The time is coming soon

We are just six days away from hopping on the airplane and flying to China to get our boy. This is a busy time at our house, which feels like a blessing during this time of waiting. It's the last week of the term at Trinity, so I'm busy giving and grading finals, posting grades, and participating in graduation events.

Aaron's booked himself solid in anticipation of a two-week absence. Maya and Sam are keeping busy with school and life. Today was Sam's last day of preschool for the year, and Aaron and I took him out to lunch afterwards to celebrate. It's amazing to think that soon he'll be a four year old.

And Matthew waits in his orphanage for us to come get him. He has ten more nights in his crib--he's ten nights away from his second major life transition, one I hope will go as smoothly as possible but I also know will be significant and a major loss for him.

Please, if you're reading this, keep our boy in your thoughts or prayers right now. I can't imagine how this whole experience will be for him, but I do know that it is a big thing. We have been waiting for him for six months, but he probably doesn't even know about us, or if he does, it's just in name.

And even though we can imagine the goodness that's ahead of him in his life because he'll join our family, at first all he will sense is a huge transition and a loss. A loss of everything familiar. A loss of the only people and places he's ever known.

For those of you who haven't followed our adoption journey, here is a little trip through Matthew's life so far, illustrated in photos. He's growing and changing--and soon he'll be doing all those things as a Russell. We can't wait to meet him--to hold him--to bring him home. And the time has almost come.

Matthew's referral photo--he's six months old in this photo.

Here he is at one year old--growing bigger and so handsome!

This is a photo taken when Matthew's fourteen months.

And finally a recent photo--sixteen months.