Blog Feature: Why I Read the Blogs I Read

I've considered this for awhile, but today seems the perfect time to try it. I'm so excited I'm a bit scatterbrained, so this post may weave around a bit.

Why do I read A Plumb Crazy Life? For starters, they're my cousins, (and they're awesome) but let's look at the backstory for their blog.

My cousin Brian & his wife Shannon, are in the process of adopting a baby boy from Ethiopia and the simple version is that this is their story of that process. But I have learned more about international adoption and adoption in general through their blogs and through ones that they read themselves. I have learned more about the good, the bad and the ugly of the whole process than I thought I would have ever be interested in. And I love it.

Today's the perfect day to bring this up because today they RECEIVED THEIR REFERRAL. Yes, that has to be in all caps. The referral (as I've learned through their's and others attached) is when you receive for the first time information on your soon-to-be child. They requested a boy, they requested a baby, but that's all they knew. The referral is when you first receive a name, an age, a history, pictures, video, everything. It's incredibly important and emotional. This is your child. And then the hard part follows: now you have to wait until you pass through court to actually receive him. Ah! Here's your child- in a few months, whenever the court decides, then you'll get to finally hold him. o_O

I can't help but add my response to this because it caught me so off-guard. Let's face it - there's pieces of my heart that never really engage. Don't misinterpret that- it's not that I don't care or I don't love someone or I wouldn't fight to defend or protect them. But there's just pieces that never respond despite that. But this afternoon I got a sneak peek at a picture and I was shocked to feel myself leap with joy all over the place inside. He's so cute. I mean, all smiles. Curly, curly hair.

And while I've read over and over that adoption has to be selfish in a way, the parent has to want the child, etc. It can't just be "oh, I'm helping a kid out" because there's often struggles with bonding in cases like that, but I think I can't help but respond to they're helping an orphan. This kid will have a whole new life. He'll have a whole family.

Yes, there will be struggles. I have no doubt there'll be painful situations later. But for now, for now, joy, rapture, glee... He'll be their baby! He'll be one of my kids.

And now for those that pray, the request: a court date before the rainy season. During the rainy season, court completely shuts down for a month or more, and they may have to wait until October or November if that happens. O_O So...court date, court date, court date!

Tomorrow I get to see pictures! Sadly, we can't share online (I don't think) until he's officially theirs. But I get to see them! Bwahahaha!