New sons...

After one year of working on Nehemiah's adoption...and nine months of pursuing Ezra's adoption...we are in the home stretch.

If you would lift up our request that a certain, final, government official would be in her office on Friday and willing to sign off on our final piece of paperwork...then we will bring home the boys next week!

The last two days have been a flurry of emails, phone calls, and text messages working on four different government departments over four provinces of China to get the paperwork through. We have already seen some formidable mountains moved today!  Now, just the last one (and an agreement from the orphanages to our desired "Gotcha" dates next week) and the boys will be home for the National Tomb Sweeping (Qing Ming) festival!  (Actually, we've not really gotten into the celebration/observation of that holiday yet...but two new sons would certainly be a celebration for us to remember!) ;)

Last week we received a wheelchair for Ezra from a foster home in Beijing,  we received, divinely, the funds required to complete the adoptions, and we were notified about a potential van available for us!  His timing is always perfect.  These adoptions have taught me a deeply difficult lesson in that.

This issue of timing is also evident in that the past two months I would say that The Bruiser has demonstrated phenomenal development in bonding, language, and attachment.  This was an area of immense concern for him and his future.  Just last week I was sitting at the table, with this previously largely verbally uncommunicative child, and he talked for ten minutes straight about his school, his friends, and what he liked to eat!  I cried as I marveled that seemingly overnight, he has changed.  Every morning this week he has come out of the bedroom, sought me out, just to snuggle for a few minutes!!!  Truly, this is glorious!!!  Daddy said, "well, that must be why the new sons couldn't come home yet...Bruiser still needed a bit more time for his restoration."

I think we're ready for them...how can one really be ready for two new sons...aged five and four to walk into your life and to turn everything upside down?  For about four months...we'll think we're dying as everyone learns their place in the new family configuration.  But we're excited nonetheless!  For we know that these boys belong here, with their family...and we cannot stand anymore time for them to be away from home!

More updates, soon.