To India, With Love, .....

We received word from the agency today that theres a chance the judge may have finally signed off on our paperwork. Confirmation will hopefully come tomorrow!!

After getting verbal guardianship on the 19th, I guess we've been in labour for 9 days now. (after a 13 month pregnancy, whats a 10 day labour, eh?)

If I remember correctly, 10 is the magic number! So its offical.... 9 cm (oops, days) and waiting like crazy for that #10.

*breathe in ..... breathe out......pant, pant, pant*

How am I ever going to get to sleep tonight?

The nice thing about this labour... I can take chardonnay over the epidural!

I am loving that Sue is there right now and getting to know you. Here is something more I learned about you today taken right from her email to me...

One more tidbit about Rashid, he and Babu are a very mischievous pair and frequently get in trouble with the Ayas. If the Ayas are really mad they say "wait until Vijay gets here." (Once Karishma said it to the boys too) And when the kids have heard that, and Vijay arrives they rush her and apologize before she can get the report! And Rashid is good at all his subjects. Vijay says his brain runs like a computer.

Oh yes. It sounds like I'm going to have my hands full. And I can't wait!!!!

And some more photos. You're growing up so fast, and yet you are still SO tiny.

Well sweet boy, you've officially met Sue. I awoke to email this morning from her, with news of her visit with you. It was just so wonderful to hear from her. Here is a excerpt from her email to me -

OK first about your kid. I asked for Rashid and he came out fo the woodwork. I gave hm his gifts and at first he thought I was just showing them to him, and tried to give them back. He LOVED the cars and so did the other boys but no one tried to take them away from him. After awhile he went and hid his stuff and I had to talk him into getting it out again for pictures. I am trying to find a photo developer who will give me a CD but I am not even sure there is a CD rom on this computer, oh yeah there is, so I will try to get them to you before I go.

He was very shy and quiet with me but smiled a lot and looked at me worshipfully. I had the social worker tell him that his mommy loves him and thinks about him every day. He smiled big when he heard that. I ttried to go thruogh the photos withhim but kept getting distracted. Plus hecould not understand a word I was saying, but it was really obvious that he felt your love and attention through those gifts. He has a good friend named Babu. I will try to get more pictures of him too.

Now is that the coolest thing in the world to wake up to, or what?

I did get to talk to Lisa and she reported that Vijay had let her know that we've received verbal guardianship!!! While this is great news and a huge step, we still have to hold out for that paperwork containing the written orders before we go booking tickets and packing our bags. Hopefully the paperwork is only days away. When we have that, we'll start celebrating for real!!

I feel like I've hardly slept the last 6wks. Between getting injured and waiting for news, sleep is hard to come by these days. Add to that, the flu that we've had raging through our house over the last week, and a restful night is hard to come by. I came down with it badly, and actually ended up spending the better part of a day in bed. I had the chills and body aches so badly. We're all getting over it now which is good news.

Well baby, I hope we hear something before the weekend. The idea of more sleepless nights over the weekend is not at all appealing. I'd much rather spend the weekend planning our trip!!

I love you bunches.

The causelist for the 19th is up, and we're not on it. Vijay seemed pretty positive that we had a date for the 19th, so I have no idea whats going on over there. Hopefully Vijay knows something that we don't.

This journey has been one big emotional roller-coaster .... so much so that it easily rivals the hormonal swings of a pregnancy. Had I been pregnant we'd be halfway thru the 13th month by now, so I think I'm justified in being a little moody, emotional and unpredictable.

It will be Tues at the earliest before we know anything, as Monday is a public holiday here. If there's good news, we'll probably hear on Tuesday ....if there's no news, then we probably won't hear anything on Tuesday.

The little parcel that we put together has safely arrived at Sues house, so you'll have that next week. We were hoping to send Sue on her way with good news regarding our guardianship, but its not looking like thats going to be the case. We're back to waiting. I just wish I knew what was going on over there.

I love you sweet boy...

Now it seems we're holding out for news on or around the 19th. Lisa spoke to Vijay, who seemed very sure that we had a court date for the 19th. Vijay also feels that there is a good chance that we'll get guardianship on that day. Lisa did of course tell us that "anything can happen" .... (yeah, think we've worked that one out already) ...... and she cautioned us not to get our hopes up too high. Everyone is thinking positively and hoping for the best. I got a little package for you in the mail to Sue today ... A photo-book, some little hotwheels and a t-shirt. Hopefully you'll like them all. When we come over, we're bringing lots of goodies for you and all your friends. Lots of art supplies, bubbles, clothing, toothbrushes and lotions, and all sorts of other stuff. I figure we can bring a couple of suitcases full of things to leave there, and then we can fill those same suitcases with souveneirs and special things from India to bring home again.

4 more sleeps until we hear anything. 5 more until Sue leaves for India. If nothing else, its great to know that you're less than a week away from getting your little package from us, and I'm only a week away from getting some more photos of you!

I love you bunches.

Thats what today bought in the way of news.

I was awake early this morning to check the Daily Orders, and it was nice to see that they were up. 44 pages of cases later, and it was apparent that our name wasn't on them. Re-reading it a time or two (or three) didn't miraculously cause our name to appear, so I sent email off to our agency to ask them if they knew what had happened.

Late this afternoon I get an email from them .... and they know as much as I do. Nothing. They'll be talking to Vijay tomorrow, and said they will let me know if they have any news. Vijay had told them something about our case and the 19th of Feb, so I'm thinking tomorrow will bring more nothing. I would not be disappointed however, to be completely blindsided by some unexpected good news.

Heres hoping tomorrow brings ..... something.

ok, its 1.09am Monday 12 Feb in Delhi ... Heres hoping this judge of ours is having a lovely sleep and is already to wake up bright and shiny and in a peachy mood for the morning.

No news, or not good news tomorrow, and I'll be looking for someone who's happy to go smash his knee-caps.

As Forrest Gump would say ....

"And thats all I have to say 'bout that".

Its been a long morning here. All of your sisters are being really needy, which I can only assume is as a result of all yesterdays excitement. We let them stay up pretty late in the hopes of getting a sleep-in this morning, but that didn't work even a little bit. Molly woke me up at the butt-crack of dawn to let me know that one of her Guppies was stuck in the filter. What a beautiful start to the day that was. I have no idea how it got there, but there was no way it was coming out again. I had to break the news that "Nellie" was on her way to heaven. (or at least she will be just as soon as Dad gets home and finds a way to extract her from the pump, cause there is NO way I'm doing it). Nothing like a death in the fish-family to get the day started. I guess we'll all be standing in the bathroom doing the ceremonial flush thing sometime tonight.

Georgia is wiped out after yesterday, and is currently asleep on the couch as she says she doesn't feel good. I'm not sure if shes legitimately sick, or if shes just trying to get out of tidying her room. Cassie is unaffected and behaving like nothing ever happened. Molly is slowly getting over the grief of losing Nellie, and Maddie is confused as to how Daddy can be on the news on TV when hes supposed to be at work.

Only another couple of days until our case comes up again in court. I checked the causelist and we're listed for the 12th, so all we need now is for the judge to show up AND play nicely. Vijay seems pretty optimistic that we'll travel in March, and everyone seems to think that this court date will be THE day! I'll be able to check the Daily Orders online first thing Monday morning (and hope that its been updated), but it'll be a wait before we get official word from the agency. How long, we're not sure ....it seems they don't tell families that they have guardianship until they have the paperwork in hand, and how long that takes depends on the judge. This guy seems to be moving cases pretty fast, so hopefully hes on the ball with getting the written orders out. Once that happens it'll be all on! Now I find myself thinking about the things we'll need to bring with us for you. I have no idea what size clothes you wear, so I can only hope that the things we've purchased and have been given will fit. I'm thinking I'm just going to bring it all and will donate anything thats too small to the orphanage. They recommend that we bring all sorts of different medicines for you too, so I need to get to the pharmacy and get onto that. They suggest everything from cough and cold syrup, fever medicine, upset tummy medicine, right thru to Nix for headlice. We also need to bring enough outfits for you for 5 days, as well as some warmer things for the plane-ride home. Add to that toys and other things to keep you occupied on the long flight, plus all that we'll need for Dad and I.

Your sisters know that the countdown is on, and they are just so excited. Its been such a long wait for all of us, and its incredible to think that we could be there with you within the next month. Heres hoping Monday is what we've been waiting for!

I love you sweet boy!

All of the kids are now home. Molly and Cassie seemed to have dealt pretty well with being in lockdown all day. The day was a lot more stressful for Georgia, who got evacuated from her school, and then locked down at the high school. Still no sign of Dad - Its got to have been a long day for him, and at this point I have no clue when he'll be home.

Will update again later once I've had a chance to catch up with your sisters.

Georgia is on the bus and on her way ... One kid home safely, two to go.......


Friday, February 09, 2007By CRAIG BROWN, Columbian Staff Writer
Battle Ground school children who attend school at one of four schools on the central Battle Ground campus and who normally walk home are being taken to a special staging area this afternoon after threats were reported earlier today.Children who ride the bus will be sent home in the normal fashion, according to school district officials.School was being dismissed at 3 p.m.Parents seeking to meet their children should proceed to a staging area on Main Street three blocks east of Parkway, in a gravel lot almost across the street from the Value Giant store.Children will be taken to that location for collection, police and school officials said.Students who normally ride the bus home may do so.Reported threats at the main school campus in Battle Ground disrupted classes and school dismissal today.Students were held inside the schools for their safety while the incidents were under investigation.The incident began before 10 a.m. when Lewisville Middle School was evacuated this morning after authorities said a bomb threat was received by telephone.The incident continued into mid-afternoon after while another threat, apparently that of a gunman, was investigated.Despite the threats there has been no verification of anyone being in harm's way today. Police are on the scene and investigating.Lewisville Middle School is located at 406 N.W. Fifth Ave., on the same large campus as Battle Ground High School and Chief Umtuch and Captain Strong schools. All the schools were locked down for safety reasons, so that no one could exit or enter.Parents should not go to the schools, but should go to the staging area to meet their children

Battle Ground school evacuated after bomb threat
11:53 AM PST on Friday, February 9, 2007
By ANTONIA GIEDWOYN, kgw.com Staff
BATTLE GROUND, Wash. -- Lewisville Middle School in Battle Ground was evacuated Friday morning, due to a bomb threat.
The threat was called in to 911 about 9:10 a.m. and the school was evacuated by 9:30 a.m. About 750 students and 60 staff members were forced to leave, according to the school district.
Students were transferred to Battle Ground High School and were still there as of noon.
Police were conducting a threat assessment at the scene. District officials had not yet decided whether students will be sent home or returned to school.

Scarey stuff! This is Georgias school. Dad is working today, so he'll be there too. I haven't heard a word from him, so I'm assuming he thinks its safe enough for Georgia to stay there with all the other kids.


Friday, February 09, 2007By CRAIG BROWN, Columbian Staff Writer


Lewisville Middle School in Battle Ground was evacuated this morning after authorities said a bomb threat was received by telephone.Students were taken to the nearby football stadium to await the outcome of the incident, which police radio reports said could last approximately two hours. The students were later taken to Battle Ground High School for lunch.The incident began about 9:30 a.m. Within a half-hour the school was evacuated and search teams were being formed to look for anything out of place. Students left their backpacks at the school.Firefighters and police were working in teams to search the building and investigate suspicious objects, should any be found.Lewisville Middle School is located at 406 N.W. Fifth Ave., on the same large campus as Battle Ground High School and Chief Umtuch and Captain Strong schools. Classes at the other schools remained in session.

This time next week (all going well), we should be back in court, and hopefully finally awarded guardianship. My good friend Sue, (baby Karishma's mommy) found out that the area of Delhi you live in is right by the Golf course. She sent a map, and its really neat to look at it and see what is around the little neighbourhood in which you live. If you go the lower right hand side, you can see a little area called "Golf Links", and thats where you are at! Sue has booked her tickets, and is on her way leaving here Feb 20th! I know you don't know her yet, but I do, and you'll love her. She hopes to be able to take some photos and video of you while shes there, so hopefully you're going to be co-operative. Sues impending trip got me looking thru the travel guide (something I havent done in months .. it was too hard to look at it knowing that we were still so far away from travelling), and wow, we have a LOT more work to do before we leave. More paperwork that needs to be chased down to finalise your immigration, such as updated letters of employment and notarised tax returns. Forms for the US embassy there that are required for your visa, passport photos of Dad and I, copies of our birth certs, homestudy and on an on it goes. I'm not overly anxious to get any of it started yet - I know how fast we can have all of that done, and it'll give me something to keep me busy in the time period between guardianship and when we can travel. We also need to bring plenty of clothes/shoes etc for you, so hopefully Sue can give me a pretty good idea of what size you'll be wearing.

I'm still hurting, and laying pretty low. Not being able to do very much certainly doesn't do a lot to help the days speed by.

C'mon the 12th .... speed up and get here....pretty please???

I love you sweet boy!

Life is never boring around here ...espescially with Georgia around,...

Tonight, while trying to work out the age difference between her and Cassie, Georgia blurts "Dont make fun of me because I'm challenged ...in my own way" ...lol

I think she means, "because my toenails are blonde".

Oh, and now I'm nearly choking laughing... She sticks her head over my shoulder while I'm typing this, and asks what I'm doing. So I let her read it.

She asks .."And why is that funny?"

Cassie meanwhile has told me about the sign she hung on her door...it says "No stupid people beyond this point" ....Georgias response as she cruises thru the door is
"Well, then I'm trespassing!!"

I swear ...shes actually very smart!!!!!!!

This has felt like the longest week! Now that we're counting down to the 12th, the days are just dragging by. Of course, being pretty much stuck in the house and very limited to what I can even do around here is not helping. I had to go back to the Dr for a follow-up apointment yesterday, and she wants me off work until at least the 16th Feb. I have to go back before then for another check-up, so fingers crossed she doesn't put me off longer. I can start Physical Therapy next week, and shes going to send over copies of the reports from the scan I had, just so they know what they're dealing with (and presumably so they don't go poking me in my owie spots). I'm starting to get a bit nervous now as to how work is going to handle me asking for time off to go to India. When I interviewed with them I told them all about our adoption, and they said that time off wouldnt be a problem. Of course, the supervisor I interviewed with is no longer there, and add to that, if I do get to go back to work on the 16th, I'll have been off for four weeks. I don't know if I'm covered by anything in the contract as far as leave for adoption goes, but I'm pretty sure that I'm not covered under any state laws for family leave, as I haven't been there 12 months. I guess we'll have to wait and see what they have to say once we have guardianship (which is hopefully 10 days from now). They've been terrific about the time off I've needed since my fall, so here's hoping they'll be that way when the time comes to travel too.

I love you bunches!

Change of plans ... I'm going to leave the blog open to everyone for now at least. What I'd love is to make the leap over to Wordpress, but I can't find a way to export this over to there. If anyone knows how to successfully use Wordpress to import the new version of Blogger, then I'd really love to hear about it.

To everyone who emailed me requesting to be added as readers, Thank you SO much!! I had no idea there were so many of you. To those who sent kind words wishing us all the best, I want you to know that its because of your support over the last year that I've retained any degree of sanity at all (and yeah, I know theres a few who'd like to argue that..lol).

One of my main reasons for leaving this wide open for now, is that I got several emails pointing out that there are very few adoption blogs out there specific to adopting a child from India. When we started this process, I scanned the web constantly, looking to make contact with other parents who were either in the process, or already had adopted an Indian child, and it really didn't feel as though there were very many out there. Its easy to find a million Chinese adoption blogs, and a lot of other countries too (and don't think for a second that I'm taking a dig at adopting from other countries ... I'm all for adoption of ANY kind), but for all my searching I found less than a handful of blogs specific to India. My desire that other families considering adopting from India have Rashids diary as a means of support and information, by far outweighs my reasons for wanting to make this private.