Happy 3 Months, Baby E!

Baby E is (unofficially) three months old today! The past week and a half since our referral has been a big, exciting blur. Chris and I can't stop staring at pictures of our little guy. I notice different things about him all the time. One picture shows a little scratch where he got himself with his baby fingernail. Another shows a tiny hint of a dimple. And much to our surprise, we already got our first update on E! The new picture shows a sleepy baby blowing bubbles while taking a sunbath. He's got the cutest little sparkle in his eye.

We still haven't decided on a name, although we've narrowed it down to two. It's just such a huge decision! I don't want to give him a name he won't like or that he'll be made fun of for having.

We did, however, choose bedding and paint for E's room. I'll post pictures once we're able to get everything together.

Other than that, we're just busy preparing for baby. A couple from our small group invited us over for dinner earlier in the week, and when we got there, SURPRISE! They had invited our entire small group over to celebrate our referral! E racked up some toys and books. It was so sweet and fun!

I'm still hoping and praying that we get a court date soon and pass before the closures. We can't wait to bring this guy home!

Kissable Lips

Ooh, Baby, Baby!

We're a little over 24 hours post-referral, and I'm already one sleep-deprived mama! After all of the excitement yesterday, I was only able to sleep for about 30 minutes between midnight and 1 a.m. Then it was all tossing, turning, and getting up to look at his picture again. :)

I'll preface our referral day experience by saying that I was NOT expecting the call on Wednesday. (So many people say the same thing, but it was so true!) I had been riding the adoption roller coaster mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. I was on a high as we rose to the top of the unofficial waiting list, and I was on a low as April passed by without a referral. Then sometime in May I went kind of numb. It really felt like our referral was never going to happen. I realized that I had been in a perpetual holding pattern, afraid to do anything, to decide anything, to plan anything, just in case the call came. I was driving myself crazy. So I decided no more blog stalking or keeping my cell phone attached to the hip. I pushed adoption thoughts to the back of my mind as best as I could.

Cut to Wednesday, June 3, 2009. I woke up feeling light and peaceful, although I still wasn't thinking it could be our referral day. To be honest, there couldn't have been a busier day to get our referral (not that we minded!!!)

Abbey, our caseworker, called my office phone at 3:20 p.m. to tell us she had good news for us — and I missed it!!! I was getting ready to leave work for the day, so I went to check my mail on another floor of our office building and stopped to go to the bathroom before I left. I got back to my desk, still never noticing that I had a message. So, Chris called my cell a few minutes later to tell me that we'd gotten the call and I'd better hurry home! I was so confused because I kept thinking, But why did Abbey call you? I haven't missed a call. I was expecting the call on my cell phone, so it really threw me.

So I hurried to meet Chris at his office, texting illegally while driving and trying not to kill myself. I cried, prayed, and tried to wrap my brain around what was about to happen.

When I got to Chris's office, he had set up a video camera, his phone, and his laptop. He was ready! We called Abbey a few minutes after 4 p.m., and she answered right away, saying she had our referral! We had asked for an infant 0-12 months, but we were pretty much expecting an older infant. So when Abbey introduced us to 2.5-month-old E*, we were shocked and thrilled!!! Chris and I laughed and laughed because we wanted an infant as young as possible but we didn't think THAT was possible.

Abbey gave us the scoop on E, and we got to see some pictures of him. He's a doll, a tiny peanut of a thing, and totally healthy! The entire evening was so surreal. I couldn't believe that we were finally getting to see our son.

For those who are still waiting for a referral, hang in there! Something magical happens when you see that little face and you realize it was all worth it. I didn't believe it before when people said it, but it's the truth.

Next we begin our next wait for a court date. We really don't have a good guess as to when it may happen. For those who don't know, the courts close in Ethiopia in August and September because of rainy season. It's my understanding that electricity, internet, travel, etc., is sketchy then. We're praying for a super-speedy court date so we can pass before the closures, but we're also prepared that it may not happen until later this year. We're cautiously optimistic!

Now it's time to have some fun! We have to decide on a name! We'll keep his Ethiopian name as his middle name, but we'll give him an American first name. It's so hard to decide! And we've got to get some BABY baby stuff, since everything we have is for 12-24 months.

To paraphrase "Elf," we're in love, we're in love, and we don't care who knows it!

Praying for lots more referrals, court dates, and forever families soon!


*For family and friends who don't know, we can't post E's name or any pictures yet because he's not legally ours until we pass court. When he's officially ours, get ready!

How Sweet It Is

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

What Goes Up Must Come Down

Why do I do these things to myself? I stayed up way too late watching Idol and the Biggest Loser finale and I'm feeling it today, physically and mentally.

I'm down today. No sign of a referral yet, and the Referral/Court Date page is looking pretty intimidating.

When is it ever going to be our turn?

Feeling Good, Feeling Fine

It's a weird feeling being atop the famous list. Frankly, I wasn't sure we would ever get there! It's a bit surreal.

To be honest, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get our referral before Mother's Day. I can clearly remember sitting in our Mother's Day service at church last year and thinking, This is going to be my last Mother's Day without a child. But it wasn't so.

I had a feeling when I woke up Friday that we wouldn't be getting our referral that day. And I was not looking forward to Mother's Day morning because I was anticipating what remarks I would get that would make me uncomfortable. There were definitely certain phrases I did NOT want to hear that day.

But I made it through.

On Mother's Day eve, I read the Bottomlys' book From Ashes to Africa in one sitting. I don't know how to put into words how much I loved it. I can only say that reading it was like a healing balm on my heart. It put everything in perspective.

I wanted to post on Mother's Day, but I can't really say what I wanted to any better than she did or she did. Read these and you'll know what was on my heart that day.

And I'm really feeling good this week! I've been able to focus on other things and not feel like I have to check the waiting list, my e-mail, or my cell phone every five minutes. I have peace in my heart.

I can't thank you all enough for praying for us. We can truly feel your prayers. Please continue to pray for us, because our world is about to be turned upside down!

We're also praying for speedy court dates and referrals all around. We can't wait to hear about all the good news ahead!!!

Yay for Emily!

Emily got her referral today!!!! I tend to use lots of exclamation points and smileys and caps in normal instances, so you can imagine what my response was when I heard the good news. I got a sneak peek at the 11.5-month-old cutie, and I've got to say, he may be the cutest kid I've ever seen. So happy for their family!!!

Now how in the world do I concentrate until our call comes? Emily, do you have any advice for me? :)

Here's praying I'm a mom by Mother's Day!!!!