The first day with N

Today has been an amazing day. We went to the inspector’s office a little after 10. The meeting with the inspector was a good experience. We went to the Inspector’s office along with another couple from Minnesota who are here to adopt as well. They went in first, and in a few minutes, we were escorted in to see the Inspector. The Inspector was really nice and very kind. Most of her interview with us was spent talking to Erick. She asked him if he wanted an older brother, and he said that he did want one his size J.

When we finished at the Inspector’s office, we went on to the orphanage. We met with the director and got more information on N. He was born to a single mother who did not care for him. He was being raised by his grandmother, but his grandmother could not afford to care for him. She placed him in the care of the orphanage in 2005, and his mother’s parental rights were terminated in 2006. All in all, he appears to be healthy with delays that are not unexpected for a child who grew up under such difficult circumstances.

Once we finished reviewing his files, N was brought in to meet us. He was a little shy at first, but quickly, we knew we had a chatterbox on our hands. After a brief visit with the Director, we were taken to a playroom to have a more personal visit. As we began to leave the Director’s office, N grabbed Erick by the hand, and they ran ahead hand-in-hand to our appointed place to play. We stayed about an hour together and put together a Lego car. At one point, N came over to where I was sitting and gave me (Rick) a hug. He sort of flung himself into my lap and I tickled him a little. He loved that, and I know we were doing well. When the workers came to get him for lunch, he did not want to leave.
This evening, we went back and N’s group was on the playground. We were able to take him to a little playground nearby to play for a while. He is a livewire!!!! We played until it got too dark to see and too cold for us to stand. He went back to his group, and we came back to the hotel. Not bad for a first day. Thanks for praying. God is good, and we are thankful that He has led us thus far.