9 Months and 1 Day Pregnant

sometimes no news is good news...sometimes no news is just no news...sometimes no news is frustrating and leaves people on the brink of tears

For today, our "no news" most closely resembles the third sentiment.  Waiting {and waiting, and waiting} with absolutely no news has been grueling.  We have been so blessed to have had several families take pictures of our sweet boy who lives across the ocean.  It's been so amazing, and yet, it is a very real reminder that our baby is growing quickly without us.

It's hard to describe the way I'm feeling these days.  I'm sad that Bek has spent 293 days of his sweet little life without us, his family.  I'm frustrated that we are entering our eleventh week of waiting for a court date since we first saw his sweet face.  And, yet, I'm hopeful that this will be the week that we get to know the day that we'll meet our son.  And, I KNOW that all the frustration and anguish is more than worth it.

Today, it occured to me that I felt the exact same way that I felt on January 28th, 2005.  Will you take this walk down memory lane with me?

It was a Friday, the end of a particularly grueling week.  I knew it was just a matter of time until I would see my sweet baby girl's face, and yet, I irrationally felt that she might stay tucked away in the comfort of my abdomen forever. 

She was to be our first born, a true gift from God.  We'd been given her name almost ten years previous as we sat together in church, a newly-dating teenaged couple, dreaming of the family we'd one day call our own.  MELIA-an adaptation of an ancestor of Jesus, recorded in the book of Luke.  The beauty of her name was equalled by its origin and meaning-the polynesian form of Mary, meaning "wished-for child" or "beloved lady" {assuredly, she was both}.

On that fateful Friday, I continued to house my sweet child, 9 months and 1 day pregnant.  It wasn't fair!  I was fully aware of several people who had been induced 3 days, 5 days, a week and a half EARLY, and yet, here I was, an entire 24 hours overdue.  

I waddled {and I do mean waddled} my 5 foot 2 inch frame into the High School where I taught business classes to my enthusiastic {and unenthusiastic} students.  The additional 38 pounds I had "gracefully" packed onto my typically small body weighed extra heavy that day.  I took a deep breath and entered the front doors of the building where I ducked my head and wormed my way through the 14 to 18 year olds in the commons area.  My attempt to evade the students' eye contact failed miserably and before I knew it, the question I'd been trying to avoid was hurled at me for the first of many times of the day: "WHEN are you due?"

It was an innocent enough question, one that truly showed my students and co-workers genuinely cared about me and my babe-to-be.  However, the question cut like a knife, exposing the longing and frustration that I'd been trying so desperately to mask.  The tears began then, and I fought them all day long.

Fast forward almost seven years to January 23, 2012.  Today I walked into my school with slightly younger students and a slightly different story, yet the heaviness of longing for my baby, our third child, was overwhelmingly familiar.  The question was different, too..."Have you heard anything?"  Yet, the sting was the same, as was the feeling of consistantly choking back tears. 

It is amazing how many people care, truly care, about our baby boy joining our family forever.  I am so incredibly grateful that God has placed each and every one of you in our lives for "such a time as this."

The end of the story from 7 years ago was that God gave us our baby girl the very next day {Sunday is her 7th birthday} and she has been an amazing blessing to our family since day one.

And, the end of today's story?  Well, God's still writing it...

 

Another Month Down and a Break from the Blog

Ten months down... ?? more to go?  We are ten months closer to our next babe and we can't wait to get that phone call!! :)

In the words of sweet Melia "Wow!  Ten months!  Maybe they'll think 'they've been waiting for a long time!  We should probably call them.'"  I hope so, baby girl, I hope so!

In other news...

I am working on some changes for our blog.  Please be patient while I take a break to make some changes/improvements!  I'll be back in a couple of weeks (unless, of course, we get "The Call!" :))

Back to His Arms

Last week kicked my rear end was crazy hard.  I admit it...I was drowning/sinking/floundering/stumbling/staggering; call it whatever you wish, but, basically, I was wallowing in self-pity.  I wanted our referral and I wanted it NOW {or yesterday or the day before}.

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I wanted to believe all my sadness was justified.  I mean, really?  11 weeks with no referrals?  (Not to mention multiple families in the final stage of bringing their children home reporting delay after delay.)  Think of all those orphans who need homes and here I  am, waiting so patiently for a call that just doesn't seem to ever come! 

So, there I was...whine, cry, frump...when, BAM...I got slapped in the face with the gospel!  OK, maybe that's a bit of an exagerration, but truly, I got me some CON.VIC.TION!

Because, the truth is, my lip service was NOT matching the state of my heart.  Don't get me wrong, I want desperately to believe that this journey is not in vain...that I am enduring this wait because this is exactly where God wants me, and I DO believe that, but my heart was just not feeling it and I was sinking into a dark place.  And, the bottom line is I wasn't as close to my Jesus as I need/want to be.  Instead of drizzling my sorrow in Christ's redemptive love and promise to stay by my side {even when days are dark}, I was relying on myself to get me through.  Not. Pretty.

This seed of longing for more began early in the weekend, so when I went to church on Sunday morning, I just knew I was meeting Christ there and that I was ready to lay it at His feet, to start this wait over {in a sense}, to get back to the arms of My Savior.  And, guess what?!  He did it!  He met me there and He held my hand and he spoke to me through the sermon.  We began a study of Hebrews and dug into verses 1-4 of the first chapter, which our pastor, Randy Gariss, summed up like this:

"It is impossible for you to have too high a view of Jesus."

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So true.  My Jesus will carry me through this difficult wait.  Wasn't he faithful to Noah, Moses, Job, David, Abraham, and countless others?  He shows me over and over again where a child-like faith leads and yet, I somehow lost sight of that.  And so, I am done.  I can't do this wait alone or even based on the strength of my family and friends.  I need HIM and He promises to carry me, hold my hands, and walk beside me.  And so I'm reaching for Him...

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I'm determined to hold tight to the following verse from Hebrews:

Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.



Like I'm Walking Around Dragging my Arms on the Ground

Sounds like a country song, huh?! ;)  Well, here's a little disclaimer...this is not going to be the most uplifting post I've ever written.  If you want me to remain an eternal optimist in your mind, please stop reading and come back for the next post {I promise it will be more upbeat!}.  However, if you're ok with me being real, read on, friend...

You remember seeing this picture in your High School science class?

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Don't get all weirded out on me...I'm totally not an evolutionist.  Creation all the way, baby!

However, you see that chimp on the far left?  The one who's arms drag the ground {please don't get all technical on me...I'm fully aware that he uses his hands to maintain his balance and that this gait is necessary for him to be able to walk}.  Well, envision that as an emotional state.  Think about that as the person who is carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.  Today, this is where I'm living in regards to the emotions I'm feeling about our adoption. 

Now, don't get me wrong...tomorrow I could feel like the next creature, standing a little taller, or even like the gentleman on the far right, optimistic and walking tall.  But recently, more days than not, I feel like the ape.

Honestly, I never would have guessed 10 weeks ago that there was not going to be ANY referrals from our agency for such a long period of time.  While my head understands that there are legitimate reasons for the delay {a full change in our in-country staff, a new orphanage to train, a government that is requiring mounds of paperwork in a country that doesn't have technology at it's fingertips, a large group of people who are in the last stage of getting their babies home which requires much attention from the in-country staff, and audits happening in our orphanages}, my heart aches.

It aches for the fact that we are likely number 10 for a single child, and number 7 for siblings {so close!}.

It aches for the fact that our agency has relayed to us that there are babies who are referral-ready, but still waiting for translation of paperwork.

It aches for all the families in our same situation who have not moved up any slots in 10 weeks.

But, mostly it aches for our child who has very likely been sitting in an orphanage for MONTHS waiting to see our faces like we have been waiting to see his or hers.  For the time we are missing out on his or her life.  For the fact that he or she wakes up every morning in an orphanage when he could be waking up in his home, lavished with hugs and kisses from his parents, brother, and sister.

But, then I just have to give it up.  God's got this.  He's got our baby in His hands.  He is taking care of him or her in such a way that we cannot even imagine.  His timing is perfect, even when it's hard.

So, tonight I'm dragging my arms, but tomorrow I'm trusting that God will stand me upright.

8 Months Waiting

...because surely we are!

Some Adoption Misconceptions {via a 4 year old}

Oh, our children...

C and M on our way to Cow Appreciation Day at CFA

When we first started talking about adoption in November of 2009, we decided to be completely open with our kids about what was going on.  After all, adding a child/children to our family will be a huge adjustment not just for the two of us, but for the whole family.  We have been open about the way our family dynamics will change and have spoken to them about race and other issues that will inevitably arise. 

Miss Melia, well, she gets it.  I know there will be lots of things that will come up for her when the adoption is complete, but she knows what she will say when someone says {for example} "That kid's not your brother, he's black."  She plans to respond "Yes, he is, we adopted him from Africa."

She also understands that we will get a referral, wait for a couple of months, go "visit" our child, come home, and then go back to bring him/her home with us.  She gets it.

Camden, on the other hand, not so much.  He really hadn't said much about it {except in every. single. prayer.} until recently, when two hilarious misconceptions came out, as follows:

Misconception #1: EVERY child is adopted.

Melia and Camden are in the middle seats of my soccer mom mini-van on the way home from swimming one afternoon.  Melia suddenly says to me, "Mommy, Camden wants to play together and I want us to play alone...which should we do?" to which I respond "You should play together...that's why God gave you to each other."
Having not gotten the answer she wanted, she groans "Mommy!" while Camden attempts to explain:
"That's right...God said 'Camden and Melia, I am giving you to Trevor and Jennifer to play together.'  And then we were adopted!" 
{Of course, it was a good opportunity to explain that I am their birth mommy and their forever mommy and that their siblings will have a different birth mommy, and I will be their forever mommy, but SERIOUSLY?!}

Misconception #2: I will give birth to our adopted child.

I took Camden shopping today and at one of the stores, there is a play area for kids so he is playing with another boy who is probably 6 years old.  They introduce themselves to each other and then I hear him telling the other boy "I am going to have a baby brother.  Well, we don't know if it's a boy or girl."  The lady who works there is grinning at him and then up at me and I feel the need to quickly explain that we are adopting.
As we are exiting the store, I tell him that he should tell people that we are adopting when he is talking about his new brother or sister so that no one thinks I have a baby in my belly.  He replies "so, when we know if it's a brother or sister, then the baby will be in your belly?"  OH. MY. "No, buddy," I say, "the baby won't ever be in my belly."
So, after some thought he says "So, is Jesus gonna put him to us?"
Sheesh!
After explaining about how his daddy and I will go pick the baby up in Africa, he seems to understand...

we shall see!



What's Going on in Ethiopia?

I realize I haven't posted much about the adoption.  There really is a reason for that {because nothing much has been happening}, but I realize that just because our number isn't decreasing doesn't mean there's not information to post.  So, here goes...

1) Our number actually increased after the last time I posted {in June}.  An Ethiopian family joined our agency's wait list, so they were placed on the top of the list.  When I checked with our consultant, she gave me our new official number of 16.  We have not moved from this spot since then.

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2) Referrals from our agency have screeched to a roaring halt.  With the exception of one special needs little girl who was referred to the #17 spot, there have been NO referrals in 7 weeks.  This is the longest lull in referrals there has been since we have been on the list.  It's difficult, to say the least, to be this close to getting a referral and yet for there to be none given.  Just another opportunity to learn patience {you'd think I'd be getting good at it by now! ;) }.

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3) Reasons for the slow-down were given to us last week by our agency.  There's a list...

• First of all, our agency's in-country representative changed in June.  This transition has caused a little of the halt. 
• Secondly, as part of Ethiopia's attempt to crack down on unethical adoptions, the country is requiring a lot more paperwork, which is difficult in a country that does not have the abundance of technology that we do.  For example, if we need a copy of our birth certificate, we get in our car, drive 15 minutes to Carthage, Missouri, pay $15 and get a printed, state-sealed copy within minutes.  However, many children in ET are not even registered as they were born in their homes and not given care in a hospital {this also explains why many adopted children are given an approximate age}.  

This article, though a little dated, explains the issues with the process and the new paperwork requirements 

• Last, our agency is beginning to work with a new orphanage,  Debreberhan Orphanage Centre.  While this may seem like it should increase referrals, the fact is that the orphanage is going through some trainings with our in-country staff and won't offer referrals out of that orphanage until the orphanage has received all the training and all the kids in the orphanage are paperwork-ready.  {I could totally be wrong, but this is where I believe our little one is!}

4) MOWYCA Letters have increased from the five letters per day {which is what they alledgedly were planning} to anywhere between 10-15 per day.  This is still a slow-down from six months ago, but it is better than expected.

5) Court Closure began this week.  In ET, courts close for the rainy season from August through September.  What this means for the process is that although referrals are given through rainy season, no one will be traveling for their first trip {the court date trip}.  However, people who have passed court can still get their Embassy date, which means they can go get their little ones! YEA!  Also, the MOWYCA is still open, so we are hoping this will be a time that they will be able to get caught up on the cases that have passed court except for their letter.  This court closure is a difficult time for many families who have a referral but did not get a court date before the rainy season.  Please keep those families in your prayers!

6) Orphanage Closures have been occurring in the southern region of Ethiopia.  The closures have occurred for several different reasons and the children are being taken to different orphanages in the country.  While this is a good thing in a number of ways, it's scary to think that in a country with so many orphans, they now have less places to go.  This coupled with the slow-down in getting the children into adoptive homes makes for a grim picture. :(

Article on Orphanage Closures

7) The Drought in the Horn of Africa is heartbreaking!  Having recenty gone through a natural disaster in our area has amplified in my mind the amount of help that's needed in the midst of a disaster.  Please pray about how you can help.  There are many ways...here's one:

Thank you all...for your continued prayers, for continuing to read {even when there's not a lot of news}, for your support.  Hopefully we will have some more news soon!

 

A Note to my Former Self....

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I'm not one of those people who is obsessed with time travel.  Don't get me wrong, I think it's a fascinating notion and I loved the "Back to the Future" series as a kid, but I just don't really think it's a wise idea {you know, if it was possible}.  I think we have to experience what we experience...it just shapes us into the person we are supposed to become.  

With that said, if I could go back in time to, say, one year ago when we placed our application to Children's Hope International in the mail with a prayer that moving forward with this adoption was the right thing to do for our family, I would definitely have a few things to tell myself! {Whew! Sorry about the run-on sentence!} I would probably tell myself the following:

July 31, 2010

Dear Jen:

Congratulations!  You have just taken the first step toward your child in Ethiopia!  Are you alarmed that I said child and not children?!  Funny thing, you think right now that there is a number of young siblings that are in need of a home.  However, in a few months, you are going to realize that the need in Ethiopia {at least according to the referrals coming out of your agency} is more prevalent for a single child.  In fact, you and Trev will open your preference as wide as your agency will allow in March {keeping in mind that your child has to be around one year younger than Camden}.  Surprised?!  I bet!

In regards to your emotions, hold on...you are about to embark on a roller coaster of emotions that you aren't even capable of imagining right now.  No, that's not an insult.  Rather, this journey is going to stretch you well beyond where you've ever been stretched.  Don't be scared...much of what you are about to experience is awesome!  You'll get to be a part of the adoption community and make amazing friends who are going through the same emotions as you.  You'll see pictures and watch video of adopted children being united with their forever families.  Yes, those are available now, but you don't realize quite yet just how important they are going to be for your soul.  In those down times when it feels like you will NEVER get to see the face of that sweet child that you dream about, those little connections will pull you through to a place where you are okay with the wait.

You are about to learn what it means to truly surrender to Christ.  Yes, you believe right now that you have been obedient to his calling in your life, but that will be tested in an amazing way!  You will see what it means to truly surrender to Him!  Please know that you are following Christ's will in an area where you are NOT IN CONTROL.  Aside from patience, this is the biggest lesson that you will learn in the upcoming year.  God's got your child {or children...there still is a teeny chance there will be two} in HIS HANDS and, although it will be hard for you to swallow, there is nothing you can do but rest in His promise that He cares for His own.

Love,
Jen

P.S. Can you believe we STILL haven't gotten our referral?!  Hang on, tight...it's inevitably coming soon!!

Wonder what this letter will say next year!! :)

Half a Year

Exactly

months and one day ago, we were placed on the waiting list to adopt a child {or two children} from Ethiopia.  Although the journey has been much longer than that {6 months waiting to be able to apply to adopt from Taiwan and 5 months of paperwork before being placed on the wait list} it is difficult to believe we have been an official waiting family for over half a year!

I was struggling with it a little the last couple of days and had an opportunity to talk to my friend, Emily {who God placed in my life at exactly the right time}.  We discussed how this little pattern we are in of two weeks with no referrals and then two referrals in one day has been sending us into mini-tailspins of highs and lows and that we were ready for another high.

Well, today was the high...2 referrals were given today, putting Team Chase at number...

Woohoo!!  We are getting so close!  As far as we can tell, we are at number 7 for siblings {not super likely as there have been very few siblings referred in a LONG time} and number 9 for one child.  We know that at least two of the eight above us are girls only, so we are at least number 7 for a boy.  So, technically, we are in the single digits!  This is beyond exciting!

It is so awesome to see how God is working this whole thing out.  This morning I was just crying out to Him saying "Lord, you know the desires of my heart.  I am longing to see my little one's face, but I know it's not time yet.  I sure would love to see some referrals today."  And, BAM, He just went and did it!

So thankful.

Just Being Real

Last night I got a rare Girls' Night with some of my best girlfriends in the whole world!  God has placed so many amazing women in my life...such a blessing!!

Anyway, while we were talking about some of the things God has taught me through this adoption process, one of them asked me if I'd written them down.  If you know me at all, you know that while I mean well and strive to get things done in a ridiculously organized fashion, when it comes to "journaling," I come up short every time!  So, I decided I needed to take some time to just share what's been going on in my heart.

First of all, let me just say that I do NOT want this to be a discouraging post.  This adoption journey is one that God has given us as an opportunity to grow and stretch beyond what we would have thought possible even a year and a half ago when we really began to pursue it.  We have learned so much, and that's what I want to share here.

What I've learned the last 15 months:

1. Patience. 

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.

~Psalm 40:1

 This is an obvious one.  I knew without a shadow of a doubt that when we embarked on this journey, it was going to be a huge test of patience.  We've learned patience in many different times in our lives...waiting to graduate high school, college, college, and college again, waiting to get married, waiting to get pregnant, waiting to have our babies {out of my belly}, waiting to hear about a job, and then in this journey waiting on paperwork, waiting on approvals, waiting for our referral.  Yes, the waiting on various things has certainly taught us patience.  Could I use more?  Umm, probably....

2. Reliance on God.

You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.

~Psalm 59:17

  I feel like a pretty fortunate person.  I am surrounded by supportive people, have a great family, an awesome church, a job I love, no major health issues.  In many ways, things have sort of "fallen into place" easily and I really think, looking back on the last 31 years, that I have not had any situations that I have felt like I had full reliance on God.  YIKES!  That's really a scary thing to say {type} out loud!  But, it's true...I'm just striving to be transparent here. 

Now, don't get me wrong; in every situation I have sought His guidance and would like to think that I have listened and been obedient to His voice.  But to be in this situation where I have to totally trust God to not only give us the children that He has for our family in His timing and to trust that they are in His hands while they cannot be in ours...now THAT is reliance!

3. It's Not About Me. 

All this is evidence that God’s judgment is right, and as a result you will be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are suffering.

~2 Thessalonians 1:5

 I once read a book by Max Lucado with this title and thought "what a nice book", a good reminder that the maker of Heaven and the Earth is WAY bigger than me.  I had no idea what an impact that book {that idea} would have on me several years later as we embarked on a journey to complete our family by adopting kids from across the globe.  Because the truth is, nothing is about me.  It's all about Him and furthering His kingdom and using the people, abilities, opportunities and talents that He gives us to do so!  WOW!  That concept is a LOT to take in and gives me a totally different perception of life as I know it. 

But, you know, with 147 Million orphans, well...it's not about me, is it?!

4. The Power of Prayer. 

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you   ~Matthew 7:6-8

This truth has never been more evident to me than it has been on this journey.  It is amazing to me the amount of times that I have really felt down about finances {an incredible stressor in adoption} and someone will randomly hand us a check for a couple of hundred dollars from their garage sale or I'll reach in my purse and find an envelope with $50 marked with the words "Adoption Fund" with no indication of who it's from.  And, it's not just been about money. 

The last few weeks have been hard; very hard!  Emotionally, I have been drained.  I wait for a phone call telling us that our referral for our 2 1/2 year old boy is in our E-mail inbox and the call just doesn't come.  Well, last week at our home group, we all went around and talked about what each of us was struggling with and prayed for each other {an awesome time of prayer}.  The next day {Monday}, it was like a huge burden was gone.  My perspective changed...I was looking at the bigger picture and I shifted my expectations to waiting for others' referrals so that we could get closer to the top of the list.  And what an amazing week it was!  Plus, it was at the exact time that I needed it.  One of the four referrals given this week was for a 2 year old boy and he was not ours.  But, I was not even bothered by this.  In fact, I was truly rejoicing for the family and for the little boy.  Oh, the power of prayer!

There is more, so much more, that I have learned and am learning about myself, about Him, about His kingdom, about my role, that I would never have known without this journey.

The journey is difficult, it stretches me in every aspect, but it is SO worth it.  Not just because of the end result {which I look forward to with great hope}, but because of what I am learning along the way.



Four Steps Closer

Four waiting families received their referrals yesterday!!  Woo hoo!! 

Our new number is

AND, three of the families with referrals received a very timely court date.  It was a great day for the CHI Ethiopia program.

Getting closer and closer to our next sweet child!

I'm Back!

Hi, Friends!

I'm back from a two-week unannounced sabbatical.  I really didn't mean for the absence to happen, but, man, these last two weeks have been CRA.ZY!  Between state testing at work, choir rehearsals and performances, sitting in on interviews for my current position, and Easter, the Internet just had to wait! :) 

So, here are a couple of things to get you up to date:

1.  There has been no adoption news.  No referrals, no news, nada...nothing.  To be honest, this might just be the most difficult part yet.  It's so cyclical...we'll feel like things are really moving and we'll be getting a referral any day and it's all so real, and then, nothing happens for a while and it almost feels like a dream and that it's not really going to happen at all.  This is where we are right now.  But, it will get better...we just need some news!

2.  We are getting ready to ask for donations for our "Welcome Summer" adoption auction.  If you are interested in donating, please send me an E-mail to jnchase311 @ yahoo . com.  More on that coming soon. :)

3.  I have realized that I don't blog enough about my precious little ones.  SO, this week is going to be all about my little blessings: Camden and Melia.  If you are not the kind who likes to gush over super cute kiddos, you might sit out of my blog this week.;)

14 Months

Fourteen months and ten days ago, Trevor and I decided to take a leap of faith and enter into the adoption journey by placing our names on a waiting list with His Hands Taiwan.  Since that time, there have been so many mountains and valleys, twists and turns, highs and lows.  But, the one thing that has remained constant is the faithfulness of our Father.

Psalm 33:4

For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.

We hold strong to the FACT that this adoption is God-ordained and that it will happen perfectly and in His time.

That being said, I want to use this post as an outlet for where I'm at regarding my thoughts about our adoption.  I've been somewhat up and down emotionally.  It seems like every time I turn around, the MOWYCA in Ethiopia is changing something procedurally (at least according to what we read or are told) or we are feeling called to change our preference or there are no referrals or there is a huge boom of referrals.  While some of the change is positive, it still is change and with change comes uncertainty.  Not uncertainty about if this is right for our family (we have NO doubt that it is), just uncertainty about when it will happen for us and how long it might take.

Throughout the process, I have tried to compare it to my pregnancies.  It's strange, really...in some ways it is easier: no morning (or afternoon or evening!) sickness, more energy, no constant paranoia that something I'm doing or eating is going to have long-term ramifications on the baby.  But, in another way, it is SO. MUCH. HARDER!  Our next child(ren) is constantly on my mind...where are they?  what are they doing?  are they being taken care of?  who is caring for them?  This leg of the journey can only loosely be compared to the months that we were waiting to get pregnant.  Each month, I'd hold my breath and think "could this be the month?!"  With adoption, I am feeling that every. single. day.  Whew!  It's a little exhausting!

I also can't help but think that with each of my two children, it was 14 months from deciding to have a baby to holding each of them in my arms (5 months waiting to get pregnant and 9 months pregnant).  Perhaps that's why I'm feeling slightly melancholy.  14 months is a milestone in our lives.

But, let me end with this...we are so thankful and so blessed to be on this journey.  God is stretching us and changing us and we are becoming closer and closer to Him every step of the way.  We are so thankful that while we don't know the answers, our Heavenly Father does.  He's got our kids...all of them...in His hands.

We are so blessed!

Because We All Have Our Causes

Remember this post where I talked about how much I LOVE these shoes and the cause behind them?!

Well, my hubs equally loves these shoes and the cause behind them!

 

However, neither of us has shelled out the cash for the cause {and the goods!}.

So, today we were having a conversation about where we were on the waiting list in light of a little birdie who mentioned to us that we *might* be on the top of the waiting list for a toddler boy and that we *might* be second on the waiting list for a toddler girl.

I asked him when he thought we would get our referral and he guessed April 19th.  Then, he asked me and I said April 14th.  I thought we ought to make it interesting, so we made a little bet!  Here are the details {and how this story relates to shoes!}:

If we get our referral April 14th, I get to celebrate by purchasing my Sseko sandals.

If we get our referral April 19th, Trev gets to celebrate by purchasing his Toms.

{Closest without going over, of course!}

So, here's our challenge:

1. Leave a comment with your guess for our referral date.

2. Pick your cause that you could support by making a purchase (if you don't know of any, I'd be happy to provide a list!;)).  Type your cause in your comment.

3. If our referral comes on your guess (or close), indulge yourself and support your cause by making a purchase!

I hope you find this little challenge as fun as we did.  So excited to see how it will unfold!



One More for Good Measure

Looking for our t-shirt sales?  Click here.  Pre-sale ends THIS Friday! :)

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Wow!  What a week for our adoption process!!  Including yesterday's referral, there were 10 referrals given by our agency!

So, without further ado, our new number...

Is anybody else as excited as me?!

P.S. I had something else exciting and non-adoption related happen this week...I'll share soon! :)

In the Twenties...

There were SIX more referrals today!!!  So, we are now number

We're getting excited...and a little nervous!  Please consider purchasing one of our t-shirts! :)



An Adoption Update

On Tuesday, I spoke to Ashley, our adoption consultant.  Trevor and I had been contemplating, discussing, and praying about changing our preference to include a single child.  After quite a while of this, we decided that it was the best move for us at this time.  So, this call was our official request to add one child to our official preference.

Our preference now reads:

One or two children, Aged 0-3, Either Gender

We made this change for a number of reasons.  First of all, it had been on our hearts since even before the MOWA news.  When I spoke to Ashley a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned it to her and she asked us to consider it further and make sure it was the right thing for our family to change our preference.  She also told us that we are the last people on our agency's waiting list who they are allowing to request young siblings.  The reason?  There simply aren't children coming into care who are siblings under age 5.  Even older siblings have been VERY sparse and it simply isn't where the need is.  However, there are a significant number of families on the waiting list who are requesting siblings. 

The more we thought about, talked about, and prayed about this, the more we realized that we were not opposed and, in fact, very much in favor of bringing one child at a time into our family.  In addition, we are very open to (and excited about) the possibility that we may be adopting a toddler as opposed to a baby.  There would definitely be some challenges specific to adopting a toddler, but we feel equipped to raising a child at that age.  {And what we can't handle, God will give us the strength and wisdom as He promises in I Corinthians 10:13!} 

Changing our preference does not mean that we will only adopt one child {our preference includes one or two} or that he/she will not be a baby {aged 0-3}, but just observing referrals and the make-up of our list, our prediction is that we will be adopting a boy between the ages of 2 and 3.

Also, it is worth noting that we still intend to adopt two children.  We are just a little more up-in-the-air about how that will take place.  If this adoption brings us one child, that plan is to get out of debt from this adoption and then start it again.  Will the second adoption be from Ethiopia?  Who knows?!  I do feel strongly that both of our children will be from Africa, but that's all I can speculate right now!

Additionally, it is very likely that this change in preference will make our referral come more quickly.  Our number does not change, but as I have explained before, the number doesn't make much of a difference.  We may be at the top of the list of families for a 2 1/2 year old girl...ya just never know!

Let's have some fun with this!  What do you think?!  Will we be adopting...

What's your guess?  When do you think we will get our referral?  Winner gets...umm...bragging rights!  And the right to love on our little angel(s) when we bring him/her/them home! :)