For Real This Time

Well, we had a very interesting development today in the waiting game. As you know, we have been second on the unofficial waiting list for some time now. We found out in January that there were two families with DTEs in June that had been matched to baby girls. We did not know how many families there were between the June families and us. We knew of one family with a DTE of 8/14 (we are 8/20), but that was it. The 8/14 DTE mom, a 9/4 DTE mom, and I have been trying to do some detective work to see if we could find out if there were any families ahead of us. We figured out that there was at least one with a DTE of 7/10.

We found out today that three families have been recently matched with baby girls. The DTEs are 7/10, 8/7, and 8/7. So, the moral of the story? Apparently, there were three families we didn't know of with earlier DTEs than us. The good news? We are almost certain that we REALLY are second in line now...FO' REAL! It's exciting to know (officially) that they've referred baby girls to families with August DTEs. They're in our month now!!! We will keep you posted on any other developments.

***If none of this makes sense, the bottom line is we're closer to getting our referral.

This week???

We hope to see referrals this week. Even if we don't get our referral, we'd like to see the family that's ahead of us get their referral. That would mean we are next!! I will keep you posted.

News and No News

We found out yesterday that we may not have to make two trips to Ethiopia after all. However, because this could change and the two trip requirement could be reinstated at any time, we're moving ahead as though we'll have to make two trips just so we're not caught off guard.

That's been the only news this week that directly relates to us. A number of families with our agency passed court. Families are traveling to get their kids. All of this is wonderful news and it made my heart sing! But, there still haven't been any referrals since late January. It's really disheartening but we know God has a plan with all this. My main concern is getting caught in the court closures that happen from August to October. My hope and prayer is that we can pass court before August. Please join with us in praying over the time line of our adoption.

A Short Must-See Video

Our pastor shared this in church a few Sundays ago.

Biker Babe

A few weekends ago when the weather was on the warm side, we ventured out and let Zeke take his Santa trike for a spin.

Happy Spring!

The Number Seven

As of today, it's been seven months since our dossier went to Ethiopia (DTE). Our agency estimates that the current wait for a female infant is 8-11 months after DTE. So, it would appear we are getting close. As recently as last week, our agency confirmed that its estimates are still accurate. It's a bit discouraging to think that we're this close and yet we still are not on deck. Of course, I'd take a referral over the on deck email any day.

There haven't been any referrals from our agency since the end of January. I'd like to think that we will get a referral in the next batch but it's hard to say if that will happen. Here's hoping!!

We woke up to rain and cold today. Even though Zeke slept through the night, he was asleep in the car by 11AM. I'm hoping he'll wake up refreshed and happy from his nap.

A Family With Our Agency Passed Court!

Check out the slideshow of their son by clicking here.

An Easter Preview

Zeke and I picked out his Easter ensemble a couple of weeks ago. I think we've chosen a very Ralph Lauren-esque outfit. The other day, he tried on his shirt and tie (He wanted to wear a tie like Daddy)...So, this is the result: total cuteness! As our Parents as Teachers educator said earlier this week...He doesn't look like a baby any more...he looks like a little boy!

A Couple of Weekends Ago, We Had Awesome Weather

If this isn't a picture of joy, I don't know what is!

Still Not Much...and We're Almost Seven

We hit the 7 month DTE mark Saturday. We have no idea when we might get a referral. Really...no idea. I used to think I had an idea but God had other plans and that's a-ok with me. If I had to guess at this point, I'd guess May or June. That's based purely on my gut feeling. Who knows! I may post a survey this week just to gauge your gut feeling on when our referral might happen. Just for kicks! Honestly, we'd just like to see SOME referrals this month. It's ok if ours doesn't come in March. We just want to see some movement. Amen and amen.

What We Know (Not Much)

We had our conference call with the adoption agency Thursday. They went over much of the information we already knew from the email they sent out Wednesday. They clarified that the second trip will likely only require one parent and will be for only 3-4 days. They also made it sound like the lack of referrals in February was a real anomaly. Brad and I were both left with the impression that there *should* be referrals in March. We'll see.

So, we took Zeke to St Louis to visit the Science Center yesterday. He had a big time. There were life-sized dinosaurs that he loved. We also spent time in the Discovery Room where a woman who was probably old enough to be a grandma handled a giant cockroach from the rainforest. The kids could touch it but Zeke did not. I (Missy) did not go near the nasty thing. We spent the night in Fenton and drove back this morning. We stopped in Lebanon to pick up some dainties from a new cafe that sells cupcakes. Oh, my...delicious!

Big Changes

We just found out today that we will be required to make TWO trips to Ethiopia for our adoption. The first trip will happen 4-8 weeks after we are matched to a baby. We will be in country 5-7 days and will have to testify in court that we want to adopt the baby to whom we've been matched. Then, we will leave and won't be able to go back to get her for another three months. We have many, many questions and we hope to get some of them answered tomorrow on the conference call. Please pray with us as this puts additional logistical and financial strains on us. We take comfort in knowing that this change is not a surprise to God and God will provide us with whatever we need to meet this new requirement.

Conference Call with our Agency Tomorrow

We are hopeful that we will learn more about what's going on with Ethiopia adoptions tomorrow when we have a conference call with our agency. There haven't been any referrals (babies matched to families) since late January. It's very discouraging and I'd just like to know what's going on. I will post whatever we hear tomorrow afternoon. Please continue to pray for us, the other families, children, birth families, our agency's staff, and government officials on both sides of this process.

Zeke has not been napping at school. Say a little prayer that he will go to sleep, at least for an hour. He's been taking late afternoon naps, falling asleep in the car after I pick him up. I've tried to talk to him, sing to him, and even make some stops on our way home in an effort to prevent this late afternoon/early evening napping because it throws off his night time sleep. It's much harder for him to go to sleep when he's taken a late nap, plus he's kind of grouchy when he wakes up from a late nap.

Zeke Gets a Doughnut

It's no wonder he likes going to church. It's the only time he gets a doughnut!

Beautiful Spring Weather!

Fun Lyrics

Ok...this is the secular edition. This post would be super long if I listed the lyrics of praise songs that I love. I'll save that for a future post. For now, here are some song lyrics that I really enjoy...

Work That, Mary J. Blige
Feelin' great because the light's on me
Celebrating the things that everyone told me
Would never happen but God has put his hands on me
And ain't a man alive could ever take it from me
Working with what I got, I gotta keep on
Taking care of myself I wanna live long
Ain't never ashamed of what life did to me
Wasn't afraid to change cause it was good for me

I just wanna be myself
Don't sweat girl, be yourself

The Human Heart, From the musical Once on This Island

The courage of a dreamer,
The innocence of youth,
The failures and the foolishness that lead us to the truth
The hopes that make us happy
The hopes that don't come true
And all the love there ever was
I see this all in you.
You are part, part of the human heart.

You are part of all who took the journey
And managed to endure.
The ones who knew such tenderness,
The ones who felt so sure,
The ones who came before you,
The others yet to come,
And those who you will teach it to
And those you learned it from.
You are part, part of the human heart.

The World Should Revolve Around Me, Little Jackie
There’s only one me in the galaxy
I am an endangered species
This kind of flower don’t grow on Earth
Just lettin’ you know for what it’s worth
This kind of mountain shouldn't cause a depression
So I bide my time with philosophical questions
Not for nothing but what came first?
The chicken nugget or the egg mcmuffin?

From Pinch Me, Barenaked Ladies
It's the perfect time of day
To throw all your cares away
Put the sprinkler on the lawn
And run through with my gym shorts on.
Take a drink right from the hose
And change into some drier clothes
Climb the stairs up to my room
Sleep away the afternoon.

The Wait

Well, just when I thought we were getting close, it appears things are slowing down. It was looking like we might get a referral in March or April but now, I'm guessing May or June is more likely. We still are not "on deck" and I haven't heard of any referrals since late January. There are a lot of families waiting to travel and pass court. I wonder if there's a hold on referrals until some of the backlog gets cleared out. It's all pure speculation at this point. The wait was so easy in the beginning. Now that we're (allegedly) getting closer, it's much harder. Please pray that Quilla is safe, healthy, and happy wherever she is.

Cutie Zeke

Zeke got a haircut yesterday afternoon because school pictures are today. It's probably the shortest it's ever been but he seemed to like it. Don't know if you can tell but they cut it a little shorter on top so we have the option of spiking it.

Hello, March!

I'm so happy to be done with February...on so many levels. First, it's one month closer to our referral. Second, March=Spring! I'm so ready to be able to take the Zekester outside to play. I know he's tired of being cooped up. We're thinking about plotting a getaway in a couple of weekends to St Louis where we can take Zeke to the Science Museum. We've never taken him but we think he'll love it. There's a dinosaur exhibit on display now.

Yesterday, we went to a gathering of families who have adopted from Ethiopia and families waiting to adopt. It was WONDERFUL to see all the beautiful children (honestly, they were all so beautiful!) and to get even more excited about our pending referral. There were 2 bounce houses at the gathering. With Daddy keeping a close eye on him, Zeke had fun crawling in and out of the bounce houses. We also had a fun time seeing the Jay family, who is waiting to be matched to a baby girl with our agency. It's been wonderful getting to know them and we had fun seeing them again yesterday.