Samuel- We're coming SOON!

Zoom Zoom

On Monday September 15th we received the news we have been eagerly waiting for- Travel Approval! The following day we received a confirmed Consulate appointment of October 22nd which means that- We will be leaving Thursday October 9th for China and be reunited with Samuel on October 13th! On October 24th we will return to the US and Samuel will become an American citizen!

The last two months were hard, but thankfully the waiting is almost over. We are busy getting everyone's rooms completed. We remodeled 3 kids bedrooms over the past few months so that all the kids were in the correct rooms. Not an easy task! We are just putting the finishing touches on Samuel's room and trying to find cheap furniture for the older boys who gave up their furniture for little brother. IKEA Merriam, KS could not have opened at a more perfect time! The older boys are loving their new IKEA loft bed. Now they need a dresser to put their clothes in!

Eating his dinner
with his family

We received some wonderful pictures this week of Samuel and his friends. We sent him a care package with a book of photos of our family and a video of us telling him how much we love him and can't wait to meet him (in Chinese.) Apparently it was a big hit! One of Anna's nannies saw the video and was so excited to see Anna again. It is going to be such a joy to be reunited with these wonderful women who have loved on and cared for our China Blessings. Samuel was so excited that he wouldn't put our photo down even to eat his dinner.

One video we received brought tears of joy to my eyes! I haven't talked a lot about Samuel's special need. Some of you may not even know that he has a disability. His special need is that he can't bend his elbows. His elbows are able to bend, but there is nerve damage or some problem that causes him not to be able to bend them himself. 

Enjoying his photo book

The doctors really don't have a diagnosis yet because it is a rare issue. When he was an infant his hands and arms were completely stiff. Now under the loving care of the nannies at Swallows Nest he is able to use his hands and wrists but he still can't get his elbows to bend. Of course this poses difficulty in eating and other activities, but in the scheme of special needs we feel that he will be just fine and believe that therapy and adaptive equipment will help him lead a very normal life. We received several photos like the one above showing him feeding himself with a long handled spoon. Just like Anna, he has learned how to just "make things work."

So back to the video. It is a video of him Throwing a Ball! If you can't bend your elbow how can you throw a ball? Well watch as gravity gives him the little bit of help he needs. Here is the link.

http://youtu.be/8LR-UjnawOY 

I am not sure I can express how absolutely thrilled I am to have this precious boy really, finally, permanently become a part of our family and a part of our home. He's going to be loud and active and everything a little boy should be. I love looking in on his bedroom knowing that he will be playing in there soon. I love knowing that God performed a miracle to bring this precious boy into our home. I love knowing that God watched over him for two long years and that I can trust Him to help Samuel and our family to adjust and bond to each other. After two years of praying FOR him every night we will finally be able to pray WITH him. Watching my child grow up in pictures for two years has been one of the most heart wrenching things I have ever had to do as a mother. I had to lay him on the altar just like Jacob did with Isaac and Hannah did with her Samuel. I am so thankful that God has chosen to give him back to me to raise as my own son. He will always belong to God, but on October 13, 2014 I will FINALLY become his mother.