Joshua Day!!!

Today is the day!  We could hardly believe it, and it didn’t feel real, but we knew today was Joshua Day.  Mercifully, we left for the Civil Affairs office at 9:30 and after a short 15 minute drive arrived at the building in which we would receive our son.  We had been told it was possible that the children from the orphanages close by might already be there, so we were ready as we walked up the stairs.  But no Joshua…yet.

We watched as several other families were united with the children….all boys but one…and it took all I had not to just dissolve in a puddle of tears.  They were poised and ready to flow as we waited with only a few spilling out here and there…but I knew that I was going to lose it when I saw him.

After what seemed like an hour (but probably was much less) of watching the parking lot for Joshua to exit one of the arriving vans, we saw him be lifted out of a silver van and placed standing next to it with his back to us.  It took everything in me noy to run out to the parking lot…so instead I just started crying.

The orphanage official carried in a very stoic little boy. 

For months I have wondered what he would do…would he walk in and be like, “hey, I’ve been waiting for you! Where have you been all this time?”  Would he throw an all out melt down fit?  Would he run away?  What would he do? 

He pretty much did nothing but stare and barely move.  Poor boy was so confused and scared.  I kept telling him (although he can’t understand me!), it will only get better from here. 

We showed him our pictures and told him we are Mama and Baba from Megaou (America) since that is what Mike & Elisa had told him.  We showed him all the girls…still unmoving.  He was holding on to me fairly tightly though.

After looking at the contents of his backpack, I realized he probably hadn’t had anything to drink or eat for awhile and so we broke out the sippy cup and Chinese cookies and slowly won him over.  He knew immediately what to do with the sippy cup and nodded his head when we showed him the cookies.  Unlike his sister Lily, who took nibbles off of these communion wafer size cookies, he stuck the whole thing in his mouth!  And wanted more.

He finally cracked a half smile when one of them didn’t make it all the way in and was hanging out of his mouth.

When Daddy started  flying the cookies into his mouth the smiles kept coming.  He even giggled.  Eventually we pulled out the bubbles and full out laughter and squeals insued.

Once we returned to the hotel and brought out the beach ball and cars, we had a happy little camper.  And our first toy battle.  I only brought one beach ball.  Sharing begins.

After that we went for lunch at the hotel buffet.  Let’s just say this boy can eat.  We learned he can handle a spoon and even use it wipe off his chin!  He had what might be his first taste of ice cream and his expression at its chill was priceless!

Then we decided to attempt a group nap.  Lily was sure to point out to Joshua where his crib was and found it quite entertaining that they both were laying down.  Believe it or not they both fell asleep!  Joshua first, then Lily after much talking to herself.  Emma blogged.  I dozed and read and recovered from the adrenaline rush of the morning and Kevin went and did paperwork.

Before we left this morning, I read Streams in the Desert.  What a sweet word for today…

…I once saw a man draw some black dots on a piece of paper.  Several of us looked at it yet saw nothing but an irregular arrangement of dots.  Then he also drew a few lines, put in a few rests, and added a treble clef at the beginning.  Suddenly we realized that the dots were musical notes, and as we began to sound them out, we were singing,

Praise God from whom all blessings flow,

Praise Him all creatures here below.

Each of us has many black dots or spots in our life, and we cannot understand why they are there or why God permitted them.  But when we allow Him into our life to adjust the dots in the proper way, to draw the lines He desires, and to put rests at the proper places to separate us from certain things, then from the black dots and spots He will compose a glorious harmony…

Would we know that the major chords were sweet,
                If there were no minor key?
Would the painter’s work be fair to our eyes,
                Without shade on land or sea?
Would we know the meaning of happiness,
                Would we feel that the day was bright,
If we’d never know what it was to grieve,
                Nor gazed on the dark of night?

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

In Him,