I keep counting in my head: March, April, May...yes, it has been exactly three months since we arrived home with the little mister, who is right now having his nap. Since he's a short napper, I'll have to type this out quick, or I will never get to it.
I definitely don't want to make this sound like a complaint, because I certainly don't feel that way, but I most definitely have less time for things like blogging since Noah is home. His naps generally run around 45 minutes or maybe an hour or so, which doesn't leave a lot of time, and after getting him to bed in the evening and cleaning up the kitchen, etc., for the night, I don't have much energy to be very interesting. So this is what you get, I guess!
We are continuing to make our way down the adjustment path. Like I said in my last post, we feel like Noah is doing extraordinarily well in adjusting to life around here. Attachments are strong to me, Jerry, and his big brothers. He is always very excited when it is time to go pick up Mario and Erik from school and when Jerry pulls in the driveway after work. And me: I'm still the "it" girl in his life, which is fine by me! I'd like to keep it that way for a long long time!!
He is understanding practically everything we say. In terms of expressive language, he doesn't do a whole lot of words yet, but it is amazing how well he can get his point across as to what he is trying to communicate. A few weeks ago, he and Erik were on the patio in the back yard. All of a sudden, Noah is saying "Mama! Mama!!" very insistently. When I asked him what it was, he pointed to his water bottle, pointed to Erik, and then pointed all over the patio where it was wet. It was way clear as to exactly what had happened to all the water in his water bottle! Last night we were at my sister's house for a birthday party, and my brother-in-law was saying to my sister that he liked her shirt. I think we all added that we liked it too. Seemed like the thing to do. Just to be goofy I asked if people liked my shirt, and there was a round of compliments for me. Then Noah made one of his typical sounds and held out his shirt too fishing for some responses about his choice of attire! He didn't miss a beat!
We've just recently started speech therapy with him, and he is doing well with that. I really think he is a super bright little boy, so I don't think it will be all that long before he is chatting up a storm. He definitely has a lot to communicate. Speech is the only area where he is behind developmentally: he runs around the house and yard, goes up and down steps easily, eats with a spoon and fork, drinks from a regular cup, scribbles with a pen or pencil, has great fine and gross motor skills, etc. He can really do everything, except talking.
He's friendly, happy, has great eye contact, loves to help and is blending in well with the family. I truly think he is an amazing and wonderful little boy. He is truly a blessing! It is impossible to describe how much joy he has brought to my life, and my life is already quite high on the joy meter! I am a very blessed woman.
Like I said in my last post, the area where we have seen the most challenge is the relationship between the three boys. They definitely love each other, it is obvious to see that. I would also say that they get along well most of the time, but we could definitely have more harmony around here. We did a little rearranging of toys and furniture in the common area of the house in order to help Mario and Erik keep their things protected from little hands, when they make an effort to keep their things picked up, that is. That's helping. I also think that with time as Noah gets even more comfortable, he will be in their stuff less and less. Here's hoping for that!
We've seen more and more instances where the three boys play together, and that is like a slice of heaven to this mama. One thing they'll do is bust out in a conga line, where they walk through the house holding onto the boy in front of them saying "Conga line! Conga line! Conga line! Conga line!" There's no one-two-three-kick, but it is plenty adorable! It doesn't matter if Noah is in the front or the way back, he just beams! He loves to play with them! Sometimes they'll march around the house and salute each other. That's pretty cute too. Pretty much anything they do together is cute to me. Jerry and I make extra efforts to oooh and ahhh whenever they are doing something together. I think that helps too.
We're also making sure that we spend time with each boy individually as well. Date night, or whatever you call it. It's not generally a big grandiose event, but just something with mom and one of the boys or dad and one of the boys where they get a chance to really be heard and feel special. And I think it is just as important for them to have alone time with daddy as it is with mommy. They enjoy it, and you know we enjoy it too. Going out as a family of five can be a big ordeal -- it's much calmer when it is just one parent and one kid, and feels very special.
A friend that adopted a couple years ago also recommended making sure to check in with the older two frequently, as in "how you doing/ how are things going" kind of way. I've taken to asking them specifically, on a much more frequent basis than I used to, how they are feeling about this or that, things related to having Noah in the family now, and things unrelated as well. I definitely think that has helped too.
So that is it for now around here. I don't think I will blog much from here on out, maybe at the six-month home mark in August and again at a year home, or at least that is the plan. I love to do this and to document what is going on, I just don't see it happening much more. Especially with summer coming!
Monday, May 06, 2013
Wednesday, April 03, 2013
Home almost two months??
I seriously meant to post something at our one month-iversary, but now here we are home nearly two months. It barely seems possible, and yet it is so natural having Noah in the family, that in some sense it feels a lot longer than two months. But wow, have I been busy!
When we first arrived home, we were basically in our cocoon, though I would say it was a modified cocoon, as I did have to get out twice a day to get the older two boys to school and back, and then there were things like grocery shopping and the occasional trip to Target. Cocooning, for those that are unfamiliar with that term, is very common in the adoption world, especially for children that are older than newborns when they join the family. It means basically staying at home with just immediate family for weeks/months to get the new child used to the home, the family, the surroundings, etc. Only mommy and daddy take care of the new child: all feeding, all bathing, all changing, all everything, so that he understands who his parents are, understands as much as he can that this is for keeps, and attaches accordingly. As much as possible, there are no visitors or just quick visits by extended family members or close friends. It has its challenges, but is definitely worth it for the new child and the family as a whole.
So, that's what we did. And recall that the entire three weeks in Honduras we were basically in a cocoon too. Jerry took off work the first few days that Noah and I were home. We focussed on Noah while the other two boys were at school, and then juggled as much as possible when they were home. Then Jerry went back to work, and I juggled a little extra for those hours when I was home with all three boys. I'm not going to lie, it was a challenging time. We have a great support network in our family and friends who were ready and willing to help in any way they could, but the thing is, there are only so many things that other people can do for you. We had some meals brought which was very nice, but for the most part getting dinner on the table was not very hard for me to do. Not that I was doing fancy meals or anything, but we weren't in the habit of eating fancy much anyway, so it was not too much effort to get something on the table. The thing that helped us out a lot actually was playdates for the older two, especially on weekends. Cocooning got old with them fast, and they really enjoyed the opportunity of getting out with family members or friends. So playdate offers were real lifesavers. But the thing is, what the boys really wanted the most was mommy time and daddy time, and there is only so much mommy and daddy to go around. One way they were able to get some special time was when Jerry would take one or both older boys out for errands or adventures, especially on the weekends. They went to the Science Center, out for a hike, out for walks, to the hardware store, out for ice cream, anything where they had a chance to have some special time and really get heard. At first, it worked better if Jerry was the one that went on the outing, but at this point I am able to get out with the older boys without too much objection from the toddler.
And now, here we are: just about two months home, and things feel pretty good. Noah is attached well, he is most of the time very happy, and I am deliriously in love with him. People ask if the older boys are just so in love with their new brother, and my answer to that is they love him most of the time, and I am happy with that for now. It has been and continues to be a big change for them, but they are mostly very good around their little brother, and we have come up with some strategies for them to use when things aren't going their way.
I would say that our biggest challenges that we have had to deal with, both of which I have mentioned already, are (1) how to give each child the parental attention that they want and need, and (2) how to foster good sibling relationships between the three boys. I'd like to address both of these, but will do so in a future post, as naptime is just about over for the day!
When we first arrived home, we were basically in our cocoon, though I would say it was a modified cocoon, as I did have to get out twice a day to get the older two boys to school and back, and then there were things like grocery shopping and the occasional trip to Target. Cocooning, for those that are unfamiliar with that term, is very common in the adoption world, especially for children that are older than newborns when they join the family. It means basically staying at home with just immediate family for weeks/months to get the new child used to the home, the family, the surroundings, etc. Only mommy and daddy take care of the new child: all feeding, all bathing, all changing, all everything, so that he understands who his parents are, understands as much as he can that this is for keeps, and attaches accordingly. As much as possible, there are no visitors or just quick visits by extended family members or close friends. It has its challenges, but is definitely worth it for the new child and the family as a whole.
So, that's what we did. And recall that the entire three weeks in Honduras we were basically in a cocoon too. Jerry took off work the first few days that Noah and I were home. We focussed on Noah while the other two boys were at school, and then juggled as much as possible when they were home. Then Jerry went back to work, and I juggled a little extra for those hours when I was home with all three boys. I'm not going to lie, it was a challenging time. We have a great support network in our family and friends who were ready and willing to help in any way they could, but the thing is, there are only so many things that other people can do for you. We had some meals brought which was very nice, but for the most part getting dinner on the table was not very hard for me to do. Not that I was doing fancy meals or anything, but we weren't in the habit of eating fancy much anyway, so it was not too much effort to get something on the table. The thing that helped us out a lot actually was playdates for the older two, especially on weekends. Cocooning got old with them fast, and they really enjoyed the opportunity of getting out with family members or friends. So playdate offers were real lifesavers. But the thing is, what the boys really wanted the most was mommy time and daddy time, and there is only so much mommy and daddy to go around. One way they were able to get some special time was when Jerry would take one or both older boys out for errands or adventures, especially on the weekends. They went to the Science Center, out for a hike, out for walks, to the hardware store, out for ice cream, anything where they had a chance to have some special time and really get heard. At first, it worked better if Jerry was the one that went on the outing, but at this point I am able to get out with the older boys without too much objection from the toddler.
And now, here we are: just about two months home, and things feel pretty good. Noah is attached well, he is most of the time very happy, and I am deliriously in love with him. People ask if the older boys are just so in love with their new brother, and my answer to that is they love him most of the time, and I am happy with that for now. It has been and continues to be a big change for them, but they are mostly very good around their little brother, and we have come up with some strategies for them to use when things aren't going their way.
I would say that our biggest challenges that we have had to deal with, both of which I have mentioned already, are (1) how to give each child the parental attention that they want and need, and (2) how to foster good sibling relationships between the three boys. I'd like to address both of these, but will do so in a future post, as naptime is just about over for the day!
Monday, February 18, 2013
Worth waiting for
Sorry this has taken a while, but I am positive you'll agree that this is a face worth waiting for!
First, from our visit trip in August, I love these two shots of him smiling:
Feeding time for Mommy:
Our three banana eaters:
And finally home!!!
First, from our visit trip in August, I love these two shots of him smiling:
And this next one is a shot of Noah feeding Jerry. Noah would take a Cheerio, bite it in half, and feed half to Jerry. A little wet, but very generous!
And a few cute ones from the pickup trip. Here's Noah in his favorite hiding spot on the terrace at the Humuya Inn:
And a shot of everyone but Jerry in the water room at the Chiminike children's museum:
Feeding time for Mommy:
Our three banana eaters:
Getting a good picture of the five of us is exponentially harder than when there were just four of us, but here we are in Valle de Angeles after some souvenir shopping but before (luckily) the cotton candy:
Showing off some of their McDonalds and KFC toys:
And their Chiminike t-shirts:
And finally home!!!
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
One week home
I am still so amazed that we are home. All five of us. Home. It is such a tremendous feeling. I am an adventurer -- I like going new places and trying new things and meeting new people -- but maybe now as more years pass or the fact that I am a mother of three or that Noah's adoption was so long in the making, I don't know, but it just feels so good to be here altogether under one roof at last.
I remember thinking, when Noah and I were still in Honduras but after Jerry and the big boys had left, that maybe part of the reason that the little one and I were still there was so that he could have some one-on-one time with mommy. I do think that is part of it, and I certainly enjoyed having extra time to bond with him. But I think there was also another reason at play. It was to sear Honduras permanently to my heart. I cannot believe how much I fell in love with the place and the people, and I really didn't expect that would happen. Sure, I thought I would like it ok. But as much as I was happy to be flying back to the States with my new young son, I also felt a tinge of sadness to be leaving such a beautiful and warm place, and I am not (just) referring to the weather. I am missing the people that I met and the wonderful memories that we made there. I will always remember our trip there fondly.
So now we are home a week! Noah is doing very well. Because we were together three weeks in Honduras, I think he is very attached now to our family. Even though there was some difficulty for us in being away from home for that length of time (school for the boys, work for Jerry, etc), I do think it helped Noah quite a bit in his attachment process. Even though the Humuya Inn wasn't exactly where he had been living before, it was more similar than it is here, and the people there were Honduran, and they spoke Spanish, and the climate was the same, and the food was similar, that it enabled him to primarily work on his attachment to us without all those other things changing at the same time as well. Then after he had developed a strong attachment to us, he was much more able to figure out his new environment here. The first two or three days that he and I were here, he would quite often grab my hand, want me to pick up my bag, and point to the door as if he was ready to go back. This was similar behavior to what he had done when he was first with us at the hotel, so we were prepared for it, and in fact were rather expecting it. We just held him and comforted him and tried to distract him, and now we don't see that behavior anymore.
He is eating very well. No problems there. We are making food available to him whenever he wants it, which sometimes is less than an hour after he has eaten something, but at this point we are not going to deny him food.
He is sleeping well too. It was very helpful that Jerry was home a few days before me and Noah, as he could disassemble the crib. We already had a bed in his room, so Noah has been sleeping in it just fine. Given our experience with the other two boys, we thought that sleep might be the area where there would be longer remaining problems, so it hasn't surprised us that Noah will wake up at some point in the night and call for me. It is generally around 4 or 5, maybe a little earlier, and I have just gone into his room and lay down with him, and he is out like a light within a minute. He will go down for a nap, but at 45 minutes will wake up and cry. His eyes are usually still closed, so I try to get him to go back to sleep, and that generally works. We tried one day over the weekend without a nap, and that was a mistake. He definitely still needs one.
In terms of communication, I do think he has picked up another word or two. It's not completely clear, but is consistent. I talk to him all day long, and he probably wonders, "when will this lady stop talking?" but I just keep it up as a way to help him get used to his surroundings and acquire English words, at least receptive words. He understands a lot already.
We play all day long, and it has been so fun to introduce him to new toys. We're taking that gradually, but it is so fun to see him "get it" when it comes to a new toy.
We are not without challenges. I don't deny that. But I am confident that with time, those things will work out too and it will be even more amazing around here.
I remember thinking, when Noah and I were still in Honduras but after Jerry and the big boys had left, that maybe part of the reason that the little one and I were still there was so that he could have some one-on-one time with mommy. I do think that is part of it, and I certainly enjoyed having extra time to bond with him. But I think there was also another reason at play. It was to sear Honduras permanently to my heart. I cannot believe how much I fell in love with the place and the people, and I really didn't expect that would happen. Sure, I thought I would like it ok. But as much as I was happy to be flying back to the States with my new young son, I also felt a tinge of sadness to be leaving such a beautiful and warm place, and I am not (just) referring to the weather. I am missing the people that I met and the wonderful memories that we made there. I will always remember our trip there fondly.
So now we are home a week! Noah is doing very well. Because we were together three weeks in Honduras, I think he is very attached now to our family. Even though there was some difficulty for us in being away from home for that length of time (school for the boys, work for Jerry, etc), I do think it helped Noah quite a bit in his attachment process. Even though the Humuya Inn wasn't exactly where he had been living before, it was more similar than it is here, and the people there were Honduran, and they spoke Spanish, and the climate was the same, and the food was similar, that it enabled him to primarily work on his attachment to us without all those other things changing at the same time as well. Then after he had developed a strong attachment to us, he was much more able to figure out his new environment here. The first two or three days that he and I were here, he would quite often grab my hand, want me to pick up my bag, and point to the door as if he was ready to go back. This was similar behavior to what he had done when he was first with us at the hotel, so we were prepared for it, and in fact were rather expecting it. We just held him and comforted him and tried to distract him, and now we don't see that behavior anymore.
He is eating very well. No problems there. We are making food available to him whenever he wants it, which sometimes is less than an hour after he has eaten something, but at this point we are not going to deny him food.
He is sleeping well too. It was very helpful that Jerry was home a few days before me and Noah, as he could disassemble the crib. We already had a bed in his room, so Noah has been sleeping in it just fine. Given our experience with the other two boys, we thought that sleep might be the area where there would be longer remaining problems, so it hasn't surprised us that Noah will wake up at some point in the night and call for me. It is generally around 4 or 5, maybe a little earlier, and I have just gone into his room and lay down with him, and he is out like a light within a minute. He will go down for a nap, but at 45 minutes will wake up and cry. His eyes are usually still closed, so I try to get him to go back to sleep, and that generally works. We tried one day over the weekend without a nap, and that was a mistake. He definitely still needs one.
In terms of communication, I do think he has picked up another word or two. It's not completely clear, but is consistent. I talk to him all day long, and he probably wonders, "when will this lady stop talking?" but I just keep it up as a way to help him get used to his surroundings and acquire English words, at least receptive words. He understands a lot already.
We play all day long, and it has been so fun to introduce him to new toys. We're taking that gradually, but it is so fun to see him "get it" when it comes to a new toy.
We are not without challenges. I don't deny that. But I am confident that with time, those things will work out too and it will be even more amazing around here.
Wednesday, February 06, 2013
Day 22: We fly home!
I'm blogging on the same computer, but now I am doing it from our very own sofa in our very own family room. Our three precious sons are upstairs asleep in their beds, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to God for this whirlwind of the past three weeks plus one day.
We're home!!!
Flying was fine. It was a long day and I am beat, and I don't know if the flying part of this story is really all that interesting. Noah turned out to be a pretty good flyer. I wasn't sure what to expect after his meltdown in the Tegucigalpa airport waiting to board, and his full-on temper tantrum when I buckled the seat belt around him prior to takeoff, but other than those very loud episodes, it was amazingly good. Of course, I had to be on my A game all.the.time. One usually is with a toddler anyway, but confined to the small space of the airplane seats and doing all the stuff that is necessary in an airport, it was bumped up to a whole other league. But it worked out fine, and people actually said to me after the flights that they thought he behaved very well.
I can't believe we are actually home. Praise God is all I can say. Day 22 and our adventure has run the full course. We are all five of us under one roof, and we will be family forever.
No way did I ever think it would move that fast. I seriously was planning on it being six or seven weeks. I guess God is a better organizer than I am. :D
Seriously though, it was all just God getting everything to happen the way it did. I can't figure out how it was possible that it went that quick, other than we got a good start by signing the adoption decree on day 2 of the trip, and the fact that we were working with the two most amazing Honduran women of all time: Ileana and Marta. And maybe God thought that three years, two months, and four weeks was enough time for this adoption story to be written. We had a super quick pickup trip, and a seriously long wait getting to that point.
It's all good.
It's all God.
We're home!!!
Flying was fine. It was a long day and I am beat, and I don't know if the flying part of this story is really all that interesting. Noah turned out to be a pretty good flyer. I wasn't sure what to expect after his meltdown in the Tegucigalpa airport waiting to board, and his full-on temper tantrum when I buckled the seat belt around him prior to takeoff, but other than those very loud episodes, it was amazingly good. Of course, I had to be on my A game all.the.time. One usually is with a toddler anyway, but confined to the small space of the airplane seats and doing all the stuff that is necessary in an airport, it was bumped up to a whole other league. But it worked out fine, and people actually said to me after the flights that they thought he behaved very well.
I can't believe we are actually home. Praise God is all I can say. Day 22 and our adventure has run the full course. We are all five of us under one roof, and we will be family forever.
No way did I ever think it would move that fast. I seriously was planning on it being six or seven weeks. I guess God is a better organizer than I am. :D
Seriously though, it was all just God getting everything to happen the way it did. I can't figure out how it was possible that it went that quick, other than we got a good start by signing the adoption decree on day 2 of the trip, and the fact that we were working with the two most amazing Honduran women of all time: Ileana and Marta. And maybe God thought that three years, two months, and four weeks was enough time for this adoption story to be written. We had a super quick pickup trip, and a seriously long wait getting to that point.
It's all good.
It's all God.
Tuesday, February 05, 2013
Day 21: Visa success!!!!!
Another amazing day brought by God! It is going to be hard to get it all in, because there were so many wonderful details. First, I had set the alarm clock for 5:20 and asked for a wakeup call, but was still a little nervous that I wouldn't wake up. I wasn't sure if I had set the alarm correctly, and wasn't sure if I would hear the phone since it is in the livingroom, but I just left it to God. And duh, I woke up five minutes before the alarm. I am so totally not an early riser, so this is incredible in itself.
Noah woke up just fine, we got ready and headed downstairs. I was expecting the driver at 6:00, and it was maybe ten minutes before that. He wasn't there, and my stomach dropped, but again, I just left it to God without trying to instantly develop contingency plans. And of course, he was there within five minutes.
Absolutely no traffic to the Embassy, which I understand is incredible, even at that hour.
So, we actually arrive well before the 6:45 appointment. I got in the residentia line, which for those coming after me, is on the right side of the Embassy front door. There is a big canopy on the left side, and that is where most of the people wait. They are applying for visitor visas. But the resident line is on the right, going down the sidewalk, and there is no canopy and fewer people. Because of our early arrival, we were I think the seventh people in line.
Oh, cell phones. You are not allowed to bring any electronic equipment into the Embassy. I knew that, but thought that you could check cell phones with the security guard, which is what other adopting families have done before. No, they don't do that anymore. But there are a few guys out front, entrepreneurs, who will guard your phone for a small fee, I think it was 50 lemps. I love that someone thought to do it. I noticed that all the other people in line were going up to these men, giving them their phones, writing their names in a book, and getting a claim ticket. I asked the lady in front of me in line, after she had just surrendered her phone, and she said it was ok. So, I did it too. I figured, the worst that could happen was that I was going to have to buy my friend Laura a new phone, and I'm happy to say that I got it back afterwards just fine.
So then an employee from the Embassy walks up to everyone in line asking for their appointment papers. It is a young lady I remember seeing from last Monday when I was there with Jerry and all three boys, and she remembered me too. She said right away, "Good to see you again. Where are the other boys?" Glad to know we stand out like that. Then again, given the fact that only ten Honduran children were adopted into the U.S. in 2012, I guess a couple of gringos and three Latino boys would stand out, especially three such adorable, intelligent, and wonderful boys as ours. Anyway, so she asked if I had one of those appointment papers. I didn't, since our appointment had been made on email. So she looks up his name on her clipboard with all the names of people that had visa appointments that day. And his name is not there. Not under his birth name, not under his current name. Again, my stomach dropped a little, and I said, "I'm sure we have an appointment. I got an email from them yesterday," in the calmest voice I can muster. "No problem," she said. "I'll just ask inside." So was so kind, and I felt like I had found a friend. Again, I just gave it to God, and I think you know how this one is going to turn out.
The residential visa line started to grow considerably. Nowhere near as long as the visitor visa line, but much longer than it had been when we arrived. The security guards started waving groups in at 7:00, and because we were so close to the front of the line, we get waved in in the first group of about seven people. That God, again.
Security goes fine, though I think the guard was surprised at the amount of snacks I brought in. I just wanted to be prepared, you know. They do have two vending machines inside, one that takes dollars and one that takes lemps, and there was also a lady inside that had a nice snack cart, and of course there were the sidewalk vendors selling candy and gum, but still. Noah is an eater, and I wanted to be prepared.
So, we get through security, and then into the big waiting room on the right. The group of us line up, and go to the counter one by one. This is just a preliminary check, I think. The lady looked at our passports and confirmed that we were there for an adoption. She took one of our passport photos that we had brought in, and then tells me to sit and wait; someone would call me. So, we sat and prepared ourselves for a long wait. Get out a snack and a book for you know who.
Everyone else from our group of seven took seats over in one area, but we weren't there. I asked my new Embassy friend if we should be over there with them. No, those people are getting fingerprinted. Noah doesn't need to do that. Not a problem at all. I guess the Embassy has changed their procedures a little. There weren't any numbers being called; people just waited in groups, and then shifted as necessary. So it was probably a lot quieter in there without a bunch of numbers being called.
Oh, I did have to laugh that there was a tv showing a Discovery Channel special about tornadoes. It occurred to me that this was a very odd sort of travelog for the U.S. "Come to the States and get hit with one of these!!"
Anyway, within a very short amount of time, I hear someone call "Noah Angel Anderson," so I scoop up the little guy and all our stuff, and go to that counter. The man at the window looks at our DS-230 form, and everything is filled out correctly. Yay for that. He asked if I had some other form I-864 or something. I didn't have that since it didn't seem to me that Noah met the categories for filling that out. The feeling in the stomach. Let it go. He tells me it is not a problem, and gets me one, and I fill it out right there. It was a very short form, so it took less than five minutes. He asks a few questions about the adoption, and then asks if I had any photos of Noah with our family. No, I didn't have any of those, and you know I got that feeling in my stomach again. It didn't say anything in the info packet from the immigrant visa section about photos. Give it to God. The man at the counter, who by now I consider my second Embassy friend of the day, said it wasn't a problem. It would have been nice to show a relationship, but it is not a problem not to have them. A couple more questions, and he somehow gets his stapler through the enormous stack of papers that is our file. Ok, I'm all done with that, and he tells me to go to counter C to pay the visa fee of $320, then come back and give him the receipt. He tells me to interrupt him if he is with someone else. (Can you believe it??)
It was a bit of a challenge locating that window -- I had to ask for help since all the windows have numbers not letters. It was over in the Citizen Services Room. Anyway, I paid that fee in crisp new bills from our bank at home, and all was good. I got my receipt and went back over to my friend at the window. He takes the receipt, and I go back to sit down. Get out some more snack and some blocks.
Again, without too long of a wait, I hear "Noah Angel Anderson," scoop up the kiddo and all our stuff and head to that window. Now it is time for the interview with a different official. He asks about where Jerry is, and I told him he left on Saturday with our other children. He asks how long I am going to remain in Honduras. "That is up to you," I say with a smile, "Though it would be great if it were soon." He said something about the fact that I was in the Peace Corps!! So I guess they really do read the file!! Yes, I was, and we chat about that for a while. He asks where we will be living, and I tell him. But why were you married in Arlington, Virginia? Do you have connections there? So I tell him about living there for several years, on and on. This is all very pleasant conversation, not an interrogation by any means, and I feel like I have made my third Embassy friend of the day. Then the best words of all, "Ok, the visa is approved. Take this pink slip and return at 2:45 to pick it up."
I was totally done in two hours.
Stunned but incredibly happy, I make my way outside, get my phone back, pay my fee, and call Ileana. She.could.not.believe.I.was.done.so.soon!!!! She was barely out of the shower! Traffic was very heavy by this time of the morning, so I have to wait a while for her to pick us up, but it was not bad considering how smoothly God had orchestrated everything so far that morning. We get in her car, and she and I are just both praising that amazing God once again.
Next stop: McDonalds near the Cascadas Mall, back in our 'hood. I think by now, Noah thinks he owns the place. He just loves the play place there, and he super-enjoyed trying chocolate milk for the first time. They didn't have any white milk, but I was so happy I didn't mind at all. Third child: getting chocolate milk at age 2. It is so early that they were still serving the breakfast menu. McDonalds in Honduras has a very good traditional Honduran breakfast, which I really enjoyed. Too bad they don't serve it in the States. I ate that, chugged down a few Coke Zeros, and watched the little guy loving life in the play place. I must have had the goofiest expression on my face: something like glee, shock, and amazement that after three weeks, we are all done. Unbelievable, except it is true!
We eventually head back to the hotel, and I get down to business of changing my airline reservation and making a reservation for him. I was bracing myself for a huge charge, but his ticket, bought one day in advance, was less than $600. My flight was actually cheaper than the one I had already booked for early March, so I got a refund, which I applied to Noah's ticket. Of course, I had to pay the change fee of $150, but I was expecting that. This is just so amazing.
Ileana went to the Embassy for me to pick up his visa, and catches up with us somewhere in the hotel later in the afternoon where Noah is feeding me some of his chips. I keep saying "Que rico!!" over and over. "I could hear you," says Ileana. "I just couldn't see you."
We both just looked at the beautiful visa, and the sealed packet that I am to give to immigration in Houston, and we just praise God again. He has really been showing off for us today!!!
I am just so amazed that we fly home tomorrow!!!! Ileana will pick me up tomorrow morning to take me to the airport and walk me through immigration there. It is another step to take, and even more so since Jerry has already flown home. They are very strict in this country about one parent leaving the country with a child and require that the other parent has signed a power of attorney allowing this to happen. A good practice I think. So we plan on getting to the airport about three hours early to make sure we have time for this and all the rest of the international check-in.
I'm sure the flights will be another adventure, but I know God will be with us taking care of us, especially through our very short layover in the huge Houston airport. I'll have to document it Stateside!!
Noah woke up just fine, we got ready and headed downstairs. I was expecting the driver at 6:00, and it was maybe ten minutes before that. He wasn't there, and my stomach dropped, but again, I just left it to God without trying to instantly develop contingency plans. And of course, he was there within five minutes.
Absolutely no traffic to the Embassy, which I understand is incredible, even at that hour.
So, we actually arrive well before the 6:45 appointment. I got in the residentia line, which for those coming after me, is on the right side of the Embassy front door. There is a big canopy on the left side, and that is where most of the people wait. They are applying for visitor visas. But the resident line is on the right, going down the sidewalk, and there is no canopy and fewer people. Because of our early arrival, we were I think the seventh people in line.
Oh, cell phones. You are not allowed to bring any electronic equipment into the Embassy. I knew that, but thought that you could check cell phones with the security guard, which is what other adopting families have done before. No, they don't do that anymore. But there are a few guys out front, entrepreneurs, who will guard your phone for a small fee, I think it was 50 lemps. I love that someone thought to do it. I noticed that all the other people in line were going up to these men, giving them their phones, writing their names in a book, and getting a claim ticket. I asked the lady in front of me in line, after she had just surrendered her phone, and she said it was ok. So, I did it too. I figured, the worst that could happen was that I was going to have to buy my friend Laura a new phone, and I'm happy to say that I got it back afterwards just fine.
So then an employee from the Embassy walks up to everyone in line asking for their appointment papers. It is a young lady I remember seeing from last Monday when I was there with Jerry and all three boys, and she remembered me too. She said right away, "Good to see you again. Where are the other boys?" Glad to know we stand out like that. Then again, given the fact that only ten Honduran children were adopted into the U.S. in 2012, I guess a couple of gringos and three Latino boys would stand out, especially three such adorable, intelligent, and wonderful boys as ours. Anyway, so she asked if I had one of those appointment papers. I didn't, since our appointment had been made on email. So she looks up his name on her clipboard with all the names of people that had visa appointments that day. And his name is not there. Not under his birth name, not under his current name. Again, my stomach dropped a little, and I said, "I'm sure we have an appointment. I got an email from them yesterday," in the calmest voice I can muster. "No problem," she said. "I'll just ask inside." So was so kind, and I felt like I had found a friend. Again, I just gave it to God, and I think you know how this one is going to turn out.
The residential visa line started to grow considerably. Nowhere near as long as the visitor visa line, but much longer than it had been when we arrived. The security guards started waving groups in at 7:00, and because we were so close to the front of the line, we get waved in in the first group of about seven people. That God, again.
Security goes fine, though I think the guard was surprised at the amount of snacks I brought in. I just wanted to be prepared, you know. They do have two vending machines inside, one that takes dollars and one that takes lemps, and there was also a lady inside that had a nice snack cart, and of course there were the sidewalk vendors selling candy and gum, but still. Noah is an eater, and I wanted to be prepared.
So, we get through security, and then into the big waiting room on the right. The group of us line up, and go to the counter one by one. This is just a preliminary check, I think. The lady looked at our passports and confirmed that we were there for an adoption. She took one of our passport photos that we had brought in, and then tells me to sit and wait; someone would call me. So, we sat and prepared ourselves for a long wait. Get out a snack and a book for you know who.
Everyone else from our group of seven took seats over in one area, but we weren't there. I asked my new Embassy friend if we should be over there with them. No, those people are getting fingerprinted. Noah doesn't need to do that. Not a problem at all. I guess the Embassy has changed their procedures a little. There weren't any numbers being called; people just waited in groups, and then shifted as necessary. So it was probably a lot quieter in there without a bunch of numbers being called.
Oh, I did have to laugh that there was a tv showing a Discovery Channel special about tornadoes. It occurred to me that this was a very odd sort of travelog for the U.S. "Come to the States and get hit with one of these!!"
Anyway, within a very short amount of time, I hear someone call "Noah Angel Anderson," so I scoop up the little guy and all our stuff, and go to that counter. The man at the window looks at our DS-230 form, and everything is filled out correctly. Yay for that. He asked if I had some other form I-864 or something. I didn't have that since it didn't seem to me that Noah met the categories for filling that out. The feeling in the stomach. Let it go. He tells me it is not a problem, and gets me one, and I fill it out right there. It was a very short form, so it took less than five minutes. He asks a few questions about the adoption, and then asks if I had any photos of Noah with our family. No, I didn't have any of those, and you know I got that feeling in my stomach again. It didn't say anything in the info packet from the immigrant visa section about photos. Give it to God. The man at the counter, who by now I consider my second Embassy friend of the day, said it wasn't a problem. It would have been nice to show a relationship, but it is not a problem not to have them. A couple more questions, and he somehow gets his stapler through the enormous stack of papers that is our file. Ok, I'm all done with that, and he tells me to go to counter C to pay the visa fee of $320, then come back and give him the receipt. He tells me to interrupt him if he is with someone else. (Can you believe it??)
It was a bit of a challenge locating that window -- I had to ask for help since all the windows have numbers not letters. It was over in the Citizen Services Room. Anyway, I paid that fee in crisp new bills from our bank at home, and all was good. I got my receipt and went back over to my friend at the window. He takes the receipt, and I go back to sit down. Get out some more snack and some blocks.
Again, without too long of a wait, I hear "Noah Angel Anderson," scoop up the kiddo and all our stuff and head to that window. Now it is time for the interview with a different official. He asks about where Jerry is, and I told him he left on Saturday with our other children. He asks how long I am going to remain in Honduras. "That is up to you," I say with a smile, "Though it would be great if it were soon." He said something about the fact that I was in the Peace Corps!! So I guess they really do read the file!! Yes, I was, and we chat about that for a while. He asks where we will be living, and I tell him. But why were you married in Arlington, Virginia? Do you have connections there? So I tell him about living there for several years, on and on. This is all very pleasant conversation, not an interrogation by any means, and I feel like I have made my third Embassy friend of the day. Then the best words of all, "Ok, the visa is approved. Take this pink slip and return at 2:45 to pick it up."
I was totally done in two hours.
Stunned but incredibly happy, I make my way outside, get my phone back, pay my fee, and call Ileana. She.could.not.believe.I.was.done.so.soon!!!! She was barely out of the shower! Traffic was very heavy by this time of the morning, so I have to wait a while for her to pick us up, but it was not bad considering how smoothly God had orchestrated everything so far that morning. We get in her car, and she and I are just both praising that amazing God once again.
Next stop: McDonalds near the Cascadas Mall, back in our 'hood. I think by now, Noah thinks he owns the place. He just loves the play place there, and he super-enjoyed trying chocolate milk for the first time. They didn't have any white milk, but I was so happy I didn't mind at all. Third child: getting chocolate milk at age 2. It is so early that they were still serving the breakfast menu. McDonalds in Honduras has a very good traditional Honduran breakfast, which I really enjoyed. Too bad they don't serve it in the States. I ate that, chugged down a few Coke Zeros, and watched the little guy loving life in the play place. I must have had the goofiest expression on my face: something like glee, shock, and amazement that after three weeks, we are all done. Unbelievable, except it is true!
We eventually head back to the hotel, and I get down to business of changing my airline reservation and making a reservation for him. I was bracing myself for a huge charge, but his ticket, bought one day in advance, was less than $600. My flight was actually cheaper than the one I had already booked for early March, so I got a refund, which I applied to Noah's ticket. Of course, I had to pay the change fee of $150, but I was expecting that. This is just so amazing.
Ileana went to the Embassy for me to pick up his visa, and catches up with us somewhere in the hotel later in the afternoon where Noah is feeding me some of his chips. I keep saying "Que rico!!" over and over. "I could hear you," says Ileana. "I just couldn't see you."
We both just looked at the beautiful visa, and the sealed packet that I am to give to immigration in Houston, and we just praise God again. He has really been showing off for us today!!!
I am just so amazed that we fly home tomorrow!!!! Ileana will pick me up tomorrow morning to take me to the airport and walk me through immigration there. It is another step to take, and even more so since Jerry has already flown home. They are very strict in this country about one parent leaving the country with a child and require that the other parent has signed a power of attorney allowing this to happen. A good practice I think. So we plan on getting to the airport about three hours early to make sure we have time for this and all the rest of the international check-in.
I'm sure the flights will be another adventure, but I know God will be with us taking care of us, especially through our very short layover in the huge Houston airport. I'll have to document it Stateside!!
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