Thursday, August 05, 2010

Argh....August!

With another page torn from my calendar, I find myself staring at the month of August. I don’t where the time goes sometimes, other than to watch the two counters at the top of this blog tick away the days until Devi turns four and add up the days that we wait for the glorious news that we can travel to Treya. The freshness of this new set of 31 days finds me feeling more than a bit anxious. I don’t know if it is the sudden surge of questions regarding when Treya might join our family by our understandably impatient support group of family and friends or the length of time with no adoption news that has me feeling this way. Certainly after 4 weeks of silence while waiting for our NOC, it becomes hard to resist the urge to let your mind wander to doubtful thoughts of whether our paperwork is on the right desk, is being touched with expertise by the right people or being looked favorably upon by those who hold the credentials to make this determination. When you take away the borders and all the paperwork, she is just a girl who wants to be loved, and we are just a family with an ample amount of that ingredient to give. In it’s simplest terms, it is hard to fathom why an adoption takes so long even to us, having gone through it once before. Let’s just get on with it please!

Ambling along, a lot of idle time is spent talking about the up coming trip, what to expect, what we might like to do while in India, and how are union with Treya might go. Walking to have “coffee time and story time” at Cavanagh’s over the weekend, a local coffee house, Devi told us that while in India, she would like to catch a peacock and keep it for her pet. On first impulse, she named him Maccaw, but after further contemplation decided her peacock would be named Buttercup,
after a duck story we’ve read before. She would feed Buttercup corn and water, and if he walked to coffee with us, she might offer him a sip of her vanilla steamer, something we all decided would be kind. She also would capture a bunny in India to keep the peacock company, who would appropriately be named Bunny. I’m not sure just how she expected us to get two live animals and a sister home from India on the plane, but one of the wondrous things about being her age, is practicality is unimportant and all things are possible.

As a means of communicating with Treya,who has heard various dialects of Marathi, Hindi and some English for nearly two years, we’ve been boning up on our sign language. It seemed to be very helpful when Devi was first home signing phrases to inquire about daily needs such as “Are you hungry. thirsty, or sleepy?” or “Do you have a dirty diaper?” Devi’s first concern was being able to sign “no-no” to Treya, which spawned a lengthy conversation about who is in charge of putting an “offender” into the thinking spot. She was devastated to find the limited power that a big sister actually has over a younger sibling. As the cogs of her incredibly bright little mind began to turn, she replied in one run on sentence....When I am done being a big sister, I’m going to get married and be a mommy. I am going to grow a baby in my tummy and when it pops out, I’m gonna put that baby in the thinking spot when she has bad behavior. Guess that sums up her parenting plan!

In other news, we've learned that the VISA process in India is different for Devi now. Guess I never thought about it before, but Devi is an NRI (non-resident Indian). It means, although she now holds a US passport, she was born in India and so is not allowed to enter India with a tourist VISA any more, but rather, must hold an Entry VISA. This procedure change, the result of terrorist activity over the past couple of years, took place on June of this year. With all new procedures, it takes much longer to process an Entry VISA. Last I heard, it was taking 2 months. Doing a bit of quick math, if a train traveling at 80 mph....OH! I mean 2 months to process; VISAs are good for 6 months from the date of issue...add a little, subtract a little... that essentially means we need to start processing hers right now if we are to travel by years end! That is a bit exciting :)

7 comments:

Fenwick 5 said...

I say UGH because of a few things,but I keep in the front of my mind that we are so blessed even though some UGH's come now and then!! I hope you get Treya home by Christmas for sure:) Peacocks are so pretty! Since your daughter insists on bringing home some animals,you might just need your own private jet,LOL. How kids just have not a care but a big heart and inagination,don't you remember those years?I do. Take Care and peace to u as you wait for precious Treya. Gidget

Peter and Nancy said...

I remember once reading someone describe war as long stretches of boredom, punctuated by brief stints of terror. It's not quite an exact analogy, but I think adoption is long stretches of waiting punctuated by intense flurries of paperwork and activity (like Devi's visa!).

I think you're in the hardest part of the wait -- when you've seen photos of your precious daughter, and there's this wall of court dates and papers that needs to come down brick by brick -- mostly unseen by you! I know that the biggest encouragement right now is just to see Devi, and realize you made it through the wait for her. The amazing circle of love you three share definitely needs to include a fourth, and soon!

Praying for your mother's heart while you wait,
Nancy

Cindy said...

For me, it was so much easier waiting for Luke because we had Emy to keep us busy....I'm sure Devi keeps you guys on your toes...she seems to be a very happy, content little girl. I know she will love her sister with all her heart--these kids bond fast, like superglue...LOL

The Labontes said...

Ugh, the wait! I do love hearing about how Devi is processing things, though! Such a sharp little girl :)
Please let her know that if for some reason you are unable to bring a peacock home, Max Rup has them in his backyard, and she's welcome to visit anytime. They are loud critters.

Praying for all of the paperwork, including Devi's visa, to proceed smoothly and QUICKLY!
Kristy

The Pfeiffer Family said...

How frustrating! It is the most difficult part of the wait when you see that precious face and you can't get there because of paperwork, courts, etc. I love how Devi is all excited to travel and all of her fabulous ideas. She has a wonderful sense of adventure. There are not any words to make the pain go away. Just take one day at a time and know that Devi is living proof that Treya WILL come home. Hang in there. I look forward to meeting you next weekend!

April :-)

Emily said...

Isn't it exciting to begin to plan the traveling? It's like validation that this is all for real! And I'm with you, let's get on with this adoption already! I hope the get together with the other families is fun :) Emily

Candice said...

Devi is so cute! I love the things she comes up with. I hope that you get that "little sister" home soon. I pray all will come together smoothly and at the right time!

Candice