The Waiting Game

“Now we play the waiting game.  Aww, the waiting game sucks!  Let’s play Hungry, Hungry Hippos!”  ~  Homer Simpson

Homer is right - the waiting game sucks!  But that’s what we are playing here at the Fraley house.  It seems to be the most common aspect of the adoption process.  We have moments where we are scrambling in a panic trying to get paper work done or money raised that are followed by looooooong periods of waiting.  It can be soul crushing because I want my daughters.  I don’t want to wait.  But I don’t have much choice.

People have been asking us for a update.  We’re waiting.  That’s it.  We are waiting for the U.S. to approve our I-800 forms which will classify the girls as immediate relatives.  We are waiting on India to process the NOC, a no objection clause that prevents adoptions from occurring when a relative might step in.  We have no idea how long these things will take.  And when they are approved?  More waiting!  India has to process the adoption through the court system.  Guess what that results in?  Ding, ding, ding!  More waiting!  Then we have to apply for visas and passports for the girls.  More waiting anyone?  It’s hard to imagine an ending.  I was impatient when Julie was pregnant.  That was a long nine months!  We are going on three years here. Three!  Years!  We want them home so badly.

Homer was right about another thing. (Betcha didn’t know there was so much wisdom on The Simpsons?)  When the waiting sucks, you gotta play something different.  So that’s what we are trying to do.  We are beginning to prepare the bedrooms for the girls to get home.  There’s painting and cleaning to be done.  We are trying to scrounge up furniture make an amazing place for them to call home.  Julie and I are starting a diet and exercise regiment.  I need to drop some pounds before I get on the plane and pull a Kevin Smith.  We are learning some Hindi so we have some basis for communication.  We’ve even starting to look at some practical changes such as feeding a family of seven.  It’s a lot.  It’s keeping us crazy busy.  Even slightly overwhelmed.  But it’s sooooooo much better than just waiting.