The rest of the story!

The day before court our visit with Olya was a little different than the rest. She seemed more quiet. Less interested in doing anything and nervous.

We weren't sure if she was getting teased by a couple of the girls or if she was just emotional. It really stinks not being able to understand what is being said right in front of you.

As we were heading to court the next day, our facilitator mentioned that she thought Olya was struggling. Olya had called to see if we would be coming for a visit. We all new Olya was working through her emotions, but it is so nerve wracking waiting to see if she might change her mind. When we arrived to pick her up she had not eaten yet and was very nervous. We were all very nervous and each of us had a hard time eating before court. It is a little scary waiting to get questioned. And for Olya it is a huge day! Saying hello to her future, but goodbye in many ways to her past.

We honestly are very thankful for this time for her. I never want to see my kids hurting or emotionally upset, but it shows us that she is making this decision knowing the consequences. She is facing reality and she knows what she is giving up. It also shows us she has bonded to her friends and care-givers and we know she knows how to love and be loved. In the world of adoption, this is a big thing.

We Praise God our process has gone so quickly. Being in and out of court in 10 days is really quite amazing. I think Olya thought she would have much more time before this day.

Once we got to court and had some time to hang out, she bagan to relax. She was very confident in court and gave me many sweet smiles as the court proceedings continued.

Our facilitator sat with us and we all debreifed after court. Olya seemed very happy and shared she would miss her favorite teacher.

Yesterday was our last day to visit and it was amazing. We had a wonderful time and she tried very hard to connect with us. We played checkers and took silly pictures. We "played" do you like, and just had a wonderful time together.

We are now packing to head back home for a short time of regrouping and reconnecting with our other 4 treasures.

We arrive home Sun. afternoon at 3 and will be heading back to finalize the adoption paperwork April 22.

We are looking at 1-3 weeks of being gone. Things could move very quickly again, but we have a couple of things that could hold us up for a long time. One is the passport. It is possible to get it in one day, but there are no promises. The other is a 5 day weekend. If we hit it just right, we may be hanging out for 5 days waiting for the offices to reopen. We have seen God move in a mighty way and we trust He will do what is best for the family.

We do not really know what Olya needs right now. If she needs more time then we would rather spend another 5 days here touring her country. We desire as healthy a transition as possible. Though we would love to rush back home, we trust God will do what is best. The timing is, as always in His hands.

HERE WE COME IDAHO!