Birthday Wishes

Cara's birthday was not quite what we had planned. We found out last Wednesday afternoon that Raymond's sister was killed in a car accident. We were with Raymond when he got the news and it was devastating. He has quickly become like family to us and our hearts just broke for him. The funeral was quickly planned for Friday morning in Kampala (Cara's Birthday). We hired a driver and made our way into the city to be with Raymond. It meant putting our projects on hold and possibly not seeing Isaac for three straight days. We had not heard from court and we were starting to figure out what it would mean for our family if we didn't get the ruling before Christmas.

The funeral was beautiful and a good chance for us to learn more about Raymond's family and how lives are celebrated here in Uganda. We are so thankful we could support our friend during a time of such great need.

Afterward we asked our new driver to take us on some special birthday errands. Cara has been missing chips (called crisps here) so we went to a supermarket to purchase a few treats to have on hand in the room. We also wanted to pick up some snacks we know Isaac is fond of, just in case. We were able to find a few items we needed (plastic plates, smaller shorts for Isaac, socks to wear with his sneakers, etc.)

Next we asked our driver to take us out for a pizza lunch. We had heard there were a few decent places in Kampala and we thought it would be a nice treat for Cara. Our driver did not take us to one of those places LOL. He took us to a fried chicken place that also had pizza (though not by American standards). In the end it wasn't so bad and it turned out that they also had cheap milkshakes which were very good. You win some, you loose some.

We called to check in with the orphanage on our way out of Kampala. Cathy said that Alice had not heard from court and that she was on her way to ask for our ruling in person. We asked if we should head to the babies home just in case. Cathy said we should just go back to the hotel.

We enjoyed the afternoon swimming (something Cara doesn't typically get to do for a December birthday). I sat by the edge of the pool and admired my sweet little girl. How did she get to be 5 so fast? We interviewed her about her favorite parts of being 4. She said she loved all her friends at school, playgrounds, and cheerios (I think because she was eating cheerios at the time).

Around 4:30 Bill looked at me and said, "Do you think at this point we should just assume we won't be together as a family over the holidays?" About 15 min later the phone rang and Miss Cathy said she was driving home with a birthday present for Cara. "Is it what we hope it is?"

"YES!"

It is so funny when a moment you've been preparing for for a long time finally comes to pass. All

three of us jumped up in a hurry not quite knowing what to do. I opened the door to run downstairs and Bill reminded me that it's a long drive and we probably had some time. We decided to tidy up the room a bit (child proof) and make sure we had the camera and anything else we needed for this moment.

There were butterflies in my stomach as the three of us left the room knowing that we were

coming back as a family of 4. "This is it! He will never not be with us after this moment."

We walked to the front gate and waited to see Cathy's car. I video taped 4 other cars pulling up before it was finally Miss Cathy with the best birthday present ever. She opened the door to the car and there was our sweet little man (he's not tall enough to see out the window so I'm not sure if he had any idea what was happening). Bill scooped him up and Cara jumped up and down.

Cathy asked us if we had any questions. "I'll probably have a lot of questions tomorrow," I said "but at the moment we feel prepared."

That was it. After a few hugs, smiles and birthday wishes Cathy drove away and we walked

down the path as a family...finally!

We took Isaac back to the room to play play-doh and some other familiar things from his

previous visit. He seemed to remember the hotel and he was less nervous this time. We spent the rest of the night enjoying dinner and a special birthday cake for Cara (which ended up being baked as an entire sheet cake so we took it around and shared with the entire hotel staff and introduced Isaac.) Cara was so thrilled.

After baths and pj's we tucked our kids in their beds. Isaac cried a bit at first but Bill the baby

whisperer calmed him down and eventually Isaac settled into just playfully saying "Dada? Mama? Ky-ya?" We tried hard not to laugh as he babbled on and on talking himself to sleep. Cara passed out quickly. Her long awaited brother was here and she rested with a smile on her face.

The next morning the giggles began again as they discovered one another a new. We all crawled into one bed and thanked God that this is our life now.

I am still not sure what happens when you blow out your candles on the cake and make a wish, but I am certain that God heard the prayers of a sweet little girl and answered them for her on her birthday. He's just that good.