Welcome to our fifth sprinkle of encouragement for December! I originally sent my fifth email home from California on June 6, 2018. At this point in time, Luke was eight days old and had been adoptively placed with us for only four of those days. Also by this time, over one hundred people were receiving our email updates. It was so encouraging to know that our growing army of supporters was keeping watch. That fact helped me to breathe more deeply. And considering the unexpected and unwanted excitement that occurred the morning of these words, I needed those deep breaths.
my fifth email home (6/6/2018)
The pieces of the puzzle continue to snap into place here. California has processed what is needed to release Luke from his birth state. Now the paperwork is in Ohio’s hands to process accepting Luke as a “Buckeye”. The process is very formal and legal. Admittedly, I don’t quite understand it all. However, I do understand that I will be eternally grateful when we are both allowed to come home. It looks like Saturday at the absolute earliest.
jumping through hoops
There is another formality that I need in hand to be able to leave California. I need a signed letter from a medical doctor here stating that Luke may fly on an airplane. We saw a pediatrician here Tuesday (6/5/18) for his one-week check-up. She said he “looks perfect” and we “just need to fatten him up a bit”. He has gained one pound since his birth and is eating like a champ (90-100ml every four hours or so). Still, she would not sign the letter giving Luke medical clearance at that appointment because of his young age. The pediatrician was willing to do so if I brought him back for a weight check on Friday morning (6/8/18). I will gladly jump through that hoop if it gets Luke and me home. We don’t want any unexpected or unwanted excitement at the airport.
I should have been more specific in my previous sentence. In other words, I should have said that I didn’t want any unexpected or unwanted excitement AT ALL. Because that is exactly what we experienced that very morning at the hotel.
unexpected and unwanted excitement
Right after I finished feeding Luke his 8:30am bottle, the fire alarms went off throughout the entire hotel. Fortunately, I have been trained with enough fire drills at various hospitals, schools and nursing homes that my body went into autopilot. As a result, I knew exactly what to do. I grabbed Luke and my backpack (doubling as my purse and a diaper bag). I also made sure I had the room key and my cell phone. Then I bolted for the nearest stairwell to get us safely outside.
Turns out somebody burnt toast and set off the fire detector in the first floor community kitchen area. No harm done, but as a result my adrenaline levels stayed way up for the rest of the morning. Oh, and Luke slept in my arms through the whole thing – not one little peep.
In contrast, I am not as rested as my little pal. Here is a selfie from right before the fire alarm – I look wiped out, don’t I? THAT photo is never going onto social media.
No make-up.
Zero clue of the pending alarm.
Ha! Ironically, that same photo is now shared publicly with anyone around the world reading our blog. I declared I want the thankful bee to be authentic and humble, right? That photo will certainly keep me humble.
lunch with a side of tissues, please
Luke and I are driving about one hour north on Friday to have lunch with Nadine so she can say good-bye. Our adoption coordinator will be with us as well. As joyful as I am to bring Luke home as a future Holderby, I am sensitive to Nadine’s (and Luke’s) loss. She seems to feel positively about the adoption plan. For instance, she already refers to me as Luke’s mom. Even more touching, she has said numerous times that she “knew Luke was home” as soon as she saw the first picture of Allan and me with him in the NICU.
I really respect Nadine for making hard choices to do what is best for Luke at great cost to her own feelings. We have texted with each other a few times this past crazy week, and we are both planning to have plenty of tissues on hand Friday. She already feels like part of our family, too.
peaceful rest
To close, several of you have asked how you can specifically pray for me right now. Fear and anxiety needs to stay away, and peaceful rest needs to take over. Even a few hours of non-fitful sleep would do me a world of good. I will never be able to express to all of you how much your prayers mean. Just knowing that there is an army of support back home lifting us up helps me feel less vulnerable. I am taking it all one hour at a time – whatever the immediate next step needs to be.
Keep the encouragement coming our way​​, friends!
With much love, Melissa
Featured image by Thanks for your Like • donations welcome from Pixabay.
Our sixth and final blog post in this series will come to you on December 27th. Then we start a new track to ring in the new year. Please join us! All are welcome!
