Adoption On Hold Until Further Notice

This morning around 6:40 am as I was blow drying my hair I started to come down with a migraine headache. I am so lucky I do not get them all the time but they are so painful that I remember what they are like. I think the last time I got one was over a year ago or more. So I go down stairs and take three advil.

Rick had just left and Simone was being SO good eating her breakfast at the table. I told her that I had a bad head ache and needed to go up and finish getting ready. So I did and then came back down stairs. I had to call my teaching partners Jeanie and Amy to let them know I would be late getting to our 5th Grade Track meet by 7:30am. (I think to my self, this is one of my FUNNEST and most PROUDEST teaching days of the whole year and I come down with this headache!)

So as I lay on the couch, Simone snuggles next to me on the couch and listens as I leave a message for Jeanie and tell Amy. She snuggles in more and tells me that she is so, "Happy to be going to see my SISTER!". I told her I just need to rest a little bit before I feel better.

I asked her to get dressed and put her sandals on. I told her that she can get "dressed up" for Sophie's shower today. So she goes into her play room all excited. She comes out with her Dorthy dress from the Wizard of Oz. I just think to myself what her preschool teacher told me a couple of weeks ago that it is not worth fighting with them about what they want to wear and that they see it all. So she puts on the Dorthy Dress. It is too itchy for her so she takes it off. Back into her play room she goes and out comes the Pumpkin Princess. Her smile on her face was so big.

After I started to feel much better and just before we leave I go up and email my case worker. I tell her that I will be gone all day on a field trip and please call me on my cell phone if we get our US Consulate appointment approval back so I can purchase our tickets...I also tell her that we are willing to spend a day or two in the airport in Guangzhou waiting to get to Chengdu.

We leave the house at 7:38 am because I am feeling much better.

I drop Simone off at preschool and then go to the track meet. As I am talking to parent helpers my phone rings. I can't answer it but it is my case worker. The track meet starts and the kids are off to the field events.

I then go behind the stadium and call our social worker. She has bad news, "your adoption is on hold." All adoptions in the Sichuan province are on hold because all paper work is processed through Chengdu and it is "Dangerous" for them to go to work. No work is being done on adoptions.

She told me that when she saw this announcement this morning it "broke her heart" to tell us because she knows what we are going through.

I start to cry and try to pull it together to tell her that now you know why I have been telling you about my gut feeling to get us to Sophie ASAP!!!

Just as I wrap up my phone call I see my friend Sara and talk for a little bit. It was quite refreshing to see a friendly face. As I head to the bathroom I see another teacher friend, Sharon, come out. I start to cry as I tell her quickly and then head to the bathroom by my self.

As I go into the stadium bathroom I just cry. I find comfort in that old bathroom and ruff paper towels, even as the heat is blowing on me and it felt like a sauna int here. I just let it all out. Luckily since the track meet just started there was no one in the bathroom with me. A part of me understood that this would be a good time to just cry. It did make me feel better.

Then I go back to the track meet. I find my self tearing up as I see my students having fun and doing their personal best. I just get tears thinking about it. I have had most of these fifth graders since first or second grade, for 4 or 5 years now. My former teaching partner Lisa had all the kindergartner's and first graders that year. I love teaching these kids and they are off to middle school next year. I am so proud of their efforts today and they have no idea how proud of them I am. I had one of my students who while waiting his turn to run the 50 meter dash plugged his ears with both hands. He tells me, "Mrs. Houston, that gun is loud and hurting my ears." I said, "I know, sorry, keep plugging your ears and it is good that you are in lane 9 not 1." So he kept plugging his ears. I look over to Warren, my teaching partner who was the starter, we just smiled at each other and I think to myself this is why I love kids. Another ah-ha moment is when Cole starts his anchor leg in the 400 meter relay in 4th place. He pours it on and passes the third place runner and moves into a third place win. Another moment is when Micaela tells me that she hurt her ankle but her Dad told her it was ok to run and she was glad she did because she was having so much fun.

The last race was the 50 meter shuttle relay. 4 girls on one side and 4 boys on the other. It is a fun classic and so much fun to watch. My kids were grinning ear to ear! I really start to get emotional when I see Zak and Zephery coming in full speed with smiles on their faces. This is what it is all about. Then I see Jeremy running the anchor leg, in the lead, second and third place pulling in on him, I scream, "push it, there catching you", he digs down deep and delivers. I barely can say to him, you did it, you got first place!!! His face was priceless, I will never forget it.

The track meet went so well. We had so many wonderful Parent and Grandparent helpers. I had fun spending time with my partners, Troy, Jeanie, Amy and Warren. Even one of the first elementary PE teachers was there. His name is Al. Since we all teach in different buildings it was nice to be together.

On the way to my car Amy and I were talking about scriptures and not worrying. She starts saying one that I know and I start to get teary eyed again.......As she walks away I sit in my car and CRY, CRY, Cry. Again.

My friend Jeni calls to check on me. She says, "what are you doing?" I say, "just sitting in my car crying, taking a brake." She asks if I am ok and I tell her I will be.

Then I drive to lunch with my teammates and really enjoy their company!

On the way home I stop by Rick's class real quick to make sure he got my phone message. He had not so I am glad I stopped by. He told me he had a feeling that this would happen.

So we just pray that Sophie and everyone in Sichuan is safe.

This afternoon my work friends are throwing us a shower for Sophie. My friends Jeni, Jessica C. and Sue have all talked with me and told me it was OK for us to cancel but we do not want to. We want to just be with friends and not at home looking on our guest bed at the suite case that we have started to pack or look at our mile long to do list or search the Internet for information about what is going on.......Thanks friends for caring so much and letting me know you care. Can't wait for this baby shower! Thanks Beth for calling me too! Thank you Becca for helping me with emails while I was at work.

I also want to say thank you to our two little angel friends, you know who you are :O) We appreciate all that you are doing for our family and for Adoption.

Hold on Little Girl, Hold ON!

Rick and I are still talking about how to do her middle name. We know for sure Shi Wei (the reason behind her name will be another long post.) But we are still thinking of Hope like Simone but I think it should be FAITH!

We love you SOPHIE!!

Update: When I checked my email this evening after Sophies Shower I found this email from my Chengdu yahoo group. Here is what they were told about the "hold":

"Hello! We are new to the board and hope to learn more about Chengdu. Our DS is actually in Guang'an, Sichuan province- to the east of Chengdu and we were supposed to leave in 13 days. This morning we had a call from our adoption agency and we now have to postpone our trip. We were told the Civil Affairs office in Chengdu is basically closed and too overwhelmed helping with the relief effort to currently do more adoptions. As of yet, they do not have a projected date as of when they plan to resume them either. There is a slim chance that we may still travel on schedule- but who knows? According to the rules, they aren't able to move him to a different province for the adoption so we just have to wait. I was hoping to hear if anyone else is experiencing this as well or any additional info. Thanks, ______"

Makes you think doesn't it...........

***(It is now 11:16 pm and I am doing my work here at home since I was out all day. I received this touching email. It brought tears to my eyes (yes, a lot of tears today) because they were thinking of me. I have to save this for Sophie.):
"Hi Michele, Just thinking about you this afternoon and hope you are doing well. You really hung in there at the track meet after getting the disappointing news. You will be with your little girl soon!! Take care. Mia and Vince ______(Austin & Logan's parents)"