348 North

We are the proud parents of a preschool graduate this week! Oh, comments like that remind me of the movie The Incredibles, when Mr. Incredible talks about how our society celebrates mediocrity! We ARE super proud of Sydney for having such great behavior at preschool, for learning a bunch and for having such a happy attitude about school! She is so excited to be moving on to kindergarten, and she told Reid yesterday that she is happy for her to be going to preschool next year…so sweet!

The big kids have about two and a half weeks left of school (yep, it looks like we’re actually going to finish the school year in MAY rather than halfway through June!). We’re all looking forward to a break, even though they both had a fabulous school year, and are sad to leave their current teachers. I’m looking forward to working on some teacher & staff appreciation gifts with the kids over the next week or so. We’re so thankful for our kids’ school!

On the adoption front: we received a call on Monday night from the Philippines. Some contacts were made on our behalf and we finally received SOME insight and explanation as to what has been going on. For one thing, ICAB (Intercountry Adoption Board) JUST received John Mark’s paperwork a few days ago. Why it took almost a month to go from one entity to another remains unknown, and I guess it doesn’t really matter — what matters is that the paperwork has been located, which puts us back in line for his Visa/medical appointments to be scheduled. How long it will take to schedule those and how far out those will be scheduled remains unknown at this point as well, but we are PRAYERFUL that it won’t be long.

We also found out that our ICAB case worker is out on maternity leave, and since that office is already understaffed, our case was not getting any attention. Fortunately, a sweet soul named Angelie has taken over our case.

We were given a tentative 3-4 week timeline for travel. I’m putting very little no stock in that, given how many times we’ve been disappointed in these proposed timelines before! I am keeping my focus on the Lord’s timing, not on my own. My desire to hold that boy on Mother’s Day is obviously not going to happen…but I said then and I still believe that there is a reason for it. No, it doesn’t make it any easier to be ending another week, still not knowing when we’ll bring him home. But these little tidbits of information from earlier in the week have given me that umph that I needed to continue waiting…even if it’s not-so-patiently!

I can’t even believe that it has been another week with nothing to update. Ok, that isn’t exactly true….there are a few things to tell, but none of which have us any closer to knowing when we are going to bring John Mark home. So first, I will start with the positives happening around here outside of Adoption World…

Hale’s mangled finger is healing nicely and he now has full use of it again after shutting it in the car door almost a month ago! The nail is black and he still has a big ol’ yucky scab on the wound, but he no longer has to keep it “under wraps” and he kind of likes the attention he gets when people notice it. We saw him showing it off to one of his schoolmates, a cute girl named Olivia, at the soccer field on Saturday ; -) Isn’t that like a boy to use a ‘battle wound’ to gain the attention of the opposite sex?!

Speaking of soccer field, we were there to watch Addi play her third game of the season, and her team finally scored….TWICE…for a 2-0 win!! We really enjoy watching Addi play, as she is such a team player! Her attitude is great and she has a really good time out there…what more could we ask for?!

This is Sydney’s last week of preschool. Her “graduation” is on Wednesday evening and Field Day is Thursday. It’s going to be a LOOOOOOOOOOOONG summer of her asking me when kindergarten starts!

Reid and Sydney both started soccer last week as well. They are not in a league, but a church soccer program. It’s just an hour on Sunday afternoons and that is perfect! It doesn’t interfere with church or naps — YAY!

Back to Adoption World:

We are a little concerned that John Mark’s paperwork is lost, or at least sitting unnoticed somewhere. We made more international phone calls last week and asked our agency to do the same. There are no answers at this point. It is SO DIFFICULT to sit back and wait, not knowing if anything is actually being done to move our case forward. We are prayerful that the Lord is handling it. I totally feel like our lives are on hold, but I know that we have to continue to live each day and trust that it will all work out. Our agency told us that the US Embassy seems to be running a little slow (really? hadn’t noticed…*insert extreme sarcasm*) and that we likely are waiting on their schedule to open up for the Visa appointment. She said it could be another month. So in Adoption World, we’re finally getting it through our heads that that is a guess, and it COULD be much longer than that. And yes, we are very frustrated and sad about that.

It’s been eternity a week since my last post…and absolutely nothing.has.changed. We did have our travel meeting with our agency last Wednesday, which consisted of what to expect when traveling, what to expect upon arrival at the orphanage, how to navigate around the Philippines, etc. Lots of written information for us to go through and try to remember, some language guides so that we might learn a little bit of John Mark’s primary language before we go, and a list of things to pack. Man, I really wish it was time to pack.

We made two international phone calls last night, one to the US Embassy and one to the Intercountry Adoption Board, to try to find out what is preventing the Visa appointment from being scheduled. We were told that our case worker is out sick, so we should call back on Wednesday. Great. The ONLY good thing about that is that Wednesday morning there is actually Tuesday night here, so I guess we know what we are doing tomorrow night…making another expensive phone call.

I’m still pleading with God. I told Him today that I’m not giving up on my request to hold our son on Mother’s Day. I still believe it’s possible, because I know that all things are. I still realize that it might not be in God’s plan for that to happen, but I’m not letting go of that hope. A lot of people are telling me to enjoy the ride, and I know they are right…there is joy in the waiting — at times! — and we are about to have some major changes occur in our family structure, so we should be living in the here and now while we have our regular ‘normalcy’. It’s true, we should…but it’s SO HARD to not let my mind go to all the excitement/joy/challenges that is/are coming down the pipe. We don’t want one more milestone, one more event, or even one more boring ol’ weekend to go by without him here to experience it with us.

So please keep praying for us and with us. We know it’s soon…

It’s currently 6:21 am, Tuesday, in the Philippines -the beginning of a new day where our son is waiting for us. In a few hours, the government officials will be reporting to work for the day. Maybe, just maybe, this will be the day that they notify us of John Mark’s Visa appointment date. As soon as we know that date, we can start making travel arrangements to go get him. To hold him. To know him.

I have been praying throughout this process, of course. Praying for guidance, for peace, for the health and safety of our boy, for the financial means to complete the process, for our other children’s understanding of what is taking place within our family….

But today, I began to PLEAD. All out, down on my knees, tears, aching-in-my-heart pleading…with God…for that date to come. I’m not even asking to leave tomorrow — after all, I have the privilege of chaperoning my eldest child’s biggest field trip to date, to Southern Indiana, later this week (and I really am excited to spend that time with him!). I asked the Lord to place that beautiful, dark-haired, 2-year-old, precious baby boy in our arms on Mother’s Day.

I don’t know if that is what His plan is for us. I don’t know how I will handle it if Mother’s Day comes and goes and John Mark is still there and we are still here. I don’t know, because I’m not supposed to know, I guess. I DO believe in God’s perfect timing. I also believe in praying without ceasing, and that ALL things are possible with God, and that the power of prayer is something that I can’t fully comprehend. I have seen the ways that my family, both immediate and extended, have already been touched by this adoption…and because of that, I know that this is the plan that God had for our family all along. Yep, even when I was a waddling mess of pregnant with Baby #4 and declaring that I was DONE — no more Jordan kids for me! Even THEN, God knew that there WOULD be another Jordan kid, one not born from my body, but from our hearts. A child that already has the ability to bring me to tears at the mention of his name, just like the other four when I think about how amazing they are….and I haven’t even met him. I haven’t held him. I haven’t kissed his sweet cheeks. I haven’t sung the special song that I have quietly sung to each of my babies as I hold them in the middle of the night (KJ knows the song, but nobody else does). I haven’t been able to show him what it means to be part of a family who will be his forever.

If you know what I’m talking about — all those things that make each one of us feel loved and secure — then I’m asking this of you….PLEAD with me. PLEAD on our behalf. PLEAD that this process will move forward, this last step, so that we are holding that boy and bringing him home to the family that already loves him so very much. And if you really believe that all things are possible with God, PLEAD that it will be on Mother’s Day that Kevin & I have the privilege of holding our son.

Thank you.

My sweet son,

While watching you play with a group of children, another mother commented that she “could never love someone else’s child.” Her eyes can only see a child born from an unknown womb and of a different ethnicity, not sharing my blue eyes or light skin. How unfortunate that her eyes cannot see what I see.

When I look at you, I see an ornery sense of humor like your daddy. I see your Lego engineering skills that rival your brother’s. I listen to your contagious belly laugh and am reminded of your grandma. I admire your imagination that you share with your sister as you play together for hours. That short-sighted woman couldn’t see the deep mother/son bond we share as we snuggle early in the morning or know of the fierce protectiveness for you that overwhelms me sometimes. Your tawny skin and your almond-shaped eyes that disappear when you grin do not make me feel less connected to you but rather closer to the woman who loved you enough to give you life.

Your sweet spirit and tender heart are just like your Father’s. I am reminded that you, as well as your siblings born from my womb, are not really mine at all. All of my children belong to our Father, and you are a gift for me to nurture. I do love Someone Else’s child. And it’s easy because He tucked that love here in my heart even before I met you.

With love,
Your mommy

Originally posted on Mom Life Today

Another week, another step closer to bringing home our boy! On Monday of this week, we received notice via mail that our I800 had been approved and forwarded to the National Visa Center. The I800 is the final immigration form that must be approved for us to bring John Mark to the US and for him to become a US citizen through adoption. This is the one step in the process that DIDN’T take forever!! Way to go USCIS!!

We were told that we should be receiving John Mark’s Visa appointment date very soon…as in, this week sometime! We are SO EXCITED for that because as soon as we know when that appointment is, we can begin making travel plans! We are still anticipating travel in early to mid-May…if not before.

There’s a lot to do now to prepare for our travels. My heart is a little heavy knowing that I will likely miss one or two of Add’s soccer games. It’s even possible that we could be gone over Hale’s birthday (he says he still wants us to go, even if it means missing his special day). I am making plans for some surprises if those scenarios become reality, and I know that our family and friends will stand in the gap for us. We are so thankful to those praying and offering their help to us while we’re gone. In the end, what we’re trying to focus on and remind the kids about is that it’s one week out of our “normal” schedule, but the result is a forever son/brother!

“I love you quicker than a minute
I love you longer than an hour.

I love you like the honeybee
loves buzzing round a flower.”

A few weeks ago we sat down together, the six of us, to record a storybook titled All the Ways I Love You to send to John Mark. It was just our way of making that first connection with him…for him to hear the voices of the six people who have been anticipating his arrival for months! We are hopeful that he has received the book and is enjoying it, even if he can’t fully grasp what is happening and the changes that are about to take place in his life.

It has been an exciting week in our little world of adoption! We received John Mark’s legal documents on Monday, which included his birth certificate! We needed the documents so that we could complete the last immigration form. Kevin & I stayed up late Monday night gathering all the needed information and completing the paperwork so that I could return it to the agency on Tuesday. Fortunately, we had done everything correctly and our agency mailed it off Tuesday afternoon! This paperwork will make its rounds and eventually end up in the Philippines for approval. We will be notified when it has been approved (hopefully 3-4 weeks from now) and then an appointment will be made for John Mark’s Visa interview and medical exam to clear him for travel. We’re praying that this process goes smoothly and without delay, and that John Mark remains in good health. Once he receives clearance to travel, we will be notified to make our travel arrangements!!!! We’re very optimistic that we could be traveling in May!

I think I can safely say that we’re all very ready for John Mark to be home and to move forward with our life! So many times one of us (including the kids) start our sentences with, “When John Mark is here….” We have purchased his car seat, potty seat, booster seat for the dining table…so many seats these kids require! Ha! I even found and purchased a little 2T Purdue football jersey just like the one Hale has! But while we are waiting, our lives are not at a standstill. The big kids are having a great year in school! Hale & Addi have both made the Straight A Honor Roll every grading period thus far this school year; Addi has been identified as a potential candidate for a gifted program; and they both have expressed interest in participating in organized sports this spring/summer (basketball for Hale and soccer for Addi)! We’re super proud of both of them for their hard work.

The little girls keep us all hoppin’ as well! Sydney is about to wrap up her year of preschool and we are thrilled with the progress she has made this year! She knows her letters, can write her name legibly, and is looking so forward to starting Kindergarten in the fall! Miss Reid is learning right alongside Sydney. She knows most of her letters and can also write her name! She loves to be read to, but most especially she loves to sing! She almost never gets the lyrics right, but that’s all-the-more entertaining for us! We’re all ready for Reid to begin school…she complains every day that she isn’t in school yet!

I’m personally looking forward to our upcoming spring break, when we will turn the alarm clocks off and enjoy some time together! I’m praying for decent weather so we can enjoy some outdoor activities. I don’t know what adventures we’ll cook up, but I’m sure there we’ll keep ourselves occupied. Until then…

We are so very thrilled, and grateful to God, to share this great news…we received the call yesterday that we’ve been waiting for…we have been approved to adopt John Mark! We can breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the boy we have had in our hearts since July will be our son/brother!

Words cannot describe this feeling. It’s just the same as hearing the words “YOU’RE PREGNANT!” from our doctor after months of infertility treatments! Although we are still weeks/months away from traveling to the Philippines to pick up our son, we feel a huge weight lifted just knowing that we are one step closer! I won’t be jumping out of my skin every time the phone rings this week!

It’s funny how it happened, actually. I had taken Sydney, who has been a pretty sick little girl since last Thursday evening, to the doctor yesterday. As we were finishing up our visit, I heard my phone ring but couldn’t get to it in time. As soon as we walked out of the doctor’s office into the hallway, I looked at the missed call number and saw that it was from our home phone. Odd…considering nobody was supposed to be there! I also noticed there was a text message, and that it was from Kevin’s phone. I opened it, and it read, “Vickie just called! We got our match!” AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! I was just a tad excited ecstatic!  Yes, tears immediately came to my eyes, and I pulled the girls to the side and told them that John Mark is definitely ours!  Sydney, the sick one – and I mean, lethargic, not-playing-all-weekend sick – started jumping up and down and clapping!  Reid did a little happy dance and was singing, “YEAH YEAH YEAH!  WE GET JOHN MAAAAAAAAAARK!”  I’m sure the two old ladies sitting on the bench near us thought we were nuts!  I didn’t care, our rejoicing could not be held back!  I thanked Jesus and then called Kevin back!

So now we are preparing to send the remaining funds that are due — orphanage fees, John Mark’s immigration fees, medical check up fees, etc.  His paperwork will be in process and he will undergo his medical check up to clear him for travel to the US.  And while all of that is happening, we wait…some more…until we receive the next very important call…the one that says we can make our travel arrangements to go pick him up!  YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Not only do we thank the good Lord for calling our family to adopt this precious little boy, we also thank Him for seeing us through, for providing encouragement just when we needed it, for allowing this opportunity to grow our faith in a mighty way, and for providing the means to get to this point.  We still need to figure out the financials of this last leg, but we are steadfast in our belief that the Lord WILL provide.  What that looks like at this point is unknown, but He has shown us that the unknown does not need to be scary…we just need to trust in Him.

And thank you to all of those who have been praying for the phone call to come.  Each step of the way we have had an amazing support system of people praying.  That is HUGE, and it means the world to us.  We are humbled beyond words by those who have had our family in their daily thoughts and prayers.  THANK YOU!!!

Monday, the beginning of a new week, and a new hope that we will hear good news from the Philippines Inter Country Adoption Board.  I’ve been told that the Board meets on Thursdays to review cases, but that doesn’t necessarily align with the timing of the round of questions that they sent us before Christmas…so every day is a possibility to me!  Every time the phone rings these days, my heart skips and I am thankful all over again for that little invention called Caller ID that for so many years we did not have (we just recently changed our phone plan for a cheaper one, and lo & behold it included Caller ID!).

I am definitely feeling a little bit like an overdue pregnant lady these days.  I remember well the anticipation of those due dates when we were expecting our other children — how even though in my mind I knew that there was no guarantee attached to them, I couldn’t see past that magic date!  Hale’s due date came and went without so much as a hiccup out of that baby boy! Looking back, it was a good thing…as all things in God’s perfect timing are…because it allowed Kevin and I to celebrate our second wedding anniversary at a fantastic restaurant where they felt so sorry for me (I must’ve looked gigantic and pathetic) that they gave us a beautiful and delicious dessert for free!  Much better than celebrating with hospital food had Hale decided to make his debut on his due date!

My patience is now TRULY being tested!  I guess it has to do with the updated photos and seeing how much John Mark has grown since the first picture we received….and not wanting to miss one more day/week/month of his life.  I want to be taking those pictures from now on — pictures of him playing with the four siblings that ask about him daily and have so many things planned for him!  As much as I look forward to taking my first international trip and experiencing a completely different culture, I also just want to get that part over with and get back to raising my family without this “event” hanging over our heads!  I want to fulfill this calling that the Lord has placed in our lives, and be able to witness to others who may be wondering if what they are considering is a calling or just an idea they came up with…

As we begin this new year and anticipate all that it will bring, I have many things for which I am praying.  Of course, I pray that the Lord would continue to open my eyes and my heart to what He would have me do each and every day, and that I will seek out those things rather than hiding from them;  I pray for my marriage, that Kevin & I would continue to keep God in the center and know that we are not in control, but that we have a choice every day to love each other and work together (and I pray that KJ knows that I think he gets hotter every day, and I’m truly a happy girl to be married to him!); I pray for my children, all five of them, that they would grow in their relationship with their Heavenly Father and find peace in knowing that they are loved and never alone, because sometimes it just feels hard to grow up; I pray for the Lord’s provision, in this slow season of work for Kevin, especially given the remaining expenses of the adoption, and our desire to continue to be a help to others.

Romans 12:12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Happy New Year! Wow — 2012! Rolls off the tongue easier than 2011, I think. This year (in just a week and a half, actually), my parents will celebrate FORTY years of marriage! Reid will turn four in a few weeks; Kevin and I will celebrate our 12th wedding anniversary; Hale will be 10 this springs; our big dogs will hopefully make it so see their 12th birthday in June; Mackey the WonderPup will turn 2; I will no longer be able to round down to 30 but rather up to 40 when I turn 35 this summer; this will be the 6th year we have lived in this house; Addison will be 9 years old in the fall; the cats…if they can continue to escape death by coyotes, will have been with us for 7 years; Sydney will turn 6 years old right before next Christmas….and the one thing we’re all a little more focused on than the things previously listed…we will, God-willing, welcome our fifth child into our family — officially, that is! We already feel as though he is part of our family; we are just waiting on everything to be official!

Update: we received an updated medical file and two new up-to-date photos of John Mark a few days before Christmas! It was a wonderful gift and an answer to prayer. I had begun to feel a little like we were stuck in a stalled vehicle going nowhere!  The Inter Country Adoption Board (ICAB) in the Philippines had a list of about seven questions for us…mostly just clarification on some things that were in our home study.  When I finally stopped shaking and crying from looking at John Mark’s new photos, I did my best to answer their questions as thoroughly as possible.  The answers were sent back to ICAB and we continue to wait for a response.  It could be that we receive even more questions; it could be that we receive approval; and yes…it could be that we are denied.  The last one would be the most bitter pill to swallow that I can ever imagine…but I have to be honest with myself and with our family.  And we know that the Lord has a plan, one way or the other, and that we need only to lean on HIM, not our own understanding.  Easier said than done, but it is what I truly believe.

We do have some people to thank for what they have done to support us throughout this adoption journey.  First and foremost, everyone who has prayed and continues to pray for John Mark’s well-being, as well as for our family as we wait. These prayers have been like a warm blanket on a cold night!  We are so very grateful, and we ask that you continue to pray!

Secondly, to my friend Ivy, who is also my hair stylist.  She has sacrificed a portion of the income that she would normally make from doing my hair in order to give me a cheaper rate, as she knows that the expenses that come with the adoption are a little daunting!  At first glance, this might seem minor.  But I tell you, I was moved by the fact that Ivy thought of this and was willing to sacrifice income on our behalf.  That is a good friend!

Thirdly, a thank you goes to the individuals involved with our church’s Global Outreach Team.  This team granted us $500 towards our adoption expenses.  This money has already been applied to the remaining amount that will be paid upon our adoption approval.  THANK YOU to the First Church of God Global Outreach Team for supporting our family, as well as others!  This gift was completely unexpected and humbling!

Of course, there are a lot of other things going on in our family besides the adoption.  Hale & Addi continue to excel in school, and we are so thankful for their capacity to and love for learning.  Sydney & Reid are making great strides as well, making new friends and most notably enjoy their Sunday School lessons like no other child I’ve even known!  It is amazing the details they retain from their lessons, and incorporate the Bible stories into their playtime!  While the real estate auction business has slowed due to the time of year, Kevin continues to work long hours on technology projects.  We give God all the glory for the way in which he enables Kevin to provide, and for the opportunities to earn the funds needed for the adoption.  In fact, it is one of the sweet things that comes up in Hale’s nightly prayers, and it goes something like this: “Dear God, thank you for this day….and please give Daddy work so that he can make money that we need to pay for John Mark.”  Of course, we have explained that we are not BUYING this child, but you can see how it seems that way in the mind of a child!

We’ve been blessed with the opportunity to begin leading a new small group of married couples at our church.  We’re blessed by the relationships that have been formed and we pray that the Lord continues to do a mighty work in all our lives and within our group.

That’s about it for tonight…the hour is getting late and I am getting sleepy!