2/28 - Next Court Date is March 16th!

We heard from our attorney this morning that our next court date will be on March 16th! Seems like we just got home and now it's time to go back again. I'll be traveling alone on this trip...leaving on March 14th and returning on March 18th. I'm a little nervous but not too bad. We found a great deal on a flight that goes through London again so I'll be traveling the same route Robert and I traveled together last time, staying in the same hotel in London.

I'm a little nervous about this next court session because I've heard that this court is very stern and cold. I'm told the people in this court do not smile and they make you stand when you address them. I only pray that when I open my mouth to speak that something at least a tiny bit intelligent comes out. When I get nervous, all bets are off. No telling what's liable to come out...could be a squeak or could be jibberish! I'm sure all will be fine but I can't help but be a little nervous.

The awesome part of this trip is that after this court appearance, Christina will be our daughter. The last step in this process will be to go back once more and pick her up. The Latvian government imposes a mandatory 20-day waiting period after this court rules so once that's up, I'll go back to get her.

Sometimes it hits us and we have to just stop and ponder the magnitude of what we're doing. We are adopting an 11-year old (soon to be 12) from Latvia. WOW!! Looking back on all of this, we can't help but see God's hand in the entire process from beginning to end. Everything has just fallen into place and even though we had to wait longer that first expected, it's actually turned out to be better. Christina will have some time to have fun in the summer, learn English and get used to her new life in America before having to adjust to school. She'll be able to start school in the fall just like all the other kids.

We plan to call the kids tomorrow to give them the news of this latest court date. Christina probably already knows. She has a way of getting the news before we do!