Prints

A short update on the process stateside.  Our USCIS approval and fingerprints expired.  So after having our social worker update our homestudy, we sent off for an extension for each of the above.  We received our fingerprint appointments in the mail on Monday.  Fortunately, I was needed to go into Houston the following day.  Therefore, Tuesday morning we drove into Houston and were able to be re-printed with minimal waiting (and a quick conversation with a supervisor) at a USCIS application processing center.  That chore was completed in record time and now more patient waiting.  It has been made easier (and harder) due to many other distractions, in and out of our family, and of course, the impending holiday season.  We hope all new and waiting families have a blessed holiday season with an abundance of little ones finding their forever homes.  That leaves out everyone else.  So, y'all have a Merry Christmas, too, ya hear?

Overheard

E:  I'm gonna call him "Doc" and show him on Bugs Bunny cartoons so he'll say "What's up, doc?".

CG:  I'm gonna call him "The Man" or "Man of the House"...nah, just "The Man!"

Speechless

We received word that our dossier is in the sweet hands of the nuns at Home of Hope.  We are so grateful, excited and full of reverence.  We ask for your thoughts and prayers as the nuns consider our little family and the precious ones being matched with a forever family.  I feel so honored to be in a position where we may be granted the opportunity to love and care for a new little Cockrell.   That is all for now, I am fairly overwhelmed at the moment.   

  

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If a dear family hadn't already named their beautiful, hilarious little man Roman, then I may be tempted to snag it for myself - solely based on this verse.*  I love it so much.

Much of the contents of this blog is a source of information for family, friends and those who are or may be on the path to adopt.  Today's post is for those in our current situation.  This verse was a great comfort to me last year when my world was rocked and has been a wonderful soothing mantra for the past eight days.  If you come across this entry and stay long enough to read this, then I selfishly ask for your thoughts and your prayers. 

Kisses,

C.  


*KN, CG has been talking about A and how excited she is to tell her that she started piano this week.  So cute!

Your response to your request

Prelude
It has been many moons since our last post.  That's not entirely true.  Kendall posted in March but I made him delete it.  I was superstitious about putting things out in the internets (misspelling intentional) and ended up being right, as explained in the next paragraph.  As for my hiatus from blogging, I prefer not doing weekly "still waiting" or "please pray for us as we wait" posts.  It's just not my style.  I'm kind of an all or nothing type of person, which is evidenced by the never-posts of the last 6+ months.  I digress, now for the actual content of this entry.


We have received our approval from the Rwandan government to adopt. 

This is fantastic.  To many families, it was almost a foregone conclusion.  Not so for me.  I had begun to have doubts.  In February, the Ministry reviewed our dossier and had a concern.  An email was sent in March requesting a letter from the F.B.I. addressing Kendall's misdemeanor arrest - which was never prosecuted.  Frantically, I sent emails and made many phone calls.  I spoke to three of the nicest FBI agents, all of whom were unable to help.  A dear friend reached out to a Congressman whose staff has been incredibly thoughtful in attempting to retrieve the elusive letter.  Four weeks later, I accepted the conclusion that the F.B.I. just "doesn't do that."  What more could I do?  I was not able to get what was requested.  It was a fun time in our house. 

And then...on April 14th...we received notice that:

The government graciously considered the additional documents supplied and granted our petition.  Many huzzahs, hollas and hip, hip, hoorays don't begin to display the excitement we feel!  Sometime soon we may be fortunate enough to meet many kindred spirits in country.  I. can't. wait.


I now will start on the nursery, which will never compare to the gorgeousness of the Kohlbacher's nursery but, alas, I don't have her genes.

ANTC in full swing!

We have this silly contest where a group of friends submits one name each week for our son we are in the process of adopting from Rwanda. Each week Catherine reads the list of names to our daughters, E(9) and C(6). They give their opinions which Catherine transcribes. This week I laughed so hard reading them, I cried. So I thought I'd share.

Andrew - E - Nope. C - Nope. Cuz one of my friends is named Andrew. And that's all. And when you have a party and Andrew comes over and you say "Andrew, come here," they won't know who I'm talking to.

Beau - E - Not really. I just don't really like that name. No offense to anyone named Beau. C - No.

Brody - E. Uh huh. C - Uh huh.

Calvin - E - I guess. It's nice. I like that name. C - Ugh. I do not like Calvin. No.

Cash - E - Not really. C - No. and I was like "Mom, where's my Cash?" and you would say "it's on the table" and I would say "No, my brother" and you would say, "I don't know but there's cash on the table." I'll be right back.

Chase - E - Sure, I like that name. It's a nice name. C - NO. I don't like the name.

Colt - E - Uh, I really don't want him to get made fun of by them calling him "horse-boy" or something. C - Nah. Stop asking me. Ask Evie.

Delan - E - Not really. C - Nah. I don't like it. Let me be done with this commercial and I'll get back to you. (Begins acting out a commercial for her new Rapunzel wig).

Dillon - E - Not really. C - No-wah. Don't like it.

Dwayne - E - not really. Well, actually sure. C - NO. No. No. I don't like "D" names. I can't even pronounce it.

Eliot (the Lord is my God) - E - yeah. I like the meaning. C - I love that name. Cuz that's on the tv show, Leverage. The tough guy, his name is Eliot. So my brother can be tough and brave and curious.

Garren - E - No, not really C - nah, not a big fan.

Harper - E - that's a girl name. C - Harper Law School? No way.

Owen - E - nope. C - nah. Duh, duh, duhhhh (her ominous noise she learned yesterday - once again used inappropriately)

Sid - E - nope. C - what? no. nah, don't like that name much.

Tyresee (Ty-ree-see) - E - Nope. C - I don't really like that name.

Middle Names

Benjamin E - nah. C - Benjamin Franklin? No.

Butler - E - no. C - nah, that's a butler for a king or queen or princess. E - butler is a person who works for rich people C - and we are not rich, so we don't need a butler. we live in a tiny house with tiny pieces of food.

D’Angelo - E - No. C - it sounds like an enchilada. No. Duh, duhh, duhhhhh.

Elijah - C - that sounds like a girl. E - oh, yeah, sure.

Emmanuel - E - yeah. C - that's a horrible name. why would everybody...E - Emmanuel is what they called the Lord C - I don't even know this stuff

Gage (pledge, oath) - E - no, thank you C - no way, jose

Haley - E - no, that's a girl name C - duh, duhh, duhhhhh. Is there anything I can agree on?

Jackson - C - no. don't like it E - No. I just don't like it because it's the name of Jackson and I don't like him.

Josef - C - yeah, love it. yes, yes, yes. E - no, thank you. C - you don't like it? It's Joseph in the story. E - that is Joseph with "ph" C - I don't care. I like it.

Kayode (He brought peace) - C - my brother did not bring peace. and NO. E - sure

Kendrick - E - sure C - yeah

Lincoln E - no, not really. C - nah. that's a no.

Michael - E - not really. C - that's Liz's boyfriend. and if she gets married and you say "Michael, come here" and he will come and I'll say "why are you here? I was talking to my little brother, weirdo." So, no.

Reid - E - Not really. C - no, thank you. How many more left?

Rhys - E - that's a girl name. C - and that's our cousin's name. and at Christmas, I would say "Reese, come here" and he would come and say "yes" and I would say "I was calling the real Reese" and he would say "Oh, ok" - So, no.

Seavers - E - yeah, sure. C - yeah. that's a cool name. I like it.

Games

The Waiting Game

So, it has been quite a while since we posted here (this is my first post actually). Things have been crazy in our house. No relaxing in the sun for us this summer. Changes in job situations, a hard-hitting, sudden death of a loved one and way too much weekend travel have made June and July the most stressful months we've had in a while. For those of you who know us, you know how we like push ourselves to stress, but this has been a new record - and most of it NOT self-induced. So, it was a good thing that we had gotten almost all the paperwork done before all this hit. And we were actually DTR back on June 29 after a late night at Kinkos. For those that don't know, this is Dossier to Rwanda (I think). It is when all our paperwork reaches the adoption officials in Rwanda. It was hand-delivered to the Ministry on July 6. This is a huge relief but also the start of the real waiting.

Now it is out of our hands. We wait. For months. (we have friends who have been DTR for 10 or more months). Then, once it is our family's turn, the Ministry reviews our file and *hopefully* approves it and sends it to the orphanage. At that point, the nuns will pray and determine a child to refer to us for adoption. Until then - Waiting Game. So, unless we announce it here, via fb or email, we continue to patiently await the newsest little member of our family.

The Name Game

So while we wait, we have begun what is a tradition among our friends in Houston. ANT_. This group of friends has a gmail group (highly recommend you and your friends start one). There have been three babies born to this group in the last 4 years. All of them with names that came from the group (or at least names that the parents liked that the group also recommended). We do it reality tv competition style; thus the name.

Each week the members of the group (I think we have close to 20 members now) suggest a name. They make a separate gmail group so they can bash or jealously praise others entries without influencing the parents-to-be. Then the names are sent to the parents in the regular gmail group to be judged and found worthy (or not). One name is picked each week for an indeterminate number of weeks until we decide to have a bracketed playoff until we are down to the final name. And yes, that will be the baby's actual name.

WILL THE MAGIC OF GMAIL SUCCEED AGAIN? TUNE IN AND FIND OUT!

I think I may have won the first "season." If I am wrong about that, or any of the rules outlined above, my wonderful friends will let me know swiftly with kindness and love.

KSC