Christmas Tree Pictures

This is our attempt to get a picture of Faith by the Christmas tree.  As the boys would say . . .  epic fail!

She's still a cutie, just a fast-moving one!  Plus, get a good look at her little piggy-tails, because you might never see them again!  I did it while she was sleeping.  They didn't last very long!   Maybe we will have better luck next time.

Donation Pictures

We are so grateful for everyone's generosity in bringing us donations (and funds to buy donations) for the orphanage our daughter is from and to the care home that she is currently in.  We even had 2 suitcases donated, so we can just leave them there!  We still have more stuff coming, so we will have to take those items on our next trip.  It took up our entire counter and bar area in our basement.  As you can see from the photos, we had a lot of stuff.  Over 150 pounds of stuff, to be exact.  We were able to squeeze it into 4 bags.  Our travel agent said she may be able to get us a waiver for the extra bag fees.  That would be awesome!  If not, each bag is $150!  If that is the case, we will probably squeeze them into 3 large bags and hopefully only need to pay for one bag.  (Brad and I get 2 bags each for free, and I'm thinking we'll probably only need one suitcase each).  So keep your fingers crossed!

Thanks again to our friends, family and friends-of-friends. Your donations will certainly be put to good use.  Please pray that we are able to get all of these donations through customs without any issues.  It would be a shame to carry them that far and then have them confiscated in customs.  I am, however, armed with a detailed breakdown of exactly what is in each bag.  Hopefully that will help.

Such cute little outfits of all sizes! 

Some socks, blankets, towels and onsies

Diaper Rash Ointment and lots of wipes

Miscellaneous medicines, etc.

14 packs of diapers

Little God Moments

We are still in shock that this is finally happening.  Things honestly have been quite a whirlwind for the past 2 weeks.  I mean, we knew this was coming, but most of the things we have to do couldn't be done until now!  {if that makes sense} We have waited for this moment for so long and with such anticipation, but I honestly haven't really had time to sit and think about what we are about to do! Plus, this is Faith's first Christmas so I'm trying to do some of the same "firsts" that we did on the boys first Christmas and trying to make sure my big boys are ok too, all while preparing to go meet #4. Right now it's a juggling act, and we have a lot of balls up in the air.  All of those things happening at once can be a little overwhelming. I imagine once I get on that plane and have time to really sit and breathe and think, tears will begin to flow. 


My main concern is, I don't want to be so busy in all of this, that I miss the little moments that may turn out to be big moments....like the God-moments...ya know? 

I can't even begin to tell you about the God-moments that have occurred in just one week in our home.  First of all, donations for the orphanage and care home have begun to flow in from our church family and friends, and friends of friends. It's really awesome.  We have a friend who works for a large grocery store chain bring us a huge box full of formula, diapers, wipes, diaper rash ointments and all kinds of goodies. A few others took the list and literally bought every single item on the list. We have many others who have items to bring as well and who have forwarded the list onto their list of friends!  It's really amazing!  And of course I couldn't resist the sales at the Carter's and the Osh Kosh outlets for some of the cutest onsies, tshirts and such!  I will post pictures soon!  I just hope we can take it all on this trip!  We are going to start packing it up and weighing it, etc. on Sunday!  

We also received a very generous check from friends who organized a secret fundraiser selling gift wrap, candles, home goods, etc.  They were able to make a 50% profit from the items sold.  So many people were involved in this endeavor, and we were completely oblivious to it. Again, such a God-thing and so amazing!  I don't even think I have the words to express our gratitude right now.  We are still in shock!

Then, we had a couple who visited our church for the very first time come up and hand Brad a check. We didn't even know them, but they heard that we were traveling soon to meet our daughter, sought us out, and wanted to contribute in some way. Again, that doesn't just happen.  

All of this in one week! God has certainly been faithful in His provisions for us throughout our journey. We can't deny that!   We have been very blessed with generosity from co-workers, friends, family and total strangers.  

That's why this blog is near and dear to me.  When we started our journey, we had no idea (and still do not) how things would turn out or how we would make the 2 trips and so many other uncertainties (not to mention a bio pregnancy in the midst of it all!).  We just knew we were following the path that God told us to take.  I know a lot of posts are just my random thoughts and ramblings, but I do not ever want to forget (after life gets even busier) the generosity, prayers, help and blessings of so many people throughout this journey.  I want E to know this too.  She needs to know how many people cared for her, without even knowing her face, and to what lengths they went to, to help bring her home. 

Everyone keeps saying how we are going to change her life forever, but it's really the opposite -- she's already changed us forever!  [I know this is similar to the quote from "The Blind Side"... but it's true!]  

More on Court, Embassy and Travel soon!  

It's really happening

Wow. Time is flying by since we were assigned our court date.  So many little things to think about, not to mention ... It's Christmas. Good thing I typically work well under pressure. As I previously mentioned, we already have our flights, our accommodations, and this past week we were able to get our visas. (there was literally no line both times we went to the Ethiopian embassy....so that was great).

I've come to the realization last week that, this is really happening!  I've tried for 2 years to guard my heart in case things didn't happen as expected, but now, I'm releasing my heart to this little girl who totally stole it the moment I laid eyes on her. It's almost like seeing my 3 bio babies for the first time on ultrasound.  All signs may say you are pregnant, but you don't really believe it, until you see them bouncing around like little peanuts on the screen.  It's at that point that you realize this is REAL and I'm going to be a mom!  That's where I'm at right now!

Last week we received an email announcing that she arrived at our Agency's care home. No more orphanage for her.  While I'm sad for her and for her nanny, I know she will be well cared for at this new facility.  This is a brand new facility that is bright, and cherry and clean.  She will have excellent care here until we bring her home. I do worry about how she is adjusting, but it's reassuring to know that many of her orphanage buddies were moved at the same time, so at least she will have some familiar faces. We are now waiting on some new photos of her in her new home.  Her next move is HOME with us!

Please continue to pray for her transition, our upcoming trip, and our 3 kids that we will be leaving home for a week.  It's going to be harder for me, probably more so, than for them!

I have lots more info and answers to some questions you all of been asking.  Promise to post more soon!

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Yay!  We finally received our court date.  We will be leaving fews days after Christmas to meet our little girl for the first time.  There is so much to do and time will go quickly!  Luckily, we've already secured our flights, so that is done.  Now we are working on accommodations in Ethiopia. 

After that, Visas.  This will require us to visit the Ethiopian Embassy in DC again.  Heck, they are probably tired of seeing us!  At least we know where it is and we know to get there early before the huge line wraps around the building. 

We finished up our travel immunizations last month, so that's done... but there is so much yet to do, especially with Christmas coming.  We are thankful that we can spend Christmas at home with the kids this year and keep things semi-normal for them.  I know they are a bit anxious about our travels too.   

As always, God has been faithful and has orchestrated this trip beautifully.  We will have 2 days of down time in Ethiopia before our court date (and we won't be able to see Baby E on those days), so that will give us time to explore her country, buy presents, sight see, and take in EVERYTHING.   I think if our court date fell on another day, we would probably spend minimal time there... due to our kids at home, time off from work, etc., so this worked out great (although we are going to miss our kids at home terribly!!).   We've also connected with 3 other families from our agency who are traveling the same time as us, so it will be nice to meet and spend some time with them. 

Please keep us in and Baby E in your prayers.  They should be moving her to Acacia Village in a few weeks, and I'm sure it will be difficult for her.  Also, keep December 21st in your prayers.  This is our first court date (that we do not have to be present for).    Praying that all goes well there. 

Our heads are swirling with excitement!  We are going to meet our little girl.... finally! 

October Pictures

I'm a little bit behind in posting pictures, etc., but thought you might enjoy some pictures from the month of October.  Yes, it snowed here in October, complete with power outages and cancellation of events.  It was still very pretty.  Faith is like her mommy -- not a big fan of the snow!

Umm.. what's all of that white stuff? 

It was hard to get a shot without a snowflake on the lens! 

A "Dylan" Angel

 We didn't actually do Halloween, but we found the cutest little lady bug costume and dressed Faith up for fun.  She was the cutest BUG ever!

Tired little bug!  

Another Coincidence?

I forgot to mention this when I did my post about non-coincidences. . . . The Tuesday before we received our referral, a package arrived in the mail.  It was clothing that I had ordered for Faith for the fall season.  Everything was packaged nicely inside a bag, which was then inside the box.  I noticed when I opened the box, there were two pair of little leggings outside of the bag, just sitting on top of everything, even on top of the packing slip.  I put them to the side and began looking over my purchases, thinking I must have ordered them by mistake.  

One by one I went through the packing slip and compared it to what I had in the box.  No sign of the leggings on the packing slip… That’s weird, I thought.  Then I looked at the size.  They were 24 months.  I thought, wow, it will be a long time until Baby Faith can wear those.  Everything else in the box was 9 months. 

It wasn’t until after we received our referral, a few days later, that it hit me.  Those leggings were a little gift for Baby E.  She will most likely be in 18-24 month clothing by the time we bring her home. 

It made me giggle and think about how God brings the unexpected into our lives. Sometimes good things; and sometimes bad things.  But sometimes, it’s those unexpected gifts that surprise and delight us. It’s those small things that can make us smile. They are tiny reminders from God that He loves us, that He's there, that He’s listening.  Today when I opened the closet and saw those little leggings, I was reminded again that He cares and that His promises are true.  

Faith's Dedication

 Ok, so I know I am way  behind in posting this, but better late than never, right?

Faith's dedication was on September 11, 2011.  What an awesome day.  This was also 2 days after we received our referral of sweet Baby E, so we were able to rejoice and celebrate God's goodness on this day for BOTH of our girls.

We were blessed to have so many wonderful friends and family join us for church and for our little party afterwards.  They came from near and far.  She even had 3 great aunts attend the festivities, as well as Nana and Pop,  and Mee-Maw and Pappy, of course!    We had friends who traveled for hours and even stayed overnight so that they could witness our little girl being dedicated to God.

Somewhere along the line, Pastor Ken gave the mic to Brad, who ended up telling his entire testimony of his experience with 9/11.  Such a humbling moment to realize that Faith wouldn't even be here if there wasn't divine intervention that day.  It was also an awesome moment to realize that the last time we were before our congregation, it was to tell about our heart for adoption, and how we could welcome ONE more into our family.  Only God knew that we would soon welcome TWO and how these two little girls would forever be entwined and connected through a journey of  faith and redemption.  

We know God has BIG plans for both Faith and Baby E.  It's going to be our privilege to watch and help fulfill those plans!  

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 

Pastor Ken 

Faith's Yummy Cake

The teens enjoyed the moon bounce more than the younger kids! 

Big Brothers are the best! 

Submitted to Court!

Our documents were submitted and accepted by the court on November 15th.  Yay!!  This is a very big step forward.

What does this mean?  It means that we now will wait for be assigned a court date, which may take 2 - 3 weeks (hopefully not any longer).  Once we know our date, we can begin making travel arrangements.  There are actually 2 court hearings on our case. One will take place without us; we must appear for the second one.  We are still praying that we could squeeze in the last week of December.  If not, it will most likely be January, unless there has been a large number of cases submitted this week.  Once we have a court date assigned, they will move Baby E from her orphanage to Acacia Village, where we will meet her for the first time.  This is going to be very scary for her, I am sure.  Right now, believe it or not, her orphanage is a very safe place for her.  She's going to be taken away from that safe place of sounds, smells and faces.

We also received 6 new photos this week for our November update. She is more and more beautiful every time we see her.  Those lips and big brown eyes!  It also looks like they are letting her hair grow a bit.  I cannot wait to put a big bow in it!!  She looks very healthy, but please pray for her little heart.  She is looking very sad lately.   I am hoping her December pictures will show her smiling.

We've also sent her October and November updates and pictures to her adoption specialist doctors.  They are very pleased with her overall growth and motor skills!  She still looks petite to me... so I'm thinking her and Baby Faith are going to be pretty close in height and weight.  We cannot wait to actually see her in person!

A few prayer requests:

* that we can get a speedy court date assigned -- hopefully in 2011.
* that Baby E's heart is comforted and that she hears a whisper that "I will not leave you as Orphans.. I will come to you... " 
* that Baby E will do well in her transition to Acacia Village.
* that our 3 children at home will do well with us going away and the transition to come!

As soon as I hear anything, I will let everyone know!

Gratitude

Gratitude – letting others know you see how they’ve helped you. This is what we are teaching our kids this month at church. Sometimes I think I get more out of the lessons than the kids.

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18, NIV

Hmmm.. in all circumstances . . . How many of us really praise God when we are in the midst of a storm, even if it is His will for us? We are quick to say thank you when things are going well, but not too many of us say 'geee, thanks,' when things aren't going as planned.  I know I’m guilty of that. I’m trying to be better and know that He has the master plan and can see things we cannot. I tried to think of that this week as we were waiting and waiting for one test result, which was holding up our court submission. This one test has tied us up for 8 weeks.


I had come to the conclusion that if God wants our test results to be stuck in a machine that is broken down, then that is what He wants. The test is run, the results are done, but the machine is unable to spit the results out. [seriously, I don't make this stuff up!]   But, there must be a reason for it. Maybe He wanted to see if we would take E without knowing the final results of this test? Maybe He needed to delay our travel to avoid a situation that He knows is going to happen (like my husband’s 9/11 “non-coincidence”). Maybe He needs E to stay at the orphanage a few more weeks …. Whatever it is, He knows and we do not.

BUT, Gratitude is exactly what came to mind Thursday, when we were able to approve Baby E’s 2nd medicals!!  Finally!  This happened all by God’s grace, I’m sure of that!!

We were permitted to approve her 2nd medicals ‘as is’ without this ONE required test. It was our decision if we wanted to wait for the test results or approve her 2nd medicals without it. You know what we decided! So, we were able to give our consent to have our case prepared for court submission on Thursday. This, I am certain, is not an Agency standard, but an exception which was based on Baby E’s age and the age requirement of this ONE required test. {Plus I’m sure that the fact that we waited 4 weeks for the reagent to come in, and then 4 additional weeks for the results of this test, had some influence on their decision}. On Friday, we received an email that the lab machine was repaired and we had the test results anyway! Yipee… so now we are back on track.

The process of getting the documents translated and authenticated over in Ethiopia to go to court can take a couple of weeks. Not sure how ‘a couple of weeks’ is translated in Ethiopian time, but at least we are moving again. After we are officially submitted to court, it looks like it takes a few more weeks to hear back with a court date, unless there is a problem with one of our documents. We are praying that everything is in order for our little girl and that we can get a speedy court date. I’m still praying that we can get a court date by the end of the year, but I know it may not be possible. I'm also praying that we can travel with other families in our Agency whose children's test results were stuck in the same machine!  We should all be back on track now. 

My goal is to continue to show gratitude in all circumstances. I know this is just one of MANY hills and valleys that we are yet to go through in this adoption process. Still, I feel like we are coming down the home stretch, sort of.  Of course, this can change quickly with the next detour or road block we come to, but today, I am certainly full of gratitude for a God that cares, and a God that can move mountains and make exceptions to bring His children home.

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18