...and then there were two...
If you were tracking the most noteworthy moments of this adoption journey, the next one would have to be an "accidental" meeting with some new Chinese little friends. Of course, we all know there are no accidents in the plan of God, but we surely did not see this one coming!
The kids were excited about adopting at this point but were still trying to process the implications of what this would mean for them individually and for our family as a whole. "Where will she sleep...what will people think of our family being so different...what will I have to do for her...will we still be able to play sports...etc?"
Approximately a month after we first "met" our little girl from across the ocean, the kids and I traveled to Indiana for Aunt Alli's baby shower. I was still in a huge walking boot for my ankle, and it was going to be a quick trip without Chris, but we really wanted to celebrate this new little cousin so we just bit the bullet and went! (more hunt-speak...maybe it's Iowa...not just the hubs)
Unbeknownst to me, Kenney and Laura Kolanowski had been home from China for about a week...having picked up their two kiddos...and called Chris to see if the kids and I would have time to stop and visit. Although it was going to put us back home pretty late on Sunday night, we thought it would be a great opportunity to not only encourage the Kolanowski's but to also give our kids a chance to interact with kids from a different culture...the exact culture of our little girl. What an incredible time we had! Our kids immediately bonded with their kids...to the point where we had a hard time leaving!
It was awesome...and then the proverbial bomb was dropped! (haha) Laura was explaining to our kids what it was like in the orphanage there, about seeing the little girl we were pursuing, etc...when she added, "...and she has a best friend too...they're always together...and you should see him...so kind and caring to the other children...he's been available for adoption for awhile but nobody wants him because of the way he looks...he's got a side cleft and an ear deformity...it's just plastic surgery, but nobody wants him...it's so sad."
As if on cue, all 4 of our kids turn to me in unison. "WE HAVE TO ADOPT HIM TOO, MOM!" "NOBODY WANTS HIM...THAT'S AWFUL!" "SHE'LL BE SO SAD WITHOUT HER BEST FRIEND!" "MOM, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"
...gulp...
The kids talked about it all the way home and, knowing I was on board, burst in the house when we arrived at 9:30 pm and shouted, "DAD, WE'RE ADOPTING HER FRIEND TOO!!! MOM SAID SO!"
After some prayer, we contacted the agency shortly thereafter and began the process of adding the second child. Because he's been available, we were able to gain access to his medical file and had it looked at by several specialists that same day. Short version...we sent the letter of intent...and within a week received notice of pre-approval by the Chinese government.
There's more to the story...there's always more...but that covers the major details! For the 3 month period that we were committed to him but were still not connected to her, we struggled with understanding why God would send us to her at all if we weren't going to get her...it was very hard to continue trusting...it was very hard not to question...it was immensely hard to pray that God would protect her and care for her no matter what family she joined...even if it wasn't ours. We tried to even reconcile that maybe He brought her to our attention simply to lead us to the little boy...maybe we wouldn't have wanted him at first either...if we were honest. BUT...it seems as though God has now opened the door for them to come together. That is our prayer...
The kids were excited about adopting at this point but were still trying to process the implications of what this would mean for them individually and for our family as a whole. "Where will she sleep...what will people think of our family being so different...what will I have to do for her...will we still be able to play sports...etc?"
Approximately a month after we first "met" our little girl from across the ocean, the kids and I traveled to Indiana for Aunt Alli's baby shower. I was still in a huge walking boot for my ankle, and it was going to be a quick trip without Chris, but we really wanted to celebrate this new little cousin so we just bit the bullet and went! (more hunt-speak...maybe it's Iowa...not just the hubs)
Unbeknownst to me, Kenney and Laura Kolanowski had been home from China for about a week...having picked up their two kiddos...and called Chris to see if the kids and I would have time to stop and visit. Although it was going to put us back home pretty late on Sunday night, we thought it would be a great opportunity to not only encourage the Kolanowski's but to also give our kids a chance to interact with kids from a different culture...the exact culture of our little girl. What an incredible time we had! Our kids immediately bonded with their kids...to the point where we had a hard time leaving!
It was awesome...and then the proverbial bomb was dropped! (haha) Laura was explaining to our kids what it was like in the orphanage there, about seeing the little girl we were pursuing, etc...when she added, "...and she has a best friend too...they're always together...and you should see him...so kind and caring to the other children...he's been available for adoption for awhile but nobody wants him because of the way he looks...he's got a side cleft and an ear deformity...it's just plastic surgery, but nobody wants him...it's so sad."
As if on cue, all 4 of our kids turn to me in unison. "WE HAVE TO ADOPT HIM TOO, MOM!" "NOBODY WANTS HIM...THAT'S AWFUL!" "SHE'LL BE SO SAD WITHOUT HER BEST FRIEND!" "MOM, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!"
...gulp...
The kids talked about it all the way home and, knowing I was on board, burst in the house when we arrived at 9:30 pm and shouted, "DAD, WE'RE ADOPTING HER FRIEND TOO!!! MOM SAID SO!"
After some prayer, we contacted the agency shortly thereafter and began the process of adding the second child. Because he's been available, we were able to gain access to his medical file and had it looked at by several specialists that same day. Short version...we sent the letter of intent...and within a week received notice of pre-approval by the Chinese government.
There's more to the story...there's always more...but that covers the major details! For the 3 month period that we were committed to him but were still not connected to her, we struggled with understanding why God would send us to her at all if we weren't going to get her...it was very hard to continue trusting...it was very hard not to question...it was immensely hard to pray that God would protect her and care for her no matter what family she joined...even if it wasn't ours. We tried to even reconcile that maybe He brought her to our attention simply to lead us to the little boy...maybe we wouldn't have wanted him at first either...if we were honest. BUT...it seems as though God has now opened the door for them to come together. That is our prayer...
