For Zia Francoise

This information deserved a post of it's own... Through my adoption journey, I've met a few people with whom I felt a connection that defied the fact that we'd never actually met in person. Bonding through the trials and tribulations of adoption is pretty common, but there are some people that you just know you would love and befriend, with or without the adoption crazies. One of these people is my friend Brenda... she and I had hoped we'd travel to DRC together to pick up our children, but right after she got her final I600 approval for her four year old daughter Zia Francoise (and only a week after we got ours for Jonathan), the US Embassy instituted a new investigation procedure that set her case back by at least 3-6 months. I was devastated for her, and when I went to the Transition Home to get Jonathan, I spent a special moment with sweet Zia telling her that her momma was coming soon.

Since my time in country, some alarming medical issues have been discovered about Zia, culminating in emergency surgery and hospital stay in Kinshasa, all while her mother is across the ocean, aching to be with her daughter. Despite not yet securing an emergency medical visa for her daughter, Brenda is taking the colossal risk of leaving her job, home and family here to temporarily move to Kinshasa to be with Zia in the hopes that she can ensure she gets the best possible care and attention.

It could be an additional three months or more before the paperwork in finalized (though we are hoping and praying that is not the case - Zia needs to be home now), and Brenda will be living in one of the most expensive African cities. She'll also be faced with mounting medical costs, all of which will need to be paid in cash at time of service (this is not like the healthcare we're used to... if you can't pay, you aren't treated).

In an effort to help relieve one of Brenda's many concerns and uncertainties, I requested that she allow me to create a webpage to raise funds for Miss Zia. I knew that any donation or contribution could literally affect Zia's quality of life and well-being. How often is there a cause to which we can contribute and actually know that every dollar will be spent in the absolute best of ways? How often can we contribute to something and see the results smiling back from her mother's arms? I don't often fundraise, and never asked for contributions for our adoption, but this is one little girl who I can get behind helping.

So, if you are able, could you read more about Zia's story below and consider donating? She's a beautiful little girl who's faced more in her four short years than I ever have. She deserves to be under the care of awesome US physicians and to be able to literally breathe easier every day.

http://parkerperkins.com/for-zia/

A Family...

As of March 13th, that's what the five of us are... a family. A whole, complete, on-the-same-continent, over-the-moon and happy-as-clams family. I left on February 28th for DRC, arrived on March 1st, and had Jonathan in my arms on March 2nd. It was, in so many ways, one of the most life-changing experiences I've ever had. I want to write more about Kinshasa and about our first few weeks with Jonathan, but, not surprisingly since I now have three children, I'm a bit short on time.

That being said, I had to put a few photos up of our first ten days all together. And I wanted to just check in and say that we are are doing so well and are so happy. Jonathan is seriously the perfect match for our family. If I were to have invented a child in my mind that would slot right in like a missing puzzle piece, I don't think I could've created a more perfect personality for us. He smiles often, laughs loudly, plays constantly, and just makes me tear up with joy sometimes when I realize how lucky we are to have him here, safe and happy.

So here are a few photos... more information about Kinshasa, my travel, meeting Jonathan, and our bonding to come soon-ish :)

We have a visa!! (and 150+ pounds of luggage)

Well, tonight/this morning will go down in history as possible the only time I have literally run laps of happiness around my home... I finally heard the magic words - Jonathan's visa was issued!!

Here's the craziest part - we didn't even expect it to be issued until at least tomorrow, and possibly not until later. We were merely calling to get an update on our investigation and to gently prod (possibly, not so gently) the US Embassy in Kinshasa to get a move on our case (we have been waiting four weeks since Embassy appointment today). There was a lot of drama over the last few weeks about when/if our agency's visas would be issued for about ten waiting families. The US Embassy in Kinshasa is apparently extremely understaffed right now and some of the things that needed to happen prior to these visas being issued just weren't happening.

So tonight we expected, at best, a detailed update. At worst, to not get through at all. And we had a lot on the line with this call because I decided a little over a week ago to travel, with or without visa. I basically decided that we'd waited long enough and I would just tough it out in Kinshasa and maybe try to make best friends with some Embassy employees during my extended stay.

So now, instead, I can spend my first days with Jonathan getting to know him over the hundreds of handheld applesauce snacks I packed versus trekking it over to the Embassy each day to hang out until we got that one, oh-so-important stamp. And I can be almost absolutely assured that we will be back in the US in a relatively short time. The day that my entire family is under the same roof is, finally, not that far away.

I'm so happy that we've finally come to the end of this journey and can now begin our way more important journey of knowing, loving and raising Jonathan. This thirteen month pregnancy has gone on LONG enough!

Oh, and yes, please don't judge me - I do have over 150lbs of luggage. In my defense, much of it's donations, and the rest is food (I'm not sure gluten free is a very supported lifestyle in DRC, so I am packing to be on the safe side!). I should be pretty prepared, though. This might be one time where my over-packing actually is very useful.

So in less than a week, I can officially say I'll be holding my son. That is the most surreal and wonderful thing I could ever type on this blog. After years of dreaming of adopting, and over a year of looking at one sweet little face, we will all finally start the next phase in our lives. I cannot wait.

Embassy Appointment - Check!

Today was our Embassy appointment and everything went well, according to our caseworker, who emailed this afternoon. We were a bit concerned because Jonathan's birth mom was required to travel thousands of miles from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa to be interviewed. This step is a relatively new one, so she was not informed of it when placing Jonathan for adoption. We were worried about her ability or willingness to travel so far, but we found out today that she made the trip and her interview was a success.

We are beyond grateful to this woman that we will probably never meet. Not only did she have to do one of the most difficult things a mother would ever have to do, but over a year later she had fly across the country to be interviewed about her reasons for doing it. She is an amazing woman, and I would hope that one day I can say thank you to her directly.

So now we wait for our final okay to travel! This is finally, actually and seriously our last and final step. It is sort of surreal as we have been in this journey for over two years now, and I cannot even begin to wrap my head around the fact that we will probably meet our son in less than a month. So happy, so nervous, and so, so, so many things to do (seriously, we've been making lists all day - if, say, 90% of that stuff gets done, we should be good to go)! Hoping for mid-February travel, but it's all in the hands of the Embassy workers right now.

Not much longer now! Can't wait to meet our little man :)

We interrupt our regularly scheduled program...

... for our first non-adoption blog post. Right now, we are in a really great stage with the adoption - I am waiting on a specific date (January 28th), not just waiting with no end in sight. This means much less email checking, much less (overall) anxiety, and much more productive days.

On that note - Adam and I recently launched a new online skin care, beauty, fragrance, and bath store that I had to announce online because a) I am so excited that it's launched and live, and b) it doesn't hurt to advertise on any platform (even if that platform is generally related to adoption, and not to skin care products :).

Elements Beauty Shop is the online portion of our local, Richmond, VA-based retail store we opened back in November. We partnered up with my aunt, Sherry Burgess, and her wife, Jeanie Rule, to create a business that we not only (hopefully) profit from, but also that we could enjoy running each day. Those thoughts led us to the niche beauty product world. 

We each focused on product lines that meant something to our own shopping patterns and skin care needs. I insisted on having natural beauty products, both organic and of natural ingredients, which led us to product lines like Weleda (which I use on my girls now, and will use on Jonathan once he gets home - Weleda Baby Soap is supposed to be great for Black skin!) and Jurlique (a feel-good line because all the ingredients are grown on an organic and sustainable farm in Australia). Jeanie loves fragrances, perfumes and just anything that smells great. She spent months researching fragrance families and the most exclusive fragrances available. Sherry had a passion for anti-aging skin care and snagged us authorized distributorship with some of the world's most exclusive and advanced skin care lines, like Erno Laszlo (quite seriously, skin care to the stars... for more than 40 years!). Adam ensured that we carried a good selection of men's products (which, as I found out over the last few months, means a lot more than just shaving cream or cologne!), with lines such as Jack Black (no, not the actor), Grooming Lounge, and AHAVA for Men (a dead-sea salt based line that is sooooo good).

So, as of this past month, we are now open, online and taking orders! Such an accomplishment, because most days, I feel like I get 10% done compared to my old working style. The other time is spent (obsessively) checking my adoption board and day-dreaming about all the work I'll be able to get done once Jonathan is home and in my arms (ha! wishful thinking, maybe?).

Thanks for your attention during this "interruption" - now back to waiting on Embassy and pre-packing our suitcases! Won't be long now... Oh and for your patience, a new picture of Jonathan :)