Blowin' off the dust

Yikes! This is really getting out of hand!! Two months since the last post?!?! I can hardly believe it.

A lot has happened in the last handful of months, and maybe some day ill type about it all, or maybe you'll have to wait for the book that Chad has insistently reminded me I am meant to write.

How about we start with the adoption updates, since that is why you are really here anyway. :)

Since the last post, we blew through the December court date with a cancelation. 6th hearing was scheduled in late January. We really thought that was going to be the one. Our Power of Attorney had been able to confirm with the Judge who was filling in 2 days a week in our district. Multiple confirmations were made including on the day before our hearing.  Our POA drove the long and bumpy road to pick up Kwe and our attorney made a 2 hour drive to be there. All just to be told that the Judge left to attend a funeral.

~ enter long and dramatic sigh ~

So, our 7th hearing is now scheduled for February 25, which is interestingly enough, the day we chose as his birthday. He will be 5 (ish) and "celebrating" another year with no recognition, no party, no cake and no family.

It's getting harder to be excited about each new hearing. Its much easier to be cynical. I think to myself, "what possible reason will we hear next?"

On a much happier note, we made the tough decision to travel to Ghana in March.  I say it was tough because we had to weigh out the pro's and cons of how it could effect Kwe. He may have forgotten about us by now. Ignorance is bliss, right? We certainly dont want him to begin thinking we are just weird people who pop in and out of his life a couple times a year. With the help of our adoption caseworker we decided that the opportunity to bond, explain and build a connection always trumps the fear of confusion and uncertainty. We will remind him of who we are and what his future holds.

We also made the decision partly on timing. Flights are cheap this time of year because it's their summer (heeeelloooo 90 degrees and sunshine!) and we have been fortunate to make some connections that will keep the rest of the travel costs very low. I also have significant vacation time saved from the last couple years and if I dont use it by the end of September I will lose it.

Lastly, it will have been 8 months since we were there and we miss it. Greatly. We miss Kwe the most and his adorable little face, and his selfless heart and his tiny hands. But there are a lot of other things we miss too: The beautiful, peaceful, welcoming people, and the smell of Ghana (impossible to describe), the food, the history and culture...we just miss it all. We feel it calling to us. Getting louder.

Now that we committed and booked the flight we are beyond excited! I seriously cant wait. I think about it every 10 minutes (or more frequently).  We plan to stay in Accra, the capitol and explore on our own. We are becoming confident travelers and have talked to enough people that we believe we can navigate the city without a guide. We will be mindful of common safety concerns and ever aware of our surroundings but we wont let fear hold us back. Our POA will still assist us in visiting the orphanage and we will probably hire a private driver for a few outings but we are boldly going to the art market and the grocery store and the beach. We want to see some new things!

There is so much to do! Orphanage donations to collect, lodging and travel plans to make, lots of things to wrap up here... Time to get on it!!! Kwe doesnt even know what's about to him!