting.

We are so excited to celebrate Carson's birthday this weekend. This weekend is about him and the wonderful little man he is becoming. We laugh everyday at the hilarious comments and statements  he makes. I love this age and am completely enjoying watching him grow-up. Some days I'm sad he won't stay this way forever, but every stage of his life has been more and more fun. I know we have a lot more laughter to come!

 I'm equally excited to see him become a big brother. He talks about his brother constantly. Just the other day he brought me the iPad and asked to watch videos of brother. It was so sweet! A funny story from a few months ago I have to share is......
Question: Carson what should we name brother?
Carson: "Tow Mater" (Cars is his all time favorite movie and he loves Mater!)
Q: How come we should name him Tow Mater?
Carson: Because he's brown. (Yep, he was pretty matter of fact. He is a very concrete thinker. So this really doesn't surprise me at all.)

We got a good laugh out of that one, and can't wait to share it with his brother someday. I know Carson will teach his brother all about Cars and we already have started him his own set of the die-cast cars. Since I know sharing those magnificent treasures may be a challenge. :)

So excited to see everyone who can make it this weekend to celebrate Carson. We are so blessed with amazing family and friends and we wouldn't be functioning with out you! So even though I have said this a million times, THANK YOU!!!  (I hope it never loses its meaning.)

Love, April

PS. a sneak peak of a party craft!!!