Thorburn Family

After what was an interesting (spiritually challenging :-)) few days, our plane tickets have been purchased by Nevada and we are GOOD TO GO!   We are scheduled to fly out on May 27th and return with Benjamin on May 31st.   We have two very busy weeks ahead of us.   The timing is perfect, of course, and now we just need to get busy.   We are thankful and full of joy!  Still, we are thinking of the “other mothers” out there.. and there are a few..  on Mothers Day we had many  mothers in our prayers.. birth moms, foster moms.. so many in our lives.  We are all connected by very special children and the mix of emotions and experiences that come with every end of adoption.   May God richly bless each of them.

In case you can’t tell from these pictures, we got good news today that our new son, new brother, is coming home!  The hearing today at court ended all delays, and now it is just a matter of buying plane tickets and flying.  The dates will either be the  18th through the 24th or.. we have to wait till June 16th (the worker will be on vacation the first two weeks of June).  So, we are praying for May!  The kids are all ECSTATIC!   Jesse seems to express it most fully……

Little adoption update.  The soonest that we will know dates (we will fly to get Benjamin two weeks after the “know dates” date).. is April 10th.  So, the soonest we will fly to NV for the big transition week is April 24th, probably.   It will likely happen about then, but we are learning not to be too sure of anything till it has happened.   Benjamin has become fully potty trained since our adoption wait began!   Of course, we expect a regression in this or other milestones when he arrives, from the trauma of transition.  Another thing we finally learned are Ben’s clothing sizes!  Benjamin is wearing a 4T (sometimes still in 3T’s), and in size 8 1/2 shoes.  It’s been 10 years since we have had a child that tiny!   Hurray!   So, that gives us something to do.  Aunt Ann and Uncle Kevin Carr already gave Benjamin a cozy pull-over–we’ll always remember that as the first gift he ever received in our family!  Sooooo, we keep waiting.  We have been sick.. A LOT.. this winter.. I am currently coughing my brains out over here and fairly miserable.  Things are getting a bit behind as a result, and of course we are in the thick of homeschooling.   Like a little kid, I want what I want NOW, but really, I know that God’s wisdom is in each delay and His perfect timing of Benjamin’s arrival.  Waiting is hard but each moment has a purpose.     Anna   3/18/08

We got a call from Nevada today.  Everything is delayed, it would take way too much time to write it all out.. but the bottom line is that now we are waiting for a March court date.   On that date, we have every reason to expect that that will be “IT,” for REAL   Then our plane tickets will be purchased and we will be able to travel two weeks later.   One blessing that has come out of this is that Benjamin’s wonderful Social Worker was able to explain much more about the background of this case, his current home situation, etc.. and gave us a much fuller picture.  We are so very thankful for this!!!  So, now we wait again, for a new March court date.   God’s timing is perfect and we’re thankful to be on His calendar :).  Ps. 34:1  ”I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise will continually be in my mouth.”  

I am on pins and needles today, trying to be focused.  For all this time, I have felt a calm and quiet heart which can only be a huge grace from God.  Now, while I am not exactly anxious per say, I feel like I am holding my breath while standing on my head, till we hear the outcome of an important hearing in Nevada, which will be at 4:30 PM our time on Friday.  I explained about this in a previous post so I won’t go into it all here.  If you are reading this, please say a prayer for Benjamin’s speedy arrival to our home.  We are ICPC approved by both states, and should have had him long ago in one sense, but we know that God is sovereign over all.  The judge’s decision will determine whether that arrival is delayed further, or imminent.  We hope and pray that buying plane tickets is our next move.  We are also looking for arrangements for our children while we are away, and trying to get things in order for our Nevada trip, while recovering from the flu and continuing home schooling  We really have so much for which to be thankful!             Blessings abound, Anna

What a joy it was to get our mail today and find the thick pile of “disclosures” on Benjamin from Nevada.  We are able to start getting to know our new child.  What a blessing!  As we read, we keep saying.. “this kid is right up our alley!”   We just cannot wait to meet him in person, bring him home, and start the process of attachment, family bonding, and a new start.   It is great to have this information and be able to start pinpointing areas of need, and develop strategies for meeting those needs well.  Our ICPC process has been underway, though temporarily delayed by a petition by the birth father to be considered for custody.  Birth dad voluntarily relinquished his rights a couple of years ago and has not seen his child for at least that long.  It is considered a virtual impossibility that he could gain even a chance to get his rights back.  He has had one court date (and was denied) and there is another coming (??when), and then we expect this will be the end of things.  Meanwhile, our ICPC process and transition plans with his workers continue, and we proceed as though there is no delay possible.  We know that Benjamin will join our family at exactly the right time, no sooner and not a day late.  

We learned today that the state agency who is handling the adoption of our new son will cover our airfare and then will reimburse us for expenses while in Nevada to transition him.  We are so very grateful for this unexpected and very much needed gift!   We were prepared to figure all this out, but with the surgery coming up, we weren’t quite sure how it would work.  We did know that God has planned and provided for both endeavors every step of the way thus far, so we had no doubt He would see us through to the end, in His time and way.  What a great thing to get the email from the wonderful worker in Nevada today!  The ICPC process continues.. on Monday we have a home visit to update our home study to pertain directly to our little boy in Nevada.  Then our worker fills out some more forms, and when all is approved by both states, we are good to go.. !!!!!!  Whoohoo!    Anna

Yay!!!   We got confirmation today that as of 12/18, our ICPC (Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children) process is underway.  The 100A form, request for placement was sent by Nevada to NH.  This is huge!  We also received Washoe County’s guide to transitioning children.  Our new son is currently in a foster home in Nevada and we want to make his transition to a new family as easy as it could be under the circumstances.  We are working on videos and albums for him, and these will be utilized closer to the time of his arrival.  We’re really excited!   Blessings, Anna