We have finally seen and are experiencing the light at the end of the tunnel! Gertrude and I got back from Latvia on Sunday, March 9 about 2:00 a.m. Everything went fairly smoothly, except the trip over. We were supposed to travel Atlanta to Frankfurt, then on to Riga, Latvia. There was a bad storm in Frankfurt at the time we were supposed to land and they closed the airport. We landed in Cologne, Germany and waited about 2 hours to fly back to Frankfurt. Consequently, us, and hundreds of other people that were supposed to fly from Frankfurt to other countries missed their connections. We waited in line for 6 hours and 10 minutes, knowing there were no more flights out that day to Riga, and wondering if we would even get on one the next day. I had to get hold of Scott but had no way of calling (the cell I had only works from Latvia). I needed to let the hotel know we would be a day late and let Scott know so he wouldn't worry. Scott was actually out of town too, and Tena was home with our neighbor Emilia that stayed with her. So, finally found a phone that could be used to call internationally by using a credit card. I called Scott and told him the situation, and he called Tena and had her e-mail the hotel and our attorney to give them an update on when we would be there. Thank you modern technology!! Of course, once we got home and got our credit card bill, we found that those two 5 minute phone calls cost us about $65.00 each! Anyway, we finally got to the front of the line and got a ticket for the next morning. They put us up in a nice hotel not far from the airport and it included dinner and breakfast. We got to shower (and boy did we need it!) and rest, and I was able to get internet access and e-mail people in Latvia to let them know what was happening.Once there, we got our hotel which was a decent place but 6 floors up (circular stairs) with no elevator. We got a lot of exercise while staying at this place! Monday we had to take Gertrude to the Embassy doctor for a physical, and then get her new passport. Our attorney took us back and forth to the doctor and passport office (had to return to pick up the passport, bring it back to the doctor so 2 trips for each). Then she took us to a photo shop to get Gertrude's visa photos. So, basically we were finished with all the paperwork that had to be done. On Monday evening we went out to dinner with the Children's Home director, and our friends Ilga and Helen, along with about 10 of Gertrude's friends and her sister. Many of her friends brought gifts for her, games and stuffed animals, and the director brought a photo album they put together for her. It was a wonderful celebration but a sad good-bye.

Since everything was done on Monday, I called the Embassy and moved our appointment up to Tuesday from Wednesday. We dropped off all the documents and had to wait till the next day for the visa. That night we had dinner with some of our adult friends again, and Gertrude’s sister. This was the last good-bye for the two girls. I’m really glad they got to spend that time together. The following day the visa was ready and we picked it up. Once we had the visa in hand, Gertrude was very happy and asked, "Now I'm your daughter?!" A very sweet moment! Since we had the visa, that means we were completely finished and ready to go home by Wednesday afternoon. Unfortunately, to change our tickets would have been about another $1,000 so we opted to stay till Saturday anyway. On Thursday we went to Big Lido and went ice skating and had lunch. It was fun and it snowed the whole time we skated. It was like a winter wonderland out there, very enjoyable. Then we had lunch there and went back to the hotel. Friday we didn't do much, just walked around and went into some shops. Saturday we were on a plane (actually 3 planes) for the long trip back. We were both so happy when we were on our last flight. Gertrude said she was so happy and she just wanted to sleep in her nice soft bed. I have to say, my sentiments exactly!

So, back home and couldn't be happier. I love Latvia but there's nothing like the good old USA! Gertrude started school on Wednesday, March 12

IT'S FINAL!!!!

Wow, how long have we waited for this news? On Jan. 21, Scott attended district court in Latvia for finalization of the adoption. She is now officially Sarah Gertrude Murphy. Gertrude and I still have to go back one more time for her to go through immigration. We leave Feb. 29 and return March 8. Then it will truly be done. She will be a citizen, can attend school, etc. We are all so happy and she is doing great. She is more comfortable and happy each day and adapting well. I am still homeschooling her and she learns very easily and quickly. I don't think we'll have any problems academically. She just started an art class and hip hop dance class and is adapting quite well to American life. This can be good and bad in some ways! She is anxious to start school but in the meantime I am checking into some homeschooling groups to help her meet some kids. She loves America and thinks the people are just so nice.

So, we take one day at a time and so far every day is better than the next. God knew what He was doing when he laid this desire to adopt Gertrude on our hearts. We know this is part of His perfect plan. Can't wait to see what's in store next!

A Month at Home

Gertrude has now been here just over one month. This is longer than she has ever been here so it's sinking in she is here for good! It has been a great month, full of fun and rewards, and a few challenges. Overall she is adjusting extremely well, and Tena is adjusting extremely well with having a little sister.

Gertrude has made friends with some of Tena's friends in the neighborhood, and they all spend a lot of time together. We went to one of their homes for a New Years Eve party and all had a good time.

Christmas was a treat for all of us. It was great to watch the girls opening gifts together and giving gifts to each other. In typical Gertrude style she hugged and kissed her thank-you's, especially to Tena. Before Christmas both girls were counting down the days, and Gertrude would ask almost every day how many presents she was getting. It's so great to be able to give this to her. I know she did not have any such Christmas at the Children's Home. The last and best present we got for both of them was a Nintendo Wii. They were so excited, especially Tena who has wanted one for quite a while. Gertrude wasn't sure what it was at first, but then recognized it and was very excited also. They have both played it at a friend's house, and they have played it quite a bit since we got it.

There are a few kids here from Lativa for the Christmas hosting, and Gertrude got to spend the night at her friend Veronika's. This was her first spend the night in America and she was very excited about it. When the kids are hosted, they are not allowed to spend the night anywhere without the host parents. But now she is a free agent, on a six month visa and no such rule! So off she went and she had a ball. She is spending the night there again this Friday, and then they will all go to a place where you can feed animals and they walk right up to your car and stick their heads in the window! I know that will be a trip to remember. Also, Gertrude got to have her friend Christina spend the night here once, and she will be spending the night there in a couple of weeks.

When Gertrude first got here she called her sister and friend every day, her mom once or twice. As time goes on though, the calls are less frequent. She also talks like she is here for good now. She talks about school, about her name being Murphy (she is changing her name to Sarah Gertrude Murphy by the way). She is very happy and says so quite often.

Scott will be going to Latvia for a January 21st court date which will finalize the adoption. Then Gertrude and I will go back the first week of March to have her Embassy doctor's appointment and get her new passport, visa, and birth certificate. Then we are done and it will be final!!! I started homeschooling her and will do so until the adoption is complete. Then we may put her in school for the rest of the year. I may join a homeschooling group for a short time so she can meet some of her own friends.

Gertrude's English is absolutely amazing. You would never know that only just over a year ago she barely knew 5 words. You can actually have conversations with her and she speaks in sentences and knows a lot more than I even realize sometimes! Our friend Helen is here chaperoning the kids this Christmas, and she just saw Gertrude before we left Latvia. Only 3 weeks later when she spent some time with Gertrude here, she couldn't believe how much her English had improved already. From the way she picks up English, and from what I see when we do school together, I can tell she is a very bright kid.

Gertrude loves to dance and may start dance lessons in January. She also loves art and drawing (and she is good at it too) so she might take a drawing class.

We are loving our new family. Lots of girls, poor Scott is outnumbered between me, Tena, Gertrude and Allie, but he loves it! Both girls tell us now they want an older brother. No plans on our end for that to happen however!

So, stay tuned...more to come later.

Going to Latvia? Great Resource

If you are going to Latvia, check this site out for Patricia Tourism before you go and bring their number with you for help while you're there. The owner, Mike Johnson, speaks speaks English. He is from San Francisco, now living in Latvia. He can add minutes to your phone remotely (for a small fee but it’s so convenient!), call you a cab, draw you a map, look things up for you on the internet, etc. etc. They also have hotels and apartments, tours and other services. He was extremely knowledgeable and willing to help with whatever we needed, even when we needed a computer to print some documents. Now, as far as a cab, you may think you can call your own cab, which is true. However our experience last year with cabs was getting completely ripped off by one and waiting 45 minutes for a ride with another, while they called every 15 minutes saying they didn’t have a car to send, then they did, then they didn’t... The cab service he recommends is Red Taxi, which I heard from some locals was more expensive, but every time we used them they were very dependable and their rates seemed very reasonable to us. So, check them out at this site: http://www.friendinbaltics.com/

She's Here!

We are back from Latvia..sorry it took me so long to update. Just lots to do with just getting back and Christmas coming up, etc. We had a great trip, not too long, and we were able to bring Gertrude home with us. Halleluiah!

Our trip to Latvia was only for a one week custody period, but with traveling we were gone about 10 days. The Monday after we received temporary custody, the Orphancourt inspector visited us and asked us questions, then spoke with Gertrude alone about if she would like to come home with us early. She said she could come home early or stay. Once we told her she will be coming home early with us, her whole demeanor was different. She was good and sweet for the previous few days, but not very affectionate with Scott and me and would get mad easily if we teased her or told her something she already knew. After this news, she seemed to relax and felt comfortable getting close to us again. With Tena it never changes, she is close and affectionate with her always, just the parents that get dissed sometimes!

Gertrude had a cellphone given to her by her mom, and every day she talked to her mom and her sister, sometimes friends. Gertrude sounded frustrated and impatient with her mom in most of the conversations and in one near the end of our trip she was literally yelling at her mom for about 5 or 10 minutes. We learned from the Children’s Home director that she has been getting a lot of pressure about the adoption from her mom and sister and I can only guess this was more of the same.

I showed Gertrude several pictures of my side of the family. She saw a picture of my mom and she says, “she pretty” but that was her only commentary on the pictures. She and Tena spent a lot of time playing Game Boy and DS and we played cards, memory games, Uno, watched movies on the laptop. We had a lot of fun together.

On Saturday we went to Big Lido, a large restaurant and entertainment complex with another couple in Latvia for court also, the Kannels. On Sunday we went to church with our friend Ilga Lasmane and the Kannels. It was very enjoyable but almost 3 hours long. Not quite used to that! We had headphones so we could hear it in English and it was a very nice and powerful service. The kids went to class and they were asked questions about family. Gertrude and Tena both drew pictures of Scott, me, Tena, Gertrude and Allie. That gave me some confidence she is thinking of us as her family despite all the confusion! We had a great time and afterwards we all went to this medieval style restaurant that was an actual building built in the 1500’s. They had no electricity and used just candles. It was an interesting experience! Scott ordered trout and it came with head, tail and all. He was more than a little surprised and wasn’t sure how to go about eating it! Once he started though, he said it was very good. I think I would have had to pass on dinner if that was my fish!

On Wednesday, 5 days after we received custody, Gertrude’s dad showed up to the Orphancourt again. I don’t know what transpired, but it did not affect anything. Since his rights are terminated, there was nothing he could do. I have to admit though, when my attorney said those words, “her dad came to court” I couldn’t help but have fear strike temporarily!

We had so much help from our friends there again, there is no way we could have done it without them. Helen Vipase and Ilga Lasmane were just there for anything we needed, to take us where we needed to go, to use their computer to type documents, talking to Gertrude about sensitive matters that we had trouble communicating because of the language, etc. We could never thank them enough. It made our trip successful and MUCH LESS stressful! On Thursday night we were able to have Helen Vipase and another friend Helen Grimshaw over for dinner. It was nice entertaining in our temporary apartment. The apartment is really nice though and very efficient so it was quite easy to do and we had a very nice time.

When we found out we could bring Gertrude home with us, we had to book her a flight and there was no more room on our original flight for her. So, we had to change mine and book Gertrude with me. We all left on Sat. Dec. 1 but our flight left at 6:00 am and Scott and Tena’s at 9:00 am. We had some trouble getting our ticket e-mailed and finally had to call my mom to help us contact Travelocity and handle it for us! It was tricky calling from the coffee shop on the computer, hard to hear, agents with heavy accents, on hold forever, etc. My mom was a lifesaver!

Friday night Helen took us to Gertrude’s Children’s Home to pack and to say good-bye. The children’s home is quite nice, not what one might expect. The walls were colorful and the kids’ rooms were nicely furnished. Of course, it still has that institutional feel and it’s communal living so not quite like home. Saying good-bye to her sister was hard. She is having a very hard time with this adoption of her sister for many reasons I think we can’t even understand. But, it is best for Gertrude and I think she will realize that one day. The girls had their dance class that evening and Gertrude begged to be able to participate one last time. So she did and we got some video of it. It was wonderful..it’s hip hop but the dancing was a bit different than the hip hop style here, at least different from Tena’s class. Gertrude was very good though and she loves to dance. In fact, she asked if she could take a dance or drawing class when she gets to America. The Children’s Home director, Ilga Grintale, gave me a couple pictures of Gertrude when she was about 5 years old, and Gertrude has one of her and her dad when she was about 1 or so. But, those are the only “baby” pictures we have of her. I hope we can get hold of more before this is all finished.

So, getting to the time when it was time to go home..We had to get up at 2:30 a.m. to take a cab to the airport at 3:30. I woke up at 12 with a scary thought. The paper from the court authorizing Gertrude to cross the border out of Latvia said she can cross with Scott and Karen Murphy. But, she was only crossing with me. I was so worried this was going to cause a problem and that I would be stuck there another few days, have to go back to court to have them draw up another document. The apartment we were in was also rented out the next day so I was thinking I’d have to find another place to stay. I could not get back to sleep! At the airport the next day, the guy at passport control literally read the entire document. I stood there for a full 5 minutes thinking he’s going to ask me why Scott is not flying on this flight. He never spoke to me, never cracked a smile. But, when he was done reading it, he handed it back to me and waved me through. Whew! What a relief that was! The flight home wasn’t bad. Gertrude and I had a good time together and we played Uno and cards, a memory game and Word Find. She is excellent at word find and really likes it. She spent hours doing that on the plane and during our 4 hour layover in Czechoslovakia. A few times on the plane, Gertrude expressed excitement about coming home. She did call it “home” and she would clap her hands and say “I am so happy, or I want to see my room, or Yeah! tomorrow we get Allie (our dog)" She also talked about how she likes our house, “not children’s home.” When we got home she already unpacked and tried on a bunch of clothes that a neighbor had given us for her. Since she’s been here she has called her sister and friends every day. She wanted to call her mom today but the number must have been wrong because it didn’t work (I swear I didn’t sabotage it!!) She misses her family and friends understandably, but so far she is also having a blast here. In fact, Tena, Gertrude and Tena’s friends from the neighborhood were just jumping on the trampoline (there were 5 other girls here). Then they all wanted to walk down to the cul-de-sac where all of those girls live and play down there. Tena does this all the time with these kids. Gertrude asked me if they could go, practically begged me really, “please mom please.” So she is fitting right in and we couldn’t be more happy!

It’s funny to see how things are different here and what Gertrude is used to or not. I turned the garbage disposal on this morning and she gets this puzzled look on her face and starts looking around the dishwasher for what that noise was! I showed her how the disposal works and she wanted to put her hand down it! Things we just wouldn’t think of as new experiences.

This Saturday we are having her Latvian friend Christina over to spend the night. I think that will be really special for both of them. Then, on Dec. 18, the kids from Latvia come over for the Christmas hosting. Gertrude’s very good friend and bunkmate Veronika will be here, and a couple other kids from her Children’s Home and Helen Vipase is chaperoning. So, she will get to see more friends again already. We are not going home to Michigan for Christmas for the first time ever, and I am disappointed about that. But, it’s just hard with another Latvia trip coming up probably right around Christmas, and Gertrude being new here still, her friends coming into town, etc. I think it’s best if we just spend a nice quiet Christmas together, just the four of us, then pick the tradition back up next year.

Today (Tuesday) was my first day alone with Gertrude. Tena went back to school and she and I stayed here. We had a good time, doing her typing program, jumping on the trampoline, we took Allie for a walk. Gertrude is doing great with the typing. She is extremely diligent and persistent. It wouldn’t surprise me if she was typing 25 wpm in no time! Presently she does about 7 wpm. Tomorrow we start Homeschooling. I will homeschool her until the adoption is final and then she will start school after that. So, that about wraps it up. We can’t wait till it’s all final and done. Even though she is here and we are blessed, it will be nice when it’s finished!

Another Letter

We got another letter from Gertrude. We've heard more from her the last 2 months than we have the last year! It was short and sweet and she addressed it to all of us, including our dog, Allie. She told us she misses us so much and loves us and wants to come live with us as soon as it is possible. She also said her sister loves us so much and Veronika (her friend that was here this summer) loves us too. After reading this letter, we definitely feel very loved! After she signed it "with love" she added that she will wait for our letter. I think she likes getting mail from us. Better get another one out. Maybe she'll get it before we get there (I think the mail takes about 2 weeks to get to her).

That's about it. We are getting ready for our trip, making sure we have all we need on our computer, that we have a phone chip, etc. Won't be long!

Going to Latvia at Last!

We received our court date! We will be in court in Latvia on Nov. 23. We will leave here on the 21st, only 28 day from now (but who's counting??!!) We are so excited that we will finally get to see Gertrude, and that soon she will be home. We are not sure that we will be able to bring her home at the end of this first trip or not, due to some obstacles both on our side and the Latvia side, but even if we don't, we anticipate the whole adoption should be complete around the end of January. So, it will probably only be a couple months later that we would have her here for good.

Please pray for safe travel for us, and NO MORE surprises!! Also, expenses have risen a lot since last year. Inflation in Latvia has gone up, and food there is almost twice what it was last year, our apartment will be more, the attorney fees are more, etc. Also, our flights this first trip are $200 more per person than last year (so total of $600 more), and on and on. Please pray God will provide what we need and for us to keep the faith that he WILL provide. So far, He has shown us his faithfulness, even when our faith has wavered! Stay tuned..next update may be from Latvia!

The Latest

Ok. I haven't written because I wasn't really sure what was going on. After Gertrude's clearance date, our attorney told us "everything should be ok, the court will write up the decision next Friday." Well, that made me wonder, just because we never heard the words, "she is cleared." But, now we know she is (phew!) and we have to wait now for the Ministry of Children and Family Affairs to e-mail us an "allowance to meet a child", which of course we got last year for the same child, but it must be done again. Once we get that, we will get a court date. We hope to get that e-mail within the next week or so.

We got a letter from Gertrude today with a beautiful school picture. She looks a little more grown up and her hair looks strawberry blond, instead of just blond. I don't know if she colored it or what! It is a very nice picture though, and her letter made me cry. She had all the cute misspellings in it (hai for hi, gud bai for good-bye, etc.) but basically she said she loves and misses us very much and thinks about me, Daddy, and Tena every day. She wants to go to the USA. She also said to say hello to grandmother. That is my mom, whom she has never met, but talked to once or twice on the phone for a quick minute. I can already see that Grandma and Gertrude will have a very special relationship!

It was so wonderful to get her letter, can't wait to get her!!!

Clearing for International Adoption

On Oct. 2 is the closed hearing regarding clearing Gertrude for international adoption. We don't expect any surprises, and believe she will be cleared. We think we might travel 2-3 weeks after that, but of course that depends on how backed up the courts are, etc. Anyway, things are moving along!

Letter from Latvia

Yesterday we received a letter from Gertrude. She is still using the self-addressed envelopes we gave her after the first hosting. Maybe they just get a stamp to use every once in a while there, so when they get one they send a letter. Last year Christina and Gertrude sent a letter at the same time, and this time she and her friend Veronika sent a letter to their host family at the same time. The letter was very cute, very short. It said:

Hi Pop, what are you doing? I love you
Hi Mother, what are you doing? I love you
Hi Tena, what are you doing? I love you.

That was it! What is funny is that "doing" she actually spelled "dying." And, she has NEVER once called me "mother" so I'm guessing someone else helped her put this together in English and they told her how to write it.

So, it was good to hear from Gertrude. Her friends, Veronika and Aleksandrs are supposed to find out today that they are being adopted. I can't wait to talk to Gertrude..she will be so excited that they will be here in America too.

Our paperwork is completed (again) and we are sending it tomorrow with Joel Peters, who is joining Jennifer there for a mission trip. Jennifer and Joel head up Simple Obedience, the organization we hosted through. They are also the ones that hosted Gertrude's sister this summer. Having Joel take our paperwork will save us about $100. That is about what it costs to send it over there, believe it or not! So, everything is about done on our end, which is how we planned it. You always want to be ready before the Latvian government is, so when they finally say you can come, you can go!!

Good News!

We had a great morning yesterday! This was the last chance for Gertrude's dad to appear in court before the courts terminated his parental rights. He did not show up so the decision was made to terminate. As we have said throughout this whole ordeal, we hate to celebrate something like this. It is a tragedy that this kind of decision ever has to be made. But it is obvious that her dad is unable to care for Gertrude for whatever reason(s) and she needs to be free to move on. We have known this about her dad for a while now, and believe the best thing for Gertrude is for her to be adopted.

So, when we heard the news that she will be free again, we were soo excited and relieved . Tena had left for the bus stop when I got the e-mail so I got in the car (still wearing my PJ's) and drove up to the bus stop where Tena was waiting with about 15 other kids. She came up to the car and her first words to me were, "why are you in your pajamas?" Once I told her the news she forgot about the embarrassment I caused her and got so excited, and went and told her friends. What a way to start the day!

There is a 20 day waiting period for this decision to become effective, then she will be free for adoption again in Latvia. Then some papers must be given to the Ministry and the Orphan Court so that they can again give her clearance to be adopted internationally. After that, they will be able to set a court date for us to come back to Latvia. We hope to have her by Christmas but it's hard to say how long all this will take. After the 20 day waiting period, it should only take a couple weeks, I believe, for the paperwork to go through to clear her again. Last year, once she was cleared, they had a court date for us only a couple weeks after that. So, good news is, she will be free again soon and we can finally bring her home. Exactly when that will be remains to be seen but we have seen God's perfect timing at work through this whole process, and we expect to see it until the end. I can't tell you how excited we are though. We love Gertrude so much and it seems like our family is missing a vital part. She needs to come home and fill it up!

So, next step is, once again, to wait. We're getting really good at it so I don't anticipate any problem there!

Preparing to Come to America

We talked with Gertrude today and it was a great conversation. Christina, Gertrude's friend from Latvia, was here. She came and spent the night with Tena so we called her and Christina and Gertrude got to talk. She told Christina that Ilga Grintale (the director of the children's home) has a son about 18 years old that speaks English very well. He is working with Gertrude to teach her English so she will be ready for America. That was great news! They feel she will be coming here soon and they are getting her ready. We actually had e-mailed some of our contacts in Latvia to ask if anyone knew of a tutor we could pay to work with her until she comes back here, and no one ever gave us a name, but apparently they've taken care of it, and it isn't costing us a thing! Gertrude was playing with her friend Veronika, who will be coming back for the Christmas hosting. Gertrude asked me, "Mom, I come for Christmas?" I told her that we hope she will be living here by then. Christina told her she spent the night here with Tena and when I got on the phone I told her also. She says," I know, I'm really happy." and she sounded really happy! I think she is excited that she can talk to her friend and see she is doing well, and she is spending time with us. She knows when she comes she will see Christina. So we talked about how when she comes she can spend the night with Christina. She thought that sounded great. Also, Gertrude said that she talked with her sister Agnese and told her she wants to come here to live, and Agnese said that is ok. Agnese said she will only have herself to worry about and can do what she wants. I don't know exactly what Agense is thinking but we hypothesized that she knows Gertrude will be in good hands and in a good home, and Agnese feels she can just be on her own without someone to be accountable to or accountable for.

Gertrude sounds definitely ready to come. Scott and I talked afterward how even though this process has been slow, and very emotionally and financially painful, that it is, in fact, God's perfect timing and this couldn't have worked out better. Agnese is ready to let her go (it seems) and Gertrude is ready to come. This was not all so cut and dry with either of them last year! Now we just have to wait and see what happens with Dad. Only 10 more days for his court date. Hopefully soon we'll know that we will be going back to Latvia to get our girl.

Back from Camp

The kids arrived back from camp on Monday and we tried Gertrude on Agnese's cell phone but didn't get her. Agnese was happy to talk to us though and she sounded good. She said this summer is her favorite summer and she looks at the pictures every day.

We talked with Gertrude on Wednesday finally for the first time since she left. She didn’t say much and sounded kind of down and depressed. Scott was so bothered by it he kept bringing it up. We called her again the next day and she sounded great, said she was playing Barbies with Veronika. (Veronika is one of the kids that shares a bedroom with Gertrude and she was here for the hosting). We told her she seemed sad yesterday and she said she was a “little bit.” When we asked why she said she “can’t say.” Not sure what that’s all about. Tena asked if she got our letter, which she did. Tena asked her what color she wants her room to be painted (We just painted Tena's pink) and she said blue, and they had a nice little talk. We told her we were worried about her and wanted to call her back and how much we love her. I’m glad we called her back, I don’t like hearing her sound that way and wondering what is going on. She did sound really good today and was speaking great English. She put Veronika on the phone to talk to Tena They talked for about 20 seconds and then Gertrude got back on and said Veronika didn't want to talk anymore, she "speaks just a little English." It's nice to have Gertrude as the expert translator now!

The Last Couple Weeks

Well, it has been an extremely busy month . Sorry I haven't updated in quite a while. We had a great time with Gertrude, but now she's back in Latvia and at camp. We can't even call her. Camp is very boring according to the kids, and they have to walk 3 miles to get to s wim, and that's all they do. They can play games if they brought some. So, quite different than camp here! Anyway, I'll just recap here some of Gertrude's cute phrases and antics, and some of the talks we had together.

One of Gertrude’s signature phrases is a sarcastic “thank you.” If you don’t give her something she wants, or if you make a sharp turn in the car, or anything that makes her unhappy with you, she’ll give you that little “thank you.” We usually just say “you’re welcome” and that’s the end of it!

Gertrude really likes Scott’s car. Whenever we would ride in his car, she’d say, “I like this car, or I like Pop’s car.” I’d ask her which she liked better, mine or his, and she would give me the politically correct answer, “both.”

Gertrude made pancakes one morning. She did everything, I just told her what to do. Later that day in the car she was talking about how she wants an ipod. I told her once she lives here she can work and make money to save for it, like Christina did. She says, “what work Mom, how I work?” Later she says, “mom, work, make pancakes, you give me money?” Another day we were talking and she wants to take care of the crabs as one of her “jobs.” I heard her and Tena talking one day in the car and she said “I watch crabs, mom give me money money money.” Boy, she is ready to get her hands on some cash and get that ipod!

Scott and I went out for our anniversary to dinner while Gertrude spent a couple hours at Christina's. Tena spent the night at a friends. We originally had Gertrude spending the night at Christina’s till we found out the hosted kids have to be with their host parents overnight. So, after our anniversary dinner, we brought them both here. They had a blast just speaking in Latvian, giggling. Then we all watched a movie together. The next day Christina told me “Gertrude will say yes.” Gertrude looked at her like she didn’t want her to say anything and she was embarrassed. She was talking about "yes" to being adopted..Yeah, that's what we like to hear!
Before we went out that night, Gertrude helped me pick out my clothes, voiced her disapproval with some of the shirts I put on with my pants, till finally she conceded that one outfit was ok (not great however!)

Gertrude does have her eye on a lot of things she wants. After swimming at Seven Hills we drove around there and looked at some houses. She would say “I like this, I like” at many of the larger homes. Then we walked through one and she and Tena decided which room was each of theirs. A couple days later Gertrude mentioned to Scott that she liked those houses. Boy, she has expensive taste! She has her eye on my jewelry (she says she only has one pair of earrings) and one night she showed me in Tena’s room what she wants for her room. She points to Tena’s hamper and waste basket that are white and says “my room white (meaning furniture), Tena no, this in my room. I want this, this, this (pointing to ceiling fan, shelf, knick knacks), musica (Tena’s stereo). I tried to tell her she’ll get some things a little at a time. We’ll buy one thing, then later, another, not all at once.

I started having some talks with Gertrude about living here and being adopted. First, I told her that when you live here, you will miss Agnese, and your parents? She agreed and I told her she can call, write, e-mail, and she added “inbox” an online communication tool they use over there. I told her I know she loves her sister and parents, friends there, but she can love sister, parents friends here too. It’s ok to love lots of people. She seemed to understand and accept this idea. Then, as we passed the elementary school, I explained that Tena used to go there and that she will go there. She gave a little pouty face and I told her I worked there a lot and would be there too sometimes. She asked me, “you see me?” and I told her yes and I would say “Hi Gertrude.” She responded, "and I say, that’s my mom.” Another conversation about school, Tena told her she can take the bus and it’s really fun. She responded that "mom and I go home together, I wait for her.” So, we are getting her in the mindset of living here. Our last conversation, the day before she went back, I told her, “you know we are trying to adopt you, we love you very very much. We’re waiting, waiting for Latvia to say it’s ok to come and when they so, we’ll come. I explained that many things about America are good for her because she’ll have lots of love, good schools and can get a good job, which is all hard to do in Latvia. She talks often of things that she'll do or what she wants, and when she comes back.

One night, Gertrude had her arm over me laying on her bed and she says, “I love my mom.” I wanted to clarify and said “me, mom?” to which she answered yes. She is so much more expressive this year. I think it’s because she really knows us and knows for sure we love her. I think she knew it last year but probably wasn't absolutely sure, and it was probably a little more like fantasyland than reality in some ways to her.

Gertrude likes to tease a lot. She’ll have my keys and ask me where my keys are, or where my purse is. Once I left the keys in the car at a neighbors for a few minutes and when we started to leave, she tells me the car is gone. One day she was counting coins and I was relating it to lats, the Latvian money, and she kept asking me, “what’s lats?” She is lots of fun. She loves to play Go Fish, which she learned this trip, and she is pretty competitive in her game playing!

Last year, if I caught Gertrude starting to dance to a song or anything like that, she immediately would stop. Now, she’ll move to her Game Boy making sound, or the radio, etc. almost showing me her little dances. I just have so many glimpses of her being so much more confident and comfortable than she was before. It’s really a wonderful thing to see her like this. She also likes to get her picture taken, where last year she usually balked about it. In fact, she wanted me to take a picture of her with the camera phone, and she fixes her hair and says, “pretty” and I took her picture. This was near the end of her visit. Normally, Gertrude will NOT say she is pretty. In fact we tell her to say “I’m pretty” and she’ll say “I’m no pretty.” She will tell me I’m pretty, her sister Agnese, Tena, but not her.” So, when I heard her say this I thought it was a great breakthrough. These kids generally have a low self-esteem and we are trying to get it through her head that she is pretty and smart. Scott was playing with her in the pool one day and told her she has to say “I’m pretty” and he’ll throw her in the air some more. But, she would say, “I’m no pretty” so Scott would give her a “toilet flush” where he pushes her under. It became a fun game and just a couple times she would say she was pretty. Last year, I finally got it through her head that God loves her, (not just everyone else but her, as she liked to imply) and she still believes that this time, so I think it stuck. Now we just have to work on the rest of it!

It was an incredible month, and we can see how truly beautifully Gertrude does fit in with our family. We can't wait till she is here permanently. Speaking of which, on June 26 was hearing for her dad's rights, and he didn't show. Next hearing is Aug. 22. If he doesn't show, his rights will be terminated. If he does, I'm not sure. His rights will probably still be terminated but guess it depends on the judge and what transpires in court. If they decide to terminate, we THINK we may be able to travel again by October and have the adoption completed by Christmas. That's if nothing else goes wrong of course! We have to redo all our paperwork, because it will expire before then, but we'll do what we have to do. Maybe 2007 will be the year we finally have our second!!

Through Day 18

We're having a great time with Gertrude. She is much happier, content and comfortable than even last year.

One evening, as Gertrude was taking her jacuzzi (she loves those!) she wanted me to wash her hair. Another thing she did not let me do last year. I told her mom loves Gertrude, she says “I love Mom, and I love Pop.” I told her pop loves her, and she says “yes.” She said “I baby” and acted like a baby while I washed her. I think she missed that part of her life, being babyied. It was a sweet time.

Gertude is calling Tena “my seester” a lot. She’ll say “my seester and me hungry” and stuff like that.

Gertrude can get mad easily and she’ll storm off and slam the door then say some things in Latvian for a few seconds. I don’t know if she’s cussing me out or what! She gets over it pretty quick though and we don’t let her get away with it, although she does willingly apologize.

FLORIDA
June 20, 2007

We left for Orlando, spending a few days at Sea World then to Siesta Key. Gertrude with bad cold and fever but left anyway. She got over it pretty quickly once in Florida. Think that Florida sun healed her up. We only spent a couple hours at Sea World the first day, skipped the second, then went the 3rd. She loved Shamu and all the shows but she complained about it being too hot and looked miserable after about an hour each day. She doesn’t have this kind of heat in Latvia and I think it really took it’s toll in FL.

One night Gertrude was crying and we didn’t know why. I asked if she was sad and she said yes. She wouldn’t (or couldn’t) tell me why. It is hard not to be able to talk through some of these things with her and help her through them. Don’t know what is going on in her little head sometimes.

Gertrude's English is getting so good. When we were in Siesta Key, after dinner one night, Gertrude said one of her best sentences yet, correct grammar and all, “I’m not too full for ice cream.” Wow, does she fit in with our family or what??!! Her English is incredible, speaking many sentences and communication is pretty easy.

The girls passed many hours, literally, shelling on the beach. They collected a huge grocery bag full each of shells. They just walked together for hours, then would sit down and dig, then walk some more. They did great, stayed together, showed each other what they found.

On the way home, both girls got very angry with me because I wouldn’t let them get candy at the gas station. Now, of course, they had already gotten some earlier in the trip. Gertrude was relentless saying “please Mom, candy, then today no more candy.” Tena was just as relentless till they finally both got mad. Gertrude in her classic style, just tells me “I’m mad!!” She tells me no chocolate for me. (She says I like chocolate, she’ll say, “mom, chocolate, chocolate, chocolate." Anyway, after she sulked for a couple minutes, she apologized to me and to Scott then told Tena to say I’m sorry, which Tena would not. Finally Gertrude says “and Tena sorry.” She is a little peacemaker just like her dad (Scott) who was the peacemaker in his family.

Tonight, Hope spent the night, (one of Tena’s best friends and friends of Gertrude from last year). They did great and you’d never know Gertrude was pretty new here and didn’t speak the language like they do. They communicated, played, watched a movie. It’s amazing to see how Gertrude just fits right in this year, like she has been here forever. I ask her occasionally if she wants to go back to Latvia. I get an emphatic no. I ask if she wants to stay in America and get an emphatic yes. I told her we want her to stay and that we love her very much. We will probably try to have a little more serious talk with her later before she leaves about adopting her and try to see how she really is feeling. Hard to have any deep conversations though. Even though communication is good, it’s more on a surface level because of the language barrier.

Gertrude loves her "pop." She gets so excited when Scott is home. We pulled up today after being at a friend’s and she sees Scott’s car. She says, “Pop’s home, yeah!!!!!!” all excited. There is a special bond that Tena has with her dad that she doesn't have with me, and I think I see that same kind of thing happening with Gertrude. All in all, having a great time. I can't believe we only have a week and a half left.

Today is a hosting activity, a magic show, then we are taking Ineta the chaperone and the kids and Gertrude's sister to one of those Japanese Hibachi restaurants. Should be a good time.

Latest on Dad's rights

There was another court date scheduled for June 26. Gertrude's dad did not show. However, they did not terminate rights yet. They will put an ad in the paper there, then have another court date of Aug. 22. As I understand it, if he doesn't show again, that will be the end of his rights and our adoption process will move on. More waiting.

Going on a Week

Hard to believe but it's been almost a week since Gertrude got here. It has been super-busy, non-stop activity. It's amazing to hear Gertrude use short sentences and phrases so early on and being so comfortable here, like she never left.

On Friday night, our friend Jennifer had a birthday party for her daughter and we went to that. She is hosting Gertrude's sister Agnese, so the two girls spent a lot of time together in the pool, almost inseparable. It's hard to know what to make of them. We are told they are not recommended to be together, but here they get along great and every couple days Gertrude wants to give her a call and talk for a minute or two.

Gertrude is getting very attached to Scott, her "Pop," early on also. While he was working out in the basement Gertrude just hung out with him for about 20 minutes by herself. She would come upstairs for a minute to get water or something, and I asked her if she needed something, and she says, "no, pop" and goes back downstairs! The day after she got here she was playing ball in the pool with Pop. At one point I went after the ball and she yells, "Mom, no!! POP!!!" So, I was kicked out of participating in the game..this one was for just those two. She is disappointed when he is not home from work and so happy to see him when he gets here.

One night, Gertrude, Tena, and I did Mary Kay facials on ourselves, the cleanser, freshener, mask and moisturizer. The mask was purple and we left it on for about 10 minutes. She and Tena thought it was pretty funny how they could barely move their lips! Anyway, we finished and Gertrude kept taking my hand and putting it on her face to feel how soft it was. Then, a couple days later she was going to bed and says, "mom, maska!" like Oh, no we forgot to mask! I told her that masking was for one time a week and she gave me a disappointed "oh" and went to sleep.

Tena is being a great big sister. She is very loving, understanding and generous with Gertrude. She gave her her Game Boy and a bunch of Barbies for her to keep. Gertrude lines her Barbies up at night on the floor next to her bed (on a pillow) and covers them up to go to sleep. She sleeps with her polar bear we gave her last year.

On Saturday we went to US Play for bowling with all the hosting families. Some other families that adopted last year were there and there was more interesting stories to be heard. The kids had a great time. Our friends, Lori and her daughter Hope came and enjoyed meeting all the families. US Play gave us free bowling, pizza and drinks, and $15.00 on a card for all the kids to play the games. Very generous and there were about 50 people! Gertrude wouldn't bowl at first but then she did after a while. She hung out with a lot of her Latvian friends and her sister, but then it was nice to see her spending some time with Tena and Hope too, not with any of her Latvian friends. After bowling, we took Ineta, the chaperone, and Gertrude's sister home with us to spend some time. Ineta speaks VERY LITTLE English but Agnese helped us with some translation and we tried to keep busy playing Uno Attack and jumping on the trampoline...less need to talk that way! She was very nice and we had a nice time. Tena and the two girls had a lot of fun jumping together and Tena and Agnese got along very well.

Father's Day was nice but Scott was a little under the weather so we didn't do much. Now Gertrude is not feeling well and has a temperature of 101. During the day today, we had her and Tena's friend Christina over. The girls had a blast together, sometimes all three playing sometimes Christina and Gertrude playing and talking in Latvian. But, Christina was so sweet and sensitive to Tena and asked if it was ok if they spoke Latvian because we don't want Tena to think we "forget her." She asked once if it is ok if she and Gertrude play for a few minutes then they all play together...(she and Gertrude needed some time to talk since they haven't seen each other since Christina has been adopted). Tena was fine with it and I was so proud of her. When Christina asked if it was ok if she and Gertrude played for a few minutes, then the 3 of them play, I told Christina how sweet she was to always think of other people. Tena agreed and said to me, "I think Christina is the best friend I've ever had." She said no one ever thinks about her like that (meaning being that thoughtful of her feelings). I thought that was great. Christina is such a great kid and I'm glad they are good friends. We ate dinner at our friend Emilia's house in the neighborhood then brought Christina back. It was a nice day for all the girls but now Gertrude is completely run down and running this fever. We are leaving in two days for Sea World. Hope we don't have a sick child for the trip. I told her tomorrow no swimming, no trampoline, just rest.

She's Back!

Yesterday we picked Gertrude up at the airport. Plane on time (unlike last year!) It was a great homecoming. A few of the families that hosted last summer and have since adopted those kids were there, along with the current host families, so we all had a nice time together sharing stories about our hostings/adoptions while waiting. Also, Gertrude got to see lots of familiar faces when she got here. As soon as I saw Gertrude, I ran to her and hugged her. She hugged me back and I picked her up. She kept holding on to me and just squeezing me over and over. What a wonderful greeting! Then, I hear Tena say, "uh, Mom, some OTHER people would like to say hi." meaning of course herself and Dad. So, they got some good hugs then Gertrude visited with some of her friends that were there. Next, we greeted Gertrude's sister, Agnese, and told her we would see her soon and how happy we are that she is here. After a while of everyone visiting, Gertrude grabbed my hand and started pulling me away. She wanted to go home. So, off we went. On the way home she asked, "you like my sister?" and of course we answered with an emphatic "yes!" So, since then she has been non-stop. She picked up right where she left off last summer, happy and confident, using lots of English and calling us Mom and Pop. Gertrude started unpacking (right after she gave us our wonderful gift of chocolate, a beautiful journal, and decorative towel). Then she jumped on the trampoline with Tena (and me, a little) and then she wanted to swim. She did the same last year, tons of energy, not acting tired at all. She went to bed about 9:00 and she was up at 7:30 a.m. Just like last year, she is immediately on Eastern Standard Time. Amazing...she is a natural for adapting!! She and Tena are best buds again. Also, I was talking with my mom and asked Gertrude if she could say "hi grandma" which she did, then hid behind me. Last year, it wasn't till near the end of her visit when she would finally say a little hello to my mom. She also got to talk to her friend on the phone, Veronika, who is here being hosted from Gertrude's Children's Home.

So day 2 she is going strong still, playing and laughing all the time, getting bored and frustrated running errands, like any typical kid. We did our English lesson and Bible study today which she gladly did, just like she did last summer.

Off to a great start!

Gertrude will be here soon!

Only three more days and Gertrude will be here! It is finally hitting home that we will see our girl in just a matter of days. Tena made a beautiful poster yesterday to welcome her back and she is giving her one of her new purses filled with candy and a couple cute things from the Target $1.00 section. We had a hosting meeting tonight and it made things so much more real and exciting! Everyone is excited and a little nervous. Most had never hosted before so I felt like a real "seasoned" host!

Tena is beside herself with excitement. Every couple days she'll let a little scream out, just randomly at any given time, and exclaim, "____ days till we get Gertrude!" and say the number of days left. She cannot wait and I have to say we are just as excited. Tena thinks she will want to jump on the trampoline first thing when she gets here. We just got it recently so it wasn't here last time Gertrude visited.

I am so glad we are hosting Gertrude, especially in light of all the delays with the adoption. Still no word on when they will hold the hearing regarding the father's rights.

More Delays

Well, the anticipation of finding out if our adoption would be underway ended last Thursday when we got an e-mail entitiled "bad news" from our attorney. The hearing never happened, to determine the father's rights, because the judge was sick. I was relieved because after reading "bad news" I thought they let the dad's rights stand. So, after a few seconds of relief and thinking that in the next day or so they would hear the case, I read on and it says " they think it may be about 3 months." So, since the judge was sick, the case wasn't heard and it's back to the back of the line. We are praying for a miracle, because this is SO unfair to Gertrude, to have to wait another 3 months after it has already been 6 months since this whole delay began. I am hoping to hear from the attorney next week that they will make an exception and do it this coming week. I don't know how we'll wait that long, or how she will. I'm just so glad we are getting her in a couple weeks for a visit. It will make the wait easier.

Yesterday, we had her friend and her new adoptive mom over to swim. Christina is good friends with Gertrude. She asked me a couple times if we like Gertrude. I told her we LOVE Gertrude and she got a big smile! I think she is anxious for Gertrude to get here. Christina is doing great so far, she has been here two weeks now. She, Tena, and Bethany (our "almost" daughter from Christian City) got along famously and spent hours in the pool and on the trampoline, and ate about 3 pounds of sugar in ice cream and popsicles!

Anyway, Tena asked me the other day, that if we don't end up getting Gertrude, will she still be able to come visit. She wants her sister so bad, and I think all these delays are causing her to wonder if we'll ever get her. I reassured her that I'm almost positive we will get her, it's just going to take some time. Hopefully it will be soon.