Where to begin...1st day of Ethiopia Trip #2

Oh my word it has been TOO long since I wrote on here!  It's been a wild ride since I last posted, so I'm gonna do my best to explain it all....HERE WE GO!!!!!

On September 1, 2011 we left Dulles airport in a plane headed to get our long awaited daughter in Ethiopia!  We got to see her the day we got there and they asked us if we wanted it filmed.  I thought, "Of course we do, but we might be sad we said that later cuz she probably won't respond to us well, but it will be a good memory for her to watch someday."  Well I was VERY wrong!!  We waited at the bottom of this HUGE staircase for her and suddenly there she was making her way down toward us!  Halfway down she started to smile and by the time she got to the bottom she had a full smile on her face!!!  She is soooooooo beautiful!!  She let us hug her and hold her hands, and I was just so excited I started to tear up, and she kinda looked at me weird.  They filmed us playing with her with the toys there, and playing these little drums there too.  She laughed so much and smiled so cute!!  It seemed like she felt really comfortable with us!!  We asked Abel to ask her if she recognized us from her little picture book we made her and she said yes with a smile!
After a while we went outside to play with all the other kids and we felt like we were being pulled in every direction with all the kids!!  It was crazy!  It was hard to spend time with her with all these kids climbing on us and saying Mommy, Daddy!!  At one point I picked her up and put her on my lap and I said, "hug", and she repeated me!!!  I did it again, and she said it again and laughed!  I said, "Shawn" to get Daddy's attention, and she repeated that too!!!  SO FUNNY!!  It then became a game!    We watched her play with some girls and she sang Ring Around The Rosy, and other songs too!  It was cute to watch.  Then we played ball with her for a long time.
After a while I got to talk to a nurse and she told me that she has never seen her so happy as today and yesterday when they told her we were coming to get her!!  She said that she just kept smiling and seemed at such peace!  SO COOL!!  We weren't allowed to take pictures there, so that was really sad, but this day will forever be in our memories!!

CLEARED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This morning we got a call from the main office to tell us that we are cleared to travel to get our girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I've been freaking out ever since!!!!!  We're hoping for a Sept. 6th date!!!  2 WEEKS FROM TOMORROW WE WILL BOARD A PLANE TO GET OUR GIRL!!!!!!!!  PRAISE GOD!!!

Embassy No-Go...

So we got word yesterday that one of the documents spelled her name wrong!!!  So we got turned down and they need to correct it before we can be cleared for travel...duh, duh, duh...what a bummer for us to wake up to!!! 

This hit me harder than I expected and really showed me how much I do not know how to handle disappointment and trials!!  I immediately started to get angry at God and basically have a temper tantrum!  We just keep hitting more and more challenges and nothing has really gone right for us all along!  We've hit almost EVERY roadblock possible, and so it just keeps escalating in my heart!!

But I had some good reminders, scriptures, and devotionals come along the way since yesterday morning.  One was on trials and how God brings good out of them ( I knew that, but they shared it in a different way that helped me a lot).  My precious traveling friend, Tracy, sent me some more from Streams in the Desert.    One said, "Nothing that is not part of God's will is allowed to come into the life of someone who trusts and obeys Him."  If Satan is in this to try to deter us, God has already filtered his plans to make them good for us...what a blessing that is to know!!
And "there is nothing Christ dislikes more than for His people to publicly profess Him and then not use Him.  He loves for us to make use of Him, for His covenant blessings are not simply meant to be looked at but should be appropriated." 

What great truths He is whispering to me right now!!  Thank you, God!!

The Wait Is Getting Shorter...

Today we found out that we got submitted to the Embassy!!  This is really our last step in the process before we travel!!!  Next week we should know whether they want further documentation or if we are cleared to travel.  We have to keep surrendering these details to the Lord, because it really is out of our hands and in the hands of the Embassy, which comes down to it really just being in God's hands cuz He can do anything!

We also got an update on her today with lots of cute pictures!!!  She is just too cute!!  She even smiled in one of the pics this time for the lady!!  We are just so ready to have her home now! (Well, we've BEEN ready for quite some time now, but NOW WE ARE EVEN MORE READY!!!).

I wish I could post the cute pics from today, but not quite yet...hopefully soon and the next pic on here will be of us holding her!!!!!!!!!!  Please Lord Jesus bring her home quickly!!

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!!!!

I feel terrible because it has taken me so long to find time to blog about all that is happening!!!  My goodness, where do I begin!!??

Well, our court trip was amazing!!  We got to meet our girl face to face!!!!!!!  What a blessing she is!!  We had to work to get her to warm up to us, but once she did, it was fantastic!  The first time I saw her, my stomach jumped and I felt so much excitement I could hardly handle it!!  She stayed to the outside of the group for a while, observing everyone and seeing what she wanted to participate in.  Shawn said a cute thing, "I'm kinda happy she didn't just greet us with hugs and smiles, because we had to work to get into her world, and then when she DID smile or laugh, it was like a gift from her heart to us".  What a great way to put it!

The second day, she bee-lined right thru the kids and came right to me and hugged me and then continued to stand with her arm around me for about 8 minutes, in a sense, claiming me.  When other kids would come close, she would kind of stare them down, basically saying, "Back off, this one's mine!" :)  I loved it!  She really connected to Shawn this day too, playing tag and throwing a ball at eachother and chasing eachother!  This is a pic of us playing with her...she had just thrown the ball at Shawn and I picked it up to throw it back and she ran off, laughing.  A boy took our camera and took this pic.

Day 3 was difficult for us in so many ways.  First of all this was our last day with her until we go back to get her, which we have no idea how long that will be!  And she was acting very sad and strange.  She kept away from everyone and sat against the wall most of the time.  Which made it even harder!!  Secondly, when we got there, we played with the kids for maybe 5 minutes and then they started a routine with them of snack, songs, games, and then showers (which took almost 45 minutes) and then right to lunch!  Then Abel came to pick us up!!  I told Abel what had happened, and he worked it out for us to return to see them again later in the day!  YIPPE!!  She was happy then and back to her normal fun self, with smiles and playfulness again!  We had a GREAT short visit with her and then said our goodbyes.  I cried all the way back to the guesthouse.  It was so hard to say goodbye.  I just wanted to be able to say I would be back for her soon and we would be a forever family!!  It brings tears to my eyes even now!  I miss her so much already!

Day 4 was our court date and we did not pass because of our missing MOWA letter (all 5 other families did not pass either).  Then to the airport we went after some more business and training.

July 19th, 2 days ago, we got word that we passed court!!! 
July 21st, today, we found out we already have her birth certificate secured!  We are moving forward quickly!   Now all we need is the passport, and then they submit our case to the Embassy for a travel date.  I am very nervous about all the investigations going on right now because it may delay bringing her home if they choose us to investigate!  Sometimes more paperwork is needed, or whatever, and this can hugely delay your process.  But WE ARE PRAYING GOD IS MERCIFUL TO US AND BRINGS HER HOME QUICKLY!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Happy 5th Birthday to my sweet girl who lives so far away right now!  This was a hard day for me...I LOVE birthdays, but this one was just so sad.  I can't wait to celebrate it for real with our girl here!!

Today was also a really big day in our house...we moved Ethan out of Aryana's room and made it into the girls' room!!  Josiah was SUPER thrilled to have his big "bruvver" in his room now!!  Both rooms look SO good!!  We have a few finishing touches in each room, but for the most part they are done!  We set up our girl's bed too, and that made it feel so real!!  I just sat on her bed and imagined her cute little face peaking out from the covers of her big-girl bed!!  SO EXCITING!!!  Aryana is just so ready for her sister to come home and sleep next to her!! 

Only one week from tomorrow until we leave to go down to Dulles!!  WE ARE SOON ON OUR WAY!!!  I cannot wait to meet her!  That flight home is gonna be the longest flight ever, not just in terms of time, but in terms of how hard it will be to leave her there on another continent!  LORD, hold her, comfort her, and just love on her until we can go back to get her!!

SMILING pictures!!!!

An absolutely precious couple went to Ethiopia this week to meet their child, and they offered to take pictures of our girl while they were there!!  They sent them to us by e-mail last night and we just sat and laughed and smiled, because for the first time we got to see our girl SMILE!!!  I've imagined it over and over again what that adorable face would look like when she smiled, and now I've seen it with my own eyes!!  Beautiful!!
Today, she also sent us some videos of her!!!  To see her interact and laugh and run and play was so wonderful!!  She looks really healthy, except for a fungal infection on her head, which is so sad because she has bald spots of the infection all over her head!!  :(   Today I found a cute hat and bought it for her until we can get it medicated and healed!  But she is beautiful!
I am praying for her heart so much...she has gone thru so much!!  It could possibly happen that she could be home with us by August if everything is going as smoothly as it is now with the process!  But the timing is in God's hands!  I am praying for no more delays, no investigations, and no additonal paperwork!  PLEASE LORD!!  SHE NEEDS HER FAMILY!!!

COURT DATE and UPDATE with pictures!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness what a crazy few days it has been!!!!  We were just getting sooooooooo frustrated, waiting and waiting for any kind of update or info on our girl!  And then I went on the Bethany forum on Thursday, May 19th, and saw that 2 of the families that got their referrals the same day as us and were submitted to court the same day as us, got their court dates!  I immediately switched to my e-mail account and refreshed the page...nothing.  So, I called Shawn, totally freaking out because their date is JUNE 24th!!!  That is Aryana's birthday, AND only a month away!!!  If we got our's too, then it would be the same date!!!  He very calmly said that we would wait to get too excited until we heard from our SW.

I put Josiah to bed, and when I came down, I just couldn't sit still!  I checked my e-mail like 3 more times before deciding I really did have other important questions to ask her in addition to this BIG one!!  So, I called her, and she said, "It's funny you called cuz I was just about to write you an e-mail!"  I said, "Please tell me it was one with good news!"  And she said, "Yes!  VERY good news!!"  Then she told me we got the June 24th date too!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I got off the phone with her and called Shawn again, and then HE freaked out!!!  Too funny...he said he didn't want to get too excited till he was sure and then once he knew he got ridiculouly excited!!!!  He said he got like no work done the rest of the day....he was totally distracted and excited!!!

Friday morning was a crazy time too because Shawn and I were going away for our 12 year anniversary and we were supposed to be packing, but I got on e-mail quick to make sure there weren't any more e-mails I needed to see, when I saw "UPDATE".   I screamed Shawn's name and he came running...and then we opened the e-mail we have been waiting to open since March...an update on how our girl is doing.  Well, it wasn't quite the update we were hoping for...she is having a tough time adjusting to living in an orphanage with people that don't speak her language.  She is extremely shy and did not smile for ANY of the pictures...there were 7 pictures included.  Her head is shaved, and she just looks so sad...she needs a family to love her right now, and we just need to get her home soon!!  We have really been praying for her heart and we are praying that God will truly prepare her to receive our love.  It will probably be very difficult for her to accept love from us...they said she is very shy around people she does not know.  This court trip could be very interesting for all of us...PLEASE PRAY SHE WILL ACCEPT THE LOVE WE WANT TO GIVE HER!!!!

I just can't wait to meet her...and hug her...and begin this forever relationship.

Still Waiting...

Oh my goodness, I just had no idea how hard it would be to wait this long!!!!!!!!!!!  We have been submitted to court and we are just awaiting that e-mail to tell us when our court date is!  Then I feel like it will all feel just so real...a date to be there!  I have friends who are there right now from the Bethany forum who are hopefully going to take pics of her while they are there!!!!  THIS IS SO EXCITING!!!  We have also been awaiting our update pictures of her too.  I hope and pray I can get at least ONE smiling picture of her beautiful face!!!   I'm praying for a great week of GOOD NEWS!!!

feeling a bit discouraged...

I know I shouldn't, but I can't help reading other couple's blogs about their adoption journeys and checking all the details I can on the forum.  I feel so bad for these couples that got their referrals in July or October and still have not met their child!!  Will that be us!?  Will we be delayed that much??!  Will I be able to handle that wait?  Will God do the miracle we have been fervently praying for and get us in those courts by July before the courts close in August and September?  Looking at the facts, no way!  But looking at my God, YES WAY!!!  I'm trying so hard to look to Him and trust Him for the perfect timing! 

I just want to hold my girl!   I just want to see her smile!  I just want to tell her about this amazing God that loves her more than any mommy could ever explain!  I just want her to know the peace that only HE can give her as she waits for her forever family.   Lord, please bring her home soon!!

This is a picture of the area she came from before she was placed in the orphanage.  It is a very poor area, even though this is a very beautiful picture!

Age Change!!??

When you receive your referral, you also receive info about their medical labs they have done on your child and the results of a wrist x-ray that has been done on them too.  Well, we thought we had the wrong info on her because it came back that she was 5 years old and a male!!!  So, 2 days ago we got word that she is a girl and that those were actually her labs and x-ray.  This made me question her given age, and after much investigation and searching thru my kids' baby books and comparing weights and heights, it turns out the x-ray is probably right and she is going to be 5 in June instead of 4!!!  Wow!  This was really hard for my mind to wrap around for a bit, I think mainly because we are looking at a school age child now and not a toddler who has no real rush to get to school.  I really wanted at least a year to spend with her as she learns English and adjusts to our family and lifestyle here.  I also just wanted to be able to nurture her in walking with the Lord.  God is bigger than all the details though, and He handpicked her for us, and so I am learning to take a step back and let Him lead in this!  It's a daily struggle for me not to worry about all these details, but I'm slowly getting there!

REFERRAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!   We got our referral yesterday!!!   It was amazing!!!  So this is how it happened...

Shawn and I got home from picking up our car at the mechanic's at 12:10pm and our kids had a half day, so he went to pick them up.  At 12:35, the phone rang and I saw our social worker's name on called ID and began to freak out.  I calmed myself and answered and she sounded very excited to tell us about our referral!Just as she began, the kids came in and Shawn too, and it was loud and crazy, and so I was running to get upstairs quick, and grabbed Shawn to tell him in a whisper, and he just stopped in his tracks and looked shocked and said, "REALLY!?"  Then Aryana walked in and I said, "Aryana, REFERRAL!!!"  She lit up and freaked out and ran outside to tell her best friend Claudia.

I ran upstairs to get the info and realized how much I was shaking out of pure excitement!!!  The first thing she told me was her name, and then that it means "a blessing".  HOW PERFECT!!!   She truly will be a blessing to us!!  She told me some more stuff, but then told me that it would all be in the e-mail she was sending over to us.  She congratulated us and then we hung up.

I ran downstairs to start the computer up, and found Ethan in a not so good mood from a bad day at school.  I was worried that this would really cause issues as we opened the referral together and he would be feeling still frustrated from his day.  But right before we opened it, I said to him, "Ethan, do you get what is happening right now?"  He said, "Yeah, the referral." And then I said, "Yeah buddy, you are going to get to see your little sister's face for the first time in just a second!!"  Then he smiled his beautiful smile and shook it all off and was totally ready!  It was great!

As we opened it, we all just sat quietly and smiled and said "aww's" and hugged eachother.  It was such an awesome experience for us all to see her together for the first time!!!  I guess I always imagined getting the phone call in the morning when Shawn was at work and the kids at school and I would just have Josiah here with me.  This was SO amazing and precious for all of us to experience together!  What a "blessing"!!!  :)

She is beautiful and so very precious!  She looks very sad and scared in her picture, and I look forward to seeing her beautiful smile!  She has been through so much in the past 6 or so months, and we are praying for her as she awaits us!  WE CANNOT WAIT TO MEET HER AND THEN TO BRING HER HOME!!

We give God the praise for such a "blessing"!!

This is a card Ethan made her right after we got the referral!  On the front it has a close up picture of her and it says, "Welcome to our house __________!"  And then this is the inside of his card!!  ADORABLE!!
( we are not allowed to show any pictures of her online or share any info about her, including her name )

A Call, but not "THE CALL"

On Friday I got a call from headquarters asking a ? I wasn't quite expecting...would we accept a child that is 2 now, but will be 3 by the time we got her?  I asked her if she was speaking of a specific child, and she said she was unable to share that info.  So, I took that as a yes.  At that moment, I got chills all over my body, realizing that I was either going to say yes to a child or no.  I pulled myself together and I explained to her that we really wanted to keep our birth order going, (this would cause Josiah to then be the 2nd oldest and I would have two 3 year olds).  She immediately agreed with me, and basically shut it all down, encouraging me to call our social worker with the info that we would like to change our age range to 4-5 years old.  And then it was over...and then I cried and became an emotional mess for about 15 minutes!  I called Shawn and he totally listened and then agreed that this was not the best for our family.  We had several reasons for why we wanted an older child, and we needed to go back to that and look at those, and trust God that the right child is coming our way.  I have a peace about all this now, it was just hard to be faced with such a hard decision alone.  We are just so anxious!

Josiah made her (and only her) a Valentine the other day!  It was adorable!  And he wanted to kidnap a little girl at Chick-Fil-A because he had fun with her and she was black!!!  Needless to say, it's time!!  We are really ready and every day seems to get harder!!  Ethiopia is starting to clear up a bit with all the investigations that have been holding things up over there...so maybe soon!!

Nothing Is Lasting Too Long...

So, I haven't posted anything since November, which was a few months back.  I'm feeling so sad, frustrated, and disappointed, I guess.  When will we get the call??  I keep hearing that the wait AFTER you get your referral is worse cuz you now have seen her, and it just seems like eternity to be able to meet her...I can't imagine that yet.  I can't even imagine if we had gone with the Philippines, and had to wait 2-4 YEARS!!  Every day right now seems like a year!!
As Shawn was praying the other day, he had a cool thought.  Maybe she will be the "peace" our family needs right now...it always seems uneven with 3 kids, one is always left out.  Maybe her presence will bring balance and peace to our crazy family!!  I love that thought!
I'm so ready for our family to be complete.  I've been sleeping with her pink blanket that we wrapped our dossier in so that we can leave it with her when we meet her.  I want her to remember us...

This is gonna be very similar to the day we see her face for the first time on our computer!! 
BUT MUCH BIGGER SMILES!!!!!

Where are you, sweet girl?  Your new mommy can't wait to hold you...