Some more new pics..

That's Sam on the left, obviously. He has his buddy Joseph with him in the pics (who happened to turn 2 today. Happy Birthday, Joseph!).
Brian is particularly thrilled to see that Sam is totally secure with his masculinity, since he appears to be wearing rather feminine pink hearts-and-flowers pants without any self consciousness. ha
Zoe is happy to see that her beloved frog blanket, Dodee, (that she sent to him in December) is still around. It's in the background in a nanny's lap.
The clutching of handfuls of Smarties makes me think his sweet tooth is still intact.
We're so happy to see these pics and know that soon...soon...we'll bring him home.

Easter: the season for miracles!

We got an update that our paperwork is moving! We are at the end of Step 9, which means we're getting close to the end of the paperwork journey. Sam's dossier has been compiled and the justice department is reviewing those documents and sending them to the DIA (Dept. of International Adoptions). There is at least a possibility of traveling in mid April, pending some miraculous I-600 approval (that part of the paperwork is still being processed.)

In any case, we're making some headway. Good news, tonight!

Needing an update...

We are hoping for something positive from our agency regarding our status soon. A fellow adoptive family who got their referral 5 days before we did (we got ours on September 26) got their I-600 approval yesterday. Hooray! They should be leaving in the next week or so, hopefully, when they get their G & R date. Heidi, so happy for you!

Meanwhile, we got this picture of Sam from another adoptive parent who traveled last month to get their child (Thanks, Amy!). He apparently is savoring a tasty meal. Zoe is anxious to share with him the joy of french fries. He has no idea what his future holds. Now, if we can just get his paperwork moving, we'll get his future started...

Serenity now....not

OK. The snow day was lovely and gave us some inner peace. The next morning we awoke to an email telling us our I-600 application has been returned to the Dillon staff in Vietnam, to be resubmitted when it is complete. This was paperwork we mailed in October. The new way of submitting for I-600 approval changed and was anticipated to take "about 60 days." Now we're told that the 60 day time period will RESTART when our application is resubmitted in its entirety. Please note that the paperwork required is apparently unavailable until our child's dossier is gathered, which in his orphanage province doesn't happen until Step 8, which we're at now. If this seems confusing, it's because it is. The bottom line is, more delays and disappointment.
It is desperately hard to remain positive today. It is a powerless feeling.
Please pray for us. There are 4 other families in our agency who are stuck in this same delay. We're just trying to get our children home.

marathons and snowfall

Leave it to Arkansas weather to surprise us.
Brian's marathon on Sunday was a little warmer than he would have expected. He did great, though, and finished with a time he was proud of. Whether that will be a cure for the marathon bug or not will remain to be seen. Either way, according to Zoe, Daddy rocks.


Yesterday was a rainy rotten day; the rotten news we got seemed appropriate for the day. We got a very bizarre email from HoChiMinh reporting that our paperwork was incomplete and that they were soon to return our documents to us. What the !#%? Needless to say, it was a stressful day of trying to get it all straightened out. It isn't yet, but there are hopefully people with Dillon who are trying to figure out exactly what needs completion. Sam felt very very far away yesterday. It was a trying day.

This morning, we awoke to a beautiful carpet of snow and a heavy slow snowfall that continued most of the early hours. It brought with it the most peaceful feeling I have had in a while. It was my day off anyway, and Zoe and I had a snow day together that allowed me to unplug my brain, veg out, and savor the moment. We stayed home, played in the snow, watched a movie, and just in general had a wonderful Zoe and Mommy day. It gave me perspective and peace. It was a welcome feeling. By early evening the snow had melted, but hopefully that serenity will last as long as the snowballs we made and stored in the freezer to show Sam later.