About Us

Hattiesburg, MS, United States
We are a really average family that just can't get over that we have been adopted by an extraordinary God! We are excited and expectant as the journey to enlarge our family unfolds before us.

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

We have a daughter!



Before I get into the details of the day, let’s get the most important thing out of the way first. It’s official. Denise and I are proud it announce that Anastasia Reagan Morton (or “Nastia” as many of you know her and she prefers to be called) is officially part of our family! I can’t tell you how good it feels to finally be able to type that (or how much I am crying while I am doing it). We have 10 days to wait until we can take custody of her. During that time, we will be visiting with her daily, and getting ready for the sprint to the finish!

Today was the day we have been waiting for, and ultimately, everything turned out well. It has been an exhausting month with more twists and turns than I care to remember, and I am not sure why I thought today would be any different. We headed out this morning about 9:00 and picked Nastia up on the way to the courthouse. There were 3 hearings set for today. Ours, an Italian couple that is adopting a 5-year-old little boys from the same orphanage, and a Ukrainian couple. The Italian couple is really sweet, and we have really enjoyed our encounters with them. We were up first. We didn’t expect much from the hearing, but as we have come to expect, the only thing you know for certain in international adoption is that you don’t know anything for certain. I don’t want to get into a lot of the details of the hearing, but it was a rough experience especially for Nastia. What we expected to be a short process was not, and the judge’s questioning was tough. We are still not sure why. Ultimately, it did not seem to be relevant to the case if we understood what was actually happening. Much can be lost in translation. Here is what we know for sure. We love her, and we chose her! She is ours, and that is all that matters!

After court, we went and had pictures made for her passport. Then we came back to our apartment for a little family time. That was sweet. It was the first time all day it was just us. After a little time to decompress, we were able to “talk” through the translator on the computer about our day. It was good. Then we went an grabbed lunch at McDonald’s. (After we get home, I don’t even want to drive by McDonald’s) Then we went shopping for some clothes for the trip home. We went to the open air market to shop. For those of you who have never been to one of these, it’s a little like a flea market on steroids. It was hilarious. The stores are kind of like little mini-storage rooms. Nastia found a pair of pants she liked at one, so she went to try them on in the back. That was even more hilarious. They pulled a little curtain around in the back of the booth and made a dressing room! Remember this is outside. I am just glad we were in Crimea and not farther north. I’m even going to be thankful for the mall when we get home :). I’m going to be more thankful to send mama and daughter to do the clothes shopping! They had a blast together.

It’s been a great day! We are so anxious to get home and have our three kids under the same roof. We are loving our time with Nastia but we miss the boys terribly! We can’t get home soon enough. Thank you for your prayers.

Blessings,

Rick

4 comments:

Unknown said...

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! We are thrilled for your family! Much love from Matt and Michelle Wilson

The McEacherns said...

Congratulations! Any chance we get to see a picture?

Anonymous said...

Praise God! I am excited and relieved for you, what a wonderful gift and a huge burden lifted. ~ Kate Williams Ruston, LA

Anonymous said...

She is beautiful! She's perfect for the Morton family! Regina Breland