10 weeks waiting!

We've been on the waiting list 10 weeks today! Numbers 9 and 10 on the Island of Sodor are the Scottish Twins, Donald and Douglas. With the referrals seeming to take longer and longer, we are probably just now halfway through our wait. There are still 10 people ahead of us waiting on a boy or either gender. But, overall the wait continues to go smoothly. Although, I think things will get a little tougher over the holidays. I found myself at the mall today wondering if I should buy a picture frame ornament for Abram's picture. This is what we did with Grayson's referral picture the Christmas we spent waiting for him to come home. I really doubt we will have a picture of him by Christmas. So, maybe I will just buy a letter "A" instead. That way we have something to remember that we spent this Christmas in anticipation of his homecoming! Well-intentioned people like to say that waiting for a referral or for a court date or for an embassy appointment is like being pregnant and having to wait 9 months before your child is born. But, I can't imagine that they are really much alike at all. Yes, I'm sure being pregnant over the holidays makes you even more anxious for the upcoming holidays you will spend with your new child, just as in an adoption. However, though you can't physically hold your child or see your child, he/she is there. You can cradle your stomach, feel his/her tiny kicks, and talk or sing to him/her knowing your voice will be heard. With an adoption, you have the benefit of seeing pictures once you've received your referral. But, you don't have any way of feeling each other's presence. I can remember with Grayson, I just kept trying to feel closer to him. I wondered if we thought of each other at the same moment would he somehow know I was there, thinking of him, loving him. I never thought for a second that Grayson spent a single minute of his life unloved or uncared for. I had the peace of mind of knowing that Marta picked him up at 7 hours old and loved him as her son until the day we picked him up. But this time, I don't have that same peace of mind. There is a good chance that Abram is already in an orphanage being fed, cared for, and loved. But, what if he's not? I'm thankful for any time that he gets to spend with his birth family, but what if he's hungry? What if he's sick? What if his birth family, not being able to care for him, has left him somewhere in hopes he'll be found? What if he hasn't been found? Is he scared? These are the questions that begin to torture you as you wait longer and longer. But, as I've mentioned before, this time I have the benefit of knowing that the time we wait for our children to come home is all a part of God's perfect timing. And though I can't see it now, there is a plan in place greater than anything I could ever fabricate in my mind. I'm so excited to see what God has in store for us and Abram! Until then, we wait!