Talking about eye rolling, head scratching, and ramps

Our announcement that we are adopting again was met with some eye raising from acquaintances. When it was discovered that our son is totally dependent on his wheelchair there was some head scratching.  Yes, I saw it and really, it is ok.  We have been scratching our heads a bit too!  I will be honest that I fought against the idea at first.  I mean, it is totally impractical, right?  We have three little girls at home, and have hit our groove with a good household rhythm going. Why add a boy (and one with significant needs at that) and complicate matters?

 When we visited the orphanage where The Little Princesses lived we were struck by the number of boys. It may surprise you to know that the orphans in China are no longer primarily girls. The number of  boys waiting for a family far outnumber the girls.   

Since we visited the orphanage at naptime, we were able to see the children that Jen had roomed with.  In the room for her age there was a small row of beds against one wall with just a couple of little girls, and what appeared to be at least a dozen beds on the other side of the room with little boys.  The nanny in the room told us that most of their girls had been adopted.  I believe we realized right then and there that we would eventually return for a boy.

 No one was more surprised than I was when “eventually” ended up being VERY SOON.  We had been home perhaps a month when a boy’s photo showed up on the Facebook feed of an organization that helps orphans in China.  I had been aware of “Peter” while in process with the Little Princesses, and it saddened me that his family had not found him yet. 

 A few days later a dear friend asked me how things were going.  Since I knew she would "get it" I mentioned Peter to her and the fact that I couldn’t get him out of my head or my heart.  I believe after she stopped laughing (the usual reaction from those who  know us well) she said, “Very interesting!”  Yes, indeed.

I confess I tried to dismiss the idea.  Our house is not handicap accessible.  Certainly we couldn’t be the right family for him.  I can’t share everything that went on in the background, but as quickly as we attempted to dismiss the idea, evidence presented itself to suggest we do otherwise.  Ethan finally said to make the call to see if our agency would even approve us to adopt again so soon.  The short to this story is they did, and we are. 

There is much to be done before Isaac arrives home, and our budget is stretched to the max.  International adoptions are expensive -  very expensive.  We just did it - times two!  Modifications to a home are expensive also. One of the major things on our to-do list is a ramp so Isaac can get into our house independently.  I just have to share how this is to come about.

A local church (one that we are not members of) gave us a grant towards the adoption expenses of The Little Princesses.  At that time they also offered to help with home modifications if needed.  Jen can walk short distances without her walker, and hold a rail or sit down to do stairs.  We have actually done fine with our current arrangement, so I never followed up on that offer – until this week.

As our dossier gets closer to its submission to China, the practical aspects of “Peter” (our Isaac) joining our family become more urgent.  I contacted the church this week to find out if their offer of help was still good.  I am still amazed that about forty-eight hours later two men were at our house to do measurements and plan the ramp!  They are very informed as to building code requirements and know what they are doing. 

 It will be a substantial change to the landscape of our house.  The ramp will come out ten feet from our front porch, land on a 5’ by 5’ deck platform, then turn and go out six feet to the driveway.  They estimated three to four days to build it.  Amazingly they are offering their labor free-of-charge, so we have only to purchase the supplies!  I am very encouraged by this practical outpouring of love for our boy, and cannot wait to share with him the excitement that others in our community have concerning his homecoming.