Change of the Tide

While on our honeymoon in Bermuda, Sloan bought me a silver and gold necklace.  It looks a bit like a horseshoe.  It is hands down my favorite piece of jewelry and if Gracie hadn't ripped it off my neck and broke last fall, I'd be wearing it now.  (Note to self:  remember that it is in your coin purse and take it to the jewelers to get fixed.  Stat.)

I love it because it hits my chest just between my collar bones.  I picked it because I loved its shape and simplicity. And today, as I reflect on the past 72 hours, it means even more.    Because inscribed on the back of it is the following quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson, "The lowest ebb is the change of the tide."

The dust is settling.  Slowly.  I spent today researching countries and agencies we qualify for.  We have an approved homestudy that can be adapted for other programs.  And I'd like to say that if we follow the path that I believe God is setting before us, we will be switching agencies but it is NOT because we've been displeased with our current agency.  They were as shocked as we were by Chin@'s decision.  Their hearts are broken too.  I spoke with our local case worker today and we grieved together.  And she is eager to see what God has for us.

Moreover, God did something unexpected.  At the beginning of the month, we filed our i800a immigration paperwork for China.  The fee attached to this was just shy of 1k.  I was fully expecting to hear that we would just have to eat that.  The kids were settled and I called USCIS.  The gentleman on the line was less than helpful.  Apparently, I would need to write a letter to repeal our application and then write another letter requesting a refund which he had never heard of anyone being granted.  As he was about to give me the specifics of what I needed to do, Gracie had a full on meltdown.  Like beating her brother with a giant light saber because she needed a refill of milk in her sippy cup and then just a few extra minutes of screaming at the top of her lungs.  I told the gentleman, "I'm sorry, I have to go.  My two year old is driving me insane."  Click.  I hung up and then snapped at Gracie, "NO MILK FOR YOU.  I'm done."  And then I proceeded to leave my house and collapse in tears on our front porch.

After I finished my little pity party, I came in and put on the TV for the kids then headed upstairs to call USCIS back.  This time I got a woman.  When I told her our situation, she took a deep breath and said, "Oh, I am so so sorry."  I told her how we might switch to another convention country or perhaps a more likely scenario was a non-Hague country which would require another immigration form entirely. 

Enter screaming Gracie.  The woman on the line lamented that a mom on the phone was always a magnet to misbehaving children.  I found a lollipop, threw into the hallway and promptly shut the door after Grace.  (Yes, I know.  You are marveling in my awesome parenting skills.) 

When I came back to the line, the woman told me she had just found our file.  It had not even been processed.  She had spoken with her supervisor and it was fine with him if she just kept it on her desk until we made a decision as to what to do.  She could hold the file until Tuesday of next week.  And if we needed to switch countries, all they would need is an ammended homestudy (which our case worker is prepared to do for us).  THERE WOULD BE NO FEE TO CHANGE.  EVEN TO CHANGE IMMIGRATION FORMS!

Y'all.  This is huge.  For once, I'm thankful for Grace's temper.  So we have the weekend to decide.  Yes, that's a short turn around.  But we've had to narrow our countries based upon eligibility requirements, numbers of waiting children that meet our parameters, and length of required travel time  and number of trips and we are pretty much left with one country. 

And wouldn't ya know I'd receive in the mail today a shower invite to celebrate the upcoming adoption of a little girl from this very same country?!?  So if my buddy Sarah's daughter could keep an eye out for Charlie, that'd be great.  And if she could save a snuggle for him too, that would just be peachy keen.