#realitycheck

Adoption is wonderful and amazing and brings such joy and blessings!

But it is also really hard.
And sometimes is really stinks.
This week has been one of those stinky times.  And we wanted to tell you about it because we think its important to present adoption with its ups and downs.

Waiting is hard.
Thankfully, we have two crazy little boys already at home that distract us from the waiting. But the waiting still catches up with you every once in awhile and its in those times that you have to count your blessings....of which we have MANY.

One little blessing with the smile that melts your heart.

Another little blessing being brave on the big boy coaster!

Last week, as you remember, we got word that Solomon's passport would be ready.  Well, yesterday we received a scanned copy of the passport with his sweet little face...and the.wrong.birthdate.
*sigh*
These are the things that can really grate and wear you down.  Type-o's are running theme for us....but praise the Lord for a diligent team in Ghana that immediately saw the mistake and is back at the passport office today to amend the error.
While we wait for the corrected passport, we'll just gaze upon the cute mugshot of Solomon.

THE.HAIR.  THE.EYES.  THE.LIPS.

It still makes us giddy to see his legal name as "Solomon Matthew Cain."  *happy dance*

Yesterday was also frustrating because we had yet to receive a response from US immigration regarding our emailed request for an update on Solomon's I600/Visa.  I (Ashley) was angry...and it was not pretty.  The injustice of the delay got to me.  Every moment Solomon spends in an institution instead of home in our arms is wrong.  Yesterday was my day to shake my fists and stomp my feet.
And then my devotion this morning was on being slow to anger in the book of James.  Gotta love how God gracious disciplines us.....*sigh*
Amazingly, God also saw fit to move our immigration office to (finally) return our email.  It said: "I received your file this week and will complete your case tomorrow."
WHAAAAAAAA?!?!?
Kind of overwhelming how a ONE SENTENCE EMAIL can turn your day around.  AHHHHHHHHH!

Continue to pray with us that our officer does, in fact, email us tomorrow with her decision, either a provisional approval of Solomon's visa or a request for futher information confirming his "orphan status."  We are fervently praying for that provisional approval!

Stay tuned....God's doing big things despite our impatience and lapses of anger.
PRAISE.  HIM.