Tomorrow, Definitely....Maybe

Today gave me the unparalleled opportunity to teach the phrase "photo finish" to one of my good friends. She was in the company van with me, hurriedly going out to purchase train tickets to the next province...for a Friday trip to pick up Ezra.

As it stands tonight, we are going to/likely going to/probably going to get Nehemiah tomorrow (our Thursday.)  That is, if the magic ticket from Beijing arrives here...after Ms. Guo got it signed on the third day of our quest to possess it.  I was sent a tracking number for the golden ticket (actually there are two golden tickets, ours that must arrive at the school, and the local governments, that also must arrive tomorrow morning.)  Just to add some fun to the situation, the tracking number/system for tracking is wonky and it shows that the package has not moved in more than 24 hours!  However, IF both golden tickets arrive, as they are expected to, we will drive across town and finally welcome Nehemiah into our family.  It has been a staggering 15 months since we first saw his picture and "knew" that he was an H man.

Oh and...the money that was wired from the US here some 6 days ago, still has not arrived in the bank account to pay for the fees that are due tomorrow upon receiving our fifth son, as well as our sixth son, due to be joined with us on Friday.

Just a few big issues still hanging out there...

Don't know if we should celebrate tonight, or strike a more cautious pose.  It is just crazy to be on the "maybe-eve" of our fourth "gotcha" day...but maybe not...

Assuming that the climax of months of work will in fact produce our new son tomorrow...then we will go home for the overnight "harmonious period" where we will "decide" if in fact we wish to proceed with the adoption.  He will, without a doubt, become our next H family member.

The next morning (our Friday) we will go to sign the official adoption registration, forever adopting this boy who tonight has no birthright, no family name, and then we will whisk him and seven of his closest (geographically) brothers and sisters for an all expense-paid trip to the next province North of us.

Four and a half hours later, we'll get off the train, and go immediately to Civil Affairs where we will receive Ezra.  My head is spinning at the thought of it, already.

Friday night will be the "harmonious period" for Ezra, then we'll sign the registration papers on Saturday morning (a work day Here due to the upcoming Tomb Sweeping Holiday), and will load our burgeoning family into a mini-bus to drive 2.5 hours back to the town where Ezra's orphanage is located.  After applying for his passport that afternoon, we'll retire for an overnight at the orphanage where Ezra has lived for the past four years.

Another train on Sunday (another work/school day) will bring us back home where we will begin our new life together as a family with 11 offspring...nine still at home...and two crazy-blessed, yet often tired, parents.

I promise photos here as soon as we have them.

Please be lifting us up as you wake up on your Wednesday, for the money to arrive, the papers to arrive, and for the most momentous experience imaginable in the afternoon to come to pass.

He has done great things.