Remembering Our {Adoption} Adventure - part 2

For the next few weeks, I will be blogging about our adoption journey to Uganda & beyond!  The Lord took us on a sweet adventure to become a family of 3.  We were in Uganda adopting Walker for about 3 weeks.  There were ups & downs.  Highs & lows.  Joys & triumphs.

My husband & I chronicled our adventures on a private Facebook group we created to keep friends & family up to date on all the latest happenings.

This is a re-cap & remembering of our journey ONE YEAR ago!!!!

May 19, 2012 {another entry}

Our schedule was bumped up a day, & we were able to travel to meet Walker today! It was a 5-ish hour drive; we took in LOTS of sights & smells, & I’m still processing most of it. We arrived at the baby home about 6:30ish. There were some children in the yard, & WJ was about the 3rd or 4th kiddo we saw. Our driver, Ken, pointed him out to us, & as calmly as we could we rushed over to him. ;) Ken told him who we were, & he was quiet & a bit reserved (I’m sure quite overwhelmed), but he let us pick him up & kiss & hug him. It was a low-key introduction w/ only minimal tears from the momma. I think that was good b/c it was less overwhelming to him & us; it took any kind of pressure off of us & him. Ken told us that a few weeks back WJ asked him when he was going to get to leave with a family. :( Ken told him that we were coming soon. It was neat to hear that our little one has at least a minimal understanding of adoption, or at the very least understands that others have left & he wants to go too. Ken had to translate a lot between us & Walker. I’m not sure how much English WJ understands & can speak. Only thing the poor baby said was “yes”; anytime he thought we were asking a question his answer was a sweet, little, tiny, African accented “yes.” He took my hand & showed me to his room; a room full of bunk beds (I didn’t count how many.) WJ’s bed is the bottom of a 3-high bunk bed. Not many more nights in that room; very soon he’ll be with us & very likely plopped in bed beside us (not sure we have a choice b/c I’m not putting my baby on the floor – our hotel only has one bed.)

We go back tomorrow morning for a 4 hour long church service, & get to spend the rest of the day at the home with WJ & his friends. On Monday night, I think that he’ll actually get to leave the home & be with us forever! I think I’m a little nervous that my mothering might not kick in………. please pray that I can rest & enjoy the journey. I do trust that the Lord will work in my heart & WJ’s whatever bonding needs to happen, & it may take time, & that’s ok as long as it’s the Lord’s working!

Please also pray that our luggage arrives tonight on the Brussels or Egypt Air flights. Our agency coordinator is supposed to pick them up at the airport in the morning, & then head out here to be with us. We have NO clothes for WJ (except his suit for court on Wed.), NO toiletries (except the travel size toothpaste/lotion/etc.that we packed in our carryons), & only TWO outfits for ourselves. We are hoping to avoid spending money by buying more clothes. :(

I think that is enough for now………

5/19/2012 - Our very FIRST family photo.  (look at that grip he has on his Daddy!  And I don't think I've ever seen my husband smile SO big!  ♥

***I still remember fondly our first meeting with our sweet, little boy!  It was SO lacking in fanfare & hoopla; I had half-way been expecting a moment like Mufasa & Simba in The Lion King.  Oh the joys of a vivid imagination. However, it was perfect!  Words can hardly express the joys of meeting your child half-way across the world for the very first time.  Moving!  Elated!  Joyous!  THANKFUL!***

May 20, 2012 {entry #1}

Things to pray for specifically this week, please.
Monday, May 21 - WJ comes with us......... forever!
Tuesday, May 22 - Luggage is supposed to arrive then! (sooner would be betta')
Wednesday, May 23 - Court date. Judge makes his written ruling as to whether or not he will grant to us legal guardianship of WJ. Hoping for written ruling the same day.
Thursday, May 24 - Hopefully, traveling back to Kampala to stay with my SIL's mother, & wait out the visa process.

***Not having our luggage was a HUGE stressor, but we survived day by day.  At least I never had to pick out what clothes to wear!***

May 20, 2012 {entry #2}

Today was a GREAT day with WJ! We were able to go to church with him, & we were even allowed to go to his Sunday school class. At church, he sat in our laps the whole time, & for about the first half of the service was pretty reserved & quiet, but then he opened up with LOTS of smiles & talking to us (in Tooro.) When we went to his Sunday school class with him, he started to become VERY possessive of us. It was like he was laying claim to us for the other kids. It was a really sweet, encouraging thing to see him do. To us it meant that he has some level of understanding of the 3 of us becoming a forever family. We also were VERY careful how we loved on other children. We worked hard to not pick up other children or hold hands with them. We wanted to do our best to convey to WJ that we were there for HIM, & that he is special to us. Who knows if that was the right or wrong thing to do, but it seemed to work for him, & that made us happy. Scott bought him a soccer ball today, & baby boy laid a very firm claim to that yellow ball. He wouldn't let other kiddos hold it for any length of time. He wanted for us to take the ball with us tonight b/c he was afraid that the older kids might take it & play with it & he wouldn't see it again. (I am so thankful for our driver, Ken, who is a GREAT translator & help for us with WJ.) WJ also called us Mommy & Daddy for the first time today; right now those are just names to him, but one day soon he’ll understand who we really are to him! Other snippets that I am too lazy to go back & put in the above: during church WJ wore Scott’s watch & loved to play with the “light” feature on it; WJ learned to play Angry Birds on Scott’s phone; WJ cried for the first time today & Scott got to cuddle with him (I think an older kid knocked his precious yellow ball out of his hands & it went rolling down the hill --- it was a crisis. broke my heart.) WJ led a song in his little Sunday school class (Mommy got to too); WJ likes riding on Scott’s shoulders; I insisted on Island Margarita hand sanitizer from Bath & Body Works after he went potty (twice), & he didn’t really care for the smell, but the 2nd time he made sure to put his hands on other kids faces so they could smell it; he does NOT like the spearmint green tic-tacs.

***Ah, yes!  I still remember how VERY possessive our boy was of us.  It made my Mommy's heart soar with joy & pride & hope!***