Merry Christmas---9 mos. of WAITING

Well, everyone kept our Christmas request of 'no presents' for Olivia under the tree. Though we think about her by the minute, we didn't want to spend our Christmas morning opening presents for her, giving us that constant reminder that she wasn't here to share in one of the most magical days of the year. However, I had thought many times during the day that it was the day that marked our 9th month of waiting for her to come home. This month marked hope for me! It marked a huge opening in that extremely dark tunnel. It marked another month off the calendar, making us another month closer to our girl! We are preparing for travel and can't wait for that call!
I couldn't help but think of all that we have missed. (yes...again I was thinking about that) I read continual facebook posts about how friends' kids reacted to a certain present or how they had snuggled with their babies all day next to a warm fire. I could only imagine! Then I read the posts of the expectant mothers who are 'telling everyone via facebook.' However, there was one AMAZING post of a friend who has long awaited the arrival of her son, Colson. He is finally here and he is adorable! That momma has had one long road!

We have now missed 547 days of Olivia's life. That is 2 Christmases, 1 birthday, a lot of 'firsts' and much more missing out! Can you imagine missing those milestones? There is a bright spot to this though....we are not going to miss much more!!!

I am beginning to get a bit anxious about the upcoming weeks. I have everything squared away at work (I have left 25 pgs. of instructions on 'how to handle my room,' lesson plans through the remainder of the year, stuff for getting a new student, and all the work the interim will need, an amazing kindergarten team that will take care of any questions the interim may have, and an extremely supportive boss!) I have said to many friends that it is one thing to have been a nanny, kept my niece, or play with friends' kids, but this one is MINE! Oh my!!!! I kinda hit freak out mode. I am not bringing home a sleeping, crying and pooping baby that sleeps for the majority of the day. I am bringing home a toddler who is terrified of us. A child who has attached to her foster mom. A child who doesn't speak our language and has no clue who we are. These upcoming weeks are both exciting and terrifying to think about. Realistically, I am ready for summer. I am ready for her to know I am momma. I am ready for her to know we are coming back if we leave the room. I am ready for her to not look so sad and not to be grieving for the majority of the day (how heartbreaking it will be to watch that). I can't imagine how scared she will be! Poor girl! Please pray for us in these upcoming months. Pray that we have safe travels to Korea and back. Pray that my mom doesn't kill over from excitement when she meets Olivia for the first time! Pray that John is still standing after traveling for 18 hours (Flying and John do not mix!) Pray for an easy transition and for us to become a family of 4 (don't forget Oscar!) sooner rather than later. Our blogging journey will continue once she is home....it should be a much happier blog and a lot more fun! :)

Tomorrow will mark Olivia's 18th month. I am hoping she is home for her 19th month birthday!!! Hopefully 2011 will be an amazing year!

Class B waiver

Well, Wednesday of this past week I logged onto my email and had an email from our CHSFS SW. My heart always stops when I see her name come across because I am hopeful for good news and terrified for bad news. SO.....I opened the email to see that we needed to get three copies of this form signed and notarized and then returned back to CHSFS by mail. My heart sped up as I got hopeful that by some miracle she may make it home this year! Some of my AP korean friends received their travel call a week after their Class B waiver got to Korea. However, we do know that they are not issuing anymore EP's out until 2011, but I was still hopeful. So, I called John's school and he was to my school within 30 minutes! We signed all three papers, got them notarized and back in the mail within an hour of receiving the email. (I will NOT be the cause of ANY possible hold up!) :) My dad and mom have been looking at flights and found that if for some strange reason we were to travel before Christmas the flight will be around 5,291.00/person!!!!!! HOLY COW! Well, the chances of the TC coming before 2011 are slim to none, but a girl can dream, right? I heard that price and thought, SERIOUSLY? I was stressing the money issue and talking to John when he said, "it always works out, the money will come somehow, and you know it isn't always pretty getting there, but we will."
Well, I posted on the forum that I was hopeful but not thinking we would get a TC before January and they all agreed. So, I guess that is yet another God thing, right? He is in control. He is still taking care of us (financially speaking) and we will get the call when we are suppose to. (hopefully soon!)
Regardless of it being this year or Jan. of 2011....we are SO close!!!!! Our paperwork is moving (and not lost) and she is COMING HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I figure we are within 6-10 weeks. To me, that seems like nothing! We have waited so long, we can do this last part!
We needed this news this week. I needed to know that things were not at a stand still. I needed to know that she was still ours and coming home. God gives us things when we need it the most!