WE HAVE A BABY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our family coordinator called us this morning at 10:15! I started crying as soon as I saw the number on the caller-id! While she tried to conference Mark in on his cell, I told Andrew that I was on our referral call, and he grinned from ear-to-ear, jumping up and down! I gave another phone to him and instructed him not to say a word, and go into the bathroom so it was quiet.
Our family coordinator couldn't reach Mark on his cell (he never heard it ring, as he was on the phone with a customer), so she got back on the phone and said the words I have been longing to hear "This is your referral call!"
She told us that she was 6 weeks old, though from her paperwork she may actually be 9 weeks old. She is just precious...so, so, so tiny! She only weighs about 7 1/2 pounds! Her picture breaks my heart...she looks worried. But such big beautiful brown eyes!
Mark headed home shortly after that...and we waited to open up the email with our baby's picture until we could all be together! Kindra came down to video us opening the email...I'll upload it next week! I spend the next several hours crying and calling everyone! Anna asked me why I was sad..."I'm not sad, I'm so, so, happy!"
One of the many beautiful things about God's timing is that Rebecca leaves TOMORROW for Africa, and we were able to get some things together to send to Karis! The kids were so funny, and had quickly gathered a huge pile of books and toys to take to her! We whittled it down to some special outfits, a few books, and a little blankie or two!
I will write more later, I'm sure...my mind is quite frazzled and distracted! We're heading out camping for the weekend for Andrew's birthday-a baby sister for his present! I'm sure I'll think of other details later, but there's the excitement at our house!
"The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with JOY!!!"
Family Woven by Faith: Our journey of faith to bring our new daughter home from Ethiopia...
Friday, July 16, 2010
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Court Closures
Well, it's official. Exactly what I hoped wouldn't happen, will. Seeing as we're "on deck," meaning we'll likely receive our referral in the next 1-3 months, the following message from our agency directly affects us:
We have received confirmation that the Ethiopian Court will be closed August 6th-September 27th.
These closures may or may not affect your family depending on your prospective waiting stage. Referrals will continue to be issued to families during the court closure. Families who receive a referral within the next one to three months will experience additional delays in their process due to the court closure. The wait time during referral and court date will be extended during this time frame. We expect that families who receive referrals between now and the end of September will not receive notification of a court date until sometime in October.
Court date notification in October will likely mean court in late October/early November (when we finally get to meet our baby!). If we pass court the 1st time (there's a 50% pass/fail rate that has no reflection on the family, simply a reflection on whether all of the paperwork has been processed correctly and in a timely manner), then it's typically a 4-6 week wait to gain Embassy approval/visa. All told, there's a slight chance we'll be home by Christmas. Slight.
Even though it will be so hard to wait even longer to hold Karis, we still are longing to just to see her face...and we pray that day will come quickly!
We have received confirmation that the Ethiopian Court will be closed August 6th-September 27th.
These closures may or may not affect your family depending on your prospective waiting stage. Referrals will continue to be issued to families during the court closure. Families who receive a referral within the next one to three months will experience additional delays in their process due to the court closure. The wait time during referral and court date will be extended during this time frame. We expect that families who receive referrals between now and the end of September will not receive notification of a court date until sometime in October.
Court date notification in October will likely mean court in late October/early November (when we finally get to meet our baby!). If we pass court the 1st time (there's a 50% pass/fail rate that has no reflection on the family, simply a reflection on whether all of the paperwork has been processed correctly and in a timely manner), then it's typically a 4-6 week wait to gain Embassy approval/visa. All told, there's a slight chance we'll be home by Christmas. Slight.
Even though it will be so hard to wait even longer to hold Karis, we still are longing to just to see her face...and we pray that day will come quickly!
Monday, July 12, 2010
Rainy Season
In the Ethiopian adoption world, there is a great deal of discussion, angst, and worry about when the court system will close for the rainy season. I've heard rumor that it will be closed Aug. 6th through Sep. 27th
I've always found it odd that the US embassy will still issue visas during the rainy season, but that the federal courts close down. On our Yahoo group today, a very thorough explanation was offered by someone who has already been there, done that...so I thought I would share:
If you receive your referral during closures you'll be put in "line" at AWAA for assigning a court date once court reopens. We received our referral last year on Sep 19 and our first court date was Dec 4 and assigned to us in November.
Although investigations should be able to "continue" during the court closures, remember that the courts close because of the rainy season. This is because the road conditions become impossible to travel during this season, as well as major power issues etc. Employees cannot get to work, witnesses cannot travel in. Therefore, you have to understand that any investigations the embassy would be conducting could not be completed if the agents can't "get to work" or "get out to investigate." Also, families do not travel during this time because the conditions are too difficult to travel in, so it would be highly unlikely for Embassy appts to be scheduled during this time. It's truly a holding period in the program except for the beginning when the children brought into the TH are referred out. But then there is a long lull in referrals since the whole "machine" stops and bows to the rain and the dirt road washed out conditions it brings. . . . It's not simply that the courts take a vacation and that's the only part of the system that throws a kink in the gears. Every part of the country and it's happenings get hindered by the rain. . . .
It's simply part of the time table that God knew before He called you to this. We received our referral for the kids right at the beginning of the court closure season and had to wait until the middle of January to travel and bring them home. We understand how anxious that can make some of you, but it's a busy season here in America and it really does go by quickly, and as many kids who've spent the rainy season at the TH have told their families, it's a fun time for the kids in ET. The staff does a wonderful job of entertaining them and making it a special vacation type season.
While it's not comforting to me at all to know that the older kids will be having fun during the rainy season...knowing that the earlier a child is in a loving family, the better; I do take comfort in the fact that it is part of the timetable God knew about all along!
I've always found it odd that the US embassy will still issue visas during the rainy season, but that the federal courts close down. On our Yahoo group today, a very thorough explanation was offered by someone who has already been there, done that...so I thought I would share:
If you receive your referral during closures you'll be put in "line" at AWAA for assigning a court date once court reopens. We received our referral last year on Sep 19 and our first court date was Dec 4 and assigned to us in November.
Although investigations should be able to "continue" during the court closures, remember that the courts close because of the rainy season. This is because the road conditions become impossible to travel during this season, as well as major power issues etc. Employees cannot get to work, witnesses cannot travel in. Therefore, you have to understand that any investigations the embassy would be conducting could not be completed if the agents can't "get to work" or "get out to investigate." Also, families do not travel during this time because the conditions are too difficult to travel in, so it would be highly unlikely for Embassy appts to be scheduled during this time. It's truly a holding period in the program except for the beginning when the children brought into the TH are referred out. But then there is a long lull in referrals since the whole "machine" stops and bows to the rain and the dirt road washed out conditions it brings. . . . It's not simply that the courts take a vacation and that's the only part of the system that throws a kink in the gears. Every part of the country and it's happenings get hindered by the rain. . . .
It's simply part of the time table that God knew before He called you to this. We received our referral for the kids right at the beginning of the court closure season and had to wait until the middle of January to travel and bring them home. We understand how anxious that can make some of you, but it's a busy season here in America and it really does go by quickly, and as many kids who've spent the rainy season at the TH have told their families, it's a fun time for the kids in ET. The staff does a wonderful job of entertaining them and making it a special vacation type season.
While it's not comforting to me at all to know that the older kids will be having fun during the rainy season...knowing that the earlier a child is in a loving family, the better; I do take comfort in the fact that it is part of the timetable God knew about all along!
Saturday, July 10, 2010
I recognize this feeling
I have been driving myself to utter distraction ever since we got our "On Deck" email yesterday. Thoughts of Karis and details and timeline guesses have filled my thoughts.
And I realized that I have felt kind of like this before...almost exactly like this. And it's happened to me three times before.
If you've been through this experience, I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. You know what it's like when you go to your 38-week OB check up, and they tell you you're 2-3 cm dilated? Which basically means you could feasibly go into labor any day...or not. You could still wait it out two more weeks and then some. But the fact that you are even a bit dilated is so encouraging, because it means progress is being made and that you're that much closer to holding your baby in your arms.
That's what I feel like.
Just like being pregnant, except that I can still see my toes and I don't have heartburn.
And I realized that I have felt kind of like this before...almost exactly like this. And it's happened to me three times before.
If you've been through this experience, I think you'll understand where I'm coming from. You know what it's like when you go to your 38-week OB check up, and they tell you you're 2-3 cm dilated? Which basically means you could feasibly go into labor any day...or not. You could still wait it out two more weeks and then some. But the fact that you are even a bit dilated is so encouraging, because it means progress is being made and that you're that much closer to holding your baby in your arms.
That's what I feel like.
Just like being pregnant, except that I can still see my toes and I don't have heartburn.
Friday, July 9, 2010
"ON DECK!!!"
Okay, so AWAA doesn't include a bunch of "!!!!!'s" when they send the "on deck" email, but I sure do!
We got our official "On Deck" email today, which basically asks us to verify our child request, gives us info regarding accpeting our referral, etc, etc...and that we will likely receive our referral in 1-3 months!!! Some people have their referral the next week, some wait longer. There's really no way to tell. But still, I'm so excited I'm crying. So soon, baby girl, so soon.
We got our official "On Deck" email today, which basically asks us to verify our child request, gives us info regarding accpeting our referral, etc, etc...and that we will likely receive our referral in 1-3 months!!! Some people have their referral the next week, some wait longer. There's really no way to tell. But still, I'm so excited I'm crying. So soon, baby girl, so soon.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Yard Sale Fundraiser
Over Memorial Day weekend, Rebecca and I had a yard sale together...for her to raise funds for her missions trip to Ethiopia/Uganda this summer, and us for our adoption.
As busy as we both are, a lot of this happened in the wee hours of the morning.
We made these...
...and turned this...
...into this.
We learned several things:
1. We should have taken the time to do more publicity at the sale regarding why we were trying to raise money...if they had known more, people would have been more generous.
2. On Memorial Day weekend, there are two kinds of people. One kind is out camping/boating/fishing/having fun somewhere besides at garage sales. The other kind of person is having a garage sale. Between the two, there aren't a whole lot of people left to actually come buy things.
3. I can be really hot, even in Alaska, and despite only raising $300 (which was then split between us, meaning that overall, all the effort really wasn't worth it, esp. for us having made extra trips to Sol. to deliver stuff before the sale), my kids still had a lot of fun.
As busy as we both are, a lot of this happened in the wee hours of the morning.
We made these...
...and turned this...
...into this.
We learned several things:
1. We should have taken the time to do more publicity at the sale regarding why we were trying to raise money...if they had known more, people would have been more generous.
2. On Memorial Day weekend, there are two kinds of people. One kind is out camping/boating/fishing/having fun somewhere besides at garage sales. The other kind of person is having a garage sale. Between the two, there aren't a whole lot of people left to actually come buy things.
3. I can be really hot, even in Alaska, and despite only raising $300 (which was then split between us, meaning that overall, all the effort really wasn't worth it, esp. for us having made extra trips to Sol. to deliver stuff before the sale), my kids still had a lot of fun.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Time Flies!!!
I have neglected this blog for a bit now on account of lack of news. We have just been trying to be faithful in the waiting. We talk about Karis all the time...we are looking forward so much to seeing her sweet face. Anna asks routinely when we're going to go get her baby sis'er and how we'll get home. The kids pray for her every night. I pray for her all day long!
I have connected with our yahoo group of families within our agency who are adopting from Ethiopia, and have been blessed by joining with them in great prayer, heartache, and rejoicing on this rollercoaster ride called adoption! There was a definite slow-down in referrals, as another new Ethiopian court policy is that all children must have a regional birth certificate before proceeding to court. Until this past week, no less than 20 families have been waiting, pictures of their sweet children in hand, to even be assigned a court date. Then the floodgates opened this week, and travel dates and court dates have been assigned...and referrals have been given out again!
Now I doubt that you keep track of it like I keep track of it, but we are just finishing up MONTH 5 of our wait. And are you ready for this? WE ARE #1 ON THE LIST FOR BABY GIRLS!!! (Provided, of course, that there aren't any other "mystery" families...the list is unofficial, after all). The family with the latest referral has only been waiting six months!
The rub now is that the court will be closed sometime in August-September for the rainy season...and if we have our referral by then but not a court date, we would have to wait till after September to go and meet her. Yet this whole process has been orchestrated by God, and I'm not about to start doubting His timing now!
I have connected with our yahoo group of families within our agency who are adopting from Ethiopia, and have been blessed by joining with them in great prayer, heartache, and rejoicing on this rollercoaster ride called adoption! There was a definite slow-down in referrals, as another new Ethiopian court policy is that all children must have a regional birth certificate before proceeding to court. Until this past week, no less than 20 families have been waiting, pictures of their sweet children in hand, to even be assigned a court date. Then the floodgates opened this week, and travel dates and court dates have been assigned...and referrals have been given out again!
Now I doubt that you keep track of it like I keep track of it, but we are just finishing up MONTH 5 of our wait. And are you ready for this? WE ARE #1 ON THE LIST FOR BABY GIRLS!!! (Provided, of course, that there aren't any other "mystery" families...the list is unofficial, after all). The family with the latest referral has only been waiting six months!
The rub now is that the court will be closed sometime in August-September for the rainy season...and if we have our referral by then but not a court date, we would have to wait till after September to go and meet her. Yet this whole process has been orchestrated by God, and I'm not about to start doubting His timing now!
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