He's Ours!

I don't know if I've ever been so exhausted.  I feel like I have been caught in a tornado and was just thrown back on the ground.

The past week and a half has been increasingly insane.  I hurt my back in Haiti on the crazy ride on bad roads, but it was reaggravated around Mothers day and really bad last week.  I was teary, grumpy, and miserable trying to manage my kids alone.  On Tuesday my in laws decided they were coming for the weekend. Marc's grandmother in Lebanon just passed away and his mom felt she needed to be with her kids and grandkids.  On Thursday I went to pick them up.  Marc arrived TH in the middle of the night from a business trip.  Friday, my back was so stiff I was walking like I was pregnant...but we still managed to get all three kids out of the house for a morning showing.  We came home napped and just as we were relaxing, Marc invited strangers off the street to see our house.  Saturday morning was a repeat of Friday because said strangers came back with their Realtor.  Sunday we found out we'd been exposed to lice...no bugs on our heads, praise God, but did the whole cleaning and shampoo thing anyway to be safe, because lets be honest the mere mention makes you paranoid and itchy (I know all of you are now itching your heads...imagine knowing you'd been exposed...triple, quadruple checks may be negative, but no peace of mind until heads are medicated, furniture is sprayed, linens, stuffed animals, ANYTHING washed).  We also got an offer on our house on Sunday from the couple Marc had invited off the street, but they need to close by 6/28.  Monday, we had a memorial service with my in laws for Marc's grandmother.  We took my MIL in the evening to visit her friend in from South Africa.  We stayed in Chicago as their flight departed from there early Tuesday morning.  Tuesday after Marc was done with work, we looked at four houses and then put in an offer on a house.  Wednesday morning, we found out someone else did too and we were in a bidding war.  Exhausted, tired, overwhelmed I checked my email for news from our realtor when I received an email from our adoption agency.  This is the email:

wait for it… I just got a case status update for you.  Here’s the word from Sonia:

“for Christian I just received the adoption paper and I have to legalize them and Certification of Archives Nationales.”

Congratulations, Mama, Christian Willy ANEED is legally your son!

Caught in chaos, overwhelmed by life...and then nothing else mattered.  Nothing.  Life is in an uproar but once again, all that matters comes rushing in.  Like being in the eye of the storm, except my eyes were pouring tears;)  Christian is OURS, He is our son.  What more could I possible ask for???  My heart knew LONG ago that Christian is my son, but Monday the Haitian court system legal dictated it to be.  He has our name now along with our hearts.  Praise Jesus!!!

What does this mean?  We have a wait yet to get him home.  It could be as early as 6 weeks or as long as 16.  The court document will get "legalized" in the national archive, then we will apply for his Haitian passport.  Next, we have to get his US Visa, and finally an exit letter giving us permission to take him home.  Our final trip is literally just a pick up;)  I cannot wait to hug him and kiss him every single day, to have our family complete, all under one roof...yahoo!