JOH Banned in RMI

I'm passing along the following information, as it was posted on the RMI Yahoo group, just in case anyone who is in process with JOH (Journeys of the Heart- the agency we used) is reading this and has not yet been informed (apparently, JOH has yet to personally contact all RMI families with this information).  Please keep in mind that I have no idea what is going on, and cannot answer any questions.  If you already read this on the RMI board, then you know as much as I do.  I can only advise you to get your JOH coordinator on the phone ASAP.

(I inserted the link to LSSMN's website below, but their coordinator's contact info can also be found on the RMI list) 

My thoughts are with the families whose adoptions may now be in limbo.  I remember that horrible place all too well.  I pray that all will work out for the best...

"This message is from the RMI Central Adoption Authority:

The RMI Adoption program continues at full stride and is very healthy. However, Journeys of the Heart Adoption agency of Hillsboro, Oregon (JOH) has been banned while the CAA investigates various issues regarding JOH. Currently the Lutheran Social Service of Minnesota adoption agency (LSSMN) is approved, and has been approved for processing adoptions from the RMI.


The CAA will process to completion the 12 JOH dossiers that are in the Republic of the Marshall Islands now, but will not accept any more dossiers from JOH. Contrary to what was claimed on various authoritative websites, the Adoptions Act of 2002 (P.L. 2002-64) never named JOH as the only agency allowed to do adoptions in the RMI. The Adoptions Act of 2002 allows any state-licensed agency to approach the CAA. However, the CAA first conducts a due diligence investigation of the agency before accepting dossiers from them. LSSMN has passed that due diligence process and the CAA is accepting dossiers from them. The CAA may add more agencies, but in a very careful manner, to avoid unethical agencies from adopting from the RMI.


Again, let me stress that the Central Adoption Authority in the Republic of the Marshall Islands is strong and healthy and continues to operate."

So... What IS he, exactly?

I've been home only a week and The Question has already been asked several times. I knew it was coming, I just wasn't expecting an onslaught.

Um... I was just wondering...what do you call him?
We call him Sam.

No, I mean, like... Is Sam Asian... or what?
No, Sam is not Asian. You could call him a Pacific Islander, I guess, but he's not from an Asian country, so it wouldn't make sense to call him Asian, would it?

But is he, like... I mean, Biracial or Hispanic, or something?
He is definitely something.

So, is your baby Samoan, then?
Ummm, no. If he had been born in Samoa, with Samoan geneology, he would be Samoan. He was born in the Marshall Islands (RMI), and is of Marshallese descent, which makes him Marshallese. The Samoan Islands are actually closer to Fiji than to the Marshalls.

Is that, like, some kind of Hawaiian?
(Oh, Precious Lord, help me please.) I'm not familiar enough with Hawaii and its culture to know how many kinds of Hawaiian there are, but... No. Sam is not "some kind of Hawaiian." He is some kind of Marshallese. There are similarities in appearance, I guess, to Hawaiians, Samoans, and other Pacific Islanders, and they are all located in the Pacific, but Sam is (flippin') Marshallese. It's really not that hard, it's just unfamiliar to you. Let's attack it from this direction... If you were born in Japan, and your parents were of Japanese ancestry, you would be called Japanese... Yes? So, it's the same thing.

Wait, I don't want to cause any confusion... Sam is not Japanese.

The Marshall Islands are in/a part of Guam, right?
No. Guam is a separate place... In anticipation of your next question, I'd like to add that the Philippines are also a separate place. And, as previously established (I hope), Samoa is a separate place. The RMI is actually closer to being part of Micronesia than it is to being part of Guam, but it is its own country.

I'm really not irritated, and I hope I'm not coming off as offensive- I'm just having a little fun with you. I know lots of people have never heard of the Marshall Islands, and have no idea where they are, so I expect questions and I honestly don't mind (as long as you don't get all obnoxious on me).

So, here's the deal:
Sam was born in the Marshall Islands. His birth family is Marshallese. He is Marshallese (specifically, he is from Majuro, the capital atoll (island) in the Ratak chain of the Marshall Islands. The pop. in Majuro is approx. 25,000 and the island is less than 5 square miles).


To recap: He is from the Marshall Islands and he is Marshallese. He is a Pacific Islander. He is not Samoan, Hawaiian, Filipino, or Guamanian.

And yes, by the way, he is an American.

He is also gorgeous. He is loved. He is my precious, gift from God. My sweetie-pie. My beautiful little lamb.

Not to be a total smart*$$, but this... is a map. I'm told these are widely available on that World Wide Web thing, and they show you the locations of places. They are amazingly helpful little things. Sometimes they are flat, and sometimes they can even be round. The round ones are called Orbs, I believe. Or maybe Globs... Something like that.

Homeward Bound

It's Wednesday morning here. We picked up Sam's paperwork yesterday, and we're flying out tonight at 8:00 pm. That's 3:00 am Wednesday CST for those in the U.S., so pray for us before you go to bed and when you wake up, if you happen to think of us, please! Pray both for traveling safety and for Mr. Sam's attitude on the flights. He doesn't like to be stuck sitting still for long. We know your prayers will make a difference. Thanks!

Our first flight is to Honolulu and will be approx. 4.5 hrs., then overnight in Hono. Next flight out is the next day at 3:15 pm from Hono to Atlanta (around 8 hrs., I think), then from Atlanta to KC. Should arrive in KC around 10:00 am Thursday, then a 3 hr. drive home!! Once I get home and have decent internet, I'll be able to update and post pics much better. Maybe after a nap.

Almost There

I'm running out of Wi-Fi minutes again, but I just wanted to quickly share our good news. It looks like we may be able to come home next Wednesday. Our paperwork is on the way back and will hopefully make it here by Monday. If so, we'll pick it up on Tuesday and be able to make our originally scheduled flight on Wednesday, which will put us back at home on Thursday, May 28th!! Keep us in your prayers! I'll make up for all the posts I've missed after I get back home. After all, I'll have tons of time on my hands. It's not like a seventh child will keep me busy, or anything...

Marshallese Music

Sam's cousin, Jeremiah (the boy on the right, in the red shirt), came by tonight for a visit. He brought a friend and his ukulele, so we asked for a Marshallese song. We were blessed with two! These videos may be a little hard to hear- the boys were shy, but so sweet. Hope you enjoy them! That's Evan's smarty-pants voice you'll hear telling the boys to repeat the whole thing in English. He thinks he's funny. I don't know where he gets that.

Fine, but... Not

Just a couple pictures today- I’m trying to save on Wi-Fi minutes and get all my photos uploaded to Flickr, instead of uploading them there, here, and attaching them to emails. I’ll put a slideshow up on the blog, then they’ll all be in one place.

Obviously, I have to show one of my handsome little man, who can sit up so big and strong all by himself… until his big ole’ head tips to one side and he falls over. I defy you to find a cuter child. Of course, I could be a tiny bit biased.

This one is of a crazy guy here. I mean as in honestly and truly crazy- schizophrenia (from what I’ve been told); the poor thing. If you zoom in closely, you see he has a white plastic fork in his hat, a knife under his arm, and a dust pan attached to his waist. He is literally prepared for any situation. I guess we could have a discussion on the ethics of posting pics of crazy people on one’s blog, but my intentions are not to make fun of him, I promise. I have a story to share about him, and you really have to see him to get the full impact. He approached us (me, Darrell, Evan, Kate- another mom here- and our two babies) the other day as we were going into a store (that’s when Evan snapped the photo).
Plastic Fork Dude said, “Are these children yours?”
Darrell said yes.
Plastic Fork Dude goes, “Did you get them from Dr. Something-or-other (I don’t remember the name)? From www dot may bach dot com?
Darrell said no.
Do you know what a maybach is?
Kate said, “… … ...No…”
Plastic Fork Dude said, “It’s a high-end Mercedes Benz.”

Oh...

Then the store guy came along and told the man to leave, so he walked away.
Inside the store, Darrell said, “I had no idea you could get kids online now. I wonder if you get free shipping.”
Later, Evan Googled May Bach and found that it really is a Mercedes, so Plastic Fork Dude knows his fine automobiles.

Anyway... we’re still here, still hot and sweaty, and still fine, although I’m throwing myself a little pity party today.

Kate (from Howdthatgo) got to go home last night, so we are now down to two moms on the island (including me). I’m going to miss her. It’s funny how quickly you can become friends with someone when you’re both away from home and thrown into the same situation. She kept me busy and definitely kept me laughing… and she always made fun of my husband while he was here, which was a nice bonus. How could I not love her, even if only for that? As much as I’ll hate to be without her, I’m so happy for her to be going home and I wish her all the best.

Darrell left last Wednesday and got home Thursday. He’s pretty tired, but glad to be home. I feel like half of me is missing, but that’s probably just because… well… half of me is missing. That idiot is my best friend. This is the longest I’ve been away from home, and by the time I get back, it will be the longest Darrell and I have ever been apart (I was only in China for 12 days). I’ve been Skyping home, so at least I get to see everyone’s faces, but still… I’m getting pretty homesick. We are into Week Four here. Our paperwork is into its second week in Manila, so we probably have two weeks remaining here. I love the people I’ve met here, but I’m so, so ready to get back home.

We’re getting ready to go to dinner. It’s Taco Tuesday at our hotel’s restaurant… the high point of my week.

More later.

In Lieu of a Card...

First, Happy Mother’s Day to all of you, especially to my mom, birth mother, and mother-in-law. As we all know, I’m no Martha Stewart, so I didn’t buy Mother’s Day cards before we left to send out to any of you. In other words, Moms, this is the only Mother’s Day acknowledgement you’re getting from us this year. No flowers. No candy. Don't sit all day staring forlornly out the window, waiting for a delivery man. He ain't comin'. Lame, I know. Actually I did give you one more grandchild, so that’s not too bad.

Secondly, do I even have any readers left? I’ve been terrible about posting and I’m imagining many of you are jumping ship.

I do have a good excuse for not blogging. Really. The free Wi-Fi here isn’t all that great- it’s either too slow, or it’s down altogether, so we have to buy internet minutes. One hundred minutes for $10.00. That seems like a lot of minutes, until three people start trying to use the computer. We Skype home and check our email, and before you know it, the minutes are gone and I never got to post to the blog. Skype has been wonderful, by the way- for those of you who may be traveling and wonder how well it works. Soon, I’m going to do a post for any waiting RMI families (are there any of you out there?) including a packing list, what you need and DON’T need, etc.- Everything I wish I would have known before coming. So if you are adopting from the Marshalls or know someone interested in the program, you may want to watch for that one.

Now, onto what we’ve been up to lately and then we’ll get to what you really want… the pictures.

In my last post, I told you the boys were both sick. Evan is now fine. It was NOT parasites, just a viral thing (Thank God). The baby is better, but is still on antibiotics. I caught a chest cold and lost my voice for a couple days, but am starting to feel better. Darrell is great.

Our documents were sent out last Wednesday and just arrived in Manila where they will be processed. Most families’ paperwork has been taking approx. two weeks in Manila, then about another week to travel back here, so we could be looking at another three weeks here- although we pray Every.Single.Day that it will be shorter. Every.Single.Day. Join us, won’t you? Please? I’m seriously begging God that each person who handles our paperwork will feel an urgency to process it and move it along to its next destination, and that it won’t spend time uselessly sitting on someone’s desk.

Darrell is leaving next Wednesday (the 13th) and will get back home on Thursday, for which my mother is shouting with glee, I’m sure. Evan, Mr. Sammy Davis Junior and I will be here the rest of the time, sweating and waiting, waiting and sweating… although, I have yet to see a single bead of sweat on either one of my boys. It’s just me. The only sweaty person in all of Majuro. These Marshallese women have enough hair on their heads for four people and it grows down to their butt cracks. You’d think they’d be hot. But, no. No sweat. Nary a drip. Only the fat, white woman sweats. If you come to our hotel and ask, “Where does the white lady live?” The reply will be, “Which one? The pretty one? Or the sweaty one?”

The first pics are from an area here called Rita. This is not me wading in the water, by the way... It is an actual pig.

Last Friday was Constitution Day here, so we spent most of the day watching the festivities. There was a “parade,” which basically consisted of every school class, business, and government authority walking down the street. Then, there were speeches, mostly in Marshallese, lots of singing, dancing, and food, and fireworks that night. I got burnt to a crisp, even though we sat under a covered area all day. White chicks… you can’t take them anywhere.

Please notice my boys' matching shorts. So cute, it's sickening.



Last Sunday, we were invited by our attorney to attend his church and then went back to his home for lunch. After that, he took us out to a place called “Mile 17,” which is basically the halfway point on the island. It was a really pretty area.

Sam had his first dip in the ocean there.

We got to meet Sam’s grandparents a couple days ago (I'll get a picture of that up next time). We had them over for lunch, and they are both very sweet people. The next day, Sam’s aunt came for a visit, and then came back again yesterday with her husband and son. We’ve had a few meetings with Sam’s birth mom, but don’t know how much contact we’ll continue to have. Out of respect for Sam’s privacy, I won’t go into any details about his birth mom’s story, other than to say we have not had the experience we had hoped for with her, although the rest of her family members have been truly wonderful people, and we look forward to forging an ongoing relationship with them. Things could always improve with the birth mom, too, of course- and we’re hoping and praying for that.

Today, Darrell and Evan are going to an outer island for snorkeling. If you know me, you know I don’t do boats or water activities very well… Haha. I said “very well,” as if I do them at all. Gosh, I’m funny. I do not do water activities. I do not swim. I hear fat people supposedly float, but I don’t want to be the one to test that theory. I’ll ride on a pontoon on the lake (with my life jacket on the whole time, and asking my kids if their life jackets are tightened up enough, but that’s the height of my Xtreme Sporting Adventures). What a pansy. I wear nose clips in the shower. I’m in one of the best snorkeling spots on earth and I am afraid of water. Funny.

Onto the best topic of today’s post: Sammy Davis Junior. He is truly a joy. He's a very happy baby, until he gets sleepy. He can roll over already, and he's had two nights of sleeping straight through 'til morning (YEAH!). AND... He started sitting up by himself yesterday!

Sammy Davis Junior is not really what we named him. You knew that, right?

Here’s a funny story, though… One of the things you agree to do in the RMI program is retain some part of your baby’s given name somewhere in the name you choose for him. Fine. We had no problem with that whatsoever, and were really excited about incorporating his Marshallese name into the one we gave him. We imagined all these “Marshallese-sounding” names, if you know what I mean, and wondered what his mother would choose… We hoped it would have some really cool, significant meaning that would be a special link between him and his mama later in life.

She chose Junior. Seriously. My child’s first name is Junior.

Tonight we celebrated Mother’s Day (remember, we're a day ahead of you) with Sam’s foster family, who are the sweetest couple. They invited us into their home and served us a traditional Marshallese meal (I drank from a coconut, y’all!). They blessed us with gifts and made us feel so welcome. We love them and hope we’ll be able to stay in contact. If you’re in the RMI program and you’re child is in foster care, you have nothing to worry about. You're child will be blessed and loved.The foster parents' grandchildren were so happy to see "Junior" again.

More pictures to come... Hope you're all doing well. I'm missing my kids, our family and friends, and my blogs.

Details (long post)

Sorry, I haven’t been great about posting. We keep using up our internet minutes to check email and call home on Skype. This is going to be a long, long post- since I’m going to type it in Word to save time and paste it all into one post- basically smooshing about 3-4 posts into one. I’m soooo sorry for that, but it’s the easiest way to do this. I’ll try to make them shorter from here on out. If you’re not interested in the details, skip to the bottom to see a short clip of the baby “talking.” I’ll try to get some more pictures up tomorrow.

First and foremost, I’ll say that I’ve already learned something important about myself on this trip…

I sweat more than EVERY OTHER PERSON ON EARTH.

It’s absolutely disgusting how much I sweat. I’m shocked that a person can lose that much water and not pass out. I’m embarrassed everywhere I go. People stare and point.

Okay, that last part was a bit of an exaggeration, but I can see it in their eyes- they would like to stare and point.

That’s pretty much it. That’s the valuable life lesson. I’m a sweaty hog. Big, ole, fat, sweaty, sweaty Kansas hog right here.

Have I mentioned it is honestly hotter than Hell here? I’m pretty sure someone checked and it is a documented fact. Hotter than Hell. Yet, I’m the only one with sweat dripping off my face. Go figure. As always, I know how to make a lasting impression, even though it is rarely the impression I had hoped to make.

Anyhoo… That’s not what you came here to hear, I’m guessing. We’re all fine. The adoption is finalized and now we just play the waiting game. I’ve got a day-by-day report below, for those interested in how the whole process played out, but the short version is that the baby has been with us and officially ours since Monday (Sunday to you in the US), his immigration documents have been sent, and now we can all just breathe easy, relax, and enjoy the culture while we wait for his documents to be processed.

Evan and Sam both got pretty sick and yesterday was really, really rough for all of us, but they’re better today- More about that below.

Darrell will be with us for about one more week, and then the three of us will be on our own, waiting for the immigration packet to get back.

The scenery here is beautiful, but lots and lots of poverty. This is definitely not a resort town, or vacation-y, touristy type of destination, but of course we knew that going in. There are some people who come here for the fishing, so it’s a vacation spot to some. We met a really colorful Australian man here to fish.

The food’s good (you know it always comes back to the food with me). Lots of Chinese, and it’s easy to find Western food, too. Our room is comfortable. We have A/C and a balcony, and it’s a short walk down to the water.

Here’s the run-down of what’s been going on here each day:
Thurs. April 23
2:00 a.m.- Got up and left for Kansas City to be there by 5:00 for 7:00 am flight. Arrive in Minneapolis at 8:30. Leave Minn. at 11:30 am for Los Angeles- Two hour layover there.

3:00 pm- Fly from L.A. to Honolulu. Arrive there around 5:30 pm (Obviously, there is a time difference. It is not a two hour flight). Check into hotel and spend the night. Get up early again on Friday the 24th, to be at the airport for 7:00 am flight to Majuro. Arrive in Majuro a little after 10:00 am on Saturday, April 25.

Total flying time: 17:45, split over two days and four flights.

Saturday
Our facilitator, Maddy (who is WONDERFUL!) met us at the airport with her two little girls who had a lei for each of us, made by the birth mom of our traveling companion’s baby. We got checked into our hotel, and had an hour or two before meeting our babies. We meet the two other adopting families here… Matt, we’re missing you, already! We got to spend several hours with Sam before he went back to his foster parents (who are equally WONDERFUL!). During our time with the baby, Maddy took us to get his passport photos taken.

Sunday
We request another visit with Sam, and find out he’s been taken to the hospital for fever and vomiting before being brought to see us. We met Sam’s birth mom for the first time later that day. Later that night, we meet with our attorney, Gordon (the man is a SAINT), to start prepping for court.

Monday
We go to Gordon’s office to finish going over what will happen later that day in court, then we take our babies to the doctor for their physicals. Sam weighed 12 pounds, 13 ounces (he’s a tiny squirt. All the clothes I brought are too big). I didn’t get his length. I tell the doctor I’m concerned about the white gunk coming out of Sam’s eyes. He does nothing. We find out that Sam previously had pneumonia, which concerns us because he still has a cough and fever. The doctor says his lungs are fine. He then says something I’ve never, ever heard a doctor say before…

He asked, “Does he have one ball or two ball?” I said he has two. He gives me a skeptical look and wants to know if I’m sure. I suggest he check himself, since he clearly thinks I am not qualified to count two ball.

Am I sure? WTH? Buddy, I’ve had 6 sons go through my household. You can literally follow the bouncing balls down the hallway (much to my disgust… Oh. Hope you weren’t eating, or anything. Sorry about that). If I don’t know a two ball when I see one by now, I’ve learned nothing about motherhood and have no business having another boy.

So, doctors say “balls.” I was not aware. You learn something new every day.


Court is at 2:00 pm. We were told that court is the only thing that starts on time here in the islands. Everything else is on “Island Time,” meaning us Type A people will just have to adapt our impatient, anal ways.

Right before court, our birth mom and I change Sam into the outfit I brought for him, which he quickly poops all over, and spends the rest of court in a diaper, and wrapped in a blanket.

It is a real, formal hearing, not a formality, or ceremonial thing. Everyone is sworn in, like regular court. The judge comes in, we all rise, and the birth mother is called to the stand first. Most of the questions she is asked are to make sure she completely understands what she is doing and that she was not coerced in any way. I was sitting on pins and needles at this point, because she can still change her mind right up until the last minute. She didn’t. Obviously. (A little interesting tidbit about the Marshallese- Raising your eyebrows means “yes.” Our birth mother does this all the time. Gordon was telling us that he often has to remind the girls before court to SAY the word “YES,” instead of just raising their eyebrows.)

I’m called up there next. I’m horribly nervous, but trying to act like I’m not- because Gordon warned us that if the judge can see that you’re uncomfortable, he may be likely to ask you more questions. Yikes. No, thank you. Gordon questioned me. He touched on everything- the home study, finances, previous health and medical issues, my adoption, our family life, etc… EV-ER-Y-THING. After he was finished with me, the judge had only a couple questions for me, but they weren’t too bad. He was a really nice guy- originally from Minnesota, I believe.

Darrell is called up there last. He sounds nervous, and almost like he may start crying at any moment. Poor guy. His nerves were shot. We’re all on emotional overload.

When it was the judge’s turn to question Darrell, he zeroed in on some specific financial questions, regarding exact balances on certain accounts… Oh, crap. I handle all of that. Darrell answered wrong, looking at me the whole time, so I just spoke up and gave the information the judge needed. The judge goes, “Clearly, I’m asking the wrong person! You’re (meaning ME) still under oath!!” So, at least he had a sense of humor. He even asked Evan if he’d like to come up to the stand, just as a joke. So, it was all good.

Monday night, we rode out to the airport to see one of the dads off. We had barely met him, but he and his wife are just great people. You know how sometimes you can meet someone and you just know. That’s how we feel about these two. Anyway, it was sad to see him go, but happy that their adoption journey is that much closer to being finished and soon their family will be together back at home. We were approached there by a woman who turned out to be the sister of our birth mom, so we got pictures of Sam with one of his aunts. She seemed really nice and wanted our address, so that was neat.

(Speaking of riding to the airport… which I just was there a second ago… Were you paying attention? ...Just checking. We either walk or take cabs when we need to go somewhere. We are basically living on one long, skinny strip of land. In many places, you can easily see the water on each side of you. Very, very thin - is what I’m saying. I’m a pathetic ball-player, but I could easily throw a ball from one side of the island to the other in many areas. So, the traveling is mostly along the length of the island, not the width. Make sense? Cabs are everywhere and rides are $1.00 per person. Going all the way to the other end (like to the airport) is $5.00 per person, so it’s very reasonable and easy to get around. )

Tuesday
We go to get the baby’s birth certificate and passport in the morning (the passport was expedited, to be ready that same day), then we spend the rest of the day with our birth mom until it’s time for our immigration appointment at 3:00. That process was very different than it is for Vietnam adoptions. Since everything is dissected so carefully in court, there isn’t much left to go over in the “interview.” Again, the birth mom was asked if she understood everything, and that she made that choice freely and with full understanding. We really weren’t asked anything. We just made sure our documents were in order, and paid our fees. The immigration lady was very easy-going, and the whole thing felt really casual.

Tuesday night we had a really rough night with the boys. I’d been noticing Sam wasn’t feeling well, and he felt feverish here and there- but the scary thing was the goopy, white junk leaking out of his eyes. He would wake up with his poor little eyes matted shut. While trying to keep him happy late Tuesday night, Evan got up and started puking. That boy literally threw up more times than I can count. I’ve never seen someone keep heaving like that in my life, and y’all know how many babies I’ve raised. I’ve seen vomit. I know the flu. This was scary.

Wednesday
Darrell took the baby back to Dr. Two Ball, while I stayed in our room with Evan. Evan is adamant that he does NOT want to go to the Dr. and asks us to please give it a little more time because “he thinks he’s feeling better.” Have you seen that Monty Python movie where the old, half-dead guy is about to be thrown on a wagon of dead bodies, and he goes, “I’m feeling much better. I’d like to go for a walk”? That was Evan. Maybe he was worried (and rightfully so) the doctor would be more concerned with counting his gonads than treating his illness.

Darrell comes back with drops for the baby’s eyes, but that’s it. Nothing for the cough, congestion or fever, even though the Dr. said he may have an upper resp. infection. Crap.

Evan is NOT getting better (at least not to my satisfaction). He looked like a cadaver. He now says death would have been a welcome improvement.

Later that night, we have both boys looked at by a different doctor (from the hospital). She’s a sweetheart and does not ask me about anybody’s balls. I immediately like her for this alone, if for nothing else. She thinks it’s crazy that the baby hasn’t been given antibiotics, so she gives him Amox. and starts treating Evan for parasites, just in case it’s more than a viral thing. She acts like she gives a crap about the boys. Thank God. Now, I really, really like her.

Darrell also went out during the day to make copies of all our immigration docs and get them up to DHL.

Thursday (today)
Both boys seem to be feeling a little better. We’ve just been kind of hanging out and relaxing today and haven’t really even been out yet. It’s been nice. Our documents are on their way to Honolulu, then the Philippines to be processed and it will take several weeks to get them back. The last two families have been here closer to six weeks. We’re praying for shorter processing time, but preparing to be here a while.

Tomorrow is a big holiday here- Constitution Day. We should be able to get out and get lots of good pics. More later.

Here’s the short clip of Sam I promised:

I’m so in love with this boy. He’s such a happy, smiley little dude. He acts as if he’s known us forever. What a blessing!

Pictures! (lots and lots)

First views of the Marshalls, getting ready to land:
Coming into the airport in Majuro:
*Me with one of our traveling companions:
* Me and Evan right outside the airport:Our room:
The view from our balcony: View of the lagoon:
First glimpse of Sam, with his foster parents:
Meeting Sam:

My beautiful boy:

*Please note: The temperatures here are 8.5 degrees hotter than Hell. My hair is going to look like roasted armpit hair for the next six weeks. I will attempt to put on my makeup, but it will undoubtedly slide off my face before we can take a picture. I realize this will make for a slightly nauseating viewing experience for you. My apologies. There's nothing I can do.

Itty Bitty Update

I heard from a mom in Majuro today and she told me Sam is doing great! The foster mother is awesome and taking very good care of him. What a HUGE answer to prayer! Since the time I heard he was being fostered, I've been praying he would be in a loving home where he's happy and well-taken care of and it sounds like he is!

We have to be at the airport around 5:00 am Thursday morning and I'm just about ready to become a raging alcoholic. The house is trashed. The laundry is backed-up, since I haven't had time to do it for the past couple days (which is an eternity around here). My mother arrives tomorrow. We are still not completely packed (almost, though). I feel like I'm forgetting something really, really important. I'm tired. My mind is racing. I keep repeating myself. I keep thinking I've said one thing, when actually I've said another (which is causing "discussions" with the hub...
"Darrell, I just told you this."
"No, you didn't. You said that."
"No, I'm sure I said this. I distinctly remember saying THIS! I heard it come out of my mouth."
"Well, I just heard you say THAT!"
Get the idea?).

I've gone completely, totally stupid- as in, I can't keep anything straight and I keep saying things that make no sense. The other day, I started telling Evan how to behave while my mother is here, and he said, "So, is this your fun way of telling me I'm no longer going with you?" Oh, yeah! I totally forgot he's coming with us on the trip! Yes, I've got it all together. Pray for me, people.

This will be my last post before I go. I'll try to get some pictures up ASAP and hope to be able to blog a bunch while I'm gone. For my friends and family in real life- See y'all in about 5 weeks! Hopefully, I'll be back in my right mind by then.

We got our travel dates!

I could have titled this "We got our travel dates! Plus: An Award and a Haircut Disaster," but that's a dopey title. I didn't know how to merge three topics into one title.

I received an award, for which I feel thankful and blessed, and I passed it onto my blog buds at the end of this post.

Yesterday I got my hair cut short (er). It seems to be longer on one side than the other. Not a lot- hopefully not enough to be noticed by anyone else but me. HOWEVER... If you know me, you will understand immediately why this is a problem. I cannot tolerate asymmetry. Pictures that aren't level and that kind of thing just.drive.me.crazy. I'm a little Monk-ish that way. The hair differential might as well be 12 inches.

It's driving me insame. See? I can't even spell right. It's affected my spelling skills now! CRIPES! What's next? Nausea? Dizziness? Incontinence?

Sure, I could have just fixed the spelling mistake and moved on, but then you'd have no concrete evidence of how seriously this catastrophe has impacted my life. One side of my head feels heavier, you guys. No lie. I'm absolutely sure of it. I think I'm leaning a little. How can I live like this?

You know what's going to happen, don't you? I'm going to lay awake thinking about it, then get up out of bed at around 3:00 a.m., stumble- bleary-eyed- into the bathroom, search for the scissors, and whack the hel heck out of my hair. That's what's going to happen. And I will make myself look hideous, yes. But even though I know this, I will still be compelled to do it. Everyone in the Marshall Islands is going to be pointing and laughing. Mocking and vomiting at the same time. It will be bad.

Anyway... Next topic- Our flights are booked and we're leaving on Thursday the 23rd! We'll be in Majuro on the 25th, see our baby on the 26th, and he will be ours on the 27th! God is so, so good I can hardly stand it sometimes! Look at all these exclamation points! Can you believe these flippin' exclamation points!?! It's ridiculous! Just be glad you don't have to hear me because the tone of my voice is full of exclamation points, too! I'm really happy (except, you know, for the extra 3 feet of hair hanging off one side of my head) and excited, is what I'm saying. ...!... Right now, I'm filling out those obnoxious little luggage tags! The paper keeps ripping because it won't slide back into the flippin' holder-thingie! It's fun! I'm thrilled!

I've been emailing back and forth with one of the families currently in the RMI with their cutie-patootie new daughter and I just heard that two of the other families over there saw our sweet boy last night (and YES, he is a BOY!! That one deserved a few exclamation points, because I still had my doubts). They even got pictures of him! I'm hoping I can find out how big he is before I go, and save myself from packing 54,329 outfits in 4 different sizes. It's so hard to tell anything from a few pictures. He looks big in his referral pics, but he only weighed 4.9 lbs at birth. How much bigger could he get in just five months?

Oh, I almost forgot... I should apologize to anyone who needs to run to the store for baby supplies, toiletries, or OTC medicines anytime soon. The shelves will be empty. I bought them all. I'm sorry, but it had to be done. I now own enough QTips to keep every resident of the RMI free of ear gunk until 2015. Don't get me started on the hand sanitizer supply. I've gotta have my hand sanitizer. I believe life as we know it could cease if something bad happened to my hand sanitizer. And since the heat index over there is like a bajillion degrees every day, I've gone a little overboard on the Secret Clinical. I sweat like a hooker in church. A bit of an overshare. Sorry.

Ummm. Crap. Mike just weighed the first suitcase I have completely packed. It weighed 63 pounds. Just a tad over the limit. What in the he... ck am I going to do? These are the necessities, people!

Before I go, I wanted to thank Elaine for giving me this award:




Elaine, everyone's favorite Mormon, is one of my favorite bloggers. She is a funny, funny girl. I just love her to pieces and wish she lived across the street. Not only would my days be laughter-filled, but my children could invite themselves over to play on that huge jungle-gym-playground-heaven-on-earth-for-kids thing her husband is building. Have you seen the thing? It's like a small town. I'm pretty sure it also contains a movie theater and convenience store.

Now for the rules: These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbon of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

So, I must now nominate eight of my peeps... I'll try to choose people who haven't been nominated already, but I haven't checked on all of you, so I can't guarantee it. If you've been nominated already, I guess you're just especially awesome. I'm not linking because the links to all of these are over on my blog roll. I'm not lazy, I'm busy!

In no particular order:

Ohilda at A Bouquet of Blessings- A Godly woman who is so passionate about Biblical values and isn't afraid to say exactly what she thinks. LOVE that!

Rebecca at Surrendering All has the biggest heart for children- such an amazing mama and woman of God.

Heather at Dreams Do Come True- A really sweet girl who is long overdue for all the blessings that are soon to come her way in the form of twin baby boys.

Chandra at Our Little Russian- LOVE her blog and her baby's gorgeous, sweet, happy, FAT little face. Just try not to smile while looking at that kid. It cannot be done.

Tina at Second Generation- Another adoptee and such a sweetie, with a gorgeous new baby!

Laura L. at A Joyful Family- A regular commenter who always has nice things to say. Her blog is always full of sweet pictures and stories about her cutie-pie little girl.

Tracy at My Minivan Rocks- My favorite Smarta**! What an awesome mama. Three little kids so close together would suck the funny out of almost anyone, but not Tracy.

Lauren at Cheers Y'all- Who surely must have been nominated by others, but I don't care. LOVE her blog. Actually, I don't think she reads mine and she won't know she got this, so I'll pick one more...

Kate at Howdthatgo- A fellow adoptee and someone that will hopefully become a new friend! I'll be seeing her soon in Majuro!

Marshallese, please!

I don't suppose I have any new readers who have adopted from the Marshall Islands? Or you are Marshallese? Or know someone who is from there? How about Micronesia? Or maybe you've read a book about the Marshall Islands? Ha! Is there anyone out there from Hawaii? Close enough-lol! Gee whiz, at this point, I may even settle for someone named Marshall!!

The RMI adoption community is so much smaller than VN or China, it's very hard to find anyone. So... Where y'all at?

We joined the Yahoo group for RMI adoption when we first started the program, but again, very small... and they seem to be a close-knit group of old friends. We would love to connect with some new online friends, find your blogs, and get to know your beautiful families. We're eager to learn as much as we can about the culture and customs, as well as the travel and adoption process as we get closer to a referral.

If you know of anyone, feel free to pass on my blog address and/or email (on the sidebar), or give me their blog address. Thanks!