Gotcha Day +3

Alright, I think we're back on blogging track. Today is officially Gotcha Day +3.  And lemme tell ya, it was a doozie. We had a couple errands to run this morning and our first stop was Nicolus' old school for some paperwork.  Before getting into the van our little guy seemed pretty down...and a little grumpy. I noticed that his head felt pretty warm so we were wondering if he was starting to come down with something. We all jumped in the van and Nicolus immediately got on my lap and laid his head down. We headed up and down the bumpy road to the orphanage.

Once we got there Nicolus was passed out...so I thought.  I stepped out of the van still holding/cradling him and then....it happened.  His complete breakfast of omelet, pineapple and peanut butter toast decided to make a reappearance...all over him and all over me. We will spare the details (Clint almost took a picture. Surprised?) but it was not a pretty sight.  But as Clint was cleaning up Nicolus and I was cleaning up myself I realized we had just officially been initiated into parenthood. We don't need court, this was the real deal!

Poor Nicolus was not a happy camper. He looked like he probably wasn't finished and he was burning up. We decided he needed to get back to the guest house to rest (and changing my clothes sounded quite pleasant). The Embassy was still a necessary errand so Clint helped me get him into bed with a little tylenol, reassured me that I'd be fine with him and jumped in the van. Not gonna lie, I freaked out a bit.  I mean, I'm in Africa with no phone to call my mom, no internet to google all my paranoid questions, no way to ask this little guy what he needed. Yep, panic set in. But I'm sure the Lord knew that I needed this! So I stayed in the room with him and he was a trooper.  He slept a LOT...but also moved around a LOT, which was hilarious and totally picture-worthy.

He was great about waking up, pointing to his throat to say "thirsty", drinking water, and then going to sleep again.  And then, it was over!  Whew!  He woke up for good right before Clint got back and started eating again.  So far so good!  He was much happier the rest of the day. Except at bedtime. But that's a story for another day! :)

The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. The Embassy did accept our paperwork this afternoon which was a plus! However, they informed us that they have no available appointments next week for us to come in for the visa interview after our court date on Monday. This is definitely a concern because we wouldn't be able to try again until the following week and our flights are currently scheduled for that Wednesday the 19th. Ah! As soon as we get our guardianship order from court our plan is to go into the Embassy anyway, as often as we can and hope they will fit us in without an appointment.  Not sure how that will work....

So...please pray. Continue to ask for no interference with our court date on Monday and for a quick turn around on our Guardianship order.  Pray that the Embassy would be gracious toward us and squeeze us in for our interview so we can get Nicolus' visa before our scheduled flight.

Also, pray for Nicolus' heart and that he would be patient with us even though we can't understand him. We had a rough night of misunderstanding that was wearing on all of our hearts. Pray that we would be able to learn Lugandan terms that are useful and that he would use the signs and words we are teaching him to communicate his needs. Pray for our patience as well as we long to be able to love on him through providing for him.

A couple fun pics.  Nicolus is really great about praying with us before meals and at bedtime. Usually he can easily keep his eyes closed but tonight he was so excited about the food he needed some extra help to keep them closed. :)  He even says Amen at the end!

 

Feeding Dad

Our first family pic!

Love to you all!!