A Study in Extremes

We have so much to be thankful for but we’re having a rough week. Nothing seems to be middle of the road, everything feels very intense and overwhelming. I’m tough and I realize that sometimes life is too but here’s what we’re dealing with:

Great news for us, Baby JH’s travel papers arrived. We were floored since our agency had said not to expect to travel before August 1. So his papers came about 6 weeks early (7 weeks since referral) and we’re trying to catch up. We both have work obligations that we can’t avoid so we’re flying on July 14^th to Seoul to meet our son. I have an avalanche of emotions ranging from excitement to anxiety. Really hard to share so I’ll just say that I’m so excited to meet him and so incredibly eager to begin our lives together. I’m also terrified at the same time.

While I was at a very high-pressure business meeting for a few days, Alex’s uncle had a heart attack and is now in the hospital. He has no children and has never been married so in terms of local family, we’re it. We love him dearly and he’s scheduled for surgery tomorrow so we’re hoping he does well. He’s planning to be back in his home in less than a week (he’s on meds at the hospital) so we’re trying to be supportive and flexible. He’ll be in a rehab center after surgery for a bit to help him get back on his feet. We’re not sure he can live by himself for a while after the surgery but we won’t know anything for at least a week or so. Alex is working hard to manage his uncle’s house too which is no small feat.

Construction on the house continues. Every thing we own is currently in the living room. Complete chaos and we’re in a bit of a panic since our timeframe for completion just got moved up. No baby furniture in sight, still thinking late August/early-September. Think borrowed Pack & Play subbing for a crib in the mean time.

I’m experiencing a less-than-supportive environment at work with the announcement of my FMLA schedule. They’ve had plenty of warning but from the referral to now, it’s been rough. You know, I never thought I’d experience any kind of negative feedback, especially since I truly love my job and work very hard but…do we really still punish women for taking time off to start their families? Ugh, I had no idea.

Worst news yet, one of our beloved kitties escaped a week ago Friday. She’s still in the area (in the woods across from our house) but we’re blanketing the neighborhood with flyers, walking the woods at night, using humane traps to try to catch her. We had a sighting of her last night. She’s terrified and ran from Alex but there was also a fox very close by. We’re heartbroken and can think of little else. She’s very special and we miss her terribly.

This is the nutshell version but we’re struggling. Alex and I have been talking (and taking turns propping each other up) and we realized that what actually feels like terrible luck is really good luck in disguise. First and foremost, our son is coming home. We are finally going to be together plus we’re traveling to Seoul to meet his foster family (what a blessing). Alex’s uncle figured out that he wasn’t feeling well and got to the hospital in time to receive excellent care and have a good prognosis. We’re so lucky that he didn’t ignore these symptoms and he’s with us today because of that. I’m thankful that I have a job that I love. I also received an invitation from another organization that I respect very much to apply with them. It would be more money and closer to home. And finally, we have two weeks to search for our kitty. We’re working hard to find her every day but Alex did see her last night so we know she’s alive. As long as she’s alive, there’s hope. We’re going to be as positive as we can and we’re not giving up on her.

It sounds like I'm complaining, doesn't it? I don't mean to, it's just been a horrible/terrific week. I don't mean to sound ungrateful because I realize that I have a tremendous amount to be thankful for. But please, if you pray, say a little prayer that our kitty finds her way home. We could use all the help we can get. It might sound silly to some of you but we can’t imagine our family without her.

Thank you so much,

Lauren