Trying to be patient....Day 86 and counting!

Well, I sat down this evening and realized that I hadn't been blogging in almost 2 weeks - and I can't believe where time has gone. It's amazing how life can kind of take over at times - and that God always a has some sort of different plan for you. So, I will try to cover as much as I can remember since the last time I posted...

Chris's accident - thankfully Chris was fine after the accident - and the truck was towed away the day after the accident. Chris thinks he is so cool now driving some big shiny, black 2009 Dodge Charger! Hopefully the rental won't last too long, and we will get the Xterra back soon!

Chris's shoulders and back were pretty sore Wednesday night, but he got some extra Advil and was able to just rest.

On Thursday morning, one of my very best friends became a Mommy! Her son Ryan was born, and Chris and I were so lucky to come to the hospital and spend time with Ryan, Dan, and Heather. What a feeling that was to hold Ryan in my arms while looking at my dear friend who I know has just hurt so much over the past few years yearning to have child. Her dream has now come true and Chris and I couldn't be happier for her and Dan. We just love the ring Uncle Chris and Aunt Melissa have! We now just pray for the next month that all of the necessary paperwork gets done to complete their adoption of Ryan! It was a HUGE moment for them, and we were so thankful to be able to share it with them!

We spent the week-end with my Mom and David which was nice. We hadn't been down to her house in a long time, so it was nice to get away from Harrisburg for a little bit. To be honest with you, when Friday came and went and there was no call from the agency, we both had meltdowns and needed some time away. It's just so hard when the agency told us at first 10 weeks, then they told us the Friday before that they expected it this week - and then, 11 weeks down, no letter. Huge bummer. So, we got our tears out and then got to spend time with Mom and Dave and eat some good old comfort foods. The week-end weny by too quickly - but we got to check out Mom's remodeling and Chris helped her with some little projects here and there and got the Christmas lights hooked up. On Sunday, we went to an early Thanksgiving dinner at Aunt Brenda's and got to spend some time with her, Uncle Dave, and Aunt Rhonda which was nice. We have determined though that there is never enough time in the day!

We were extremely emotional this past week, and were just so disappointed when the letter didn't come again, and by Wednesday afternoon we realized the agency was closed until Monday, so we better just manage our expectations. So, that is what we did. Thanksgiving was here, and we truly have so much to be thankful for including our health, each other, and our families. Mom, Dave, and Meg came up Wednesday night and we had dinner out, then had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal at home on Thursday. Megan helped out a lot and Mom made the desserts which were all amazing. It was a wonderful day!!! It was also wonderful because one of my other best friends had her baby at 3:58 in the morning! It's a girl and her name is going to be Carly - Chris and I are so happy for Monica and Scott, and can't wait to meet her!

Chris had to work on Friday, but thanks to one of the other nurse's at work I was able to be off and spend the day with Mom, Dave, and Megan. We got our outside Christmas decorations up, and had quite a few laughs in trying to get the CHristmas tree up with help from the 2 cats! I told my Mom that it was always entertaining and it certainly was! Thankfully the tree is still standing! Dave was content with the Flyer's on TV and the ladies went and did some shopping! Believe it or not, it was not crowded at the mall in the afternoon, and then we hit some deals at Kohl's before heading back home. Megan then headed back to NJ with her boyfriend Rich, Chris headed to his friends' 40th birthday party after work, so Mom, Davey and I ran around and did some errands. It was another nice evening.

Chris got home early Saturday morning, and we headed off to his family to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. We ended up going right to his sister's house as his brother in law now developed blood clots in his leg and he had to go back to Lehigh Valley on Friday to see the doctor and start new medications. I helped Chris's sister make sense of his medications, and quickly realized I needed to talk to some of his home nurses about his medications. He hadn't been out of bed because the pain was so bad in his leg, and things needed to change. The nurses couldn't get a hold of a doctor until after 6pm tonight. Amazing how that works....very frustrating. Chris's sister looks so tired, and I don't know how she is doing is caring for her husband and three boys. I was able to give her a short break yesterday so she could go to church for an hour and I was his nurse for that time period. I think Chris's sister really appreciated that.

We then headed to Chris's other sisters' house for dinner and an evening out. Mary Jo made a great dinner and my niece Anna made a wonderful cake! We then stayed at his Mom and Dad's overnight, had a nice Sunday dinner before heading back to Harrisburg. The weather was terrible in the Poconos and we had to put the car into neutral to get it down the hill where Chris's parents live! Thankfully, once we hit the interstate it was just rainy and foggy. The freezing rain subsided during our trip home.

On the way home, Chris and I had a long talk about the emotions we are both feeling right now. This wait for this approval letter is taking quite a toll on us and we had no idea it was going to be like this. Today is Day 86 since we received our preliminary approval for Matthew, and we just are trying so hard to manage our expectations. We were led to believe through our agency 10 weeks or 70 days was the average, and then we were told about another family that had their PA on 9/1 got their letter on 11/14, that the agency thought ours would come by 11/21. I just wish they wouldn't have told us anything at all, because now that we are coming up on December 1st tomorrow the waiting is getting harder and harder every day. We just want to know that Matthew is approved to be our son. We have had his dear picture since August 25th now, and we just continue to pray that this will be the week we find out that he indeed is ours. In our hearts we know he is, that's for sure. Now we just need to papers to put it all together.

Please pray for us to be patient, and for our letter to come soon from China. We are so thankful for all of the support everyone continues to offer us in our moments when feel sad, anxious, and impatient.

Advent started today and the first candle was lit today. Hope was discussed in depth, and that is something that Chris and I have never lost sight of. It's so easy to lose hope in many different situations, but Hope is what has carried Chris and I through life!!!

Hope is what is going to bring that letter to Chris and I this week!