The Happy Message

On January 8, 2009, we received the message that we had been waiting for for more than four long years: A child who was put up for adoption abroad, had now been matched with us; did we want this child?

Half an hour later we received a photo of a beautiful, healthy-looking little boy from Colombia. We were so happy we can not describe it! All of a sudden, all those years of waiting were completely forgotten! This was it -- and it all felt so right!

Of course we said yes, and the days and weeks since then have been terribly, terribly busy! So many forms that need to be signed, ticket and hotel reservations that had to be made, children's clothing to be bought (or inherited!), friends and family members to inform and to share our joy with, pieces of furniture to be acquired for (or removed from) the guest bedroom that shall now become our child's room, things to prepare for the long trip to South America… and all the time we walked around with big, happy smiles on our faces!

With only a couple of days till departure, we feel awfully underprepared and nervous, although we have in fact been preparing for this moment for a very long time.

There have been many little setbacks on the way to where we are now, so now that the time has finally come, we can hardly believe it:
Next week — next week! — we will be a complete family!