GREAT news!

Whew.....

Being so negative (see yesterday's post) is hard work.  : )

So, with that in mind, I want to update with something more positive.  Something MUCH more positive.

First, I failed to mention that our update email advised us (I was busy focusing on the negative, remember?) that there are children in their care who, as soon as paperwork is completed, are ready to be referred (hopefully) soon.  It seems that the process has changed up somewhat and more paperwork is required before referral than was previously the case.  This is really a good thing because of the fact that more i's have been dotted and more t's have been crossed before court and Embassy which means that there are less "hiccups" in the process once your referral is received.  In the past, families have received referrals and then waited MONTHS and MONTHS to be able to travel for court and/or Embassy -or- traveled relatively quickly for court and waited MONTHS to go back for Embassy (and bring their children home).  With the changes that are being made, the wait for a referral can potentially be longer but, once that referral is received, court and Embassy dates are hopefully much quicker and more predictable.  Good news.

With all of that said, I received a Facebook message from a fellow adoptive mom yesterday who is trapped in that timeframe between court and Embassy.  She and her husband are adopting two precious older girls who I met while in Ethiopia last July.  These girls have been longing for a family for quite some time; watching as many other children come into and out of the orphanage, bound for their forever homes.  And NOW they have a family of their own but haven't been granted an Embassy date so that they can make their way right here to Tennessee to begin living the life that they've only dreamed of until this point.  Will you do me a favor and pray for this family?  God knows who they are.  (Pray also for their mom who is experiencing some illness this week).

And speaking of prayer, I am reminded of Bartimeaus, who BOLDLY and SPECIFICALLY asked Jesus to receive his sight.  In fact, the Bible says (in Mark 10:47) that when Bartimeaus (who was blind and begging) heard that it was Jesus who was passing by, he "began to shout "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"" (note the exclamation point).  And so, taking a clue from Bartimeaus, I am praying BOLDLY and SPECIFICALLY that our daughter is one of the children who is currently in the care center, almost ready for referral.

And God, in His sovereignty, may answer that prayer.  And He may not.  And that's okay.  Because He knows best and His timing is perfect.  GREAT news.

(And, by the way, SIX children were matched with their FOREVER families in the month of May.....that's some good news, huh?).  VERY good news.


Coming soon.....a couple of "while we wait" updates.  Fun!

Wait List Update (aka This Sucks!)

Warning:  This may possibly be the most "real" update ever written on this blog.



As promised, we received our monthly wait list update first thing this morning (I love our agency!).

And before I tell you what it said about our progress on the list, I want to tell you about the email that I received from Jeff immediately following the update email.

Jeff's email was simple and straight to the point.  It simply said:

THIS SUCKS!!!!!


And to be totally transparent with you, I couldn't agree more.

I have tried, each month, to write each post with a positive spin (and, honestly, it hasn't been hard to do).  Jeff once said that I was a cup half empty person and he was a cup half full person (he's in denial); I've tried to prove him wrong on that and I think I've been successful thus far.

All good things must come to an end.

We did move up on our agency's wait list.  We are now #20.

We moved up one spot.  ONE.  Beats the heck outta none, right?  Pshaw......

Seriously, we are beginning to become weary in the waiting.  And though part of me feels totally selfish to put that in black and white, it is the truth.  And this is our blog and it's what we'll have to look back on in years to come; to remember what we were going through and how we felt and, well, this is how we feel.  So I write it.

I texted with my girlfriend this morning, half joking about how I intend to respond to the next person who says, "God's timing is perfect".  (By the way, YES, yes it is).  But really, I'm thinking of saying this:  "Perfect timing....let me tell you about perfect timing....I think that it's the PERFECT STINKING TIME to kick you in the shins".  I mean, really....I now realize how some of that perfectly logical la la "encouragement" sounds to people in their moment.  Sorry....real post, my blog.  Blah.

It's funny, really, how much we already love this little girl.  The one that we don't yet know; the one we haven't yet seen; the one with some really cute clothes in her closet, an American Girl doll and furniture soon to be delivered.  The one that we talk about and dream of and the one who it is beginning to physically hurt not to know.

Today, we're (only) one step closer.  And today I'm not totally okay with that (as if it matters).

Waiting will definitely become even more difficult once we see her face and even though I know that as much as I know that, YES, God's timing is perfect,  today it just sucks.

Our Pre Update Update & While We Wait

Our Pre Update Update

As we wind up another month, our minds and hearts begin to long for our monthly update.  Being told what number we are on the wait list is really just a barometer; it doesn't really tell us anything about when we might get a referral but, for now, it is the most tangible thing that we have to show us that we are moving in the right direction.

Our agency's program director is on a well-deserved vacation this week and, bless her heart, when she emailed us all to tell us that she was leaving for vacation, she confirmed that even though she would be vacationing with her family, she would not stop giving referrals (if and when they became available).  I love her commitment to "our" kids.  In addition, she notified us that our new numbers would be available on June 4th or 5th, so I'll have that update then.

While We Wait


We did order furniture for "little girl's" room.....the bed itself is on backorder but should be in in the next two to three weeks.  We have asked them to deliver all pieces at once so once the bed is in, it will all be delivered and set up.  I would LOVE to have a referral BEFORE the furniture comes in and plan NOT to decorate until we see her sweet face.

I (Kelley) traveled to Chicago this Memorial Day weekend with my Mom, my two sisters and my two nieces.  We took the girls for an American Girl (doll / store) experience and it was great fun.  We took them to the store in Atlanta several years ago.  The Atlanta store is nice but nothing in comparison to Chicago's American Girl store.  It was a great time and we talked about and look forward to having a new cousin with us next time around.  I couldn't resist buying her her first doll and it will be here waiting for her when she's finally home.

Now that my boys are out of school and we're all together for the summer, we will soon be getting vaccinations (everyone but me....I'm all caught up) for our upcoming trip to Ethiopia.  Aside from that, there's not much that we can do but wait, hope and pray.

Mother's Day - This Time Next Year

I can recall being pregnant with my boys and often anticipating the "this time next year's".  You know, "this time next Christmas, we'll have a 4-month old", "this time next year, we'll be a family of 5", etc.  Adoption is no different (except for that fact that the "pregnancy" could last longer than 9 months) and Mother's Day (for me) was no different as, for the first time ever, I felt like a mother of THREE on Mother's Day, even though, physically, we remain a family of four, not five.

I am so very blessed with great boys and a husband who loves me and were diligent in making my Mother's Day special.  They even humored my request and bought me a sewing machine like I requested (even though my husband has serious doubts that I'll ever sew a thing) AND took me out for sushi (a newfound love).

In addition to that, I received a Mother's Day email from our agency that included the following poem which served to remind me of what my upcoming role will be in the life of our daughter.  Also, it reminded me that, on this Mother's Day, I'm not the only one who loves this little girl who I've never met.  She is loved by another mother; the one who has given her life, the one who, right this minute, could be making the ultimate sacrifice by placing her in the custody of an orphanage where, ultimately, she will become a part of our family.  I pray for that mother this Mother's Day...and all of the mothers like her. 

A Mother's Day Poem

Once there were two women who never knew each other

One you do not remember, the other you call Mother

Two different lives shaped to make you one

The first one gave you life, and the second taught you to live it

The first gave you a need for love, the second was there to give it

One gave you a nationality, the other gave you a name

One gave you a talent, the other gave you aim

One gave you emotions, the other calmed your fears

One saw your first sweet smile, the other dried your tears

One made an adoption plan, that was all that she could do

The other prayed for a child, and God led her straight to you.

Now, which of these two women, are you the product of?

Both, my darling, both, just two different types of love.

~ Author Unknown

Our Daughter Is "One"

I heart Ordinary Hero!

Here's why.

(You're going to want to hear this so, before hitting play, scroll down to the bottom and pause my playlist.)

Wait List Update and More

Our agency has completely spoiled us by sending our wait list updates out on the first day of the month.  Can I just tell you that I checked my email yesterday (as someone on our agency's FB page said) like it was my job?  Late yesterday, we received word that we would get the update today.

Lord, give me patience and give it to me NOW.  : )

So, Lesley (our agency's Ethiopia program director) delivered as promised and, today, our number is.......

Yes, we moved up two spots (again).  Based upon my post from Monday, you may think that I'm a bit bummed by that.  But I'm so not.  You know why?  Because, not only did Lesley send us an updated wait list number but she also included a listing of the referrals that were given out in the month of April.  TEN children were matched with their forever families in April and, I don't care who you are, you can't not celebrate that.  To focus on anything other than the GLORY of that would be wrong.  ONE infant (age 0-2) has a new family (Praise Him!), TWO toddlers (ages 2-5) have a new family (Praise Him!), TWO older children (6+) have a new family (Praise Him!), TWO special needs children have a new family (Praise Him) and ONE sibling set of THREE has a new family (Praise Him!).

He is good...always!  His timing is perfect for my family, the exact same way that it was for the families who received referrals in April.  (Be sure and remind me I said this the next time I'm belly aching about being tired of waiting).

Edited (5/10/12) to add:  Our agency has a FB page and, following the monthly updates, several families posted their new wait numbers as well as what age/gender child they were approved for.  Not all families are on the page so this isn't completely accurate but, of the families who responded, there were seven families with numbers SMALLER than ours who are NOT in our same age/gender "category".....so, what this means is that 1.) I'm not very successful with my patient waiting; and 2.) taking this into consideration, we are AT LEAST #14.

While We Wait

Here we are on the cusp of a new month, which (as you know if you've been following) means that we will soon be receiving a new wait list update.  Our agency notifies each family at the beginning of each month (for the last two months, we've actually gotten our update ON the first) where they fall on the agency's waiting list.  Just being honest, my patience becomes less graceful as each month passes and, at the same time, I know that there are many who have been waiting longer; we personally know people who have been waiting for a referral for over a year.

I wanted to post before we actually get our wait list update for the month of May and then I will post again once we receive it.  To be completely transparent, for some reason, I am anticipating this month's number to leave me discouraged and I figure that no one wants to hear from Debbie Downer.  I have absolutely no reason, by the way, to believe that we will move any less than we ever have; just being especially pessimistic, I guess.

This month, while we wait, we've been furniture shopping.  We have narrowed down some of our options and are almost ready to order furniture for our daughter's room.  Granted, a referral could still be months away; however, lately, once a referral is received, the rest of the process has been more efficient so, since we will be ordering furniture that will take several weeks to arrive, we thought it best to go ahead and make those decisions and place the order.  I'm liking crisp white like this?  (What is it about white that screams little girl room?)

Source

In addition, I've been trying to learn a little Amharic.  We purchased an app for our iPads that teach some basic words and phrases.  In addition, I purchased this book & CD set that, I believe, will come in very handy.

Source

See you soon with a new update.  In the meantime, amesegenallo for stopping by.  (That's "thank you" in Amharic).  : )