grrrrrr....g&r frustration

I honestly thought that getting our I600 pre-approval was the last big hurdle; apparently scheduling a g&r date is not as easy as I had assumed. The g&r (giving and receiving ceremony) needs to be scheduled by the agency staff with the province officials. As of Friday, we were looking at 2 options: September 9th or 16th. So far our agency has been unable to confirm a date with Ben Tre.

While I'd love to be on a plane today, we are now at the point where we are hoping it gets scheduled for the 16th. If the g&r were the 9th, we would be leaving in a week. With labor day in there, this gives us little time to arrange travel or for our schools to get substitute teachers.

I am not an anal person who plans out every detail of my life, however, I'd like to have a plan now. I feel like for much of the past 10 months we have been unable to commit to anything as there was always the possibility (or at least the hope) that "we might be in Vietnam." I know someday that will be true, but the wait just gets longer.

News from families currently traveling make the process and our son feel more real to us. I've spent so much time wondering about Wyatt's personality. I am grateful for the family who recently met him and described him as a "hoot" and future soccer star!

I promise I'll keep you all updated, but am through guessing on when we might be leaving. Next time I tell you a date, there better be plane tickets to confirm it!

We Got It!

The much anticipated I600 pre-approval letter was in our email this morning! Now our agency will work to re-schedule our giving and receiving ceremony. I haven't had a chance to talk with them yet, but we were previously told that we could travel in 2 weeks. I am anxious to start making travel plans. We can't wait to get on that plane, see the beauty of Vietnam and meet our new son.

Happy Days!!

Big Brother

Today Isaac, the future Big Brother, turned 4. Years ago, in "the story we wrote for ourselves" we would have never envisioned that our first child would be 4 years old before we welcomed home a second. Even after learning about Wyatt in October, it was always our assumption (or at least hope) that the boys would be together when Isaac turned 4 and Wyatt 18 months. While the wait has been hard on us (not to mention Wyatt) for Isaac this past year has been wonderful and much needed.

For those of you who don't know, Isaac has autism. He has been receiving private therapy for the past year and has made progress in his communication, cognitive skills, and behavior. While he still does not grasp the concept of what life will be like with a litte brother, we know that he is much better prepared for it now then when we started our second adoption process 2 years ago. So "Happy Birthday, Big Brother Isaac". You are loved!