One Month Ago Today...

Before I begin, I feel the need to say, if you are a visitor to my blog and are interested in adopting, WELCOME! I am happy to share with you. But I do need to write a VERY honest statement that I want you to take seriously. This is OUR story. Every adoption story is different. Please do not read this post and expect your experience to be just like ours. We were there with 5 other families and EACH of our experiences were different and unique. Get good training about adoption and attachment, and pray a LOT!!!

So, here is it...our story.

It was a small room, like a waiting room, right off the elevator. There were a lot of people there, two families who had just met their little ones. Our guide told us to go in there and wait, then left. I tried to find a spot to sit out of the way. I didn't know if Zoe was in the building or not. I wondered, and prayed.

I knew this could be traumatizing for my sweet girl. I'd planned and prayed, literally, for years for her, but she did not know me at all. I was a stranger. Would she be afraid? Would she refuse to come to me? Would I have to pry her away from him, adding to the trauma? Would there be screaming and tears? For all of these scenarios we'd planned and prepared. We had been trained well to not expect her to run into my arms and live "happily ever after." We knew to expect the worst (but hope and pray for the best). So plan I did, because I knew I would be heartbroken if I expected her to love me and she didn't. I knew she came from a lot of loss, and I was just about to add more by taking her from all she knew. I was prepared to bear whatever she gave and try not to take any of it personally, but love her unconditionally, the best I could.

I saw them get off the elevator. I told momma to turn the camera on, but she couldn't see them so was a little confused. The man who was carrying her didn't know where to go and headed toward our door. I met him at the door and held my hands out to her. She came right to me. I was so surprised, and thrilled to have her in my arms.

A little later I found out I wasn't supposed to have her until they'd checked us all out, but I KNEW that was my girl and I didn't know I wasn't supposed to go to her. Oops! We completed all the paperwork they needed for the day and the man who brought her gave me a precious photo album with pictures of Zoe in it. He answered some questions, then we left. This began our "harmonious period" as it is called-to make sure we still want this girl. Are you kidding me!!!

So, here are a couple of pictures from that day.

This is as we are walking out the door to go meet Zoe. I was SO excited!!!!!

Momma in front of the government building where I would meet Zoe.

Beautiful baby girl!!!!

SO in love already!!!!!

Momma and Zoe leaving the government building.



It was a wonderful day. It unfolded better than I'd expected, but exactly how I'd hoped. I'll add more later (or try) but for now, the sleeping beauty is rising. :)

Thank you so much for your prayers for us over these long years of waiting.

Getting Closer

Our social worker e-mailed Friday to let me know that we are Match Reviewed. That is the last step in the LOA process before we get the official letter. It should come within 2 weeks (2 days to 2 weeks). After that we should travel in 2-3 months if everything else goes smoothly. LOTS of people are praying, people are giving, and I am just beside myself. It hit me this weekend that we are really getting close now. It has seemed like something that just really wasn't going to happen in real life for so long. We've been waiting so long, at times it was easy to wonder if it would ever happen. We looked at car seats yesterday and for the first time I didn't think, "This is what I'd get if I needed one," but I thought, "Hey, we really have to get one of these soon!" I am SO excited!!!

(pre) Adoption Timeline

Our "Adoption Timeline" is very unique to us, as is everyone's I suppose. Today I get to update it with REAL movement toward bringing our little girl home. As I look back at what I had posted as my "A.T." I am so in awe at ALL God has done for us, and how He has worked every little detail out for His ultimate glory. I'm going to edit my adoption timeline, but I want to post what I HAD as my adoption timeline before I change it. So here it is... Sept. 15, 2009 - Information meeting with Lifeline. We made our decision....we are going to adopt!!!! Oct. 3, 2009 - We raised our first $212.70 from a consignment sale. Only about $34,787.30 to go. Nov. 27, 2009 - Opened Adoption Account with $232.70. Dec. 21, 2009 - Made a deposit of $475.00 into adoption account today. Only about $34,292.30 left to go. July 29, 2010 - Sold pedi chairs and deposited $600 into account. Ah, that felt GREAT!!! Also got a $190 gas check for a workshop I went to this summer. Also able to put it in as well. It is slow, but I LOVE depositing into this account. June 13, 2011 - Made an inquiry about A. June 14, 2011 - Read a blog post asking if someone might be N's mom and dad. Contacted K about N. June 15, 2011 - Got A's file. June 21, 2011 - Put K at W in touch with K at N to help us find N's file. In this crazy mix, we have lost 4 precious loved ones, moved, remodeled, and moved again (almost) :). We've added pets and changed jobs, moved up grade levels, lost teeth and tonsils, had a car wreck, and seen God protect us more than we ever deserve. Our oldest asked the Lord into his heart and was baptized. I've met "A's" momma, and found out that "N" has a momma coming for him. We have turned in our application and found our own precious one that God has just for our family. We've played baseball, soccer, basketball, and all of that again since this last timeline update. God has been so good and so faithful and so THERE with us, even when things were B.A.D. May all the glory and all the praise for all this be His and His alone. And now, I will joyfully go update our Adoption Timeline...the best is yet to come!

Long Time No Blog...

So, I started writing my first prayer letter for our adoption today and thought it was a good run down of the last three years to today, so I am going to post part of it here as well, so everyone of my 2 followers will be up to date! LOL It's been so long since I've posted, I'm not sure my followers are even following anymore, but I want to keep adding when I can. Prayer Letter 1 - 06/10/2013 Most of you know, but the Lord confirmed to us His call for us to adopt in October 2009. I was SO excited, and just thought that meant we'd soon be turning in an application and heading to China. I mean, God had answered my prayers about opening Jason's heart to adoption. And He didn't stop there, we left that informational meeting with Jason telling me, "We are going to China, and we are going to adopt a little girl with special needs." I was floored! I'd just asked God to confirm to him that this was what we were supposed to do. I didn't even ask Him to tell us where. And, though at the time I worked with kids with special needs, I'd not even considered adopting a child with special needs. WOW, I was amazed. But if you know us well, you know our story of adoption got put on hold in that spot right there. For three...long...hard...years! Right after we accepted this call for our lives it seems "someone" went to work trying to stop it. But our God is greater and we know that ALL of these things He is working for our good and HIS glory! Jason's mom found out just months after we committed to adopt that she had cancer. She lived for two more and passed away. We were left to care for her aging and not in good health parents. I have been so blessed to be a part of this family. I did not grow up especially close to my mom's parents, and my dad's father passed away before I was born. So, Nanny is the only grandparent I've had that I was close to. Jason's grandparents accepted me as their own the moment we met. I am SO thankful that God allowed us to be able to care for both of them and keep them at home until they passed away. Jason's grandfather passed away one year after his mom-to the day, almost the hour. The next year, Sept. 2012, Nene passed away. It has been a long road, but like I said, I am able to ask myself and honestly answer - Is God good even when things aren't? I know He is! SO...around January I started asking Jason again, when he thought the time would be. This time he gave me a very definite answer. We will begin the process in April. So, I hung in there until April and April 1, 2013 I turned our application to adopt in to XYZ Adoption Agency. So currently we are in the homestudy process. We have completed 2 out of 4 meetings. We are working on personal training that has to be complete before meeting 3. That is about it....until last Friday...

Moving Along

Things are starting to move. S.L.O.W.L.Y. but moving nonetheless!

Opportunities

Though it seems that there is no end in sight to WHEN we might begin the actual paperwork process to adopt, God is moving in ways I did not even imagine when our journey began so many years ago.

Praying for a couple tonight who recently learned that they will be having a precious angel with Down Syndrome. They are trying to decide if they will parent or make an adoption plan, or possibly have an abortion. Praying for life, and that God would give me the words to say as I share our experience, as well as why people (we) consider adopting a child with Down Syndrome, even more than a "typical" or "healthy" baby.

Praising God for all He is doing, and looking forward to seeing it all play out IN HIS TIME!!!

Be Still

These words are so hard in my house. With two very active little boys I am seeing even more and more what that difficulty looks like. However, these are the dreaded words I have heard whispered to my heart so often these last few months by Father God. I know what He is telling me to do, but it is hard. He is telling me, for right now, I need to just be still and wait for Him. This is not what I expected two years ago when Jason and I answered the call to add to our family through adoption. I thought since we knew God wanted us to, that He would just provide the money and we would have our daughter home in no time. I mean, that is surely what He wants since He told us we would adopt, right? Hmmmmm, obviously to me now, NOT. I have come to terms with our place in life right now. It took me a while. I mean, I have to admit, life looks a LOT different than I thought it would. It has taken me a while, but I know we are right where God has us and I would not change a thing. So, we will be still. We will wait. I still believe in my heart that God has called us to stand on behalf of the fatherless, and that one day, we will bring home more children into our family. But for now, we will serve where He has us.