Praying for him

At the end of August, we were still number 6, which means we didn't move up since July.  It was a little rough, but at the same time, we kind of expected it.  At the beginning of Sept a referral went out which moved us up to number 5!!  It's hard to believe we started at number 22, and now there are only 4 families ahead of us!!  As we are getting closer to meeting our son, I am reminded that prayer is so important during this time.

It's so easy to remember to pray for our journey...but we often forget we need to pray for our son's journey as well.  The thought of adding a child to our family is so exciting and makes us so happy.  But I need to remind myself sometimes that although our journey began almost 2 years ago, his journey is just beginning.  His journey is one full of loss and grief, and possibly physical or emotional trauma.  As we are gaining a family member, he is losing family members.  This is a part of adoption that that many people forget about.  In order for us to gain a son, someone is losing one.

I often have wondered along this journey, has my son been born yet?  Where is he?  Is he safe?  Is he being loved?  Is he hungry?  Is he with a family or in an orphanage already?  These are not easy things to think about.  They leave me starving to know him.  Every child's adoption story is different, but I have rarely, if ever, heard of one that begins with smiles and joy.  So, whatever circumstances lead up to my son having to lose his birth family, I hope and pray that God is wrapping his arms around him, and the one's who are possibly struggling to give him a better chance at life.  As we get closer, I sense that this is a tough time for those on the other end of this journey.  I hope and pray that they are blessed and comforted by the peace only God can give.

So if you're reading this, please pray not only for us and our journey, but for him, and his....

Things are slow

The courts closed on August 16 due to the annual rainy season.  They are expected to open back up sometime in the first couple weeks of October.  Things have been pretty slow this summer.  There were no referrals for a whole month, which was difficult.  However, things are expected to start moving along again soon.

We had originally hoped to have our baby home by the end of this year.  We have since come to grips with the fact that this probably won't happen.  But we have faith in God's timing, as hard as it is sometimes.  I know that, much like other things in our life, everything happens for a reason.  It is all part of a bigger plan.  I am very thankful for Maya and Andrew who have made this journey bearable.  If it weren't for the two of them, I would have had many more meltdowns.  Andrew has been my rock, always going with the flow and rarely being shaken by the process.  Maya has been a light through it all.  She keeps me smiling and busy every day.

We will receive our September updates at the end of the month.  I am praying for more referrals to go out this month so we will move closer to getting ours!

May updates

At the end of May we had moved up to number 10 on the wait list!!!!!  That's 6 more spots in one month!  We are so happy about our progress on the wait list and eagerly await what June and July may bring!  The wait is getting harder as we get closer to a referral...but I know all the emotions of this wait till be erased when we get that phone call and finally see our baby boy.

As for now...I wait by my phone and hope every day that it will ring with good news on the other end...and try to be as patient as possible.:)

Well, we got our April updates at the beginning of the week.  We are now number 16 on the waiting list.  This pretty exciting news.  It means that in the 6 weeks we have been on the list, we have already moved up 6 spots.  That's a spot a week!:)  However, we also found out that if we don't get a referral in the next 6 weeks, chances of us traveling before the Ethiopian courts close from Aug to Oct are slim to none.  Which also means that we will not have our baby boy home by  the end of this year like we had hoped.  It's a little disappointing to say the least.  I guess I am glad I know so I can mentally prepare for this...but it is hard to think of the holidays without our baby when I had been imagining how fun it would to celebrate with him. Again, God is proving his timing is better than my own. I will just need to have comfort in that.

Our adoption timeline

I wanted to add a timeline with significant dates on our adoption journey. Here is what we have from the beginning of the process until present.

February 21, 2011: Attended an adoption seminar hosted by Bethany

March 2011: Turned in our preliminary application for international adoption at Bethany

April 2011: Turned in our formal application to Bethany

May 31st, 2011: Our first of three home study meetings.

October 4, 2011: Completed the home study

November 2011: switched to Adoption Associates

February 17, 2012: Completed and sent our dossier to Washington D.C.

March 16: We are officially on the wait list for an infant boy from Ethiopia-Number 22

March update: 19

April Update:  16

May update: 10

June:  8

July:  6

August: 6

September:  5

October 5, 2012: REFERRAL!!!!

Oct 24: Found out our court date

November 13: COURT!

I can't wait to add more significant dates to this timeline!!

19th of 20

So March turned into a great referral month for our agency...we moved up from number 22 to 19 in just 10 days! I am hoping this trend continues as we are so anxious to receive a referral. I cannot wait to lay eyes on my baby boy! My heart aches when I think about him being out there and not knowing we are waiting here for him. I will continue to post where we stand on the waiting list each month. My case worker usually sends an update at the end of each month.

We are currently trying to come up with boy names...not to say we will definitely change his birth name...it will all depend. But in the meantime, it sure is fun coming up with names we like! (and also very difficult.) I have so many girl names I love...and very few boy names...

22 out of 23

We MADE it! We are finally officially on the waiting list for an infant boy from Ethiopia!!!! It is a strange feeling to be here now...it has been about a year since we started this journey. We never thought then that it would take us an entire year to get here. God has definitely shown us once again that this life, this journey, is not in our hands but in his. We have learned to be patient, we have made mistakes, we have felt heart broken and frustrated, and we have felt true hope...and are still learning to keep the faith. I know that Andrew and I have become stronger as a couple, and as a family through this all and I hope that this journey continues to bring us even more joy and revelation.

As of now, March 19, 2012, we are number 22 out of 23 on the waiting list. This doesn't mean a whole lot other than that there are 21 families waiting in line ahead of us. However, each family has their own preferences for a child as far as age, gender, and even health specifications. Therefore, the number is just a number. But it is all we have right now so we are wearing 22 proudly and with much anticipation of the numbers before us dwindling. I will keep the blog updated as the numbers go down.:)

SO thankful and SO in love already with a child we have yet to lay eyes on.<3