Our Wait List Chain

One of the best things that we have done to help our daughter be involved in this adoption process is to create a chain with the same number of links as our number on the waitlist.  When we first got on the waitlist, Isabel was 4.  She thought she was going to meet her new sister the next week or month!  She had no idea how long she would have to wait...well, neither did we but as adults we can understand a little more easily.  The chain helped her visually see how we were moving closer but still understand that she would have to wait.  So she helped us make the links when we were officially added to the wait list in October of 2010.  We put 93 links together, took a cute picture of her holding them all up, and then we hung up the chain in our living room.  The chain moved to her room after a while because she took ownership of it.

A few months later, Isabel received a box of those cute little foam people that come with foam clothing and shoes that you can glitter glue together.  She decided to make one for each person in our family.  She made one for her sister from Ethiopia and said, "I think she might look like this and I bet she will have sandals."  So, she made a cute little foam girl and stuck it in one end of the chain (the #1 spot).  That really helped Isabel see that there would be her sister waiting at the #1 spot and there we would be moving ahead to get to her.

Our chain has gradually been getting shorter.  Sometimes we would tear off several links at a time.  Sometimes months would go by and we wouldn't tear any links off at all.  For a season, the chain stayed inside of our closet instead of her room because we weren't seeing much movement at all and it helped for her not to see it each day.  The chain actually moved across the country to Texas with us and then moved all the way back!  Amazingly, it didn't get torn or crushed!  Isabel now keeps the chain in her room again and as of this week she was able to tear off another link!  She was so so excited.  She said, "What will happen when we get the call?  We won't have our chain anymore will we?"  I told her that we wouldn't because we will finally get to see what her sister looks like and how old she is and really know her.  She jumped up and down and said, "I can't wait!!"  Oh, I can't wait either!!  Soon, soon, soon!!