Reindeer Poop

So we were told that there would be no problem with us making the first travel group in December, which needed to be ready to rumble in Beijing on Dec 6.  I was SO glad we would be home for Christmas!  You can only imagine the warm, sweet images in my head of a roaring fire, Bing Crosby piping his low croon in our ears, my kids taking their time opening their presents and relishing them one by one whilst in their fleece Christmas jammies, my husband reading the nativity story by the tree, and the smell of cinnamon rolls wafting from the kitchen as we all love on our new little one, Ai Lan...

Hold up...what?  What did that email from Holt just say?  Did it say that there were no Consulate appointments available and that we have to be in Beijing now on Dec 13th?  Wait a minute.  That means we won't get home until...DECEMBER 27TH?!

Reindeer poop.

When it comes to the unpredictability of preparing for an adoption, this was certainly the grande finale.  I hope.  Please God let it be the grande finale.  No encores.  No encores please.

I'm am DREADING picking up the kids from school today and telling them, "Hey, guess what, we won't be with you for Christmas.  Ta-da!"

But you know what, maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised by their reactions.  Honestly, as the morning progresses, I'm less and less shocked by this news, my mind spinning on how we can make this work.  Does it really matter if we have that fireside Christmas morning moment on Dec 25th or Dec 29th?  And they will certainly be surrounded by grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and extended family who loves them and cherishes them on Christmas Day.

I'm thinking there will be an EPIC Skype session that day.  Epic.

And even if the kids are disappointed, these things remain...

Ai Lan, you are 110 percent worth it.  

If I had to travel to the moon and miss every important holiday 

and birthday for a year just to pick you up, I'd do it.  

You are more important to me than any festivity.  

Your life has value far beyond gifts.  

You deserve to be loved no matter what minor 

inconvenience it puts us through.  

Oh, if every child were valued this much.