Here he said some final goodbyes at his farewell coffee ceremony.
And then.... this.
And not too long after all of that.. this.
The next week was spent him and me doing a lot of work. It was some tough tough work. I can't say there wasn't some tears from both of us. Hours and miles were hiked. Time in's were had. This was 100% the right choice for what he needed, but it definitely wasn't the easiest of options. We really did stare at each other all day (and all night). I wasn't exactly taking pictures of the uglier moments of all of this work. Here are a few more highlights.
After a week of this, Randy Holl, like a great Papa Knight in Shining Armor arrived on Tuesday 6/2 and since then I have enjoyed the bliss that is a shower without worry. He has done a lot of sight seeing and some tag teaming to keep me sane. With the exception of one crying episode, things have been much easier. Unlike Bogota, I can't scurry off to grab a coffee or walk to a park or go on a family outing here (well I can, there are just very few options, all of which I will be exploiting for the next 3 days). So while Randy was off doing cool adult stuff, I stayed back here to keep working with the little man. I was able to join him at Mt Entoto though!
Following this, we were able to visit the Fuelwood women's Association to see the work the ladies have been able to do once they aren't strong enough to go up and down the mountain. Scarves were purchased.
Then there was more of this
We finally had all of the pieces of the puzzle for the Embassy for his USA visa last Friday. Embassy was awesome and agreed to work with me due to his medical needs and me being here. We got permission to submit early and we submitted Monday June 8th. We got our "clearance" (WOOHOO!!!) email this morning. We originally asked for an apt on Wednesday, but then out of nowhere they decided it would be better for me to just "come right now" to ensure they had time to process it before my Friday flight.
So we jumped in the car and off we went! Interview went just as smoothly as the previous 3 and that was that. Papa got to hang out at his first Embassy as well! Then, we decided that Tomoco coffee would be the most appropriate celebration of this process being nearly over.
My envelope will be ready for pick up at 10am on Thursday morning and ready for my flight leaving 10:50pm Friday night here.
But let's talk about that flight though....
And by "flight" I mean a 17 hour non stop from Addis to Washington DC. We only land briefly in Dublin to refuel where we won't be getting off the plane.
So what I'm saying is, from 2pm CST on Friday 6/12 until 6:15am CST Saturday 6/13, I will be with a disabled likely hearing impaired nonverbal (but LOUD) child in an 18x18 inch space with hundreds of people to despise us.
It is entirely possible that this will be the worst day of my 33 years of life... BUT.. if that is the worst thing to ever happen to me, then I've had a pretty awesome life right?
There will be benadryl. There will be melatonin. There will be cookies, goldfish crackers, and about 30 suckers. It will be epic, and all we have to do is survive it.
I have a really long layover to get me through immigration and customs in DC. Following that, I will re-check in my luggage and check in for my direct flight from DC to KC. Then I will leave the airport for Alamo rental car, where I will strap this child to a car seat.. and using the joy that is GPS, find the nearest Starbucks, followed by french fries (his favorite thing ever) followed by a park where I will run very wiggle out of this child for 6 hours. After that, I will return to the airport, give them back the rental, and check in for my 5:15pm direct flight to KC.
But where is Ted?? Another detail. Ted has had a Colombia medical team trip planned for months. We knew this would happen.. so he is leaving the USA tomorrow for Colombia and I will land in his absence into the loving embrace of my Saint-like Mother (and Randy). As was the original plan had I not come home early, mom will stay in KC until 6/19 when Ted gets back to get me back on sleeping schedule. So there will be a few days there where our family will span 3 different continents, each parent ironically to the continent of the children's birth. Nice for Ted though, that since I've passed embassy he knows the only thing between me and getting safely home is potential flight delays (but not adoption delays). We will all be together eventually.
I miss my boys at home, and a major snuggle time in mom's bed will be happening the evening of Saturday 6/13 when I collapse into it after being awake for 2 days straight.
TO CONCLUDE
Please pray for me on my flight. Please pray for Trent's fears and for his little heart and that the weeks we have spent together have planted some seeds of trust for him to follow me where we are going. After I get home, I'll be falling off the earth for the next 6 months or so through the period we all call "after the airport". It is a time of building stuff and trust learning and lots and lots and lots of sometimes uncomfortable adjustment for everyone. Little man is about to have his whole world ripped away from him, even more than before. Please keep our family in your thoughts and prayers..
and now I am off to enjoy our last 3 days in country!!
