Fingers Still Crossed

We have had a roller coaster of emotions kind of day. At about 10:45 I got a call from our adoption coordinator telling me that our case was not heard because the Ministry of Women's Affairs did not send their part of the paperwork. From what I understand, three things have to happen to pass. 1. The judge has to hear the case 2. MOWA has to send an approval letter for us to adopt, and 3. His family has to show up to relinquish their rights. As you can probably imagine, I was very disappointed. I thought I had prepared myself for this setback, but I obviously hadn't, because it hit me like a ton of bricks. Then at about 12:30, I received another call from Allison, telling me that our court date has been rescheduled for tonight, and that his family already showed up to sign their part of the paperwork!!! Now, I am excited all over again. We are so blessed to have been assigned such a quick court date, but it is bittersweet, because two other families were rescheduled for the 31st. I know their heart is breaking right now. With that being said, we are continuing to pray for good news tomorrow!

Keeping our Fingers Crossed

It is Tuesday night here,but early Wednesday morning in Ethiopia. In a few hours, a judge will be presented with a file with our little guy's name on it. If all the paperwork is in order and the correct people show up, then we will legally be granted custody. We should know the results by the end of the day tomorrow. While we are praying for a positive outcome, we are also praying for his biological family, because not only must they make a very difficult 200 mile trip to appear in court but they must legally agree to relinquish their rights, I cant imagine what a difficult decision that must be. As we hope to be celebrating tomorrow, we know that this has to be a very difficult time for them.
We will keep all of you updated, but if we pass we are looking to travel late January or early February. If we do not pass, our court date will be rescheduled and it will further delay us getting to bring our little boy home.

Also praying for the several other families who have a court date tonight. Good luck!!!

Thanksgiving

Robbie and I are proud graduates of Texas A&M, and before Paige was born, our family always knew that our Thanksgivings were spent at the Texas A&M vs. University of Texas game. However, since we have had Paige, I have not been to a game, and Robbie has only been to one. This year, since she is the big five, we decided that it was time to take her to her first game. Although the outcome did not turn out as we had hoped, she sure had a good time , and that is what is most important. Here are some pics around campus before the game...

Here she is on Bevo. Notice his horns are "sawed off".

Here she is under the Aggie rings, symbolizing the marriage of two Aggies; like her Mommy and Daddy.

With a Yell Leader. Gig 'em Ags!

And with two senior tuba players in the Fightin' Texas Aggie Band.

And here she is practicing her Yells with the Yell Leaders. We sure are proud of our little Aggie!

Denver

Robbie, Paige and I went to Denver last weekend for a fundraiser put on by our adoption agency, IAN. All proceeds from the fundraiser went to a hospital in Ethiopia, which serves 3 million citizens. This hospital has very limited resources at their disposal, and all funds will help provide up to date technology. We had an incredible time, and not only was it for a good cause, but we got to meet so many people associated with the adoption.

Friday night, we went to eat at a local Ethiopian restaurant, called Habesha. There we met three families who have brought home their children, one family on the infant girl waiting list, and two adoption coordinators at IAN. Paige had a blast playing with all of the children while Robbie and I visited with the adults. We also got to try Ethiopian food for the very first time, which was a great experience.

Saturday night, at the fundraiser, we met even more people, including two families who have the same court date (Dec. 9th) as us. We finally met Allison, our adoption coordinator, for the first time in person. She is incredible, and it was so nice to meet her after speaking to her so many times on the phone. We also had the pleasure of meeting Abebe who is the adoption facilitator in Ethiopia, as well as his wife Hana, who is the director of the orphanage. It was just an incredible experience to be around so many people who have either already gone through or are currently going through this whole process.

Sunday, we concluded the the adoption part of our trip by meeting several of the families for brunch and then heading over to IAN's office for an open house. Again, it was just another great opportunity to meet and visit with other families who "get it". I am so glad that we decided to go, and now even more excited to bring home our little man and forever be a part of this family.

In between all of the adoption events, we managed to squeeze in some family time as well. The most exciting part for Paige was the fact that it snowed about 12 inches from Saturday evening to Sunday. She was itching to get into the snow, and of course I didn't bring any of our ski/snow gear for the trip, so we had to go buy new pants, gloves, and a hat for her. We also decided to buy a sled and took her sledding for the first time. Here are some pictures of her in the snow...

What a Great Day!!

Today was a great day! First of all, I received an update on our little guy. Anytime you receive one of those, no matter how few of words, it just makes you smile. We received the update from another family who is currently in Ethiopia. Thank you Matt and Heather!! Here is what she said:

"he has been scooting around in a walker. has a wonderful smile. is sitting up by himself. I think he has 4 teeth. 2 upper, 2 lower. he has a cough and was feeling under the weather today. One of the nannies was giving him extra tlc."

Of course I hate to hear that he is not feeling well, but at least I know to be praying extra hard for him right now. Hope he gets to feeling better soon. Poor baby!

Then, the day got even better!! I was dropping Paige off at school when the phone rang. I saw that it was Allison, but unfortunately I couldn't pick up the phone. As soon as I dropped Paige off, I called her back and she didn't answer. I hate missing calls from her, because she is my favorite person to talk to right now. A few minutes later, she called back with the good news...

We have a December 9th court date!!! Oh my gosh, I can't believe it. We are one step closer to bringing him home. We need lots of prayers right now, because there have been several families lately, who have not passed court the first time. Although I am hoping and praying that this will not happen to us, I am also realistic, and am trying to prepare myself for anything!!

I also found out that there are 4 other families who received the same court date. Good luck to all of those families as well. Hopefully we will meet you soon in Ethiopia!

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1 Month Ago

Exactly one month ago today, we received the phone call that we had been anxiously awaiting. We learned that thousands of miles away, the most beautiful boy you could ever imagine, had been matched with our family.

Since then, it has been a roller coaster of emotions. The first two weeks, I was on Cloud 9. The wait was so much easier than it had been before the referral. We received three rounds of pictures, and two rounds of medical testing. We now actually had a face to look at, a name to talk about, and an age to begin making plans for. This was all so exciting!

Then, things quietened down, and the wait became increasingly difficult (much more difficult than before we had a face and a name). We have fallen in love with this little boy and are desperate to bring him home, but we are learning that this is completely out of our control, and that all we can do is wait and pray.

In my experience, when you are pregnant, the wait is difficult, but at least you have a due date. You know exactly when your baby is going to arrive, and in the meantime you know that they are in the best place they could possibly be to grow and develop. Adoption is so much different. Everything is so uncertain. We do not know when we will get assigned a court date. We do not know how many court dates we will have to have before we pass (it is very common for people not to pass court the first time), and in the meantime, you know that they are not in the best place that they could possibly be. In no way do I mean to criticize the care center or the nannies. I know that they love our children and are doing the best job that they possibly can, given the circumstance. I am truly thankful for them, but I also know that the resources here are so much better.

If you asked me one month ago if I thought it were possible to feel this way about a little boy that I had never met, I would've told you no. I knew that I would love him and care about him, but I never thought I would feel this strongly, and never would I have thought that I would long for him like I do. It is truly amazing how God works, and I thank Him so much for this opportunity! I ask that you continue to pray for our family, for his health, and for patience throughout this process. In the meantime, we will continue to stare at his precious pictures.

Since we are not able to post pictures of him on the internet at this time, I will share this little teaser with you. Enjoy!!

Sweet Little Angel

Halloween was great, as usual. Paige dressed up like an angel this year, and looked absolutely precious. She got so many compliments on her sweet costume, and of course ate up all of the attention. I cannot believe how fast she is growing up!

Posing, again.

Trick-or-Treating

Showing her true colors.

Next year we will have two sweet angels to take trick-or-treating. We cannot wait!