Big News!

Sorry for not blogging recently, but I have a broken hand. I have a cast that covers my pinky and ring finger and goes almost up to my elbow which makes it hard to type.

So anyway, this has been kind of a crazy week. Hurrican Irene came and went leaving us without power for almost four days. Normally this would not be too big of a deal since we have a small generator for the sump pumps, refrigerator, and water, but since our escort has been in the DRC and we did not have internet or phone access, it was a bit stressful. Luckliy I was able to receive emails and text messages on my phone but cell towers were down so I could not talk on it or send repliews to the email/texts.

On Tuesday we received Merveille's VISA. This was a big deal because we had been waiting for 3 weeks. Thursday afternoon we got a text message from our case worker that she had the exit letter. This was huge news because it was the last thing needed for Merveille to be able to leave the DRC and be able to enter the USA. The biggest news of all is that Merveille and four other children will be home tomorrow (Saturday)! As I type this he is (hopefully sleeping!) on a plane to Brussels. They land there tomorrow morning. Around noon they get on a plane to Washington D.C. While there they will go through customs and our wonderful caseworker will get on yet another plane with Merveille and one other child to bring them to New York. We will meet them there and less than 24 hours from now my son will be with me.

Eli and Nevaeh are so excited to meet their little brother. They have been helping around the house to get ready for a toddler. They have gone on countless errands (which Eli hates to do) without a single complaint. They have moved all of their small, chokable toys to a place where Merveille cannot get to them easily. Yesterday they cleaned out the car of all the junk that seems to build up in there.

Damen and I are beyond excited. Today was his last day of work for the next two weeks. He worked a couple of hours later than he thought he would but when he came home we ran the last of our errands to get ready for Merveille. I didn't want to "jinx" anything so we waited until we knew when Merveille would be home for sure to get most of the things done that we needed to.

This last year has been so full of ups and downs in the adoption process. It really felt like we would take one step forward and then two steps back. It doesn't quite feel real yet that he will be in my arms tomorrow. I'm sure tonight will be a sleepness night. But tomorrow...tomorrow will be the day I have been dreaming about for the last year. Tomorrow will be the day that I meet my son.

Here are the two most recent pictures that we have gotten of our beautiful little boy:

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12 months ago

Twelve months ago I was sitting at the computer. It was about 10:30 at night and the phone rang. I looked at the caller ID and it was our case worker. I knew this was "the call" that we had been waiting for. With my heart beating faster I picked up the phone, said "hello", and ran down the hallway to wake up Damen. Groggily he followed me into the kitchen, having no idea what I had woken him up for. Our social worker was telling me about a baby boy that she had met during the trip that she had just returned home from a couple of days earlier. With a shaking hand I was writing down everything that she was telling me. I kept showing Damen the paper and before he would have a chance to read it I would snatch it awat to write the next tidbit of information down. Finally, Damen figured out what was going on and became as excited as I was. She wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting this baby and if we wanted her to send us his picture. Um, yes!!! We knew so little about this baby on the other side of the world. We had an age, a name, the name of the orphanage, and we knew that he had been there his entire short life, and finally after what felt like the longest three minutes of my life the email came through and we had a picutre. We looked at the beautiful boy who was going to become our son.

This little boy has been in my thoughts every day for the past 12 months. At the beginning we thought that we would have him home within nine months from his referral day. There have been delays and paperwork issues and frustration and tears. We are finally getting close to bringing our son home. We are finally counting down the weeks instead of the months until he is home.

He's changed so much in the past 12 months. We missed out on his first teeth, crawling, first steps, most likely his first words, his first birthday, and oh so much more. But I get to be his mommy for all of the rest of his firsts and I feel so thankful and blessed for that.

We love you Merveille!

Embassy interview is over!!

Today was the interview at the embassy. Everything went well and now all we need is the Visa and then Merveille's exit letter. He will be home next month!! Woo Hoo!!!!!!!

Yesterday we installed a baby gate at the top of the stairs and guard rails on his bed (Eli will be on the top bunk and Merveille will be on the bottom.) We got everything all packed for the escort to take and the package will be mailed off today. It is all starting to feel very real :) I am so happy to being thinking in terms of weeks now, instead of months about when Merveille will be home!!!!

Successful document drop-off!

Today was a pretty big day in the adoption proess. Our lawyer had to bring all of our documents to the embassy in Kinshasa to be checked over. Thankfully everything was in order and we are all set for the Visa interview on Monday! If all goes well on Monday then all that is left is to get his Visa and then his exit letter. Each can take up to two weeks to get. We are getting so close to finally bringing Merveille home!

Harry Potter Day at the Historical Museum!

Today we went to "Harry Potter Day" that the Historical Society hosted. The kids got to ride a carriage to "Hogwarts", go to a Potions class, play Quidditch, and of course, find the Horcruxes.

Nevaeh wearing the "Sorting Hat. She made it into Gryffindor!

Eli is also in Gryffindor!

Drinking "Butterbeer" in Azkaban

Eli throwing a quaffle to score a some points for his team

Eli trying to catch the Golden Snitch!

Professor Snape showing the class how to make a special potion

Of course after we came home the kids needed to have their own "Quidditch field" in the yard!

The kids (and grown ups!) had a lot of fun. It was a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Tomorrow Eli starts camp and will be gone from 8 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon. It will be a good way for Eli (and me!) to get used to him being gone all day before first grade starts.

On Thursday our documents are being dropped off at the Embassy and our appointment is the week after! As long as everything goes okay Merveille will be home in September!! I had a mini freak-out last night thinking everything will go wrong and our amazing caseworker called me at 10:30pm just to calm me down. She really has been wonderful and definately goes above and beyond her job description. So, thank you "J" for everything and I know it will all work out!

Eli's Harry Potter Obsession

Eli has recently become obsessed with Harry Potter. He has been listening to the books on CD and has seen all of the movies. On the playground he has been playing Harry Potter and assigns different characters to each of his friends (Eli is of course, Harry Potter). He has been saving his allowance to buy Harry Potter lego sets. He has been running around the house shouting "Flipendo!" while pointing his finger at things and making what I can only guess are wand noises. This was an extremely hot week with today being the hottest. Think 100 degrees with oppressive humidy. I knew we would be spending the day inside after their swimming lessons and with the way that the two of them have been arguing lately I wanted to find something different for the kids to do. I suggested making "the world's longest mural" and both kids were excited. Eli of course suggested making a Harry Potter mural. He talked Nevaeh into it and we began. The kids worked on it for an hour and a half! I was hoping that it would last thirty minutes, but they really got into it. I was the one that ended up having to stop them because we had to get ready to go somewhere.
Eli working on Hogwarts Castle while Nevaeh works on Hagrid's Hut

Eli and Nevaeh standing under "The Wold of Harry Potter" (Eli insisted that he could spell it himself)
Eli pointing out Voldemort and the Dementors that he made
It took up almost the entire length of the living room wall!

Every child deserves a bed...

Currently the kids at AFDECO (the orphanage where Merveille lives) do not have beds to sleep in. They sleep on concrete slabs. Another adoptive mom has started a fundraiser to be able to buy bunkbeds for the kids. Please check out her blog and help out in any way that you can-a donation (tax decutable) or by spreading the word about this fundraiser.
More information can be found at http://beds4cohensbuddies.blogspot.com/