One more before bed...

It's nearly 4 a.m. here.  I will surely be tired tomorrow, but for slightly different reasons than today.  Jet lag was rough...but it seems that we have made it through.  Hurray!  I am very thankful for this stopover en route to India where we can be with family and relax a bit before the next leg of the journey.  It's always fun to be here with the in-laws and the cousins, and there has been much talk of British history and royal weddings already, in addition to the basic family catch-up. 

My sister-in-law, Jill, was actually visiting us on the day that we got the email about Tom way back over 19 months ago.  She witnessed the initial hubbub of the news, so it's wonderful to be able to share this part of the story with her.  We were also here just before leaving to meet Neil....seems that Jill inevitably plays a part in our adoption stories--fine by me!

Rex had a ball playing outside with his cousin, P, and from the reports I'm getting about Neil back in the States, he is practically living and breathing outside play.  I'm sure that Beth is doing the same, although, sadly, we forgot to take her scooter to Mom and Dad's.  Sorry, Beth!

We had a lovely (and very delicious!) meals of shepherd's pie tonight, followed by my pudding (English for dessert) request....Jill's world-renowned brownies!  And we were able to sneak in Rex's first malaria pill right into the brownie so he didn't even know it was there!  Tomorrow night....grilled lamb chops (Hoffbeast is salivating at the mention.) and my other request--summer pudding.  Summer pudding is literally one of my very favorite desserts anywhere, and I am so glad that my SIL is spoiling us this way!

Hopefully I can post some pictures soon...I have loads already!

And We're Off! A View from the Air...

(journaled on the plane, after having flown from Indy to Chicago and then gotten on our plane bound for London)

"We're on the plane, just over the Labrador Sea.  I can hardly believe that this is real...but it is.  I vacillate between being wildly excited--and calmly accepting.  Life will change.  Challenges will come.  Love will grow.  And it is all very good.

Hoffbeast sleeps, and Rex tosses and turns, shimmies and squirms.  And I'm awake, at 3 a.m. England time, waiting for my little man to doze.  Seems like a scene right out of...2319.  :)

Just 3 more days, and Tom will be in my arms.  The reality is overwhelming and wonderful.  To think of all that had to happen to get us to this point...I wish I could write it all down, but thinking of it makes my head spin.

I worship you, Lord.   You are the Creator of all things and our Great Joy.  I bless your name tonight..."

Trip-of-a-Lifetime, Take 2

And here we are.  After a roller coaster that about took me out, we are off--and running!  Fingerprints were granted, decisions were made, tickets were purchased, and tonight, I find myself sitting in my parents' living room, alone in the quiet with the rain falling outside and the clock ticking ever so faithfully.

Last night we dropped Neil off at his home-away-from-home for the next week or so.  It went amazingly well, with him giving hugs and kisses and then quickly running away to play with his friends.  I cried; he didn't.  He would rarely be mistaken for sentimental, and yet, in that moment, I was thankful, as it just made the transition so much easier.  We got home to a phone call from Rex that he was homesick (He was only just spending last night with a friend.)...what a contrast between our boys.  I love them both--and their unique personalities--so much.

And soon, there will be another boy in the mix!  Tom's carseat is waiting for him in the car (I wonder how his first ride in there will go!), and the pack-n-play is set up in our room, anticipating his arrival and his need to sleep in the same room with Mama and Daddy for a little while.  I can't wait....and I don't have to for much longer.  Baby J, we're coming for you....and we're really, truly, almost there!

And now for his name...

...introducing again, our son, Job Thomas Jagat Hoffman! 

As is often the case, he is seen here with no pants on....we're hoping that that means that potty training is well underway!

We've been working on his name for a very long time, but we just couldn't finalize one until recently.  I think the closer our travel dates are getting, the more necessary it seems for us to make a decision.  There are so many reasons that we are naming him what we are, but suffice it to say that Job was a man of character who believed in and trusted a great God.  I would love for my son to display the kind of faith that his namesake did.  Thomas was Jeff's paternal grandfather, an immigrant who came over on a boat from Ireland, and in addition, tradition says that the apostle Thomas is the person responsible for taking Christianity to India.  Jagat, of course, is his given name, and it means "world".  We were told that whoever named him likely wished that they could give him the world.  That's a beautiful gift.

We love it....well, at least the Hub and I do.  The boys are insistent that we are calling him "Zeke", another name that was on the shortlist.  But Job it is!  We will likely call him J.T.--or just Jag for now.  I actually like "Job Thomas" said together.  We'll see....nicknames just sort of happen, so it'll be fun to watch one develop.  For now, Job isn't too different-sounding than the beginning of Jagat, so hopefully it'll be an easy transition name for him.

His blog name?  Tom...or Tommy.  I haven't decided which yet.  The name discussion continues...

Mother's Day Presents

1) Smooches from 3 of my kiddos.
2) Precious thoughts of the one never far from my heart.
3) Plane tickets to go get the other one!!

We're going to INDIA!!!

Stay tuned...

Adoption Update - Roller Coaster Defined

I feel like I haven't "talked" to you guys much about what's been going on here, but basically, we are on a big back and forth, up and down, roller coaster ride.  Our situation in a nutshell...

We passed court on Feb. 5. We received written on April 8. Our fingerprints expire on May 17. We need to travel!

BUT if we can't get re-fingerprinted by the end of the week, we won't be able to travel. If the tickets that we have on hold (departure date of May 12) go up too much in price, we won't be able to travel. And if J's passport hasn't been issued, we won't be able to travel back.

BUT if we DO get re-fingerprinted and the price remains low enough, it seems like we should probably go...we're not slated to leave Orissa until May 18, I think, so that should be enough time for the passport to arrive, as the website says that it is expected to be shipped on May 10.

Should be. But what if it's not? Then we wait. But it probably will be. So it seems like we should go.

Do you feel like you're on the roller coaster with us now??!

Our other problem besides the fingerprints expiring is that it will be very difficult for us to travel in either June or July because of our summer project/other ministry responsibilities. It might be able to be worked out, but it will be difficult.  And if our fingerprints take 3 more months, we won't be able to go until August anyway.

We know that God can move the mountains, so we are looking to Him. This morning at Bible study, the woman next to me pointed out the verse II Chron. 20:12:  "...We do not know what to do, but our eyes are upon you!"

That's how we feel, and that's where we are.

Stay tuned.  And please pray.

Adoption Update

Up and Down
Down and Up
Will we go, or won't we?
Won't we go, or will we?

This is the roller coaster we are currently riding on.  At some point, we'll get off, but right now, although my heart is quite settled, my stomach is getting tossed around with every turn!