Please join us in praising God for this good and perfect gift!
12/15/09 - Still Waiting
We received another call from Nicole saying it could be another two weeks before the number is corrected and we officially pass court but that they (America World) are being persistent in dealing with the orphanage to get the number changed!
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. - Psalm 27:14
Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. - Psalm 27:14
Mom and Dad's Dresser Drawers
We have had a nine dresser drawer in our playing growing up ever since I was a little girl. Many, many, many years ago, my Dad painted it and stenciled our three kids names on it. Since then spouses have been added and then grandchildren. After we received our referral in October, I thought, now two new names can go on the dresser. They were there about two weeks until I noticed them!!
(us: Amy and Mike and John and Ryan, my brother Donny and his two girls Samantha and Maddy, and my sister Sarah and her husband Ken)
(us: Amy and Mike and John and Ryan, my brother Donny and his two girls Samantha and Maddy, and my sister Sarah and her husband Ken)
The Waiting Place
"You get so confused that you'll start in to race, down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace, and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place. The Waiting Place...for people just waiting. Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting." Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss
Nicole, our Family Coordinator from America World, called Friday to say there was no new news in regard to our court case. We totally appreciated the call but find ourselves in a not so fun waiting place:
* for the number to be changed on the piece of paper that will allow us to pass court and the boys to be legally ours which will lead to tentative travel dates
* a new I171-H form which would mean our age range increase has been approved - this will lead to waiting for the form to be forwarded to the National Visa Center which will lead to waiting for the information to be forwarded to the Ethiopian Embassy in Addis Ababa which will lead to concrete travel dates
Nicole, our Family Coordinator from America World, called Friday to say there was no new news in regard to our court case. We totally appreciated the call but find ourselves in a not so fun waiting place:
* for the number to be changed on the piece of paper that will allow us to pass court and the boys to be legally ours which will lead to tentative travel dates
* a new I171-H form which would mean our age range increase has been approved - this will lead to waiting for the form to be forwarded to the National Visa Center which will lead to waiting for the information to be forwarded to the Ethiopian Embassy in Addis Ababa which will lead to concrete travel dates
Add this to the uncertainty of life and international adoption, and we are working hard to stay joyful!
I will wait for the LORD, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will put my trust in him. Here am I, and the children the LORD has given me. We are signs and symbols in Israel from the LORD Almighty, who dwells on Mount Zion. Isaiah 8:17-18The Boys Christmas Tree
We enjoyed decorating the boys Christmas tree last week. We set aside all the fun, kid like ornaments to use for their tree. And we talked about how next year there would be two little boys putting the ornaments on and how they would probably all be in one spot!!
We love the angel we found at Hobby Lobby last year (which was 50% off!):
This ornament we bought in Galena before we had even attended the America World seminar and knew anything about adopting from Ethiopia! We also didn't even notice the color of Mary, Joseph, and the angel. Can you say total God thing!!
Amy's favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are and this was a gift last year:
Amy had this Fisher Price toy when she was little. And the door on the ornament moos just like the toy:
Mike contributed this ornament to the tree, from the classic Grinch movie, his heart is a hologram that grows:
A gift from one of Amy's college friends, who doesn't love the Cat in the Hat:
Every child's favorite book and always the most popular checked out book at the library:
We love the angel we found at Hobby Lobby last year (which was 50% off!):
This ornament we bought in Galena before we had even attended the America World seminar and knew anything about adopting from Ethiopia! We also didn't even notice the color of Mary, Joseph, and the angel. Can you say total God thing!!
Amy's favorite book is Where the Wild Things Are and this was a gift last year:
Amy had this Fisher Price toy when she was little. And the door on the ornament moos just like the toy:
Mike contributed this ornament to the tree, from the classic Grinch movie, his heart is a hologram that grows:
A gift from one of Amy's college friends, who doesn't love the Cat in the Hat:
Every child's favorite book and always the most popular checked out book at the library:
Can't wait until the boys are familiar with all these stories and toys!!
New Staff at the Transition House
Our boys are presently living at the Transition House run by our international agency America World. America World has recently added some new staff to the facility and we feel SO BLESSED and EXCITED by the additions! Click on the link after each to learn more from our agencies blog!
A Peditrician
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/new-staff-at-the-america-world-ethiopia-transition-home.html
A Child Developemental Psycologist to help children with the transition into new families
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/meet-our-new-psychologist-fikerte-addis.html
A Teacher to work with children ages 3 and up
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/meet-our-new-transitional-home-educational-director.html
A Peditrician
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/new-staff-at-the-america-world-ethiopia-transition-home.html
A Child Developemental Psycologist to help children with the transition into new families
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/meet-our-new-psychologist-fikerte-addis.html
A Teacher to work with children ages 3 and up
http://www.awaablog.org/blog/2009/11/meet-our-new-transitional-home-educational-director.html
12/10/09 - Care Package Updates
So the 100th post is about loving on the boys - awesome!
We received pictures and personal observations from the first care package arriving. They were FANTASTIC!!! They were only about Ryan as John was out at a doctor's appointment, but we're soooo grateful to have them. They family traveling and thus bringing our care packages to the boys observed several things about Ryan: he runs and walks normally, cries appropriately, seems to hear normally, and knows the difference between strangers and his nanny/care giver (that alone is great as it shows he has the ability to bond!). We got some pictures of our little guy but he was very wary of the whole process which is understandable! He was loved on and prayed over which comforts this Mommy's heart. And to look at a picture of a package that I wrote Ryan's name on and see my handwriting and know it's in Ethiopia with our son - WOW!!
The second care package should have been given to the boys this week so we should hear how that went/get pictures next week or the week after. Again, we are so grateful to a family from Oklahoma for loving on our boys!!
Our third care package arrived in Ohio today and will be leaving with a family heading to Ethiopia on December 19th! Included were a photo album containing number, color, and shape pictures of items around the house as well as pictures showing how to play the bowling and golf game included, a bag of gummy bears, 2 Fruit by the Foots, a bus and truck board book with wheels, parachute animals, windup walking plastic snowmen, and two pairs of fun fuzzy slipper socks. The ice cream bubbles pictured didn't fit. Gotta love Dollar Tree and the dollar section at Super Walmart. I hope the boys do!!
We received pictures and personal observations from the first care package arriving. They were FANTASTIC!!! They were only about Ryan as John was out at a doctor's appointment, but we're soooo grateful to have them. They family traveling and thus bringing our care packages to the boys observed several things about Ryan: he runs and walks normally, cries appropriately, seems to hear normally, and knows the difference between strangers and his nanny/care giver (that alone is great as it shows he has the ability to bond!). We got some pictures of our little guy but he was very wary of the whole process which is understandable! He was loved on and prayed over which comforts this Mommy's heart. And to look at a picture of a package that I wrote Ryan's name on and see my handwriting and know it's in Ethiopia with our son - WOW!!
The second care package should have been given to the boys this week so we should hear how that went/get pictures next week or the week after. Again, we are so grateful to a family from Oklahoma for loving on our boys!!
Our third care package arrived in Ohio today and will be leaving with a family heading to Ethiopia on December 19th! Included were a photo album containing number, color, and shape pictures of items around the house as well as pictures showing how to play the bowling and golf game included, a bag of gummy bears, 2 Fruit by the Foots, a bus and truck board book with wheels, parachute animals, windup walking plastic snowmen, and two pairs of fun fuzzy slipper socks. The ice cream bubbles pictured didn't fit. Gotta love Dollar Tree and the dollar section at Super Walmart. I hope the boys do!!
12/02/09 - Court
Well the good news is we didn't fail court!! The not as good news is that we didn't quite pass either!
Paperwork was presented to the judge which listed six children's cases. In reality, there were nine children's cases being presented to her. So the number needs to be switched on the paperwork. The judge didn't even reschedule another court date (which is great!), so that means as soon as the number gets changed and she receives the corrected paper, the boys should legally be ours! Our agency thinks this will happen next week... so we wait a little longer!
PRAISE: Praise God we didn't fail!! Or weren't assigned another court date a month from now!! And that everything on our end looked good!!
PRAYER: Please pray for speed and efficiency in correcting the paperwork error. Please pray for enough daily grace for us as we wait just a little longer. Also please pray for federal (USCIS) approval of our increased age range paperwork. We are expecting/hoping to receive our updated form (I171-H) in the mail next week or the week after.
Paperwork was presented to the judge which listed six children's cases. In reality, there were nine children's cases being presented to her. So the number needs to be switched on the paperwork. The judge didn't even reschedule another court date (which is great!), so that means as soon as the number gets changed and she receives the corrected paper, the boys should legally be ours! Our agency thinks this will happen next week... so we wait a little longer!
PRAISE: Praise God we didn't fail!! Or weren't assigned another court date a month from now!! And that everything on our end looked good!!
PRAYER: Please pray for speed and efficiency in correcting the paperwork error. Please pray for enough daily grace for us as we wait just a little longer. Also please pray for federal (USCIS) approval of our increased age range paperwork. We are expecting/hoping to receive our updated form (I171-H) in the mail next week or the week after.
12/01/09 - My Verses for Today
While we are sleeping tonight, courts will open in Ethiopia. A judge will look at our case and decide if everything is in order. We will either pass and the boys will legally become ours or we will not pass, our agency will fix what ever did not go well, and we will be assigned another court date.
"Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:2
"Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding." Proverbs 3:5
"Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4
"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1
"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." Hebrews 12:2
11/25/09 - November Update
Each month, until we pass court, our agency will send us updates about the boys: general health updates, eating/health issues, development/physical assessments, personality notes, answers to our five questions, and best of all, NEW PICTURES!
I am able to share some of the details:
* Both boys have gained weight and our youngest, Ryan, has gained five pounds - praise God!
* Ryan is getting over the chicken pox - our poor baby!
* Both boys like eating pasta, macaroni, rice, injera (Ethiopian flat, circular bread, looks like a giant tortilla, meats/soups are served on it), bread, vegetables, meat, eggs, and fruit - hopefully they will like all these things American style!
* Both are running, jumping, and hopping. They also sing the ABCs after the nannies!
* We are told John likes to play with cars (yeah, as friends are giving us their two sons' matchbox car collection after we get home!) and Ryan likes children's music (not a problem! We have lots of CDs and musical instruments, including a piano!).
We learned their reaction to learning about us: "We [the nannies at the Transition House where the boys are in Addis Ababa] think they understand being adopted because they have seen their friends leaving with their adoptive families and when one of the nannies explained this in their language [John] smiled! (We so hope they were smiling when they saw pictures of us in their care packages!!!) We also learned that they speak Welayta, a language common to southern Ethiopia, and can understand some common Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, words.
We didn't expect the update to come until next Monday, the last day of the month! What a TREMENDOUS BLESSING it was to receive it today!!!!
I am able to share some of the details:
* Both boys have gained weight and our youngest, Ryan, has gained five pounds - praise God!
* Ryan is getting over the chicken pox - our poor baby!
* Both boys like eating pasta, macaroni, rice, injera (Ethiopian flat, circular bread, looks like a giant tortilla, meats/soups are served on it), bread, vegetables, meat, eggs, and fruit - hopefully they will like all these things American style!
* Both are running, jumping, and hopping. They also sing the ABCs after the nannies!
* We are told John likes to play with cars (yeah, as friends are giving us their two sons' matchbox car collection after we get home!) and Ryan likes children's music (not a problem! We have lots of CDs and musical instruments, including a piano!).
We learned their reaction to learning about us: "We [the nannies at the Transition House where the boys are in Addis Ababa] think they understand being adopted because they have seen their friends leaving with their adoptive families and when one of the nannies explained this in their language [John] smiled! (We so hope they were smiling when they saw pictures of us in their care packages!!!) We also learned that they speak Welayta, a language common to southern Ethiopia, and can understand some common Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia, words.
We didn't expect the update to come until next Monday, the last day of the month! What a TREMENDOUS BLESSING it was to receive it today!!!!
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