Our last night as 3

Less than 48hrs after being submitted to Embassy we CLEARED! This is the news we've been waiting for that trumps referrals, court dates, and embassy submission. We've just been granted permission to bring Wynray HOME. 

In just a few days Wynray will finally snuggle into the arms of his forever family. It's been far too long that he's been away from the love of family. We know his birth family's love has sustained him until now. But it is time for that sweet boy to be wrapped in the arms of loving family again. It is time for Wynray to receive the love of family all the time. 

It is time.

We had a hunch we were on the fast track because we received notice within 24hrs of submission they had already processed our paperwork. My adoption support group and coordinator were all surprised at  how quickly we moved through that step. As stated in a previous post, we expected just our paperwork review to take at least a week.

I was given a bit of advice about Embassy being human and accommodating, and on a wild hunch I sent them a very brief email explaining this time of year is the busiest for my husband and we were having difficulty managing his upcoming business trips. I explained we had an opening in our schedule in the next week, and could come quickly if necessary. Within 6 hours of sending that email we cleared. We were shocked! They didn't even require a birth parent interview which had been standard procedure.

Keep in mind Addis Ababa is 8 hours ahead of us. We were also told the Embassy only works half days on Friday and not to expect much communication from them until the following week. So after writing the email I dismissed it thinking it was a shot in the dark and went to bed without any expectations. Fredrik on the other hand worked until after midnight, and then not sleeping well, he checked his email at 2:30. 

I seriously thought it was going to be me performing the all night email vigils. But at 2:30 on Friday morning, Fredrik checked his email...and according to him he rechecked about five times. I believe the thought of waking me up with incorrect information was a little scary, but I'm happy to say his eyesight adjusted in the darkness and after closing out the email and reopening it several times he concluded it was real and gently woke me to say that we had cleared. 

I didn't go back to sleep until 6:30 am, just in time to wake up at 7 to get Kysa ready for school. 

After our court trip, it seems odd to have any time between getting clearance and actually getting on a plane. Last time we literally purchased our tickets 14 hours before boarding. This time we have 5 days. 

...and in that five days Fredrik is going to New York and presenting at a conference. He left this morning and will be back on Wednesday morning just in time to repack, pick up Kysa from school and board another plane on Wednesday afternoon.

In the meantime, the house is a mess, donations are piling up, the suitcases need packing, Kysa needs everything organized for her. I won't bore you with the details, but my to do list is a mile long....

Last night we came home from a dinner party and climbed into bed with Kysa between us. We snuggled under the covers and stared at our sweetly sleeping girl, marveling at her beauty with hearts overflowing with gratitude for the last two and a half years of bliss. It was the last time we'll do that as a family of three. After all the wishing and hoping Wynray home, even before he was conceived or born, we have finally arrived at the moment we've been so desperately yearning. But last night I wanted to suspend time just a little longer.

Last night, the simple mundane practice of going to sleep as a family was a life defining moment. We were gifted the awareness that we were closing a chapter. We were able to breathe in that moment, savor it, and accept the passing of time. We were closing a beautiful, blissful, exciting chapter. For 970 nights give or take a few, we've gone to sleep as a family of three, and the next time we are all together again performing the sweet and intimate nighttime ritual of taking rest, we will begin our next chapter as a family of four. 

We can't wait to bring Wynray home, but I'd be lying to say my heart isn't mourning Kysa's babyhood. She's going to be the Big Sister now, and she's going to be a great one. Wynray is going to be the perfect addition to this family, we know that without a doubt. But for the next three days I'm going to soak up every moment with Kysa, my precious baby girl.

Then, in a few days we will board a plane and cross a wide ocean. We will travel 7,447 miles to our son, and continue to take our place in the family of things...

Wild Geese

You do not have to be good.
You do not have to walk on your knees
for a hundred miles through the desert, repenting.
You only have to let the soft animal of your body
love what it loves.
Tell me about despair, yours, and I will tell you mine.
Meanwhile the world goes on.
Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain
are moving across the landscapes,
over the prairies and the deep trees,
the mountains and the rivers.
Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,
are heading home again.
Whoever you are, no matter how lonely,
the world offers itself to your imagination,
calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting–
over and over announcing your place
in the family of things.

-Mary Oliver