Photos

Here we are with our beautiful Ashenafi!  Sorry it's a little off-center.  Someone took it for us.  But, this is when we first met him on Wednesday morning.  I began crying shortly thereafter! : ) 

 

The appointment at the embassy went without a hitch and we received his passport and entry visa today.  Things are going very well!

Ethiopia Update

Hi!

We arrived Tuesday night and got to meet Ashenafi this morning (Wednesday).  He is more adorable than his pictures showed and I am totally eating up just lovin' on him.  He has a big, round belly; beautiful brown eyes; and a little tongue that can't seem to stay in his mouth when he smiles...not to mention that adorable dimple in his right cheek...we are totally in love!!!

The House of Hope is great and the staff is amazing.  They all have so much love to share and do so without reservation.  It is a wonderfully peaceful environment.  We are very thankful this is where our son has been placed for the last 3 months.  God is good!

Hopefully, I can attach some photos on Friday.  Until then...

Heading Out Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the day...It's finally here! Why I'm sitting here typing when I should be cleaning, packing, and paying bills, is beyond me! I just wish I could be done with all this stuff on my to-do list and be on the plane already!!!! I know I will be missing my 3 little ones who will still be home, but I can't wait to see Ashenafi's face and hold him in my arms. It's been a while since I've had a 5-month old in the house and I'm beginning to be very, very excited about that! (I guess it's been long enough, so I'm actually excited instead of panicking!)

I'll try to post while we are in country and hopefully send a photo or two. So, here's to tomorrow.....

3 Days and Counting

Only 3 days until we leave!!! I have laundry everywhere and piles of donated items to try to fit into my suitcases. I guess it's finally time to start packing things and weighing that luggage!

I am more convinced now than ever that God's timing is perfect. I can't imagine if this had come any sooner...we would have had so many things left unfinished and the money would not have been there. God had every thing on His perfect timetable and we are so excited just watching the miracles happen this week. He is good!

I'm very excited...Even though I'm drop dead tired! (I actually fell asleep last night at midnight without the sheets on my bed because they weren't dry yet...Don't think I've done that once in 10 years of marriage!) But, it doesn't matter. None of that will concern me when I'm holding my baby boy for the 1st time....Yeah!!!!

Destiny Moments

My mom writes a weekly inspirational article for our local newspaper. This week was about our new baby. So, from Dr. Patti Amsden:

Destiny moments happen in all our lives. You know – that period of time set apart from the rest, those hours isolated from the ordinary, those seconds detached from regular routine – those are destiny moments that happen in all our lives. And when they do, our course is forever altered.
Sometimes destiny unveils itself unexpectedly in a venue that was not even on our radar. Providence designs an opportunity and seeks us out, as if it were a surprise party delighting in keeping the secret until the perfect moment of revealing the planned event. Other times, we have selected our chosen path in life when there, posted like a detour sign in the road, fortune alters our course and takes us on an unexpected journey. However it appears, a destiny moment arrests our today, refocuses our tomorrow, and restructures our forever.
Our family has recently had a destiny moment. This one occurred along a chosen pathway. Our daughter and her husband began the process of adoption over a year ago. An agency was contacted; nations open to adoption were considered; time and cost were evaluated; and a decision was made. They would make application for a baby boy from Ethiopia. Paper work on top of paper work consumed the first few months. Finally, all was in order; and they entered the phase of awaiting a referral. They waited. They prayed. Then they waited some more. Destiny is funny like that – it seems it will never come until suddenly it jolts, almost as if to startle you.
After a year and a half on Christmas Day the email came, as if offering a gift so precious that it had to be given on the premier day of gift-giving. A boy had become available. His birth name was Ashenafi. He was perfect in every way and was immediately ready for adoption. As it was a holiday, the whole family was together; so we gathered to pray. Divine providence had unfolded. Heavenly intervention had earmarked the newest family member, and God’s eternal plan had connected him to us. “Yes!” we shouted with delight. “We want him!” we announced. “Welcome to our hearts and home!” we proclaimed without reservation.
My daughter, Deedra, and her husband, Paul, will travel this next week to the other side of the world to receive their son. A destiny moment will occur for Ashenafi, although it may be years before he realizes the course-altering, destiny-setting, eternity-impacting results of the moment when he is delivered to his parents and his new family. They will tell him of the journey of adoption. They will recount the way God orchestrated his arrival. They will speak of fortuitous circumstances from a heart of gratitude to a gracious God. He will come to understand the blessing inherent in a destiny moment.
The Bible says that God orders the pathway of His people. And along each one’s journey, regardless of the condition of the road traveled, there are God-given moments that can open our eyes to a greater plan than we had previously known. Special gifts await each of us. Our family has been given this new blessing. I pray that divine destiny moments may bring heaven’s plans your way!

Reflections

Tonight I am feeling reflective of our journey to this point. I have not actually used this blog to journal many of my emotions regarding our story. I guess I was mostly just tracking dates and keeping in touch with my new friends in the blog-world! However, tonight, I just feel like I need to lay it all out there. So, here goes...

Everything began when my sister and brother-in-law gave us some land (2 acres adjacent to their farm) so that we could build a house. Around that same time, our hearts were stirred for international adoption. Through a series of circumstances and much research, we decided in the spring of 2006 , jointly, that we would all go together to bring home our new sons. We applied at CHI into their Vietnam program and hoped to actually travel together. My brother-in-law had the idea of selling the land to finance the bulk of both of our adoptions. We were totally on board, feeling like it was a huge gift, either way; and we believed that God was calling us to international adoption, so it seemed like an answer to prayer. I felt so strongly that God was going to have to finance this thing he was calling us to do, since we were already struggling to make ends meet due to lack of funds in my husband's ministry (soup kitchen/food pantry in St. Louis). So, with no savings and too much debt, we started down this road and downloaded the application from CHI. The day that I had to send off our $100 application fee, my husband ran into a local pastor friend at the gas station that morning, both on their way to work. Our friend handed him $100 bill and said that he just felt like God wanted to bless us with that. It was exactly what I needed that day and I had to worship, knowing that God was assuring me He would be there for whatever I needed each step of the way. So, after a bit, we sold the land (my brother and his wife actually ended up purchasing it!) and it was just in time for all the initial homestudy and government paperwork fees. So far, so good!

Then, my sister and her husband decided to accept a referral for a baby from Guatemala. We were overjoyed for them and fell in love immediately with our new nephew. However, that left us wondering what we should do next. We looked into Guatemala a bit, but didn't feel that was the right door for us to walk through. I became increasingly more uncomfortable with Vietnam, just not sure that I had heard the Lord on which country. We put our homestudy on hold. It was completely ready, just awaiting the country. Throughout November and December I felt nothing. I was really praying, too! Finally, as January 2007 rolled around, I decided I had to put a deadline on things. I told the Lord that by the end of the month I would put something down and just send it in, regardless. The 3rd weekend of that month is when I had a revelation as I was talking with my sister. She asked if I had noticed that CHI was beginning to open a new program for Ethiopia. I looked into it and immediately felt that this was right. The needs of the country, the beauty of the children, the cost, the timelines, the short length of stay in country (since I had 3 children at home, this was important to me), and the excitement of being one of the pioneer families for the program were all perfect! So, we switched programs, sent off our homestudy and within one month had our 171-H form (INS clearance) back the same weekend of my birthday and the same weekend that CHI received their licensing for Ethiopia!!!

I got to work on our dossier and made sure to submit that before we left on vacation in June. We were the 3rd or 4th family to submit a dossier. The 1st 2 families, requesting infant boys, and another family, requesting siblings, actually traveled before the courts closed in August. So, we were sure that we were next on the list and would be receiving our referral any time and traveling by October at the latest. Well, that didn't happen. Several other referrals came through, but all for older children or siblings or infant girls. I was excited for all these families. However, I kept waiting for the call.

Finally, it came in October. We received a referral for an infant boy and were thrilled. However, we immediately realized that we were going to struggle to get the necessary funds together for the country/referral fee. Several of our friends gave generously to us and one long-time friend of our family gave us a loan so that we could go ahead and process the referral to get on the list for a court date. God was good, once again! I was believing that He would come through on the funds we owed to them, as well as the money it would take to travel. However, we had one setback in the plan. When our court date came the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, we found out (the day after Thanksgiving) that the court had not ruled in our favor. For reasons I will not go into here, the court could not separate the baby from the birth family. We felt some loss with this news, obviously; but also felt that it was an answered prayer. We believe that the court had ruled righteously in their decision and tried to be at peace in that.

So, we were on hold again. CHI told us there was another infant, but could not give us any specific news yet until they finished the medicals and paperwork for him. We waited one month with no more information. Finally, on Christmas Day, the director of the program called us and gave us the news! She emailed all the medicals, photos and background info. on Ashenafi and we were overjoyed that she would take time out of her holiday to do that for us. God gave us a beautiful Christmas gift! The baby was perfect!

Now, we awaited a January 23 court date. This time everything went beautifully the first time through. Again, the hurdle of the finances came to weigh on us as we contemplated the cost of travel. As we were waiting for our official travel dates, we received a notice from Shoahannah's Hope (Steven Curtis Chapman's adoption-assistance organization). We were awarded a $3,000 grant!!!! (This is something we applied for in the early fall!) God is sooooooo good!!!!! Plus, my husband had a friend give us some money for our trip and a side job that he was working was going to pay exactly what we needed for the hotel/food cost with enough to take some cash with us!

Plus, the thing I'm most excited about...I have been working on a project close to my heart, related to adoption and Ethiopia, for the past several months. I can't reveal what it is quite yet because of confidentiality issues, but be sure that I will be shouting it from the rooftops as soon as it comes to fruition. It has been so exciting. I went to Chicago one weekend and Atlanta another weekend, meeting the people involved and getting things moving along on this production. There has not been one door shut as I've followed my heart in this matter. That is truly something for which I am thankful!

So, now, we are ready to go! Next week, I'll set my face to shopping and packing and making final plans for my 3 children who will still be at home. Then, I'm just going to totally enjoy this experience and immerse myself into the culture of Ethiopia and loving on my baby!

In My Dreams

Last night was the first time I had a dream about the baby. It was so sweet. I was looking all over the church for him and every seat was filled. I finally found him in the back of the sanctuary being held by one of the ushers. When I picked him up I could just feel his little head bury in my neck and the warmth of his body in my arms! I woke up feeling so misty-eyed and ready to go pick up my baby!

I'm actually surprised that I haven't dreamt of him before, because I have a very active dream life and remember one or two a night. For some reason, though, I just hadn't let my heart attach emotionally, I guess. Now, I'm just emotional about it all. Somewhere between crying, panicking, and crying some more, I am totally ready to get on that plane...Now!

(Just so you know, though, my more pragmatic side is saying: "Oh, no, wait, not until the 18th... I really have to use next week to pack and get my house ready to leave!!!")

Seriously...

I'm so emotional about all this. It just feels so official now! We got the call that our embassy appointment is definitely Feb. 21st, so we booked our airfare to leave the 18th (less than 2 weeks away!). Finally, last night, we put the baby bed and changing table up in my son's room. I pulled out some things I had tucked aside for the baby and went through it (realizing that I am totally unprepared!).

For some reason, it is all just now hitting me...we are going to ETHIOPIA and bringing home a BABY!!!! Hello?!?! Did I not realize that before now? I guess, I just kept feeling like this paper pregancy would never end and there was no reason to get my hopes up for anything to actually happen quickly. However, I am thinking it's time to engage and seriously get something ready for this new addition to our family! Seriously, we are leaving the country in 12 days - I have got to go make a list or something. I just wanted to laugh when I read someone's blog the other day, saying that they were leaving in 2 weeks and their bags weighed 40 and 45 lbs...should I being weighing bags already?! I don't have anything in the bags...that's the problem!!!!

I have too many other things to do this week to start all that, anyway. Plus, my husband's to-do list around this house is insanely long. I think I see a few all-nighters coming up... Thank goodness Wal-Mart is open 24 hours!

It's time to get packing

Our household has been hit pretty hard this week. My husband said this is the worst he's ever seen me...it's been miserable! And I was so excited last week to start packing and buying baby clothes, and all that fun stuff; but I've felt so miserable I've barely been able to take care of my poor babies who are sick, too!

So, the antibiotic is beginning to kick in (still not 100%, but definitely better). It's a gorgeous snow day of 8 inches, so all my kids are home. I think it's time to get planning! I'm off to check out what I have stashed away in the closet and then compare that to my packing list. Then, I'll make a very long shopping list, I'm sure! It's going to be fun. I'll probably run out of energy long before any of this is done today, but at least I feel like thinking about it again!