I am going to keep this short and sweet. We got our referral!!!!
Yes you read that right. What? I can just see you scanning my last post to see what you missed. You didn't miss anything. This was a huge surprise to us as well. We were expecting ( I should say hoping as you can't really expect anything in the world of adoption) a referral at the end of Jan or February but I called our agency to check on a different matter and got the amazing news that we had a referral. We can't share much with you right now as she isn't officially ours until we pass court. I will tell you she is stunningly gorgeous, has a massive head of hair, big huge eyes, and is 3 months old.
What now??? Well we wait for a court date. This will take a few months. Then I will fly to Ethiopia from CA and Ben will fly down to meet me from Spain. (He deploys again early next year.) If all goes well we will welcome our baby girl home this spring/summer.
What an amazing Christmas present for us to get. It has been quite the week in our house. We are thrilled, excited, and overjoyed to say the least. The boys are excited too but handling it like mature 7 and 5 year olds. They get excited and then forget all about her for awhile. Then they get excited about her again.
Monday, December 24, 2012
Thursday, December 13, 2012
More bad news...or is it:)
Monday I was a cranky old lady. There is no other way to explain my bad mood. But weirdly enough I snapped out of my bad mood when the boys and I got stuck in a line of 20 people waiting for the one post office clerk. I told Yared we could wait and whine or have a good attitude. I couldn't be so hypocritical as to stay grumpy after that nugget of truth I had imparted.
Anyways I am sure that part of my grumpiness was the sheer frustration I felt with the fact that our dossier had been in Portland two weeks waiting to be translated. But then as I was balancing the check book, a great grumpy night activity, I saw a FedEx charge from Nov 29th. My dossier had actually left Portland on my Birthday and was currently in DC. I went to bed ecstatic. Then I was smiling and gracing the world with a much more pleasant personality on Tuesday.
Lunch time arrives and I get a call. It was our agency calling to tell us that yes our dossier was in DC but they had bad news. I thought they were going to tell us they were done with us:). But they were calling to say that 5 of our Jag notaries had no signature. Now a really nice Jag officer notarized a bunch of papers for us. It is the weirdest thing. We sat in a row, me, then Ben then the Jag. We all signed. Then the Jag signed, stamped and sealed the papers. But somehow they are saying he didn't sign 5 of them. So The agency was going to FedEx the papers overnight at their expense to me and I would get the signatures and send them back. But... I had heard a ripple that the Jag officer was no longer here. I run inside and find out he is transferred to DC. I know he is friends of another friend of mine who is also a Jag officer. But in my craziness I can't find her phone number. I call another mutual friend, who texts me the number. I get ahold of my friend who gives me the Jag's cell. He is GREAT. He is willing to do whatever to get this paperwork issue sorted out. I quickly call back my agency to call off the FedEx as I don't need the papers. So now the papers are getting sent to him and then back to do all the regular DC stuff they need done to them. These papers could write a story of the adventures they have had on the three months they have been sitting here waiting to go to Africa.
So I should be mad and grumpy on Tuesday instead of Monday but this is how God works. I got so frustrated with the errors, mistakes, and delays that we have had with this paperwork. Adoption paperwork is tedious to begin with. But add in a few mistakes and it is horrendous. Add in a LOT of mistakes on many different people's parts, including our own and it is a living nightmare. But... as I am muttering to God about this in the shower, some my best prayers are muttered there, I realize something. I got this same raging frustration when we could get pregnant. I was so just mad that things weren't going my way. Then I relaxed and trusted God and we walked through the door to adoption and through the door to international adoption and He brought these amazing little boys into our life. Little boys that were meant for us. Soooo.. when I really stopped thinking about the delays, mistakes and stupidity of the dossier process and remembered who was in charge I felt peace. I realized I would rather have the specific child God wants for us in His timing than any child in my timing. If I had had my way in the beginning we would have a biological child but I wouldn't have my boys and that breaks my heart. If I had had my way the second time we would have adopted from Virginia and we wouldn't have our boys and that breaks my heart. I feel sick at the thought of not having our sons. There was even an opportunity for us to switch during out wait from Yared and Nati to twin boys in their same orphanage. The director told us it would be quicker to go for the twins but we just felt our boys were meant for us so we stayed with them. Yup I gotta step back and let God be in charge again. I am pretty confident if this adoption goes through it is because God has a particular child in mind for us. So please pray with us that she might join us in God's timing.
Thanks for all sticking with us through this process.
Anyways I am sure that part of my grumpiness was the sheer frustration I felt with the fact that our dossier had been in Portland two weeks waiting to be translated. But then as I was balancing the check book, a great grumpy night activity, I saw a FedEx charge from Nov 29th. My dossier had actually left Portland on my Birthday and was currently in DC. I went to bed ecstatic. Then I was smiling and gracing the world with a much more pleasant personality on Tuesday.
Lunch time arrives and I get a call. It was our agency calling to tell us that yes our dossier was in DC but they had bad news. I thought they were going to tell us they were done with us:). But they were calling to say that 5 of our Jag notaries had no signature. Now a really nice Jag officer notarized a bunch of papers for us. It is the weirdest thing. We sat in a row, me, then Ben then the Jag. We all signed. Then the Jag signed, stamped and sealed the papers. But somehow they are saying he didn't sign 5 of them. So The agency was going to FedEx the papers overnight at their expense to me and I would get the signatures and send them back. But... I had heard a ripple that the Jag officer was no longer here. I run inside and find out he is transferred to DC. I know he is friends of another friend of mine who is also a Jag officer. But in my craziness I can't find her phone number. I call another mutual friend, who texts me the number. I get ahold of my friend who gives me the Jag's cell. He is GREAT. He is willing to do whatever to get this paperwork issue sorted out. I quickly call back my agency to call off the FedEx as I don't need the papers. So now the papers are getting sent to him and then back to do all the regular DC stuff they need done to them. These papers could write a story of the adventures they have had on the three months they have been sitting here waiting to go to Africa.
So I should be mad and grumpy on Tuesday instead of Monday but this is how God works. I got so frustrated with the errors, mistakes, and delays that we have had with this paperwork. Adoption paperwork is tedious to begin with. But add in a few mistakes and it is horrendous. Add in a LOT of mistakes on many different people's parts, including our own and it is a living nightmare. But... as I am muttering to God about this in the shower, some my best prayers are muttered there, I realize something. I got this same raging frustration when we could get pregnant. I was so just mad that things weren't going my way. Then I relaxed and trusted God and we walked through the door to adoption and through the door to international adoption and He brought these amazing little boys into our life. Little boys that were meant for us. Soooo.. when I really stopped thinking about the delays, mistakes and stupidity of the dossier process and remembered who was in charge I felt peace. I realized I would rather have the specific child God wants for us in His timing than any child in my timing. If I had had my way in the beginning we would have a biological child but I wouldn't have my boys and that breaks my heart. If I had had my way the second time we would have adopted from Virginia and we wouldn't have our boys and that breaks my heart. I feel sick at the thought of not having our sons. There was even an opportunity for us to switch during out wait from Yared and Nati to twin boys in their same orphanage. The director told us it would be quicker to go for the twins but we just felt our boys were meant for us so we stayed with them. Yup I gotta step back and let God be in charge again. I am pretty confident if this adoption goes through it is because God has a particular child in mind for us. So please pray with us that she might join us in God's timing.
Thanks for all sticking with us through this process.
Sunday, December 9, 2012
December Adventures
Besides all the adoption paperwork that I daily fret over, we have had a GREAT December. Here are some shots and descriptions of the latest Leppard adventures. I am going to attempt to be a regular blogger again and add adoption prayer requests and updates at the bottom of each entry. Thanks for hanging with us on this road to our daughter.
Last week I decided we needed to get out and see the area more. I dragged the boys to the Mission in Ventura. They were great sports about it and made the most of Mom's history lesson.
Because they were so good I took them to Rocket Fizz. And they acted just like a kid in a candy store...wait that is what they were.
Then the sugar I let them eat kicked in so we ran around a little park and I took pictures of their cuteness.
If the mood is right Nati is quite the dancer and will preform for anyone, but if the mood is wrong he will sit like a lump and think you are crazy for asking him to dance. Well the mood was right and Yared and I got an impromptu performance.
Where did my small boy go. Yared is more grown up every day.
Today we drove to LA to meet up with a childhood friend of mine. The husbands and kiddos were so great at letting us meet up and talk. Luckily we all enjoy good Ethiopian food so we had that to share while Michelle and I chatted for a bit. Our two sons really hit it off and did this pose for me. In fact her little man declared I could take 100 more.
Not bad for two 40 year old ladies. We last saw each other on the night of our graduation in 1990.
From there we drove back to Santa Monica to meet up with our neighbors and good friends. Now I haven't posted much about these friends because I have been too busy just spending time with them. But here is what I am going to say. They are truly a God send. It is rare to meet a family where everyone single member gets along and has a companion. This is that sort of friendship, where the wives chatter endlessly and the husbands get along great and the kiddos all plot how to eat all our meals together. Friends that love Jesus like we do, that are Navy like us, that home school like us, that love life like us. These are those sort of friends. The sort of friends that come along every once in awhile and truthfully the thought of moving away from each other next summer makes us all sad. But... for now we choose to seize the day and enjoy the moments and memories we get together.
The boys waiting in the trees for our friends.
The four musketeers.
We decided to pony up the money for all or us to ride the Ferris Wheel. It was well worth it for the views and laughter.
Our friends.
This is the Nati smile I see daily, hourly and why I get so frustrated with his horrendous picture smile.
I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.
Look out John.. he requested a picture of just him and his ice cream. When I showed it to him he quickly moved his ice cream to the other side away from his Dad.
My boy!!! I love him so.
We finished the day with a walk through Santa Monica watching the street performers. At one point Anna and I got a little separated from the others and a loud noise startled her. She looks at me and says, "Miss Moira can I hold your hand?" I love sweet moments like that where the act of holding someone's hand makes them feel safe.
On the car ride home we were all trying to come up with the best part of our day. We couldn't. The whole day was a wonderful adventure of getting out and about and meeting up with old friends and spending time with new friends. Yes, life is good.
We might be in a holding pattern waiting on our new daughter but we are not sitting still. Life goes on and it is beautiful. Thank you God.
Last week I decided we needed to get out and see the area more. I dragged the boys to the Mission in Ventura. They were great sports about it and made the most of Mom's history lesson.
From there we drove back to Santa Monica to meet up with our neighbors and good friends. Now I haven't posted much about these friends because I have been too busy just spending time with them. But here is what I am going to say. They are truly a God send. It is rare to meet a family where everyone single member gets along and has a companion. This is that sort of friendship, where the wives chatter endlessly and the husbands get along great and the kiddos all plot how to eat all our meals together. Friends that love Jesus like we do, that are Navy like us, that home school like us, that love life like us. These are those sort of friends. The sort of friends that come along every once in awhile and truthfully the thought of moving away from each other next summer makes us all sad. But... for now we choose to seize the day and enjoy the moments and memories we get together.
The boys waiting in the trees for our friends.
The four musketeers.
We finished the day with a walk through Santa Monica watching the street performers. At one point Anna and I got a little separated from the others and a loud noise startled her. She looks at me and says, "Miss Moira can I hold your hand?" I love sweet moments like that where the act of holding someone's hand makes them feel safe.
On the car ride home we were all trying to come up with the best part of our day. We couldn't. The whole day was a wonderful adventure of getting out and about and meeting up with old friends and spending time with new friends. Yes, life is good.
We might be in a holding pattern waiting on our new daughter but we are not sitting still. Life goes on and it is beautiful. Thank you God.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
Another Dossier Update
Where we are now. November 26th our dossier was complete and in the right hands. It is now being translated into Amharic. Once that is done it goes to DC to be authenticated at the Federal level. Then it goes to the Ethiopian Embassy and finally to Ethiopia. According to our agency it should take about three weeks total which would mean it would arrive in Ethiopia Dec 17th. BUT as it has not yet even left Portland for DC that seems unlikely. This puts it arriving around Christmas. And Ethiopia has a different Christmas date than we do so things could totally get lost in the holidays.
I have begun to stalk our Fedex website where we can track when they send stuff. I am watching for it to go to DC. My agency gets weekly calls from me. After waiting for a month on the birth certificate and finding out I was right and they were wrong, I don't believe in sitting quietly and waiting patiently.
That isn't much news but hey it is all I have. Thanks for praying with us. Please pray for God's timing in all this. If things go according to schedule our little girl will arrive right around the time we have to move. That isn't great but God is and I will continue to trust his timing. But please do pray with us as we need it.
Once the dossier is in Ethiopia we are on the wait list for a baby girl. It is funny how excited I am to stop waiting on the dossier being done and START waiting on the referral list.
Thanks for checking in. I am going to try to stay on top of the blog more and let you know what is new with the adoption, with the family and with Ben's upcoming deployment.
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