Well it has been a few stressful days with court being delayed, rescheduling flights, and missing our children in Michigan, but even in stressful times you can find blessings from God…
On the day we were supposed to fly out we had a great visit with Asher. He is starting to imitate us more by doing things like, saying “Hi” and waving, give a high five, say “tickle – tickle” while trying to tickle you, and the best thing he is doing is giving kisses! These milestones might seem small to a parent who has had a child since birth but for our little guy, who has been in the baby house for 2 years plus, this is huge. These kids do not get individual attention and adding all the time we have spent with him it adds up to less than 2 full days. If we would have gone home on Wednesday we would have not seen these milestones, but we were blessed in spite of the disappointment of not going home… We cannot wait to get him home and see how much he grows with his siblings.
On the day we were supposed to fly out we had a great visit with Asher. He is starting to imitate us more by doing things like, saying “Hi” and waving, give a high five, say “tickle – tickle” while trying to tickle you, and the best thing he is doing is giving kisses! These milestones might seem small to a parent who has had a child since birth but for our little guy, who has been in the baby house for 2 years plus, this is huge. These kids do not get individual attention and adding all the time we have spent with him it adds up to less than 2 full days. If we would have gone home on Wednesday we would have not seen these milestones, but we were blessed in spite of the disappointment of not going home… We cannot wait to get him home and see how much he grows with his siblings.
Today we had our court hearing and it went very well. Their court sessions are held in small rooms with 3 desks in them; one for the judge, one for the prosecutor, and one for the secretary. In our session we did not have a prosecutor which is a good thing, which means fewer questions. Jay spoke on behalf of us and did a great job giving the judge our family history, why we chose Kazakhstan, and the reasons we want to adopt. The judge’s main questions were you have 3 kids why do you want another??? Families here are quite small and she probably thinks we are nuts!!!! We explained that our family is not complete and we feel strongly a little 2yr old guy is missing. After we said our part she dismissed us to go over the documents and make a decision. She approved the adoption, but did not wave the fifteen day waiting period for any potential family to object, so as of October 8th Asher Douglas Straw is legally our new son. He has been in the baby house since birth and no relative has surfaced so we think we are safe. After the court session we had our picture taken with the judge and he asked for a hug, she was taken back a little, but if you know Jay he is a hugger and she obliged. Jay and I did get emotional knowing that we have finally got to this point in the process after a year long paper trail and a month in country our family will be complete when we get Asher home on October 20th. 
We could have never gotten this far without everyone’s prayers, support from friends and family, patience from our children, and God’s grace!
On another side not we will be home 2 days earlier as we were on stand by for Saturday…Yes Blessing seems to be all around us and we are so Thankful!!!
So we are looking forward to seeing our children in Michigan, sleeping in our bed and if you know me a starbucks coffee…
Blessings,
Jay and Jen
1 comment:
Hello Straws - I am so happy for you guys. In looking back through the pictures you've posted, you have made such a difference in Asher's life in just a short time. His smiles have gotten so much brighter and I notice a cute twinkle in his eyes.
We are scheduled to leave October 6th. Presentation will be of Leidy will be October 9th. We can hardly stand the waiting.
I can't wait to see you and hear more about your experiences. I will pray for the time to fly before you have to go back to Kaz to bring him home to his Forever Family.
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