Things have been really quiet here mainly because I am not sure what to say. We have had a lot going on in the Kimmel house in the last few weeks, and unfortunately not much of it has been super fun. Mark and I know we have a lot to be thankful for, and quite frankly, there's not much worse than a whiney blogger, but if we are being honest the stress level has been up there. From carbon monoxide poisoning (see previous post) to snow days without much snow to litigation in Latvia, I haven't had much to post about that would make you smile. So he's where we are.
Last Sunday my church family "back home" all got sick from carbon monoxide poisoning. It was shocking to call my mom just to chat Sunday afternoon and have her tell me that she was getting ready to hop on one of five ambulances to go to the ER for oxygen treatment. But not until everyone got home from the hospital did the horrible potential of the situation sink in. In one swoop, I could have lost my parents, sister, two nephews, and cousin, along with some dear people who I have known all my life. Just do me one favor - get a carbon monoxide detector. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless, and tasteless. You won't know it's in your house (or office or church) until you become sick or unconscious from it. A carbon monoxide detector can literally be a lifesaver. If you don't have one in your home, so get one today.
As for the snow days...I hardly know what to say. As a Yankee, I just have to laugh. Or cry. Really.
We haven't been giving too many details about our post-Inessa plans, mainly because we didn't want to get a head of ourselves. We spent those four weeks enjoying every minute as a family of five, and when the time came to let her go, we knew in our hearts we wanted to make our family of five a permanent thing. Mark and I began making phone calls and getting information from adoption agencies who work with Latvia, and we thought we had the ball rolling. All we needed was a confirmation from Latvia that Inessa was legally free for adoption. Because of some specific past circumstances, we felt very confident that she would be and we began tackling all the paperwork.
A little over a week ago we got a message that shocked us and left our adoption plans up in the air. While Inessa is technically legally free for adoption, a biological family member is going to court to gain visitation rights which would be a first step in possibly gaining custody of her. We never saw this coming. So right now we are in limbo. The court date in Latvia was supposed to be sometime this week, but we haven't heard any news. There is a learning curve when it comes to custodial rights in another country so we are trying to learn and understand what all of this may mean. But honestly the bottom line is that we have no idea what may happen with Inessa. It is a hard place to be - not only the not knowing what is happening and not getting news from Latvia right away (which is frustrating but understandable), but also wanting what is best for Inessa and not knowing what that may look like in the future. Undoubtedly, the ultimate priority is what is best for Inessa. We love her and want only God's very best for her life. Selfishly, we want her to be here as a part of our family. But it is out of our hands, and right now all we can do is wait and pray.
I had hoped to come to the blog one day last week and announce that we were going to be adopting Inessa, but at this point we don't know for sure what the future holds for her or for us here. It isn't an easy place to be, emotionally or spiritually, but it is where we are right now. Please pray for sweet Inessa as so much of her life may change in the near future. And if you feel led, pray for us. Where we are right now is a tough place to be.
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