There's More Than One Way

There's been a lot of stifled excitement around here in the past six weeks. Though it was not easy, both sets of grandparents kept the secret until Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm gave us the thumbs up to tell.  And now that the word is out, and I've been talking about Peanut with anyone who will listen, the memories of our first two grandsons' homecomings have been bubbling up to the surface.  

Both Dash and JackJack have amazing stories and they are nothing like Peanut's story.  Waiting for Dash to come home was sort of like a never-ending pregnancy.  But rather than ultrasounds, we had actual real photos of Dash, who was five weeks old when he became available to be adopted.  He came home nine months later.  The voluminous paperwork and procedural red tape began an entire year earlier, making his "gestation period" if you will, an interminable 21 months.  In between the monthly photos and reports of Dash's development (accompanied by absolute anguish watching him grow month by month from afar) were forms and deadlines and payments (lots of those) and garage sales to raise money and bracelet sales to raise money and part time jobs to raise money...and did I mention that international adoption costs one heck of a lot of money?

And then there was JackJack, who was born on a Saturday, while his parents-to-be were packing up their vehicle after a week long vacation in Tennessee.  In the time it took to receive a phone call and make two more, they were on their way to becoming immediate parents.  Dash was three months old by this time and still six months away from coming home.  Everything about Dash's adoption took time, time, and more time (along with one heck of a lot of money).  JackJack, on the other hand, was born on a Saturday and delivered to his new parents on Monday, just hours after being discharged from the hospital.  All that bureaucracy, patiently and not-so-patiently endured for the months before  Dash could come home, paid off handsomely where JackJack was concerned.  For some reason I still do not understand, JackJack was allowed to go straight home, bypassing court orders and foster care and the usual paper shuffling that defines adoption.  While the requirements for international adoption are somewhat different from domestic adoption, they were accepted as good enough, and JackJack was on the way to having a forever family.

And then you have Peanut.  Conceived in the usual way, the stomach-turning drama of dossier preparation, INS fees, home study, document authentication, finger printing, police reports, and sooooo much more has been replaced by good old fashioned morning sickness.  And instead of photos of a beautiful brown-skinned baby boy with the blackest of hair and eyes, Peanut's first photo is an ultrasound.

Peanut's entrance into the world is in the completely normal way, but to us, a totally new way.  Each week, Peanut grows some more and we're sharing in his/her development with Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm.  We know that it will take nine months for Peanut to be big enough to be born, and nobody wants to rush that process.  Dash was already five weeks old when we first laid eyes on his picture and the waiting seemed interminable.  And we had no time whatsoever to prepare for JackJack's homecoming.  It just goes to show you that it doesn't matter how they get there.  Each one is a miracle.

Our first picture of Dash - 5 weeks old, and released for adoption.

  JackJack's first photo, two days old and just delivered to his disbelieving mama.

Peanut, at 11 weeks (though the technician said she thinks Peanut looks pretty developed for an 11 week old - an over-achiever already). 

Comments

[Cathy Swenson]

Congratulations! Fun that the news is out!

[Elasta-girl]

Thanks for making me cry this morning :) While the wait was long, it was totally worth it! I love my boys :)