Christmas has come and what a wonderful time to celebrate family and friends. What a wonderful time to celebrate the birth of Jesus as well! There has been a great deal of discussion and prayer around "Sunshine". My whole family is excited about her eventual arrival and this Christmas has shown that the anticipation is high. We realize that the holidays without her are quickly disappearing. She received her first Christmas present from Mom-Mom and Pop-Pop, a heart bracelet that reads Sunshine on the front and LYF (Love You Forever) on the back. She also received her first Christmas letter from Pop-Pop (tear). This is a Ruiz Christmas tradition where Mom and Dad write love letters to all of the children and grandchildren providing encouragement and speaking directly to how special each one is.
It has been over a month and a half since my last post. I apologize for taking so long to update the blog and our progress. Some of the best news that we have to share is that our Dossier was completed last week and sent to Albania on Friday, December 21, 2007. This is great news because it means that all of the paperwork that we have been working on for the past several months has now been validated and approved by our agency. Bethany Christian Services is very thorough with the paperwork and makes sure that everything is done by the book. Albania has never declined an adoptive family or requested more paperwork in the past once they are approved by Bethany.
So with the new year comes the waiting. Even though we are confident in the Lord's timing, it doesn't lessen the truth in what a wise poet once said:
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part
