Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act. Proverbs 24:12

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas Pics



We had a wonderful Christmas! It was so nice to be with family and friends.
































































Eight Months Waiting!

We have reached our 8th month waiting for a referral! Yeah! We have also officially switched from requesting a baby girl to either gender. Right now, the wait time for a boy is 8-10 months. Hopefully there will be a lot of referrals in January!!

Friday, December 19, 2008

Some News....Maybe...

Okay….some news….maybe...
First let me start by saying that a few weeks ago, we met other couples with Ethiopian baby boys and it got me to thinking. I told Eddie that after we adopt Hannah…and years later, God-willing, maybe we could adopt a boy. We found out early this week that they are having delays with girls…hardly any girls coming thru orphanages right now. In Ethiopia, if a parent has to decide what child to keep, they will keep the girls, unlike China. The girls in Ethiopia will marry but take care of their own family in later years. Anyway, from what we can figure, the delays could push us to not getting a referral until late spring/early summer. Eddie emailed me yesterday morning and told me that we need to prepare for that. So I emailed him back and totally out of the blue asked him if he has EVER thought of requesting “either gender” instead of a girl. He emailed me back within seconds and said that he had planned on talking with me about it that evening. We had NEVER discussed that possibility with each other at all. The kicker is that we have paperwork (updates) on our counter that needs to be mailed off and could have been mailed off last week but for some reason or the other it hasn’t been…we've just been busy. Anyway, if we’re going to do this, the change of request would have to be in that paperwork. So…we have decided to TOTALLY leave this in God’s hands. We are requesting either gender and seeing what God wants for us. I feel like I have been selfish in saying all along that I want a girl…and I’m just seeing that now. So…that is our news. Chances are, we will get a boy referral soon with an “either gender” request. The boy line does move more quickly.
I do believe that someday we will get Hannah…and maybe an older Hannah, because there are so many older children who do not get to be adopted. Please keep us in your prayers! You would think I’d feel a sadness since we’ve been talking about a girl since 2005 (actually long before that but that's just when we started with the China program) but Eddie and I both have a peace about this. We will see!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

No Grant

Please keep us in your prayers. We found out last week that we will not be getting an adoption grant we were hoping for. Bummer...

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Going a little bit crazy...

I have nothing to post other than I am seriously going a little crazy. I know we are getting so close to a referral and that's all that's on my mind these days. I am seriously stalking the yahoo group (more times than I am willing to admit) watching to see if any referrals are happening! So far it has been extremely slow this month! I know the hardest part is coming...the time after we receive a picture of our baby while we wait on a court date and travel! So please keep us in your prayers. I soooooo want to move up on the waiting list!

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

America World Update...November Referrals

Here's an update from our agency.


In the month of November, there were 7 infant referrals and 1 toddler referral from Ethiopia! Please see below for the list of the DTE dates of the families who received these referrals.
Age and Gender of Child
Infant Girl
DTE Date 2/8/08
Referral Date 11/19/08

Infant Boy
DTE Date 2/29/08
Referral Date 11/14/08

Toddler Boy
DTE Date 3/19/08
Referral Date 11/14/08

There has been one referral so far in the month of December.
Age and Gender of Child
4 Sibling group
DTE Date 2/8/08
Referral Date 11/19/08

The Ethiopia staff is working diligently processing referrals. We look forward and anticipate the next batch of referrals.

Monday, December 1, 2008

No News Yet

I wish I had some exciting news to report but I don't. We are still waiting and hoping to hear of referrals so we can move up on the waiting list. Of course I will post as soon as I hear of any!
Last week we ate at the Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian restaurant in Oklahoma City. I was hoping to post some pics and I even remembered my camera, but forgot to take pics once I was there! So...we are planning to go next week and I hope to take some then. We had a good time visiting with couples who have already been through the adoption process. Of course seeing their children makes me want Hannah home right now!!