5 Year's Old!!!!!

Ok- I am the worst blogger ever- this is two months late for Davis and one month for SB- but I can't believe they are 5 years old!!!
They had a great birthday- they had a "2 in 1" party. The boys had a 'golf party' playing putt putt at the neighbors (yes, he does have a few putt putt holes in his back yard!) and the girls had a 'spa party' with nail polish galore! Then we all joined together to decorate cookies!
I am so proud to be the parents of these five year olds. They amaze me everyday.

We Passed!

Praise God...we passed court today! The rest of our group had passed Tuesday and Yesterday so Jimmy and I were really hoping today was the day! We are so thrilled to be the parents of this beautiful girl!
We now wait on the documents needed to submit for Embassy. Once we clear embassy, we can make our appointment to go back. The estimate from passsing court to Embassy date is 6-8 weeks...we do know some families that have been more like 4 to 5 so we are hoping for that! We will keep you posted!
Thanks so much for all the prayers. We have felt them.

Waiting

Waiting- yes, several folks have been waiting for me to actually post again! (sorry)I know that some folks wondered why we went from posting Day 1 in Addis to...nothing. After that first post, we were never able to get back onto the blog. I have no idea why it worked so well, and then nothing.
My goal was to post as soon as we got home about the remainder of the trip, but I have been processing it all and honestly not feeling like writing about it. I'm still not sure how to put into words all the emotions of the trip and so...I waited. Most of it will probably never will be written.
I will say that our baby is a beautiful and sweet soul. Holding her brought amazing joy. I also will say that I will be forever changed by my days spent at the Care Center. My heart breaks for all orphans and spending time with so many made that even more of a reality. I pray that God gives our family direction in how to help orphans around the world.
Waiting on MOWA...As most of you now know, we did not pass court while we were there. This does not mean we have to go back for another court appointment, but it does mean we have to wait for a letter from MOWA before we can pass. While still in country, we were told 'no problem' and 'very soon'. I think the real answer is...they don't know. We have now been waiting a week and a half (I'm sure to many that seems not long, to other adoptive parents waiting, they know oh how long that is). We will have to complete this step before we even begin our next step of waiting...to be submitted to the US Embassy.
So here we are...waiting. I knew this would be tough. I knew I would be sad, but I had no idea that in almost every moment of every day I would be thinking of her and hoping to hear good news. That I would dream of her, that I would dream of Ethiopia and the people there.
Don't get me wrong- life here has been in full swing with wonderful moments. I think I am appreciatied even more time spent with Jimmy, Sarah Bess and Davis- I am SO SO blessed to have this awesome family. Just this weekend, we have been in Blowing Rock having a wonderful time with Jimmy's family. We went to Tweetsie yesterday, Sarah Bess and I had a great 'girl' time at Art in the Park with Gaga and Aunt Christy this morning and then Jimmy, Sarah Bess, Davis and I drove the Blue Ridge Parkway to Linville Falls- breathtaking.
And yet- we wait.
I read something yesterday that is giving me comfort today. We are all HIS children. He loves and cares for us more than any earthly parent could ever do. While I can't hold our infant daughter, He is.
This song (Waiting for You by Christy Nockels) continues to give me peace. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55DXPoIhFHs

...I'll try not to be so long in posting next time.

Day 1 in Addis

What a wonderful(and exhausting) day! Jimmy and I got about 4 1/2 hours of sleep, which may not sound like a lot but we both slept really good so that was a good thing. Then we got up and got settled into our room, ate breakfast and then went downstairs to go to the Care Center. Two other families that have a court date with us were already down there waiting (along with two families here for Embassy and their two beautiful boys). The two families already down there have been here a few days so that was nice as they sort of know the 'ropes' so to speak at the Care Center. The last family with our court date came in right as we went downstairs so they dropped their stuff to come along to meet their daughter (straight from 24 hours of flying!)
Jimmy and I were somewhat nervous. We knew this was a totally different experience but memories of China and Davis's initial reaction to us were strong. When we got to the care center, Yared (an employee of our agency), took us to the infant room- and there she was....just as beautiful as her pictures, well...more beautiful. Her hair is starting to grow back in some, and those big beautiful eyes are amazing. She just stares deep into yours like she is processing the whole thing. She was never upset with us, but took a few minutes to study us and try to figure out what we were about. But very quickly she was smiling and interacting with us. (for my slp friends- she loves doing raspberries back and forth but she makes hers with her tongue instead of lips). At one point I even got her giggling and that was enough to steal my heart for sure. She is also very content just to sit on Jimmy's lap and really never fussed at all. We got her way off her schedule so she did cry some when we tried to put her in her crib for nap. She ended up falling asleep on Jimmy's lap and he put her back in the crib- which woke her up and she started to cry. The nanny quickly gave us the look that she could take it from there (in other words, stop messing up our system!). She was still asleep when we left. She was sucking her thumb some today- so we are adding an additional thumb sucker to our family. We went to a great place for dinner beside the Ethiopian Histoy Museum.
I will try to post more about Addis later- I think I will still be processing it all for a while. We are just so happy to have met her, held her and can't wait to go back tomorrow. I still can't post pictures of her, but I can put this precious one of her holding her Daddy's hand.
Thanks for all the prayers you are all sending our way.

We are here!

We are here- it was a long but good trip. We got a few hours of sleep and will be heading out to the orphanage soon. Looking forward to holding this precious girl! We will post more later.

Mother's Day

I am filled with gratitude today...the day to celebrate mothers. There are so many mothers that have blessed my life. Today I am thankful for Brenda and the gift of her wonderful son, Jimmy (who makes me a better mother everyday). I am thankful for Grandma Bessie and her inspirational life. I am thankful for Sudie in ways I could never put into words. And while thankful everyday, today I am especially thankful for two women I will never meet for the blessings of Davis and Gabre Meti. And last but certainly not least, I thank God for the past four and a half years with Sarah Bess, the past two and a half with Davis and look forward to the years to come and the addition of their sister.

COURT DATE!!!!

We have a court date!!! Yes, I am about two weeks late in posting this to our blog (just can't seem to get blog organized yet!) but wanted to document it here anyway. We were originally told we had a court date of May 14th. We were shocked, because it was just 3 weeks away and before some other dates we knew had been given. Once the shock wore off (in about 3 seconds) we were so excited that we were that close to meeting our baby girl. The next day we were told that date was a mistake (who knows why?) and our new date was June 1st. After a day of being sad about a date that 24 hours earlier would have made me super happy, I got over it and returned to joy at our court date. I have to confess the joy is tempered with anxiety over meeting our daughter and then leaving her for an unknown time period, or anytime period for that matter.
We are so thankful for the families traveling to Ethiopia for court date or embassy that send us pictures of our beautiful daughter. We can't believe how much she is growing. We hope we can pass court while there. As soon as we pass we will post pictures. One thing to share is how amazing her eyes are. Sarah Bess says she has eyes like tomatoes... (no, they are not red but I think that is the biggest thing she could think of to describe them). Davis looked at her picture today and said "She sure is growing." in a tone of adoration. Can't wait to have them all home together.