2 June 2007

First Friday Support Group

Posted by BaBa under: Friends and Family; The Waiting Game .

Last night was a very good night. We had dinner with two other couples prior to our First Friday meeting. We met at Applebee’s for dinner and talked about the wait and where each of us is in the process. We celebrated having Bruce back from Kuwait. We had prayed for him all the time that he was there.

We went onto to the get together at the Chapmans. We got to see Eric and Heather and Lily. They just returned from China on Mother’s Day. They also had a long wait from the time they were matched (Lily has a repaired cleft lip and tiny cleft palate) to the time they traveled. As you can see, the wait was well worth it. You can go to the blog and get a daily dose of cuteness. We also talked to Jay and Angela who are leaving in a couple of short weeks. They have been waiting for 19 months. It has been a hard wait, but now that they are going to get Laney, it is all worth it. Each had encouraging and understanding words for both of us. It is good to get support from the BTDT crowd. Family can only see the results of the wait as it weighs on you, but have a hard time understanding the full process.

Our agency director was there and we spoke to him for a few short minutes, but nothing specific about our situation. The people with the information about our case are in the review room in China and the closest we can get to information is by talking to the main office in Colorado. We did find out that we are always welcome to visit the main office and if available, one of the founders (Josh) gives tours to the visitors. I have business in Colorado later this month, so might take him up on this idea of visiting the main office.

The Chapmans are also really supportive and have recently decided to adopt another daughter, Hope, from China. They are looking at an older child (4-6 years old). I know that they will be a blessing to this little girl when they get her. 42% of all adoptive parents of Chinese children go back and adopt another child. We were in their prayers at the end of the night and that was comforting.

We also talked with Donna and her husband as they had just found their daughter on a waiting child list. They had to change agencies and while they hated to leave CCAI, they are thrilled to be getting their daughter who was found on another agency’s waiting child list. They have just started a blog for their new daughter Shelby as well so that we can follow their progress. It is so interesting to pass the time with friends (both virtual and first hand) and their blogs. These blogs help you see how others are progressing and allows a glimpse in their lives just as this is a glimpse into ours. Support groups, friends, blogs are a great source of support in the process. I cannot imagine how the Chapmans and other families who did this in the not so distant past were able to endure the wait without these support tools.

We left feeling renewed and refreshed. This is exactly what we needed, since today is about painting and cleaning. MaMa is going to work on the scrapbook and I am going to do some cleaning as well as painting.

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