And Just Like That:

We have a court date.

I'm standing at the counter while they check us into the hotel in Kras and Yelena, our regional facilitator turns to me and says, "so, I am taking your documents to court today." Just like that! And I am like, "AAAAAHHHHH!" And she smiles and says, "yes, I think you will have court on March 25." Mental math...traveling again just three weeks after I get home! So now I have to endure the wait of knowing whether or not the judge granted the court date. Wednesday goes by, Thursday goes by, Friday goes by, we see no one on Saturday and at last, they pick us up to take us to the airport and I can't stand it any longer...so, standing back at the registration counter, this time checking out, I say, "so, did we get the 25th?" She sort of nonchalantly nods like she is thinking isn't that what I said would happen? And I am thinking Do you have any idea how many times I have been let down in this process?

So, I begin to make plans in my head for travel but I am doing all of this kind of on the outside like still too afraid to believe it is real; feeling a little sick...like what have we done? Up until now, we have been going through the motions of a foreign adoption and now, in just a little more than a month, we will be bringing our daughter home forever. A little angel that even after meeting her I have held a piece of my heart back...afraid a Russian couple might walk in and fall in love with her, sweeping her right out from under me...afraid the country might close again and I may not be able to return for her...

My flight lands in Tampa and I have already told Adam about the potential court date and we agree it is best not to make any plans or tell many people until our agency in the US confirms the dates and tells us to start booking our travel arrangements. I call my FC on Monday morning and she confirms that I should hold off until she gets word from the stateside facilitator. Monday goes by, Tuesday, I emailed my FC to see if she could look into it, after all, time is money when you consider visas and plane tickets...and she says to me that I should not do anything..."it is the Russian custom to try to please people." Meaning that the facilitator in Kras may have felt like she needed to make me happy and I wanted to say, "Is it the Russian custom to lie?" But, I didn't. Wednesday, I woke up feeling like garbage...flew, jet lag, a little of both. I slept most of the morning. That night I got an email from my FC saying she had resigned effective 3/14. Ok, not the best news but still in hopes of having that 3/25 court date, I am thinking most of the details of our travel will be ironed out by then. On Thursday...she and I email back and forth about her future plans and how I just really want to finish this with her...we have been together in this for 2.5 years, I don't want some stranger to call me with my good news, I want her. But, I am excited to learn that she will be in Orlando, just a hop, skip and a jump away...plus, her parents live very close to me so, we will keep in touch and she will be able to meet Els someday...I go to bed praying Friday will be the day.

Friday, I get up with new hope...after all, most referrals and court dates have been received on Fridays...I can't explain the reason for this...just the trend. Adam and I meet at the lab to renew our blood work and Xrays that have now expired because it is, in fact, the 3 month mark today and they are only good for 3 months...you know, I may have picked up HIV or Hep B in the last few weeks...who knows? So, that done, I go back home and try to stay busy getting caught up on some work...of course "try" is the key word here. So, I had to leave to go get my kids from school and I left my cell in the car (literally 5 minutes)...one missed call...it's Christi...and we got our court date...drum roll...March 25th! Ok, it wasn't "just like that"...