So, where to start, where to start.
Right now I will not be sharing specifics of our case, court, etc. That may come later. It is becoming clear to me how much all of this will effect the girls one day. That all this time, all this waiting, and all the sharing I have done is about two little people. They have big brown eyes and sweet little hearts and PLENTY of sass. But that this is their story to tell. That there is something sacred about the details.
I will share some things though because they are THAT good.
We are settling into life in Africa. So crazy different from American life. Still really good but really really different. And also being parents in Africa is so different. The last time I was here a few weeks ago I was only responsible for me, now it is for my family. We have been in guesthouses the whole time so far which has been nice in many ways. Our favorite place is in Jinja. Jinja is about two hours outside of the capitol of Kampala. It is quiet and so easy to get around. My favorite way is to stick the girls in front of me and hop on a boda(scooter). The girls handle it but I am not sure they like it. Poor little Joy has never been out of the orphanage so the world is so different for her.
The girls are doing really really well. We have not had many tantrums, rages, or unconsolable crying. The first night was a little rough. They were scared and didn't really know what was going on. One of them just wailed this heartbroken, deep from her heart sound. I cried right along with her and I wondered how we would do this. But then she relaxed and fell asleep. She woke a few times the first night but settled easily. We have been able to calm them by holding them tight and sitting them in our laps.
I have been amazed at how well it has gone. They do tend to just kinda shut down at times and that is when the language barrier is toughest. I can't ask them questions and help them get through things verbally and that is hard. I want to hear what is going on in their heads and hearts. It will come though, but slowly. We are so grateful that they settle down and relax with us. They are still vigilant with their surroundings but not as much as I thought they would be.
We go back to court on Friday so that is a big day. We have some last minute things to do here in Jinja and then we will head back to the capitol. We found a two bedroom apartment to rent for the month, weekly actually. I am a little intimidated by doing all of the meals, most of the cleaning, etc. The space is nice though. It is walled in with concrete and barb wire and they have security at night which is all standard for "muzungos". There is a nice family that owns the house who live next door. They will be very helpful to us. It has a kitchenette, 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a living area. I have been assured there are no bugs inside, hahaha! I told her to spray anyway please. Those who know me are laughing right now. I think it will be good to have our own space and be able to eat when we want, nap when we want, etc.
We appreciate everyone's prayers and support so much. It is amazing just how many people are thinking of us and praying for us. I have heard so many times how people were literally hitting their knees at 2:30am for us. Believe me it worked. We had so many hurdles in court and I thought it would get thrown out several times. But each time we kept going. We feel cautiously optimistic about it and hope to hear good news on Friday.
We got to see their birth family on Friday and will meet with them again tomorrow. It is hard to describe how special those moments have been. If you know me then you know how much I want to honor their parents and the sacrifice they are making. That I want to learn as much about them as I can. We have a list of questions for them that I hope will make the girls happy one day.
The most beautiful moment by far was last Friday. I am holding Joy and she is wrapped around me like a pretzel, head on my shoulder. Annet is holding my hand and pressed in on my side. We talked to their first mom and dad and I tried to get the girls to go to them. They wouldn't no matter what I tried. It was a very surreal moment. On one hand it felt so good to have the girls in my arms and on the other I felt horribly guilty they wouldn't go. I didn't want their family to feel sad or upset.
I talked to my orphanage director on the phone later and what she said blew me away. She said that the family kept saying over and over again just how happy they were. They only had joy because the girls were so happy and bonding so well. It was such a selfless stance for them to take. I was so humbled and grateful that they feel that way. When we were with them they couldn't stop smiling. I am sure that there is sadness, deep sadness mixed in with their feelings as well. But it was so amazing and such a God thing to me. That love could be that big and wide and self sacrificing.
Overall, things are going well. I am realizing that we have a really long way to go and the process might be more difficult than I anticipated. Of course it is, sometimes I shake my head at my optimism, silliness, whatever it is....
I haven't talked much about the boys because every time I do I cry. It is SO hard to be away from them. I miss them so very much and just want to see them. We have facetimed several times and will continue to do so. We are 8hours ahead here so that makes it tricky. They are doing great though, I am sure they are wearing everyone out:) They are so excited about their sisters though and get so excited to talk with them. The girls are figuring out who the boys are. I can just see everyone all together and it makes me smile. They mirror each other in different ways and I can't wait to get everyone home in one place.
Keep the prayers coming, they really matter... All of it matters. We were able to talk on facetime with several people and it made us so happy. We can't post pictures of the girls until we have our visas which will be awhile so some people have gotten to "meet" them and that was so special.
