FIVE DAYS Until Lukas Is In Our Arms for Good!

This morning is one of my last to wake up to an empty crib next to me...  :)

I can't wait to see how he looks when he's sleeping, find out which blanket he prefers, watch him wake up with slow blinks and big yawns.  Just a matter of days now!

Our family leaves this weekend for our third and final adventure to bring Lukas HOME.  All of this long waiting will soon come to an end!  Thanks for "anticipating" along with us...

The house is buzzing with excitement: Mikhail thoroughly enjoying all of the "powerful Big Brother" tasks he is assigned for our preparation, Papa diligently preparing the paperwork for our US Embassy trip to get Lukas' passport and visa, and Mama squeezing in  few more nursery details so everything is just right.

It all reminds me a lot of Christmas- so much rushing around in anxious anticipation; fun, good plans for someone we love so much, and yet has absolutely no clue all that awaits him.  He has NO CLUE how much we love him, want him, and have already incorporated him into our lives!

At the very peak of our anticipation, we ask you to join us in praying for this precious little clueless guy... while we fully understand the safe and loving home he will soon inhabit, Lukas' initial experiences will be foreign and even scary to him.  Despite all the change and all the loss of familiarity, please ask our capable Father to speak peacefully to his little heart and help him to find comfort in our arms.

Here are a few specifics:

• Comfort for Lukas- just imagine as an adult going through all the changes he will encounter (new country, new language, new food, new people, new smells, new experiences like plane and train rides), let alone as a little 22 month old little guy.
• Care for Lukas- that we will know how to treat him if he has any illnesses when we pick him up and that we will have wisdom to feed him the right things as his whole diet is about to change and he has some special dietary needs.
• Peacefulness for Big Brother's heart as he not only adjusts to sharing Mama & Papa, but as he also once again faces so many of his own fears.  I am unspeakably proud of my little Warrior.
• For our safety in the weather, especially my bouncy little Mikhail navigating on ice, and as we carry Lukas in our arms- the day we pick him up from the orphanage the forecast calls for "snow, sleet, and freezing rain."
• That the language barrier not be a hindrance in communicating our love to Lukas, and that when language is necessary, we would remember the right Russian words!
• That we would be a light for Christ where ever we go, and that we would love well those God has brought into our lives through both boys' adoptions.  Our Russian facilitators hold our well being in their hands while we are in their country, and they have been phenomenal.  Such special people...

Thank you for prayers, friends. :)

I have been obsessed with Psalm 121 the last few weeks.  One of the most powerful mental pictures I keep having is this scene of us carrying Lukas out of the doors of the orphanage, never to return again as an orphan.  Then, a short time later, Lukas walking into our home as a Fortner, a beloved, chosen child and forever member of our family.  "The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in..."

Psalm 121

I will lift up my eyes to the mountains;

From where shall my help come?

My help comes from the Lord,

Who made heaven and earth.

He will not allow your foot to slip;

He who keeps you will not slumber.

Behold, He who keeps Israel

Will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;

The Lord is your shade on your right hand.

The sun will not smite you by day nor the moon by night.

The Lord will protect you from all evil;

He will keep your soul.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in

From this time forth and forever.

LUKAS, HERE WE COME!

Home for now, but leaving again SOON!

As promised, God has done it, and Lukas' adoption is nearly complete!  I say nearly because we are still missing one crucial element... Lukas!

We just returned from our second trip to Russia for Lukas' court hearing.  The judge was very staunch and official as he questioned us about finances and preparation for another child, but in a lovely God-moment, his mood changed about half way through his questioning.  Of course we had no clue what he was talking about at first, but we recognized the car noises he made in his story. :)  We found out later through our interpreter he was recalling times when his own two sons played together when  they were young and made so much noise "it nearly drove him crazy."  After his story he promptly turned to me and asked, "Are you ready for two boys?" :)  He also read from our homestudy where Mikhail had told our social worker he was concerned that Lukas would break his toys.  The judge asked, "Are you prepared to handle such matters?"  I think I am, but we will see if Big Brother is! :0

We were able to see sweet Lukas for about two hours the day before court.  He looked great- he had grown, his hair had grown in a bit, and he was copying our words and play noises like crazy.  We had so much fun with him!  Have I mentioned he's ACTIVE?! :)  They showed us the pictures they had already had made for his visa, passport and citizenship documents.  I thought that was pretty sweet that they had done them already since we hadn't even had court yet.  The mood was so much different this time with Lukas, knowing that we would for sure be back soon to BRING HIM HOME him rather than having no clue how long we would wait like on our last trip.  It's still difficult letting go of him and watching your child walk out the door with a nanny to return to his regular routine (for now!), but our hearts were full of hope and peace.

Us in front of the Vyatka River in Kirov

While we were in Kirov we stayed an extra day so that the travel would not be so strenuous on us all and to be able to show Mikhail around his birthplace a bit.  God blessed us when we stumbled on a neat little history museum, and we took a bit of a walking tour to St. Griffins Orthodox church, and then walked along the bank of the beautiful Vyatka River that snakes through the region and sustains it in many ways.  Mikhail really enjoyed exploring and we got some great pictures that will be forever treasures.  We didn't plan that the boys would be from the same region, but I am so, so glad they are.

We head out again in two weeks!  We will receive custody of Lukas on October 30, and then we will stay in Moscow for a week or so getting his visa and passport in order.  When his sweet little feet hit American soil, he will immediately become a U.S. citizen. :)

I'm off to pack...again...  :)