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May 21, 2012

An Unexpected Trip to Africa...


Wow.  I’ve been on the go, and all over the place.  In just four weeks I’ve been to Martha’s Vineyard, a trip to the beach with girlfriends, back to the beach with Sean, and to a relaxing getaway in North Carolina with my mother.  (More on that trip later… SOO nice!)  Throughout all this back and forth, I haven’t had much time to update you on the unexpected developments regarding our adoption case.  So here we go…
On Friday the 11th, our case was seen in court in Africa. While Sean and I drove to the beach, we nervously anticipated a phone call telling us how it went.  We were hoping to hear, “Abiella is now officially a McConnell!!” 

But, since when has the expected happen?  At 1pm we got a call from our coordinator and listened as she explained that the judge couldn’t “understand why a couple would choose to adopt a child with special needs.” (Abiella is suspected to have forms of microcephaly and cerebral palsy… which we’ve known since the very beginning.) Because of this, the judge wants to see us in court and make sure we weren’t “misled.” The judge set the court date to June 1st with the requirement that at least one parent be present.  Wow.  Okay…

Luckily, we were on our way to the beach when we got this call and it gave us 3 uninterrupted days to get our minds around what this development meant and to begin planning our trip.  While some may say this development was “unexpected and perhaps inconvenient” we are looking forward to it.  Most importantly, we get to see Abiella !!!!! We haven’t seen her since December, so this unexpected visit is actually very, very exciting!!!!!  We just can't wait to hold this beautiful little girl!!!!


 (And no… we will not be able to bring her home with us this time. There are still passports and visas and 1-600’s and yada yada yada.  BUT every day is closer.)

Please say a prayer for safe, productive, and enjoyable journey. Can't wait!!


   

9 comments:

Danielle said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Danielle said...

Yay! Can't wait til she is officially Abiella McConnell! xo

three little birds said...

hoping your special time together as a family of three is just what you need to get you through that final push of yada yada yada until you can FINALLY bring your baby girl home!
You are in my thoughts

Libby A. said...

praying for you both and this trip! I grew up as an MK (missionary kid) and lived in Kenya for a few yrs as well as other places. We visited lots of orphanages while we were out there and this just fills me with joy. praying with all my might!

Laura Darling said...

WOW!! This is amazing! Have a safe trip and can't wait to hear how it goes!!

TDM Wendy said...

1. Congrats on getting to go see your daughter. So cool!
2. I read your about me and I'm hooked. So I am book marking you for later. Cuz I gotta go to bed so I can mail out your copy of Totally Desperate Mom tomorrow. And there's even some stuff about adoption in there :)
3. Yay for adoption. And special needs. You'll understand why I say both of those things when you read my book.

Sassy Smack said...

still praying every single night! you're right, each day is one day closer!!! :)

Jenny said...

Oh my goodness, that is so exciting! If I ever have another baby I will adopt. I am SO glad I found your cute blog...now following along :)
Modern Modest Beauty

Shon said...

Wow, I have been out of touch too lately!! I will pray for safe travels and clarity for the judge and peace for all of you. I am so excited for you and your family.

Shon