Usually when I fly I introduce myself to the person next to me so it's not too awkward when you start talking in your sleep or need to get up to go to the bathroom for the 247th time. But on this trip I was not too keen on talking. What if they asked me where I was going and why, and I burst into tears? I finally broke down and met the girl next to me. She was heading to Dubai to teach and was sad about leaving her family and fiancé. I told her about our situation and so we decided we would cry together when the plane took off! I didn't cry when the plane took off but later that night I did cry myself to sleep and for the first time ever, fell good and asleep on a plane (thanks to the prayer warriors praying through the night for us!)
After a brief stop in Qatar, we were on the way to Ethiopia. My stomach was in knots! We were almost there...Once again hesitant to talk to my seat mates, I finally did. She was Ethiopian and he was from the States. They encouraged me about being in Ethiopia for the first time and affirmed us in our adoption journey. They even gave us their phone number just in case of emergency. So after all, it was good to talk to people--I left those flights more encouraged and thankful.
Once we finally landed, we entered the late night Ethiopian airport and the chaos that was getting a visa and gathering luggage. I have never seen so many bags everywhere. Thankfully all our bags made it! Out the door we went not really knowing who was going to pick us up. So we just looked out into the darkness of the cool night hoping to see a sign with our names on it. Sure enough, there was a man holding the sign and we got in a big van with him and another Ethiopian man neither of which could speak English except for the occasional conversational jabber and the words "Bob Marley" and "One Love" referring to a statue of Bob Marley in one of the round abouts. We, of course, had no clue on how to speak Amharic. We drove down the dark, barely lit streets of Addis Ababa to our hotel. Once checked in around 2:30am, we fell asleep wondering what the next day would hold.
The next morning we woke up and had breakfast and there was our guide, Semmey, waiting for us in the lobby. We introduced ourselves and then we were off to the hospital to see our son! We have traveled to third world countries and seen a lot of poverty, trash, dust, mud and animals literally laying in the middle of the road, but something seemed different. This was were our child was living and without us!
I was wondering how I would react when I first saw Harris. I imagined I would burst into tears and embarrass myself in front of a bunch of strangers thinking, Who is that white girl and what's her problem...
The moment came where we would find out what my reaction would be. As we walked up to the hospital, there were people everywhere. We made our way straight through the dark people-filled waiting room and down a hall then into a hospital room. In the room was about five beds lining the walls, four of them with children in them. And one of those kids was ours! At first, all we could see was the top of his sweet little head but as we came around to the other side we could see his face! Though very poorly, his eyes still seemed so bright--our little warrior fighting this disease. Overwhelmed with joy, I couldn't think of crying! After a couple minutes I couldn't wait any longer, I had to hold him! I asked the nanny if I could hold him and she gave him to me. He immediately started crying! But I was determined to work my baby magic and sure enough within a minute he was not crying. He laid there so helpless and somewhat stiff in my arms. I could tell he was tired and so very weak from cholera.
Doctors came back in to check on him along with the nanny who had been with him through all of this. As soon as he saw the nanny, he reached for her and cried so I gave him back. My heart was so full of joy I didn't even mind. I was thankful for that connection he had to her--it gave me hope that he could form a new connection with me and Jake. Later, I held him some more and as I swayed back and forth, Jake sang songs to him. It was a very special time indeed.
After he was released from the hospital, we were off to a pediatric facility where he would be monitored for a few more days. In the car, his new caretaker was holding him. I was anxious to hold him! After all, we did come all this way....so when we hit a bump and he woke up, I took the opportunity to ask if I could hold him. (Did I mention there was no carseat...) He slept in my arms until we reached the pediatric facility. Stepping over the rainy season's mud puddles outside and trying not to slip on the tile floor once we were inside, we took a seat in the waiting room while Semmey got Harris checked in. This wait time allowed for more snuggles. He laid down on Jake's chest just looking around. I could tell he knew we were safe people but he was still trying to figure out who we were.
Of course, we were the only white people in the waiting room. We got plenty of stares, especially from children. In fact, I could feel a little person touching my hair and another little person was touching Jake's arm.
Eventually it was our turn to see the doctor. We went into his office and he did a brief check up. Then he started asking us, "What sorts of concerns do you have?" We looked at each other and then back at the doctor and just went right into parent mode asking questions. Then the doctor said, "Wait, you've only known him for a few hours?!" We replied, "Yes." The doctor looked at Semmey and back to us and moved right along as if we had known him all his life. Then we made a plan for Harris' care.
We took him to an inpatient room where Trumar, his temporary nanny, would stay with him over the course of the next few days of being monitored. There was a nice big window and an old metal bed for him to sleep in. The doctors came in to take a blood sample and put in a port for an IV. He did not like either part! Once again, I just went into mommy mode and held his arms and legs down just like I have done so many times with Asher and Mary Clair at the doctor so they could do what they needed to do. He was so dehydrated that it took about 3 tries to find a vein that was big enough to get a port in. I was able to comfort him and love on him after it was all over.
We got him settled in for a nap. Everyone was clearly tired. Semmey told us we looked tired and needed to rest. Trumar would take good care of Yibekal (Harris) and we would go back the next morning.
So we headed back to the hotel.
I couldn't believe it! We had been able to hold, hug, kiss, help and love on our son! Finally!
Naps, tea, dinner and making new friends at our hotel from our agency were a great way to end our first day in Ethiopia. For the first time in days, we felt somewhat at ease and were so thankful we were able to come be present for Harris in such a crisis time.
*I've gotta go to bed...looks like you'll have to wait for Part III... ;) *
*Also, sorry, we can't post any pictures of Harris until the legal part of things are complete. I know, torture.*
Saturday, September 24, 2016
Friday, September 23, 2016
Emergency Urgency! Part 1
Where to even begin....
So last you heard we were celebrating Harris' birthday with Ethiopian food. That was June.
July came and went with our usual 4th of July gatherings, fireworks and the traditional and most beloved part of the holiday, homemade ice cream. I also loaded up the kids with my sister-n-law and her kids and drove to the beach--what an adventure!
Then August came. I turned 31! Happy birthday to me! I was wondering what this new year of life would hold, where it would take me and my family. It started off with Asher starting school. What a bittersweet day! When he got off the bus that first day I was secretly hoping he hated school and missed me all day long. Quite the contrary. He went on and on with a big smile on his face telling me all the details and couldn't wait to go back the next day. I guess it's good that he likes school. ;) The next day I tried to go on with life as normal (sniff) and enjoy my one-on-one time with Mary Clair. So we met my brother and parents for lunch. During our delicious Thai lunch I had a missed call from our agency and a couple texts from Jake indicating I needed to call our agency A.S.A.P! I was hoping it was good news--maybe we got our court date and were going to be leaving the next week! I was going to wait until I got home to make any phone calls. Then Jake called. "I'm at home. Where are you? I tell you what's going on when you get here." My stomach dropped. Had Jake lost his job? Was something wrong with Harris? Something was not right. Usually the drive from downtown Athens to home is not that bad, but this was a terribly long ride with my mind going 100 miles a minute with all sorts of bad thoughts of what could have gone wrong. I came in as quickly as possible and got Mary Clair to bed.
"Harris is sick and in the hospital," Jake said. Apparently there was a cholera outbreak in his orphanage and 4 kids were in the hospital, Harris being one of them. Jake had been upset and was crying. I was too mad to cry. He should have already been home, I thought. This would have never happened if he had already been home! It's been almost a year. He should be here....
I've never felt so helpless.
What were we going to do?
Jake had already been doing some research on cholera and it sounded really serious, so we emailed all our questions to our agency. As you've heard me say before, we have to best agency ever! Lifeline Adoptions has been walking with us now over these past 4 1/2 years and I can't imagine having gone through all this with any other agency. Now that we are at the end of our process we have also been working with another adoption agency who is partners with Lifeline--West Sands Adoptions. They also have been very helpful and kind.
We exchanged some emails and phone calls to our case worker over the next couple days trying desperately to get some details on anything! We would get responses saying the hospital was shut down because of the outbreak, the phone of the nanny who is with Yibekal (Harris) was dead because she had no charger in the hospital, all children from our agency had been pulled out to the home of a man who worked with the agency to insure the health of the children....then they said they would let us break the rules and come if we felt we needed to go see Harris. Unfortunately, the courts had just closed for holiday so there would be no expediting our court date because of health issues.
So we prayed.
And the next day we bought plane tickets.
Then the day after that, we were on a plane to Ethiopia.
Ok.
Time out.
Rewind.
Monday-Katherine's 31st birthday (dreaming about what the year would hold)
Wednesday-Asher starts kindergarten (tears and overly sentimental Katherine)
Thursday-Crazy scary phone calls about our son, Harris, in the hospital with cholera (potentially deadly)
Friday-The courts in Ethiopia close. But our agency says we can go to Ethiopia....
Saturday-Plane tickets purchased.
Sunday-Got on a plane and headed to Ethiopia.
"Wait a second," you may say, "how on earth did you pull that off??"
Well, we had lots and lots of people praying--in fact, on a 24 hour basis! We had friends making packing lists, ordering medications, ordering plane tickets, feeding my family and even unloading my dishwasher (if you want to bless me, unload my dishwasher!!) We had other friends giving us money to cover the cost of the trip! Did I mention we had people praying??! Our parents jumped right in to buying us another suit case, dropping everything and being willing to do child care for the week last minute, and driving us to the airport. Did I mention my sister was in town from New Orleans and helped my parents with the kids (even with those middle of the night bad dreams and having a child sleeping in the same bed! Sorry for those grey hairs you found the next week....I will take full responsibility!)?
So there we were, on our way to Ethiopia, not sure what the trip was going to even look like. Would we arrive to even worse news than before? Would we arrive and not even get to see Harris? All we could do was sleep on the plane and trust that God was going to take care of all the details.
*Stay tuned for Part II*
So last you heard we were celebrating Harris' birthday with Ethiopian food. That was June.
July came and went with our usual 4th of July gatherings, fireworks and the traditional and most beloved part of the holiday, homemade ice cream. I also loaded up the kids with my sister-n-law and her kids and drove to the beach--what an adventure!
Then August came. I turned 31! Happy birthday to me! I was wondering what this new year of life would hold, where it would take me and my family. It started off with Asher starting school. What a bittersweet day! When he got off the bus that first day I was secretly hoping he hated school and missed me all day long. Quite the contrary. He went on and on with a big smile on his face telling me all the details and couldn't wait to go back the next day. I guess it's good that he likes school. ;) The next day I tried to go on with life as normal (sniff) and enjoy my one-on-one time with Mary Clair. So we met my brother and parents for lunch. During our delicious Thai lunch I had a missed call from our agency and a couple texts from Jake indicating I needed to call our agency A.S.A.P! I was hoping it was good news--maybe we got our court date and were going to be leaving the next week! I was going to wait until I got home to make any phone calls. Then Jake called. "I'm at home. Where are you? I tell you what's going on when you get here." My stomach dropped. Had Jake lost his job? Was something wrong with Harris? Something was not right. Usually the drive from downtown Athens to home is not that bad, but this was a terribly long ride with my mind going 100 miles a minute with all sorts of bad thoughts of what could have gone wrong. I came in as quickly as possible and got Mary Clair to bed.
"Harris is sick and in the hospital," Jake said. Apparently there was a cholera outbreak in his orphanage and 4 kids were in the hospital, Harris being one of them. Jake had been upset and was crying. I was too mad to cry. He should have already been home, I thought. This would have never happened if he had already been home! It's been almost a year. He should be here....
I've never felt so helpless.
What were we going to do?
Jake had already been doing some research on cholera and it sounded really serious, so we emailed all our questions to our agency. As you've heard me say before, we have to best agency ever! Lifeline Adoptions has been walking with us now over these past 4 1/2 years and I can't imagine having gone through all this with any other agency. Now that we are at the end of our process we have also been working with another adoption agency who is partners with Lifeline--West Sands Adoptions. They also have been very helpful and kind.
We exchanged some emails and phone calls to our case worker over the next couple days trying desperately to get some details on anything! We would get responses saying the hospital was shut down because of the outbreak, the phone of the nanny who is with Yibekal (Harris) was dead because she had no charger in the hospital, all children from our agency had been pulled out to the home of a man who worked with the agency to insure the health of the children....then they said they would let us break the rules and come if we felt we needed to go see Harris. Unfortunately, the courts had just closed for holiday so there would be no expediting our court date because of health issues.
So we prayed.
And the next day we bought plane tickets.
Then the day after that, we were on a plane to Ethiopia.
Ok.
Time out.
Rewind.
Monday-Katherine's 31st birthday (dreaming about what the year would hold)
Wednesday-Asher starts kindergarten (tears and overly sentimental Katherine)
Thursday-Crazy scary phone calls about our son, Harris, in the hospital with cholera (potentially deadly)
Friday-The courts in Ethiopia close. But our agency says we can go to Ethiopia....
Saturday-Plane tickets purchased.
Sunday-Got on a plane and headed to Ethiopia.
"Wait a second," you may say, "how on earth did you pull that off??"
Well, we had lots and lots of people praying--in fact, on a 24 hour basis! We had friends making packing lists, ordering medications, ordering plane tickets, feeding my family and even unloading my dishwasher (if you want to bless me, unload my dishwasher!!) We had other friends giving us money to cover the cost of the trip! Did I mention we had people praying??! Our parents jumped right in to buying us another suit case, dropping everything and being willing to do child care for the week last minute, and driving us to the airport. Did I mention my sister was in town from New Orleans and helped my parents with the kids (even with those middle of the night bad dreams and having a child sleeping in the same bed! Sorry for those grey hairs you found the next week....I will take full responsibility!)?
So there we were, on our way to Ethiopia, not sure what the trip was going to even look like. Would we arrive to even worse news than before? Would we arrive and not even get to see Harris? All we could do was sleep on the plane and trust that God was going to take care of all the details.
*Stay tuned for Part II*
Wednesday, June 8, 2016
Happy Birthday, Harris!
Today is our little Harris' birthday! He is turning one today!
I remember just about a year ago waking up in the middle of the night with a prompting to pray for our baby's birth mom--for a safe delivery and for her to know that her baby would be well loved and taken care of by us. I have prayed that prayer again as we have neared our baby's first birthday. The journey has been long and hard for us, but I know that the birth mother of our child is probably aching today and reliving that moment of desperation, that moment of sadness, that moment her life changed forever.
It's a reminder to me to not be selfish.
To pray for those who are hurting.
To love.
And to celebrate life!
So today we celebrate! Mary Clair's 3rd birthday was May 27th so we left the birthday sign up in honor of Harris. Tonight we are going to eat Ethiopian food at Mannaweenta Ethiopian/Eritrean Restaurant. And most importantly, today we are going to be thankful! I will admit, I had my heart set on being with Harris for his birthday and I cried many sad tears over this past week in realization that that was probably not going to be a reality. But I'm continuously reminded that God takes care of the orphan; God is in control of the Ethiopian government with their processes and procedures; and that we will be there before we know it!
In other news, here are some pictures of the latest happenings around here!
I remember just about a year ago waking up in the middle of the night with a prompting to pray for our baby's birth mom--for a safe delivery and for her to know that her baby would be well loved and taken care of by us. I have prayed that prayer again as we have neared our baby's first birthday. The journey has been long and hard for us, but I know that the birth mother of our child is probably aching today and reliving that moment of desperation, that moment of sadness, that moment her life changed forever.
It's a reminder to me to not be selfish.
To pray for those who are hurting.
To love.
And to celebrate life!
So today we celebrate! Mary Clair's 3rd birthday was May 27th so we left the birthday sign up in honor of Harris. Tonight we are going to eat Ethiopian food at Mannaweenta Ethiopian/Eritrean Restaurant. And most importantly, today we are going to be thankful! I will admit, I had my heart set on being with Harris for his birthday and I cried many sad tears over this past week in realization that that was probably not going to be a reality. But I'm continuously reminded that God takes care of the orphan; God is in control of the Ethiopian government with their processes and procedures; and that we will be there before we know it!
In other news, here are some pictures of the latest happenings around here!
 |
| They are so cute! |
 |
| Mary Clair is 3!! |
 |
| Mary Clair's birthday party |
 |
| Some of our first squash for the season from the garden |
 |
| My little helper |
 |
| This is the face right before she ate the entire cucumber! |
Thursday, April 7, 2016
The Last Bullet Point on the Checklist
So we had a checklist that seemed like the eternal list of paperwork, waiting, then sending something else in the mail, then waiting some more, and then more paperwork and so on....
But here we are.
On the last bullet point on that long list!
Sometime in the next 2-4 months we should have a court date. And that means we will be able to finally fly to Ethiopia and meet our sweet baby Harris (or Little Asher Bluejay as he is so affectionately called around our house)! So I need you all to get fierce here in your praying in these next few months...and here's how:
1) 2-4 months?!?! You've got to be kidding me. We keep wondering what it is that we are supposed to learn from all this waiting...and I'm starting think the Lord wants us to learn how to wait. (How novel.) With that said, I still feel that we can pray that it will been sooner than later that we can get over there! After all, we've only already been waiting 4 years!! God controls paperwork and governments and He tells us to come before the throne of grace with confidence! So let's be bold and pray for a miracle--that it will be closer to the 2 month mark (or sooner!!).
2) Just a reminder. We will be coming home after this court date trip....without Harris. (Insert sobbing and pit of despair type feelings.)
Pray for Harris. Pray that he would continue to be well loved and taken care of for about a month until all paperwork is processed and we go back to actually bring him home with us.
Pray for our family. If I seem like a zombie for that month, you'll know why. Who's idea was it to get you over to meet your kid and then send you home for 3 weeks to a month before you can fly back (yes, about a $1500 plane ticket for mom and dad and then a ticket home for your kid) and take your kid home?? It will be so hard. And hard to explain to Asher and Mary Clair
3) Once we get home with Harris the "journey" is not over. It will be just the beginning of the lifelong journey of our family! We covet your prayers and need all the love and support we can get. I know Satan would love more than anything to take something beautiful and turn it into a big mess. God help us!
We will continue to update you as things progress. Thanks for your part in this journey! And just remember, the checklist of life never ends until death. As a Christian, always be about the work of God no matter where you are!
But here we are.
On the last bullet point on that long list!
Sometime in the next 2-4 months we should have a court date. And that means we will be able to finally fly to Ethiopia and meet our sweet baby Harris (or Little Asher Bluejay as he is so affectionately called around our house)! So I need you all to get fierce here in your praying in these next few months...and here's how:
1) 2-4 months?!?! You've got to be kidding me. We keep wondering what it is that we are supposed to learn from all this waiting...and I'm starting think the Lord wants us to learn how to wait. (How novel.) With that said, I still feel that we can pray that it will been sooner than later that we can get over there! After all, we've only already been waiting 4 years!! God controls paperwork and governments and He tells us to come before the throne of grace with confidence! So let's be bold and pray for a miracle--that it will be closer to the 2 month mark (or sooner!!).
2) Just a reminder. We will be coming home after this court date trip....without Harris. (Insert sobbing and pit of despair type feelings.)
Pray for Harris. Pray that he would continue to be well loved and taken care of for about a month until all paperwork is processed and we go back to actually bring him home with us.
Pray for our family. If I seem like a zombie for that month, you'll know why. Who's idea was it to get you over to meet your kid and then send you home for 3 weeks to a month before you can fly back (yes, about a $1500 plane ticket for mom and dad and then a ticket home for your kid) and take your kid home?? It will be so hard. And hard to explain to Asher and Mary Clair
3) Once we get home with Harris the "journey" is not over. It will be just the beginning of the lifelong journey of our family! We covet your prayers and need all the love and support we can get. I know Satan would love more than anything to take something beautiful and turn it into a big mess. God help us!
We will continue to update you as things progress. Thanks for your part in this journey! And just remember, the checklist of life never ends until death. As a Christian, always be about the work of God no matter where you are!
"Love must be sincere.
Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love.
Honor one another above yourselves.
Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord.
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.
Share with God's people who are in need.
Practice hospitality."
Romans 12:9-13
Monday, January 4, 2016
F.A.Q. (We're on the Home Stretch)
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years! I know we did. And what's most exciting about it all is our little son will be with us next year for all the fun festivities!! I had to hold myself back from buying the sweet little guy Christmas presents. Next year...next year.
I know you've all been on the edge of your seat in eager expectation of a blog update (I give myself way too much credit...). So I've decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If your question is still not answered, join the club, it's part of the adoption process! But seriously, feel free to ask me any questions! We love to keep you all in the loop as best we can.
Soooo here we go....
Q) What's his name?
A) His name is Yibekal. It means, "it's enough". (And can I get an, "Amen!!" I've had enough! I'm ready for him to be home!) But due in part to the fact that we live in the South and are pretty confident his name will be butchered...or not even pronounceable for that matter...we've decided to call him Harris. He will be the fourth generation Harris! Jake's grandfather, father, and Jake himself all share that name. Now, if you ask Asher and Mary Clair, they'll say his name is Little Asher Bluejay. In fact, Asher just informed me that when we pray for him, we need to call him Little Asher. Thankfully the Lord knows who we are praying for and will meet his needs just the same.
But his name will be Harris.
Q) How much more money do you need to raise?
A) This is always a great question...there are always extra costs that pop up! Right now we are concentrating on plane ticket costs and travel in Ethiopia costs (there are two trips--see details below). We recently applied for two grants and hope to hear back from them in the next couple months (pray that we receive some support from those two grants. We worked hard on pulling those applications together! Thank you if you were part of that!)
I'm really hoping to pull off one more corn hole tournament...this may have to happen closer to March since it might be too cold to have it right now. This is a fun way that we've been able to raise money for our adoption in the past! We hope to be able to do this. I'll keep you in the loop....
Q) What's the timeline look like?
A) This is most frequently asked question!! And I wish I could give you an exact date, but I can't! (I know, it makes me crazy too!!) The long and short of it is there are investigations and paperwork and court dates that have to be done, attended, processed. So we are looking at hopefully March or April when we would be able to travel! Now keep in mind we have to travel twice. The first trip would be one week in March or April for a court hearing. We would come home (yes, without Harris, Lord help my heart and soul) and go back about a month later for another week long trip to get him and bring him home. So we are hoping to have him home before his first birthday in June.
Please pray for all paperwork and such to be expedited! We are eager to get him home!!
I'm sure there are details floating around out there that I left out, but hey, the good news is we are getting a son! It's worth the wait and confusion and time and effort. We are excited, but pray for our perseverance on the home stretch. Pray for our family to stay united. Pray for all the kids' transition to a new sibling. Pray for Harris as he is apart from us--for his health, safety, development, etc.
As always, thank you for your support! Love to you all!
I know you've all been on the edge of your seat in eager expectation of a blog update (I give myself way too much credit...). So I've decided to answer some of the most frequently asked questions. If your question is still not answered, join the club, it's part of the adoption process! But seriously, feel free to ask me any questions! We love to keep you all in the loop as best we can.
Soooo here we go....
Q) What's his name?
A) His name is Yibekal. It means, "it's enough". (And can I get an, "Amen!!" I've had enough! I'm ready for him to be home!) But due in part to the fact that we live in the South and are pretty confident his name will be butchered...or not even pronounceable for that matter...we've decided to call him Harris. He will be the fourth generation Harris! Jake's grandfather, father, and Jake himself all share that name. Now, if you ask Asher and Mary Clair, they'll say his name is Little Asher Bluejay. In fact, Asher just informed me that when we pray for him, we need to call him Little Asher. Thankfully the Lord knows who we are praying for and will meet his needs just the same.
But his name will be Harris.
Q) How much more money do you need to raise?
A) This is always a great question...there are always extra costs that pop up! Right now we are concentrating on plane ticket costs and travel in Ethiopia costs (there are two trips--see details below). We recently applied for two grants and hope to hear back from them in the next couple months (pray that we receive some support from those two grants. We worked hard on pulling those applications together! Thank you if you were part of that!)
I'm really hoping to pull off one more corn hole tournament...this may have to happen closer to March since it might be too cold to have it right now. This is a fun way that we've been able to raise money for our adoption in the past! We hope to be able to do this. I'll keep you in the loop....
Q) What's the timeline look like?
A) This is most frequently asked question!! And I wish I could give you an exact date, but I can't! (I know, it makes me crazy too!!) The long and short of it is there are investigations and paperwork and court dates that have to be done, attended, processed. So we are looking at hopefully March or April when we would be able to travel! Now keep in mind we have to travel twice. The first trip would be one week in March or April for a court hearing. We would come home (yes, without Harris, Lord help my heart and soul) and go back about a month later for another week long trip to get him and bring him home. So we are hoping to have him home before his first birthday in June.
Please pray for all paperwork and such to be expedited! We are eager to get him home!!
I'm sure there are details floating around out there that I left out, but hey, the good news is we are getting a son! It's worth the wait and confusion and time and effort. We are excited, but pray for our perseverance on the home stretch. Pray for our family to stay united. Pray for all the kids' transition to a new sibling. Pray for Harris as he is apart from us--for his health, safety, development, etc.
As always, thank you for your support! Love to you all!
"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
ad lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him
and he will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5,6
Tuesday, October 6, 2015
Complete Shock
Today I was strolling through the isles at Target wading through all the pumpkins, costumes, and Halloween candy and there at the end of the isle (prepare yourself for this people...): Christmas decorations!!!! What in tarnation!? I just put up my fall wreath and some pumpkins over the weekend and I'm already being bombarded with Christmas lights and snowmen?? I mean it just got out of the 90's two weeks ago!! I am not dreaming of a white Christmas at the moment! Please let me enjoy wearing my sweatshirt and drinking a cup of hot tea outside without melting before I'm stuck inside with my crazy children throughout the freezing winter. At least they haven't started playing Christmas songs on the radio. Which by the way, did anyone know that there are more than the same 12 Christmas songs they play over and over out there! Come to my house, I will indoctrinate you in the ways of tastefully listening to Christmas music.
**My previous comments on Christmas are no license to start shocking the whole world (namely your sweet mother and grandma) on Facebook and other social media with, "Christmas is just two months away!" You'll make the gift buyers freak out and rush to the nearest store to insure they get the perfect gift...even if it is two months too soon.
ANYway.
Speaking of shock. We got a referral for a little boy a couple weeks ago and said, "yes." (And this is the part where everyone stares at the computer screen and says to themselves, "That's so great!!! ....Wait....What on earth does that mean??") Let me explain it in layman's terms (or non-adoption lingo): We're adopting, y'all!!. Yep, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally come! We've signed on the dotted line and will proceed with bringing home a sweet little 3 month old boy!
I know you've got a bagillion questions. So do we! I hoping to be able to get answers and give answers as they come.
So your next thought is probably, "Well, we want to see a picture of him!!" Unfortunately, we can't post anything on social media, blogs, etc. until the adoption is complete. So if you want to see a picture of his cute little cheeks and big brown eyes, you'll have to track me or Jake down to see a photo.
Well, I could keep typing, but it's actually quiet here at the house so I'm gonna read and enjoy my tea (even if it is just 10 minutes). Keep up the prayers and we'll keep you updated as we know more. Please feel free to call, text, email, send a message on a miniature scroll by dove, etc. with any questions, comments or concerns.
Love to all!
**My previous comments on Christmas are no license to start shocking the whole world (namely your sweet mother and grandma) on Facebook and other social media with, "Christmas is just two months away!" You'll make the gift buyers freak out and rush to the nearest store to insure they get the perfect gift...even if it is two months too soon.
ANYway.
Speaking of shock. We got a referral for a little boy a couple weeks ago and said, "yes." (And this is the part where everyone stares at the computer screen and says to themselves, "That's so great!!! ....Wait....What on earth does that mean??") Let me explain it in layman's terms (or non-adoption lingo): We're adopting, y'all!!. Yep, the moment we've all been waiting for has finally come! We've signed on the dotted line and will proceed with bringing home a sweet little 3 month old boy!
I know you've got a bagillion questions. So do we! I hoping to be able to get answers and give answers as they come.
So your next thought is probably, "Well, we want to see a picture of him!!" Unfortunately, we can't post anything on social media, blogs, etc. until the adoption is complete. So if you want to see a picture of his cute little cheeks and big brown eyes, you'll have to track me or Jake down to see a photo.
Well, I could keep typing, but it's actually quiet here at the house so I'm gonna read and enjoy my tea (even if it is just 10 minutes). Keep up the prayers and we'll keep you updated as we know more. Please feel free to call, text, email, send a message on a miniature scroll by dove, etc. with any questions, comments or concerns.
Love to all!
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think,
according to the power at work within us,
to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations,
forever and ever. Amen."
Ephesians 3:20-21
Sunday, June 7, 2015
Still a Little While Longer
It's June already! Somehow or another we have managed to come all the way back around to summer. I know it happens every year, but it always amazes me when the seasons change...not just the weather, but the people and the ever-changing lives we all live.
For example, May 27th marked Mary Clair's 2nd birthday. How did that happen?? Wasn't she just born? My sister's birthday was also in May and she turned 24....wasn't I just 24? On a much less significant note, my garden has grown so much! In just a short couple of months we've got so many cucumbers that we're already enjoying (and will share if you want some!) and lots of tomatoes waiting to ripen. Where does the time go?
We continue to change, grow and be refined as we wait for our adoption process to come to a close too. I'm learning more and more about being a graceful and grace-filled mom and wife every day. Jake is learning too; what does it mean to be the leader of my household, how can I point my family to Christ...etc. One thing I have been learning lately is how to wait on the Lord, to put my hope in him.
As soon as we got our monthly email the past two months and only 4 kids were placed in those two months, I became frustrated with the wait! I'm tired of waiting. I want to know my kid. I want him/her to be here with us. I'm weary. But then I call this to mind....
For example, May 27th marked Mary Clair's 2nd birthday. How did that happen?? Wasn't she just born? My sister's birthday was also in May and she turned 24....wasn't I just 24? On a much less significant note, my garden has grown so much! In just a short couple of months we've got so many cucumbers that we're already enjoying (and will share if you want some!) and lots of tomatoes waiting to ripen. Where does the time go?
We continue to change, grow and be refined as we wait for our adoption process to come to a close too. I'm learning more and more about being a graceful and grace-filled mom and wife every day. Jake is learning too; what does it mean to be the leader of my household, how can I point my family to Christ...etc. One thing I have been learning lately is how to wait on the Lord, to put my hope in him.
As soon as we got our monthly email the past two months and only 4 kids were placed in those two months, I became frustrated with the wait! I'm tired of waiting. I want to know my kid. I want him/her to be here with us. I'm weary. But then I call this to mind....
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.
29
He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.
30
Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;
31
but those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.
Isaiah 40:28-31
What a great encouragement! I am the daughter of the One who doesn't grow tired and weary. He will give me strength. Praise Him for giving me strength!
Now I will admit, every day is not so easy in the waiting process, but I know it is all in God's timing. Who knows, our kid may have just been born...
Only God knows...
And I'm okay with that.
Thank you Lord for strength...in everything. Including waiting.
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