We made it!

To what, you may ask?? To being #1! ;) Our June numbers are:

#1 for boys

#8 for girls

This means we are THE first in line for the next baby boy ready for referral!!!!! Now, this could be today, tomorrow, in 2 weeks, in a month; there's no way of knowing, but we are rejoicing over our new placement!

I wanted to capture a few thoughts I had this morning on our waiting. I by no means pretend to know the Lord's intentions, yet I can see that He is using this time for our betterment in several ways. Matt & I have been relishing our time together, especially these last few months. Just simple things like spur of the moment float trip on the Kings, bike rides at night, lounging on the couch watching TV/movies {which reminds me I should really do a post on thoughts I've been having about that as well...}, etc. We know that we have a relatively simple life & that our time can be devoted to each other without the distractions of a munchkin to take care of. As I was making the bed this morning, I honestly just felt the need to praise God for the ability to genuinely enjoy these opportunities. Back in March/April I'm not so sure I could have...thankfully Matt wasn't available then anyway! ;)

This time as also forced me to think about my time, i.e. what to do with it. The Lord has me at a place where my current work load is dwindling. Back last winter, I found out that Ginny {who owns the jewelry biz I run/ran} was going to be adopting & thought it best to take a break early summer in order to get their little girl & build their new family. At the time, it seemed perfect. I would be close to having my little one home as well & would need the time to finish getting ready too. Then came March 8th & where we are now. Addition is officially on break, & I am no where near having baby home. So, long story short, the thought of grad school kept popping in my head. I'm starting a class next month - an African history class! I am super excited not only to be learning again, but to be learning about my child's heritage. I think this will be an invaluable use of my time as I wait to get my "little man" {starting to allow myself to go there now :)} home. I enrolled as a non-degree seeking grad student, but the thought is to pursue a history {or similar} degree in order to teach part time on the college level. I would only need 30 hours & have 6 years, so I'll be taking my time. :) I in no way want to make my family any less of a priority than it should be, thus this is just a plan & we'll see how it goes. I've been praying over this decision & will continue, but God has been faithful. For example, the professor that is teaching the Africa Today course has good friends that also adopted from Ethiopia, is considering adopting herself at some point, & was excited for me to enroll! You just can dismiss little details like these. :)

Last, but not least, I want to ask you to join me in praying for my friend, Ginny. You can see her blog {Orbit of the Mooney's} on the blog roll to the side & get more details. Basically though, they have a tremendous opportunity to hit a window to pick up their little girl, Lena, by the end of this week! Lena is a special needs orphan in the Ukraine that is about to age out of the orphanage, meanwhile, the Ukraine is changing their adoption procedure. In order to get Lena home at the earliest time, the Mooney's need to be able to have their adoption papers go through before the July freeze! They should find out on Thursday & could be leaving as early as Friday! Will you please join me in praying (1) that the timing will work out & they will get through before the Ukrainian changes take place (2) for her family {there are 2 little ones home} as Matt & Ginny travel. Thanks!!! I don't have much time to go into all the reasons we love the Mooney's & Lena, but trust me in that your prayers will be coveted.

May Numbers

#4 for boys

#8 for girls

I had a long conversation with my case manager last Thursday night. It was encouraging to hear that even though our agency is recognizing that there may be significant delays ahead, they have not seen any yet. This includes cases that have been referred before & AFTER the new March 8th announcement. We are so very thankful for this movement, but we're still in the boat of "you just have to wait & see" how things continue to play out. There are several families from our agency that are going to Ethiopian court in the next several weeks. Please be in prayer for them - that all of their paperwork will be ready {including the all important MOWA approval letter} & they pass. AGCI thinks the way these cases go will be very telling in predicting future timing.

Sorry for the delay in getting out the May update...blogger wasn't working last Friday morning when I tried. Plus, I had to jet off to see these little girls in action:

They had their dance recital & did a tap dance to 'We are Siamese' from Lady & the Tramp. It was precious! We also celebrated my mom's birthday & went to Old Folks Singing on Sunday {...if only I had thought to take pics...OFS deserves a whole post for itself!} Anyway, here's a few more pictures from the recital:

Pretty girl!!

P.S. Those are chopsticks in their buns ;-)

Asked her to sit on the steps so I could take a picture, & this is what I got! HAM!!!

Look at Olivia's face...makes me laugh every time!

Meet Kati Morrow. I nannied for her the summer she & her twin brother were born. I'm old! Just another set of children {along with their ornery older brother :)} that I consider "mine."

Love this picture of my mom & Grace.

& can't forget about this cutie!! I am blessed :)

April Numbers

We got our April Numbers last night!! We're...

#11 on the girls list

#5 on the BOY list

We are getting so close to a referral! & I do believe we just might end up with a BOY! :)

Not much time, but just wanted to update on the news! Please join us in thanking our Saviour for this movement!

How 'bout we celebrate with a little Single Ladies? :)

March Numbers - Worthy of Praise

Our March numbers have been late in coming... For the 5 people who read this blog ;), you've probably heard directly from us the news on the Ethiopian adoption front. In case not, I'll give a quick run down. MOWA who is in charge of reviewing all international adoption case in Ethiopia, decided it best to decrease their daily case flow due to a lack in staffing & to help guard against any corruption. From what I understand {feel like I need to caveat because I sometimes think I know better than I really do, ;)} they review the cases to make sure everything about the case checks out fine. If so, they "approve" it, & pass their ruling on to the Ethiopian court who makes the final judgement of whether or not you can adopt your child.

No MOWA approval = No court approval = No taking your baby home anytime soon :(

The unfortunate thing is that it was a drastic reduction from reviewing 40-50 cases a day (worldwide) to 5; thus, basically decreasing the amount of approvals made, some have said, up to 90% a year. Obviously this is a huge deal, but I don't want to speculate on it too much because the implications have yet to be figured out. And, that's the point. Our poor, sweet agency has been working overtime to get answers & help encourage a change where it can, that they have had to delay getting out updates on referral numbers.

Ok, ready??

#16 for girls

#10 for boys

We are THRILLED beyond words for this movement!!

Are you ready for some MORE good news? We got our letter today from Show Hope, Stephen Curtis Chapman's amazing orphan care organization. We got approved for a grant to cover some of our adoption costs!!! The Lord is so good, & we are so thankful! I was about to write that I haven't been that worried about the finances, just trusting in God for His provision, but that's a lie really. While I have been confident that the Lord would make it work for us to afford to adopt, I've been stressed at times at how we were going to afford everything else that comes along with having a baby. Of course He'll cover the adoption, that was His will for us. {Speaking of, I have another blog post that I have thought about doing telling that story. Someone of the 5, hold me to that because we all can see how great I am at posting! Ha!} However, the hard part comes when it's time to trust God with the "extra" desires of my heart. Is it merited that I want a reasonably cute nursery? Will the Lord provide for that AND formula & diapers?? I have to continuously remind myself to release all of the desires of my heart to the Father. Let me be clear, I struggle with the answer to these questions, but what I do know is that He is GOOD whether any of my desires are met or not. Yet, I believe He is our Father, & He wants us to trust him with those thoughts, which He already knows anyway. :) So, thank you, Lord, for your provision in this way. It reminds me first & foremost to give You the glory & secondly that my faith needs to be bigger.

BTW, I know I glossed over the MOWA delay above, but in all honesty last week was a REALLY hard week. I just felt so lost in it all - hurting for my child & the other children over there that would be left in injustice by the longer wait times & confused with how the Lord is shaping my days in the meantime. Someone tweeted out the verses Psalms 68:5-6a:

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

God sets the lonely in families

I have been clinging to that & to other Promises, realizing that God loves these children more that I can ever imagine to love them so He has to have a bigger picture/better plan with all of this. After spending time praying through these verses, I am resting easier in Him & His control. {Also, for all of you praying, KEEP IT UP! There's a rumor that MOWA is considering increasing to 20 cases a day!! Still less than half of what they were doing, but MUCH better than 5!}

See what I mean? He IS Worthy of Praise!

I'm Back

Well, I'm back for another post. After getting busy with work & holidays...& thinking that no one really knows about/reads our blog, I'm now taking advantage of the snow (all 17" of it!)

A few reasons for coming back: 1) a few people have mentioned that they actually check it. {Hi, especially to Julie- Matt & I miss running into you guys on the SEC circuit!} 2) I do think it's important to record our movement. I know that each month the growth is Purposeful, & it's my hope that one day we can look back with our child & God will kindly allow us to see the story being unfolded on both sides of the globe.

So, on to the numbers...

In Nov, we had another HUGE jump.

18 for boys

37 for girls

In fact, we got spoiled & a little big for our britches, thinking it was confirmation we would get our referral by March as we were hoping.

In Dec, back to reality.

18 for boys (that's right, no movement)

32 for girls

To be honest, it was a hard Christmas. It was hard to swallow that there wasn't at least ONE boy referral that went out that month. Plus, the closer we get to March {the month we- or at least me :)- were holding out hopes to get our referral,} the more "we" have had to swallow that that's more than likely NOT the case. I know I keep saying it; I honestly do mean it with ALL of my heart, mind, & soul, the timing is His Timing...it is Good, Perfect, Purposeful, & I truly believe it makes us the happiest...even in these moments. But, I cannot describe the loneliness there is while you wait. With that said, the Lord sweetly reminded me of the birth mom in this Christmas month. While I may be facing some hardships these few months, this courageous woman will know a lifetime of loneliness, wondering, & longing. Perspective is always helpful!

In Jan, back to the normal.

15 for boys

27 for girls

Feb. Again not much movement.

15 for boys

25 for girls

Now that you're all caught up, the big question in our household is: Will the girls catch up with the boys??

Speaking of girls, there's been lots of questions about hair! The Lord & I have had our own talks on this subject too. :) It's one of the biggest barriers between our cultures, & thinking about it, can make me nervous about being a mom to the little Ethiopian cutie! Boy or girl, there will be lots of new things to learn. Therefore, I'm posting a link once again to the We Love our Lucy blog. Kristi did a whole post on tips & products she uses on her little girls & has asked others to leave comments with their own suggestions. I know I'll need this resource later. Plus, I thought that it may help answer some questions of friends & family who are just as curious (& clueless) as me! :)

October Numbers

The courts are now open & as predicted, we saw a big jump in our numbers this month! We are THRILLED to say the least! :) (did i explain last time that the Ethiopian courts are closed for rainy season in Aug. & Sept.? part of doing business with at 3rd world country. can't explain it, but there's something about that fact that i appreciate...it puts me in my place in my fast paced life.) Anyway, to the point:

29 for boys

46 for girls

Matt & I both agreed that there's something extra special about actually being in the 20s on one of the lists. Our agency said that once you reach the 10s (i know there's really no such thing but you get me) a referral can come any time, so to be in the 20s feels close! Now, to be fair, the boys list has moved a lot slower than the girls (11 spots to the 23 spots for the girls in the last 5 months.) We will probably sit in this 20s spot for a while...I even have a feeling that the girls list will catch up to the boys in these next few months. So exciting!!

A fun fact that another adopting dad put on twitter the other day is that Gladney (the agency most people in this area use) is now referring to NWA as "little Ethiopia." They're counting 57 of their [gladney] families in the area that either have an Ethiopian child or are waiting on theirs. Of course, we'd make 58, & I'm sure there are a few more of us [non-gladney] families not being counted. I can't tell you how thankful we are about this. We are over-joyed that the Lord brought us to Ethiopia knowing that there would be a loving community for our family to turn to for support. This group is amazing! I'm grateful to the moms who have opened up their homes & scheduled play groups for us to connect. I'm inspired every time I go - inspired by the beauty in the kids (both adopted & birthed) & the spirits of the moms.

Last, I wanted to post a couple of pictures. (i have big thoughts of doing all kinds of posts with pics to liven things up but just never make it around to it. for example, i really want to do a post showing pics of my beautiful nieces! one of these days :)

to put in the nursery. got at Lewis Lighting in Benton (at a bit of a deal unbeknownst to me. :) LOVE.

found at a thrift sore while shopping for a client. honestly, i feel like the pic doesn't do it justice. it's reversible. 3/4 length sleeves. & $5! i obviously have no idea if i'll even need it, but i have 10 friends giving birth from now to april. i figure surely it will work for one of us! & again it was $5. :)

September Numbers

Well, I know I never posted in August (I've been swamped with work, which I won't complain about :)...but, honestly, when I found out our new numbers I was glad. They will look better now (aka: we hardly moved.) So, drum roll please:

34 for boys

55 for girls

Really, we are okay with whatever movement we see. There are lots of complicated factors that go into it all, & I don't pretend to understand them. Most importantly, we trust that the Lord's provision is over it all, so the numbers really don't even matter. We will get Baby Baxter whenever he or she is ready for us. :)

Our case manager also told us that our dossier (collection of all the paperwork) has been sent to Ethiopia. This really doesn't mean a whole lot, just another step down in the process.

Other fun news: I fell in love with a fabric that I saw back in July from a fabric store in Little Rock. It's a little pricier than what I would have liked, but I wanted to do a boxed type of baby bumper anyway & think my mom & I have figured out a way to use it economically. I had been going back & forth with all these ideas about decorating the nursery for a while (basically since June when we got on the wait list & I allowed myself to start thinking about it. :) Well, week before last, I bit the bullet. The fabric store was having a store-wide sale, so after some brainstorming with Pam, I bought what I needed for the bumper. I'm pretty sure my mom is scared to death as I will be piecemealing the rest, but again, I have LOTS of ideas! :) FYI, I have decided to decorate the nursery gender neutral. Because I don't want to count on any referrals as definite until we pass court, I'm basically looking at 4-6 weeks to get everything that is needed for Baby Baxter...and that's in between 2 trips to Africa, so you can see where my dilemma is in all of this. (To interpret some adoption lingo, the baby we are matched with, or referred, only becomes 100% ours after we "pass" court. That is where the birth family gives up their legal rights & a judge signs guardianship over to Matt & I. This will occur during our first trip over.)

Since it's now almost the end of the month, hopefully I'll be posting some new numbers again soon!

New Numbers

We got our July waitlist numbers last week... I don't know why my clip art from the last post isn't showing up anymore. I guess that's what i get for trying to be fancy. :) We moved up 5 slots on the girl list to 64 & 3 slots on the boy's to 37. We have no idea if this is a normal range to jump or not...it hasn't even been 3 weeks. We are hopeful that we will see even bigger movement when it's actually a full 4 weeks but who knows! We'll take what we can get & have faith in the Lord's timing.

I have no idea if anybody will ever read these posts or not, but I wanted to post this link if only for myself to remember when it comes our time to travel to Ethiopia & meet/pick-up our baby. I don't think that i'll be able to "prep" myself enough for what we will see & feel. I can only imagine that it will be nice to have someone else's thoughts to help me process that part of the journey. Without further ado, meet Andrea of Babe of My Heart & her thoughts.

In case you are wondering, I came to Andrea's blog by way of Kristi who I regularly stock at We Love Our Lucy Lane. Both of them have adopted through the same agency we are using. I would encourage anyone who is interested to visit Kristi's blog. She is a great advocate for the orphan...especially Ethiopian ones. :) She often posts pictures of her adopted daughter & adopting friends with their kids. I would love for you to look & see one of the reasons why we fell in love with these kiddos!

Happy to be Waiting...Who knew?

Well, upon getting on the coveted waitlist, we are starting a blog. Several friends have asked me to start one to keep them up to date on what's going on with our adoption, and my sweet husband knew i would never take the time to sit down & make one had already made one for me. :) With that said, I'm also going to add a caveat for the music selections that i didn't pick...(I'm actually typing while it's on mute, but I think Matt is trying to send me subliminal messages. :)

After much waiting on my second set of FBI fingerprints results & much calling to check on the progress of those prints (like 2x a week,) our dossier has FINALLY been approved! We are officially on AGCI's Waitlist!! Although there is just one big list, they assign you different numbers based on gender & siblings. So, we get 2 different numbers as we are open to both a boy or a girl.

GIRL:

BOY:

(humor me with the clip art people...i am new to the blog world & don't know where to go for things like this! ;)

Although, it seems like there is a big gap, our case manager was quick to assure us that the wait time is equal for both boy or girl (8-10 months before a referral) & that it would still be a "toss up" as to which gender we would actually get.

For anyone who knows me well, they know patience is not my strong point, and to say that i am ecstatic to wait sounds unbelievable even to me. But it's SO true! Not only am i excited to know that i'm done with all the confusing & time-consuming paperwork, but I now am letting myself move on to what I really love...decorating the nursery!!! I have lots of little ideas floating around in my head, and of course, the planner in me is hugely struggling on how to put together a gender specific room when we'll really only have about 6 weeks from the time we will know for sure who are baby is till the time we bring him/her home! Oh, the things the Lord is going to teach me through this waiting!! :)