Baby E, Meet Baby Faith!

We are thrilled to announce that we are having a Girl!  So, Baby E will not only have 2 big bros to look after her, she’ll also have a sister to play and grow up with.  2 boys and 2 girls in our family.  We couldn’t ask for anything sweeter!  Girls in the Baxter family are rare gems.  E & Faith will join with Baby Josie and Big Girl Ryane.  Can’t wait for the tea parties!  Now I know why I have been compelled over the years to collect tea sets!  Little did I know that I would one day use them for our daughters.  Thank goodness for our friends (you know who you are) that have girls that have softened Brad’s heart over the years to having daughters.

While we were having our ultrasound (which was over 2 hours!) baby Faith was playing hard to get.  She would not change positions so that the tech and doctor could get a good look at her heart or to determine if she was a boy or girl.   She did give us the thumbs up a couple of times… which has special meaning to Brad.  When the boys were little, Brad would always give them a ‘thumbs up’ for extra reassurance if they were scared or unsure about something.  It’s always been a ‘sign’ in our family that we use… so you can imagine our excitement when we saw this on the ultrasound screen several times! (now true, she was probably getting ready to suck her thumb... but maybe not!) 



Hey Mom & Dad.. all is cool in here.. no worries!



Knowing that I was a nervous wreck that entire day hoping that everything checked out on the ultrasound, it was like she was saying to us, “hey mom and dad… quit worrying… I’m giving you reassurance that I’m ok!” Yet another miracle from God!  Total peace came upon me at that moment. 

Finally after some pushing and poking of my stomach, baby moved and we were able to determine that we were having a Girl!... what a little stinker!   I hope E and Faith like pink because after all the footballs, baseballs, basketballs, camo and GI Joe gear around here... I'm ready for a little pink!  (not that I don't TOTALLY enjoy my boys... you know what I mean)!!  But, I must admit, I have a PINK football jersey! 


I can't wait for these 2 girls to finally meet.  What a sweet moment it will be. 

Our Blog is now included in the Adoption Experiences website... not that you have to read it in 2 separate places.  But, this website is an awesome way to see what other are going through in their adoptions.  Ours, of course, is listed under the Ethiopia Adoptions on the left side... but there are other adoptions experiences from different countries too.  If you are following our blog and are interested in adoption, or just like reading other people's posts, please feel free to check out this site. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year Baby E!

It's 2003!!!   Huh?

September 11th is the New Year in Ethiopia. Enkutatash is the word for the Ethiopian new year in Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, while it is called Ri'se Awde Amet (Head Anniversary) in Ge'ez, the term preferred by the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Of course I have no idea how to pronounce that!  They still retain the Julian calendar, in which the year is divided into 12 months of 30 days each, and a 13th month of 5 days (6 days in leap year). The Ethiopian calendar is 8 years behind the Gregorian calendar from January to September and 7 years behind between September 11 and January 8. So it is now 2003 in Ethiopia! Confusing, huh? I wonder how that affects the paperwork as it goes back and forth from Ethiopia to the U.S.?

I tried to remember what I was doing 7 years ago in 2003. At the time, we were living in West Virginia, and our boys were 7 and 4. Wow! That was the year we went to Disney. Here’s a picture of the boys on the famous Tea Cups... too cute!

~Colton & Dylan - Disney 2003~

As the New Year begins in Ethiopia and as our year is coming into its last quarter, I wonder if Baby E has been conceived yet or if she’s been born yet? It’s still going to be about 11 months until we will know her face and story, which seems so far away. It makes me sad, but I also know that E will have a brother or sister around the same age as her to play and grow with when she comes home…. As well as 2 big brothers to look after the both of them! (I'm still hoping my belly-baby and E are close in age... maybe even having the same birth month!). 

Life continues to takes twists and turns for our family, but it is all by design. I just wish I had the blueprint! Our path that we began almost a year ago has detoured slightly, and although it’s frustrating to a ‘planner’ like me, I am still learning that everything happens for a reason, and that God’s timing is always perfect, even if it doesn’t match our own understanding.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.  Proverbs 3:5-7 NIV

A Room with a View (kind of!)

This was my view for 6 days last week. Unfortunately, I found myself in the ER and was then admitted for 6 days to our local hospital in the cardiac unit. Keep in mind I had never been in the hospital except to deliver 2 babies.. and that was like a drive-thru. I think I was only there a day and ½. So quite an experience for me.  All is well, though. Baby seems to be doing ok – he/she is a strong little bugger. I was admitted for a heart condition that decided to rear its ugly head now that baby is aboard and giving me increased blood volume. I have an ‘electrical blip’ that decided to make my heart beat at over 200 beats per minute. Fun stuff. If I wasn’t pregnant, it would be simple to treat, but because of baby, they had to be careful of what meds and how much they give me. It took a while to work out the bugs, but I’m home now and on semi-restriction for a few more weeks to make sure I am stable. (thank goodness they’re not checking my mental stability.. ha ha..). The baby seems to be withstanding my issues very well. I was able to hear the heart beat each day in the hospital and received another ultrasound to watch him/her kick and dance around in my tummy. We go in a few weeks for a Level 2 Ultrasound to make sure everything looks ok… and hopefully we will be able to find out if we are having a boy or a girl.


The nurses and staff at the hospital were wonderful. We had a lot of fun in the 6 days that I was there. I was stuck on that floor and not allowed to leave, so we all became pretty good friends. I was the entertainment on the floor since most of my respective roommates were born in the 1920s and 1930s.

On a serious note, what a tragic place to be when you are of sound mind and body and are aware and can hear everything going on. The stories and situations people are faced with… the priests and ministers that come in to try to save the unsaved ... the fear, the heartache and the uncertainly for so many people. Truly heartbreaking.

Although, while we were there, we were also able to show a little bit of Gods light to others. One day my hubby brought me in some flowers. I noticed he was carrying 2 sets of flowers and I asked him about it. He bought flowers for my 1st room-mate. She was an elderly widow who seldom received visitors. He thought they would brighten her day. While she was out for a test, he put them over on her table. She was so tickled when she came back and just couldn’t think who might have given them to her. I couldn’t help but think of James 1:27 (Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.) She was lucky enough to be moved to another floor, and that dear little lady held on to those flowers with all of her might as they wheeled her off the floor. It was a tear jerker for sure.

So anyway, sorry for being away from blogger world for a while, but I am back for the time being. Thanks so much to everyone for their well-wishes and prayers!

Couldn't have said it better!

I've posted about this before and we continue to get questions about the cost of adoption . . . so without getting on my soapbox again, I ran by a blog that I frequent from time to time, and she illustrates my thoughts (and probably all adoptive parent's thoughts) perfectly.  I also LOVE her anonymous caption at the top of her blog as well. 

Check it out!

http://buildingtheblocks.blogspot.com/2010/07/id-choose-you_30.html

Baxter Family 6 !!

For those of you who have wondered if I dropped off the face of the earth -- nope I’m still alive. I’ve been very sick the last month or so and just haven’t had the energy to do anything. I apologize if you think I was ignoring you! The good news is I’m not contagious and it’s not life threatening. Any guesses? Well, contrary to what doctors have told us, apparently it IS POSSIBLE for us to have another biological child. We are pregnant! Due in February. We’ll call our belly-baby, Baby F. (Faith, if it’s a girl!)

For those of you who don’t know our entire ‘story’ we have 2 beautiful bio boys (ages 11 and 14) but a few years ago Brad and I were told (even as late as this April) that it was "medically impossible" for us to have any additional bio children, unless we went through some fertility stuff. We were ok with that since we had 2 boys and didn't feel we wanted to do the fertility route.  We thought if God had planned for us to have any additional bio children, then it would have happened. Hmmmm...  When we met with our Endocrinologist today, he just smiled and said, "well, congratulations! . . .sometimes these things happen." I’m hoping he knows this is a God Thing.

Come and see what our God has done, what awesome miracles he performs for people! 

Psalm 66:5

We are still in a bit of shock but it was so much more real when we saw his/her precious face on an ultrasound. I didn’t find out I was pregnant until I was about 9 weeks (since pregnancy isn’t something that we were thinking was possible).  I just assumed something was drastically wrong with my thyroid again. So you can image our surprise when the little test turned positive. Actually I went and bought a few more tests of different types and took all of them! Same result!

Now it is starting to sink in and we are getting excited for E & F to meet. I wonder if they may have the same birth month; or even the same birth day? Wouldn’t that be awesome? I’m not sure what God is up to yet, but I think it will be neat for the 2 kiddos to have each other to grow up with, play with and share with.

 

I doubt at this point that E is born yet, so we will continue to pray for her and her birthmother, as always. We are still at bit sad that we won’t get E on OUR timing and terms, but we are rejoicing for this little one in my belly, one who we thought would never exist! Truly amazing. . .

Some people think my life is like a train wreck right now…. But I must disagree. Right now my life is a Beautiful Mess… full of purpose and life. I’m learning that God sometimes brings things into your life (good and bad) to teach you something and mold you for His purpose and for His glory. Sometimes surprises and unexpected events can turn people from God but I choose to allow it to draw us closer and to trust Him more.

What happens to E and the Adoption?

Funny.. some people think that with our latest news that we would just stop the adoption and not pursue. Oh, they are so wrong….. Although, after talking to our Agency today, our worries were confirmed. We have to put our adoption “ON HOLD” until our Baby “F” is 6 months old. At that point we will be ready for our referral and can continue the process from that point. (Keep in mind if things had progressed as normal, Baby E would have been home by next summer)… So our hope is to have Baby E home by Baby F’s 1st birthday (But that won’t be until February 2012!) While we are so happy that God has blessed us with Baby F, we are heartbroken that E will have to wait. We know God has a plan and his timing is perfect and all of our children belong to Him. But our flesh is struggling oh so much. Our case manager said we can petition the Board for an exception, but they rarely grant them. They make the 6 month ‘rule’ so that we can properly bond with our newborn before bringing in another child. Makes complete sense, and once E comes home, she’s going to need a lot of our attention too.

After we become ‘active’ with the adoption again in August 2011, our case will be reviewed by the Board again to make sure we still fit all the parameters of the adoption. After we are deemed ‘fit’ we will most-likely get a referral pretty quick, since we essentially will have been waiting for 18 months. (Our Dossier DTE date is 1/22/10). Before all that happens, we will have to have our home study amended and will have to apply to the USCIS for a one-time extension that will hopefully get us through the adoption.

Let’s just pray that no delays or country stuff happens that would keep us from E permanently! So far all the changes that Ethiopia has made seem to be in the best interest of the child, so we pray that those changes will continue to the positive!

Things we’ve learned in 3 short weeks!!

• With God, all things are possible.

• Our ‘plan’ and God’s plan aren’t always identical (that’s a shocker) .

• Our timing and God’s timing aren’t identical either.

• We are finding peace with our new ‘plan’ with each passing hour.

• Doctors are not always right!

• God is giving E a playmate for life. Someone to grow up with and play with. Sort of like our boys had each other.

You never know what turns are ahead, but as long as you trust and press forward, things will work out the way He intended them to. We have a long haul ahead, but we can do it.

Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:12

 

6 Months Waiting

Wow... 6 months waiting was last Thursday!  We've been a little busy lately so I haven't had time to post, but stay tuned.  .  Sorry for those of you who have been checking daily for an update....Hopefully I can post something by this Wednesday

Exciting stuff going on in the Baxter world!

Lead Me

I absolutely LOVE this song by Sanctus Real called Lead Me. I know it is a few days after Father's Day, but I wanted to list this song as a dedication to my hubby and wonderful father Brad! Thanks buddy for always leading us with strong hands! You're gonna do great with a little girl!


PS -- Make sure you listen or view the words to this song... very powerful! (sorry the words go off the screen a bit)





Sanctus Real - “Lead Me”


I look around and see my wonderful life
Almost perfect from the outside
In picture frames I see my beautiful wife
Always smiling
But on the inside, I can hear her saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”

I see their faces, look in their innocent eyes
They're just children from the outside
I'm working hard, I tell myself they'll be fine
They're in independent
But on the inside, I can hear them saying...

“Lead me with strong hands
Stand up when I can't
Don't leave me hungry for love
Chasing dreams, but what about us?
Show me you're willing to fight
That I'm still the love of your life
I know we call this our home
But I still feel alone”


So Father, give me the strength
To be everything I'm called to be
Oh, Father, show me the way
To lead them
Won't You lead me?


To lead them with strong hands
To stand up when they can't
Don't want to leave them hungry for love,
Chasing things that I could give up
I'll show them I'm willing to fight
And give them the best of my life
So we can call this our home
Lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Father, lead me, 'cause I can't do this alone

Clock Stalker

Ha!  Thought that graphic was funny, but actually, the Referral Clock has moved to August!  What does that mean, you ask?  Well, 2 weeks ago it was on June -- now it's on August!  It looks like more little girls are becoming available for adoption!

For those of you who don’t understand what the “Referral Clock” is… it’s a time line from our Agency of where they are with giving out referrals. It gives waiting families an idea of where they stand.  Right now they are matching little girls up with families that submitted their Dossier in August of 2009.  So, that means an approximate match time of 10 months +/- . . which would put us somewhere in the November-range for a referral.  But, this can all change depending on how many girls are available for adoption, how many families submitted dossiers in certain months, whose paperwork is ready, etc… But, maybe with a lot of prayer the clock will continue to chug ahead for all families -- no matter if they are waiting for a boy, girl or siblings.  (I know of a family that has been waiting quite some time at #1 for siblings -- praying for you April that you meet your kiddos soon)!  We know the children are there and available, it’s just a matter of who has their paperwork and birth certificates ready to go. (as you will see from an older post – getting paperwork ready for these little kiddos – in towns that do not speak the same language – is quite a daunting task.) I have to believe that all the changes are for the better and for the good of the biological families, the agency and the adopting families. My heart breaks, however, for these little ones who are in orphanages in the meantime, waiting for the legal stuff to clear, so that they can finally be loved by a family.


Plus, with the unknowns of the new travel and court processes, it's anyone's best guess on how that could delay (or perhaps speed up?) the process. 


I must admit though… I’m a clock stalker -- I check that darn clock every day… just in case.  I hope and pray it keeps chugging along so these kiddos can get home in the arms of their forever families.
Could you keep all of the families and children in your prayers? 

5 months waiting

Well, another month has flown by, but not for a moment have we not thought about having “E” home with us. We talk about it all the time as a family. We know that each day that passes is one more day closer to her.

Baseball season is over so now that our busy-ness is over, we can slow down, rest and wait. (at least until the fall sports start). We just returned from a little escape to the beach. We literally left from our last ball game to travel to the beach. Wow… what a little sunshine, fresh air and rest can do for the soul.  Amazing!


So, for the summer, we plan on hanging out with the boys, enjoying them, enjoying our families, and just slowing down and enjoying the ride. . . all while knowing who is in the drivers seat :)