MAYBE LOVE

Maybe there will be a love in the future.
Faith, Hope and Love... our girls middle names are
Faith and Hope. We have talked about adopting again in the future.
So the next child's middle names will be Love. I keep joking about
a boy having the middle name "Love". My husband said "we can
not do that to a boy."
Nathan said"next time, he would like a little brother."

I have been asking around to find out the rules about adoption from a
Hague Country...China, Bulgaria, Lithuania, India again????
I did find out that our Home Study Agency only needs to be Accredited
by the Council on Accreditation and that the Placing Agency has to be
Hague Accredited for  those Countries.   yes,yes !!

As of January 1, 2013 Americans can no longer adopt from Russia.


Our first visit with our Social Worker is tomorrow.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas Eve Morning, I opened my email to see that someone had donated
to our adoption fund..... The exact amount the we need for the extra
Post Placement Bond $4000.00 (2 Lakhs)  I started to cry not only because
of the gift but because of the person(s) who gave it to us..  You see he went to
be with the Lord about a month  ago. This family is a great example of living
a Christian Life and loving the Lord.    Thank You Jesus, for our friends and family.

I have more to say, just no time to type it.

MERRY CHRISTMAS BLOG FRIENDS.

  

WELCOME HOME CALL

Had our welcome home call from our agency yesterday.
They wanted to know how our trip went and how Hrutuja is doing?
We stayed at the Marriot in Mumbai and the Hilton Garden Inn in New Delhi,
DFL Place, Saket. It has 3 malls attached to it and two play areas
for children, food court, and two food stores.(we went to their website
and it said no rooms were available so we booked it thru AAA)

This child is amazing !!  So far we have found no special need but
she will still be going to see a neurologist.
During our conversation I brought up the two Lakhs that is written in
our Court documents that we have to deposit in Hrutujas name as part
of our Post Placement requirements. Our worker said " you should get
that done in the next 3 or 4 weeks and send the proof to us and we will
send it on to the Court.  la, la, la,.............FAITH

Some other news that we did not share is  in our home study we were
approved for 2 children. Since we were referred one child we are still
approved for another child which we can split our I-800 App. 
Only being home for a couple weeks we are unsure about hopping back
on the horse so soon, but we wanted to keep the door open. A little while
ago learned our home study agency is no longer Hague Accredited.
So now we do not know if we can keep the door open. ????
I am sure that God has a plan for us.!!


4 days to Christmas Eve.

 

AMAZING

The  journey to bring these two beautiful girls home have been amazing.

Each totally different.

Hrutuja is doing amazingly well. And Rohana is trying so hard to be a BIG sister.

Feeling soooo Blessed !!

NOT fully funded

While updating our expenses I realized I jumped the gun when
I said "we were fully funded", I forgot about the $4000.00 that
goes with the Post Placement Report........  FAITH

Since we got home Hrutuja has been Daddy glue except when
I put her to bed Thursday night. Yesterday morning she was all 
happy and smiling when she woke up. She does not like being 
in a car seat. And she still likes to take walks.
Our Mooky has been a real issue. hollering, screaming, and
caring on when she sees the dog. We have been trying to pat the dog
and play with the dog so she can see us doing it. Today she reached
over and touched the dog and then went back and was patting her.
today mom delt with the melt down when dad told her "no". 

She was screaming and kicking her feet, etc. finally I said to her 
"Hrutuja you need to stop",  so said "no", I said yes",  then she started 
playing with the cars and trucks with me. she let me pick her up and I 
gave her a kiss without a complaint ?? Wow, this is different.
Then she walked around, touched the dog again and played 
play dough with Rohana for a while.  She is just amazing !

LAST DAYS

Tuesday
we were going to have breakfast at the India Grill
(The hotel restaurant) but Hrutuja was having a melt down so
 we decided to just get room service. We just played with Hrutuja
most of the morning. McDonald's f.f. and veg burger (they are ok)
for lunch. Dave went Back to the Embassy to get her Visa/Passport.
I started packing (needed to see how much room I had in the suitcase)
After Dave got back we walked the mall again, It's raining and very
cold out. Tried finding outfits for our two Indian Princesses but they
did not have size 6 outfits (must be the popular size?)  We can always
go to Boston and buy outfits there (it will cost more). oh, well.
I am starting to not feel well, I think I am just tired.
Wednesday
We got up @ 12:30 am to leave for the Airport. The New Delhi Police
dept. had a lot of road blocks up. Now starts a long security checks.
Our plane left late because they could not get clearance from London ??
All three of us dozed off and on for the first three to hours. Still a long
flight. When we finally landed in London we sat on the landing strip for
one hour.(our hop is two hours, so we have two hours to make it to our
next plane) The Captain said there was freezing fog/drizzle so we had no
place to park yet and that some flights were being cancelled like the one
to JFK, (OH, NO NOT THE US !!) we are flying into Boston.
If our flight gets cancelled we can not leave the airport because Hrutuja 
has an Indian passport and she does not have our last name yet !!!
Once we were off the plane we found out our flight was still going to
happen we had 40 min to take the buss to the other part of the Airport.
When we got to the gate Dave had to go thru yet another extensive
pat down/security check. all the other passengers were already on the
plane before they let us board. This flight was really hard. Hrutuja was
board and very tired. She fell asleep about 3 hours before Boston and
woke up an hour later and started to cry soo loud so we had to give in
and give her the sleep aid the Doc said to give her so she can rest.
She has been soo good.
We landed in Boston around 1 o'clock and would hopefully catch the
the 2 O'clock bus to NH, then drive home.
Done with Immigration around 1:40 and went to get our luggage,(ha, ha)
guess what is still in LONDON ? So we had to fill out the form and run to
the bus stop we were there @ 1:53 but the bus did not show up til 2:30 and
there was only 3 seats and 6 people waiting, luckily they had a back up
bus waiting so we had to transfer at the next stop.   Woo Hoo, HOME
Hrutuja was not afraid of anyone (just mooky) thanks to skpe and photo books.
We received a tracking number for our luggage and they said " It will be
delivered between 6 - 11 pm". We are soo tired I hope it is early. Dave stayed
up til 12:30 and fell asleep. The phone rang around 1:45 AM they forgot
to drop it off earlier.

This child is amazingly brave ! Truely a Blessing.

God is so amazing!   When we started this adoption we still owed money for
our first adoption. Dave was wondering where the money would come from for 
this one and I kept saying "FAITH, If God wants this to happen , he will provide.
And provide he did (grants and OT for Dave) Looking at our charges for our trip
it looks like we are FULLY FUNDED !! and the first adoption is also PAID IN FULL !!

ADOPTION ROCKS !! 

MONDAY

Daddy was up during the night...not feeling to good. He can't keep
anything down

EMBASSY DAY !!!     A lot of praying going on.

We finally got to the front desk around 8 am. We asked for a hotel
driver because Dave is sick and can't deal with drivers who over
charge or can't find the address. hRU decides she was going to have
a melt down while we were waiting.....you want to see people scramble
just let a child start crying,,
On the way to the Embassy in the median strip saw a little one, no diaper
or shoes just a jacket on and her brother (maybe 4 years old) standing in the
road close to the cars waiting  at a red light. A gentle man in the car next
to us got out of his car and talked to the boy and went over and sat the baby
down so she could not fall into the road.     Pullin on my heart strings

We do not have a cell phone so our driver gave us his extra one to call
him when we were done. Got right in @ 8:30,we were told that the
passport photo fo hRU has to be a white back ground !! so we will need
to get photo done again ?*#!   we left the Embassy aorund 10. Our driver
found the place right away.. got that done in 5 min. So we went back to the
Embassy to drop off the photos and they told Dave to have a seat because
they can not find the file ???       STILL PRAYING !! 
The driver and I were wondering why it was taking so long. They told
Dave to come back tomorrow @ 3 pm to get the passport/visa

Thanking God all the way back to the hotel for helping us get thru
this morning. I gave Dave a probotic pills this morning and he has held
that down so now he gets a Cipro.

Bubbles while daddy napped

 

SUNDAY

hRU and I were the late sleepers today. YAY
I borrowed Nathans travel Bible to bring with me. hRU picked it
up and was turning the pages and found the family photo I put in there
and got excited and was pointing to faces and smiling.

Before today hRU hardly cried or was upset. She kept all her belongings
in her backpack that the RIPA gave her. she would take something out
and play with it and put it back when she was done. Today she put her
stuff in a drawer. We have kept snacks around for anytime she wants
one (choc. cookies,chips,p.crackers,...food is comfort)  Today she is
saying no to somethings. We also had to start using the NO word
when she decided to jump on the bed or swing her balloon stick at
daddy and turning the light off and on 20 times in 20 seconds.
Little melt down are happening because of correcting her or not
letting her do it  herself.
This adoption has been totally different experience with bonding
and grieving. This child is so brave. She does let me hold her
when she is crying.

This morning we went to the hotel business office to print out the
appointment letter from the Embassy (the Doc asked for it)
Hru wanted to go out the door that the outside pool is at, so we
did. she put her feet in the hot tub. we went back to the room and
put swim suits on and played in the hot tub for a few mins.



 

SATURDAY

Well it was a lay around morning.
The doctor at the Med Center said to come back Saturday @ 11:30
and the Doc who administered the TB test said 12:15. We got down to the
front desk around 11 and was told it would take 20-25 min. for a car so we
waited. hRU was getting impatient because she wanted to go for a car ride.
So she was crying while we were waiting....chocolate !

I think our driver name was Jeff Gordon or Jimmy Johnson, he was flying
thru traffic, hRU was holding on tight.. We were on the South side of the
street instead of North side. We finally got to the Med Center on the North side
at 12:30. We found the Lab to read hRU arm them they sent us down stairs
to Immigration, the room was full and smelled of sweat.The Doc handed Dave the
paper work for a different child. Got that cleared up quick The doc came over to
check her arm again then the doc told Dave to run upstairs to get the paperwork
photo copied because it would take forever if he doesn't. So after an hour and half
we had our paperwork and were on our way back to the hotel with Jeff/Jimmy.

We had Subway for lunch.. I was thinking while eating it's not the same.
Domino's(no garlic crust, Dunks( no flavor shots), Subway (no Ital. herb+cheese)
The thought of American food almost makes you think it's good but It's not
what we are use to in America maybe I am getting home sick.

we walked the three malls again because hRU enjoys being outside.
Daddy bought her a heart balloon.

we enjoyed skyping with the children @ home after dinner (India time)
Hru has a photo album with everyones picture in it so she reconized them
and kept smiling at everyone. The children at home watched her play bubbles
with daddy.




 

SLEEP

I actually slept 7 hours strait.
Maybe because I went shopping last night, it really relaxed me. (jk)
We are up way to early to do anything in India. Shops do not open until
10 and the mall does not open until 11. Really they open when the
owner/worker decides to get there.
We noticed that 95% of  store workers are male and that when you stop
 to look at something you have 5 people by your side immediately to help you.

So we just hung out in the room until 10 and walked around all three
mall buildings. hRU loves to be outside (no dogs in her sight).
Had Thai/Indian food for lunch ....HOT !!!
Went out for Ice cream while our room got cleaned (yes,before dinner)
I think my body wants to get some of the sleep it has lost.


 

AMAZING DAY

Last night we remembered that we needed to get passport photos of hRU.
So we asked at the front desk about an one hour photo shop and got
a name of a place. This morning we were a little stressed about getting
the one hour photo and being at our appointment @ the Med Center @ 11.
After breakfast we got ready and took a taxi to the shop which we could
not find and the cabie said that shops do not open until 10 am !@#?
We went back to our hotel (it's only 9 am here).We will try again @ 10.
at 10 we went down and ended up with a hotel driver for the afternoon !!!
When we got to the photo shop @10:15, they were not open yet ??
But there was another photo shop close by and they were open, YES!!
And the one hour photo only took 15 mins !!! awesome
We were 10 mins. early for our appointment at the Med Center but the
Doc. did not come in until 11:45. ( deja vu,with Rohanas adoption,
the Doc came in late and I held a crying child way to long)
Did I also say that I forgot to remind Dave that he needed to bring 1870 Rupees
to pay for this Medical visa interview (thankfully he had enough on him)
We also forgot to bring her huge medical file but we had the most current update.
What we thought was going to turn into a aweful day turned out pretty
amazing. Us girls had ice cream before lunch today and Dominos
pizza and soda..........DUNKS COFFEE !!!!!

hRu started interacting with daddy today, she let him help her out of the car .
They played ball, toys, coloring.  A couple days ago I thought since I am the
security than daddy needs to be the giver of chocolates and food.

We also discovered today that she does not like dogs !!


 

SILENT TREATMENT

Today we are checking out to go to New Delhi.
hRU decided to have different foods again today.
After breakfast we started to get our stuff together.
Another game of kick ball and coloring and reading books.
Checking out was easy, I pointed the water garden out to hRu
and her eyes got big and she shook her head no.  But she pointed to
outside, she wanted to go outside.  The taxi ride to the airport was
quiet and she kept looking out the window. After getting thru security
we decided to eat lunch, well mom thought the food was tooo hot and
said "wait" to hRU and I got the silent treatment, she would not look at me.
About 10 Min's later I gave her a chocolate and she decided to forgive me
and wanted my Dominoes pizza instead of  her rice and Dal.
The plane ride was a little scary on take of but she did well.
We are just amazed at her.
On the plane she said "chocolate" and "apple".
We walked around the mall (yes, mall) for about an hour or so.
hRu saw a lolly pop and pointed to it so I asked "do you want one?' and she
shook her  head" yes." We also had to pay a hefty price for some Hersey's
miniatures (600 INR). We need chocolates. Are you concerned about all the
chocolate she gets? hRU has beautiful teeth and a beautiful smile.
Us parents are really tired because we are not sleeping good so bed @
8pm here in India.





 

CHOCOLATE

After skyping we went down to breakfast. hRU did
not want some of the foods we were told she likes?
The hostess asked "did you adopt her ?" we said "yes"
then she was all excited for us and let us know that at
this age kids get lots of chocolates and guess what arrived
at our table a bowl of chocolates !

The cooks cooked her a Mickey Mouse pancake with choc
 eyes and mouth, yum !
 My first sip of coffee suprised me, instant coffee !?*#
After breakfast we went back to our room.   Throwing  the
beach ball turned into a kick ball game. hRu was smiling
and laughing. I am so amazed at her bravery and she has
shown us her playful side. She totally enjoyed coloring with
daddy. We were told she loves going to school.

At lunch time we went down to the coffee shop to see what
they had and the hostess gave hRU  white choc bark with almonds.
Then coloring pages and crayons. She started talking to hRu about the
doggie (security dog). hRu was looking out the window and then
she said something about sharing her chocolate?? (half in English
and half in Marathi ?   hRU started to cry and daddy picked her
up which sent her into a melt down. So we went back to our room
and ordered room service. Now she is shut down to dad but we have
a plan to try to turn that around.
Anxious to see what today will bring from our little Blessing.

Made from towels for our little princess.




 

BRAVE

At some point my body will crave the sleep I just can not seem get.
I was wide awake at 1am India time after a 5 hour power nap anxiously
waiting to skype the children back at home at 5 am India time.

After enjoying a buffet breakfast we inquired about a car/taxi for our
drive to the RIPA later. Finding out that a regular taxi is less Rupees
than the hotel car and when we told the gentleman that we are adopting
a girl from that RIPA he put his hand to his heart and was excited for us.
He found us a driver for even less and he waited for us and drove us back
and talked to Hrutuja when she started crying and she stopped right away.

She is such a brave little girl. She has cried some but I have been able to
comfort her and she stops. It was said that she is a talker but we have not
heard any yet. I started using the sign language with the words
that we learned for Rohana and I an getting head nods for answers.
Progress and she is letting both of us feed her.

feeling so blessed.
 

INDIA

We are here in India. Long plane ride !!
When we stepped off the plane the sights and smells
were just as I remembered them. I love India !!
We will meet the little princess tomorrow.

Really missing my children who are back in maine.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME.