Things we like about Gideon

Okay so we have only been physically with him for almost 2 weeks now, but we have loved him since the day we began this process. Here are some of our observations of our sweet little Gideon: 1. He has a sweet, shy demeanor. 2. He rubs the side of his face and scratches his belly when he is tired or upset. 3. He has beautiful big brown eyes with the longest eyelashes 4. He has the sweetest smile! 5. He is SO ticklish, even touching his back makes him giggle. 6. He is a popular guy with the ladies!! 7. His feet are very long and skinny, unlike his big brothers who always had super fat feet. I guess this is his way of ensuring that he wont be wearing his brothers' hand-me-down shoes!! 8. He likes to growl at us. He makes this funny sound like a growl when he is responding to us. So, hopefully, since we can't post pics yet, this gives you a picture of our little guy!! Can't wait for the day everything is official!!!

First Impressions

Thought I would post some pictures of Kampala. These were some of our first times out in the city last weekend. The area we are staying in is VERY near Lake Victoria. Here we are by the lake after church that first Sunday! We also went to the market there on Monday--it was an adventure! You can find nearly anything in the shops that line the roads. Mary caught this as we drove by--choose your own chicken!

There's an interesting mingling of all types of things as you stroll about the city. Residences, shops, restaurants, farm areas, and livestock all blend together down nearly every street. The cows like the one in this pic are everywhere.

Taxis are also everywhere. They are the white vans with blue stripes. This is basically the only type of public tranportation there is. We were on one with 18 other people. Someone one-upped me the other day--they were on one with 21 other people.

Fuel is pretty expensive here. This is the cost of Uganda Shillings per liter. $1=2300 shillings. We have become quite accustomed to seeing prices in the 1000s.

We have had a good day today. Found out some progress has been made on our case. This means that we are a baby step closer to a new court date. Also, I got to meet some folks at a ministry here to explore some future mission work. Please continue to pray for us!

Uganda

Well, it's been over a week since we arrived in Uganda but I've only had internet access on my computer for a few days. Figured it was a good time to start. Our first week and a half has been full of ups and downs--but, to some extent, we knew it would be like that. We are just anxious to have things wrapped up here sooner rather than later. Our first week was spent actually staying at the babies' home where Gideon is from. This was a good time for us to see where Gideon has spent the first 8 months of his life--firsthand! We were able to meet the staff and spend time with him. Okay, this pic loaded wrong. It's just the mosquito neet over our bed. FYI, mosquito nets are very annoying.

We met Gideon in the room where he slept each night. Here's his crib.

We are in a part of Kampala that is near Lake Victoria. This was the view from our room at the Babies Home.

We hope to keep posting some updates. Keep checking back.

WE HAVE A COURT DATE!!!

WE just got a call this morning from our social worker.....our court date in Uganda is next Monday, April 4!!! Praise God!! This is both exciting and terrifying due to all the details that have to be worked through in the next few days!! Just before bed last night, I realized that it was already Monday morning in Uganda. Jamey and I prayed that God would move mountains on Monday.....Prayer answered!!! We are so thankful that by this weekend, we will get to see and hold our little son!! Thank you for you all your prayers and love during this time!! We will keep you posted as we get a chance! In the meantime, will you commit to pray for us the following?: 1. Quality time with our sweet boys here 2. Continued protection for our baby 3. Details for travel to come into place 4. Details for those keeping our boys to come into place 5. Travel protection for Jamey & I 6. For us to find favor in the eyes of the courts 7. Peace & sanity :) (mainly for me, Mary, since I am the worry-wart of our family!) Thank you!! God is so faithful!! He is the mover of mountains!!!

Waiting!

It seems as though so much has happened since our last blog post BUT the best summary is that we are WAITING! We are currently waiting to receive our court date. A couple of weeks ago our case was assigned to a specific judge but, since then, the judge has moved from the Family Division and we are waiting for our case to be reassigned. Once our case is assigned, then we will wait for the judge to schedule our court date. Once our court date is scheduled, then we can book our flights. Here's the process from that point (as we understand it). We will have to go before the courts 3 different times--an initial time to present our case, a second time to provide any additional information the judge might request, and a third time to receive the judge's decision. The end result will be that we will be Gideon's legal guardians. Once this happens, then we will have to get a Ugandan passport for Gideon as well as meet with the US Embassy in Kampala to get a visa for Gideon to enter the US. Once we return to the US, we will go through the La courts to legally adopt Gideon. We have already secured a local lawyer who will help us through that process here. Whew, I'm worn out just writing about this. OH--Mary and I will BOTH have to be in Uganda for the first 2 court visits. She will then return to the US and I will return with Gideon once everything is finalized. Mary's time in Uganda will be 1-2 weeks and mine will be 4-6 weeks! Please continue to pray for us as we wait!