Another New Number

What an amazing day! Our agency gave out 3 referrals yesterday and 6 referrals today - so we are now number ...

How AMAZING is that? The even better news is that the last referral for a girl was given to a couple that ONLY waited 5.5 months! We have been waiting 4.5 months, which means that our referral could be really soon. Our number on the waitlist includes families that are waiting for girls, boys, twins, sibling groups, etc. which means that the wait for girls should be even shorter! WoooHooo!

We're so excited that referrals are coming in and we're elated that we could be getting the most important phone call of our lives very soon. We hope that you're all doing the happy dance with us - if you're not then you should be!

Our New Number

Another great thing to celebrate at our Adoption Benefit on Saturday - we're almost in the twenties. The 20s seem exciting and so much closer to where we long to be...

YEAH for Referrals!

New Number

Our agency hasn't received very many referrals over the last few months because they have been out of DNA/HIV kits in Ethiopia (all children have to be tested before they are referred). We were notified last week that the DNA/HIV kits had arrived in ET and that referrals would be coming very soon and now they're finally here - YEAH FOR REFERRALS! 

Some of you may be wondering how referrals are being given out, since MOWA announced they are cutting back on the number of cases being reviewed? The reason is MOWA is not in charge of giving out referrals. Referrals will continue to come, the change with MOWA will only affect the amount of time it takes for us to pass court and secure an appointment with the U.S. Embassy. The current estimate being tossed around is a year between passing court, passing our embassy interview, and bringing "her" home. 

We are very hopeful that this wait will decrease in the near future but no one really knows if it will really take a full year or not ... please continue to pray for us as we move closer to our referral that things change. The thought of a year passing from the time we embrace our daughter, until we see her for a second time and bring her home is an unbareable thought.       

A Friendly Reminder

Don't you just love when God knows what you need, when you need it, and the best way to deliver it to you?

This week we got the sweetest card and note from a dear friend that we haven't seen in years. The message inside the card couldn't have come at a better time. We really needed these words of encouragement and we thought that maybe some of you could use them too:

Don't wish upon a shining star

or put your trust in another,

but daily place the cares of your heart

in the hands of your Heavenly Father.

For He has heard your prayers

and He knows your heart,

and His answer's a whisper away.

So don't give up, don't doubt His love,

but hold on in faith one more day.

And while you wait, keep your eyes on Jesus.

Let your hope be in Him alone.

Let His Word give you light to encourage your soul

and His Spirit give your heart a home.

When The World Stopped Turning

When you tell folks that you're adopting your first child, most people respond by telling you to cherish your time together while you can because "you'll never be able to get this time back". So that's just what Bret and I did last weekend. We went to Chicago to visit our Aunt Vivi and take in some sights around the city.

The day started out great. When we arrived in Chi-town we ate at one of Bret's favorite restaurants (PotBelly's) and then headed over to the Shedd Aquarium (my first aquarium visit, YEAH!). The whole time we were walking through the aquarium I was focused on all the children just as much as I was on the amazing aquatic life ... it made me sad to see all the families with their beautiful children but I just kept reminding myself that our little girl would be here soon and that one day we would bring her here and that this aching feeling in my heart would soon be a distant memory.

As we left the Aquarium and headed to meet Vivi and some friends for dinner I checked my email on my iPhone (as I obsessively do every Friday, anxiously awaiting our weekly update from our adoption agency). As soon as I read our weekly update, I quickly wished that I hadn't. I froze. The news that I read was nothing that I had expected ... the Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) who oversees adoptions in Ethiopia would be cutting back the number of adoptions it processes to 5 per day starting March 10, 2010. I felt my heart break!

No other news was known at that time and we were left to wonder about the details, until the next update from our adoption agency. That update came this Tuesday and confirmed that the new process was still scheduled to go into effect this week. The update also elaborated on how they think the new cut-backs will affect our adoption process. Referrals will still be given out as normal (MOWA is not in charge of referrals)but what will be affected the most is the amount of time it takes families to pass court ... MOWA is responsible for checking (and double-checking) the adoptive parents paperwork as well as the adoptive child's paperwork.

According to our adoption agency MOWA processes paperwork for 50 adoption cases a day and this will now be reduced to 5 adoption cases a day. Because of this, our agency believes that the wait time between our court date and our embassy appointment is what will be affected the most (could be up to a year between court and embassy) ... meaning that our adoption process just got a whole lot longer. Everyone is on their knees praying and hoping that this is a temporary change but no one knows for sure.

We really haven't known how to react to the news, so we've been holding off telling our family and friends. After much thought and consideration we've decided that not sharing the news is a selfish thing to do, because orphans in Ethiopia need your prayers; families adopting from Ethiopia need your prayers; MOWA and the Ethiopian Government need your prayers; and to be honest we really need your prayers!

In addition to praying, one of the most important ways you can help us is by signing the petition listed below. I spoke with our adoption counselor today and she said that the 11,000 signatures that were collected in 24 hours were presented to the decision makers in Ethiopia today. So, you can see that your signatures really do make a difference and hopefully will help MOWA change their minds and reverse their decision ...

Joint Council: Emergency Campaign for Ethiopian Children 

Sign the petition to the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Meles Zenawi – and pass it on!

Have you adopted from Ethiopia?  Please send us up to 3 photos and 50 words or less with what you would like the Ministry to know about your child – we’ll compile the information and send a book to the Ministry of Woman’s Affairs.  Send your photos and stories to advocate@jointcouncil.orgby Sunday, March 12, 2011 to be included.  Please note that sending photos and stories gives Joint Council unrestricted right to use the information you provide.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. Our journey just got longer but we are not giving up!

Meet Naomi

 

In case you were wondering Naomi's head rests on a swivel holding clamp that fits securely to our kitchen counter - this makes practicing so much easier.


I refuse to be the Mom that keeps her daughter's hair short simply because she can't manage it and chooses not to invest the time to learn how. I remember how important my hair was to me when I was a little girl (and sad to say still is) ... I want to honor my daughter by making her feel beautiful both inside and out. It may sound superficial but one way I plan to do this is by mastering the art of African America hair.

That's where Naomi comes in. Her hair is 100% African American hair that can be washed, styled, and used as a product test lab ... I'm aware that our daughter's hair texture may be the complete opposite of Naomi's but it's a start and a place for me to perfect my mad braiding skills {sarcasm} while we wait for our referral. I can't wait to get started ... if you see me with cramped up fingers in the coming weeks you'll know why.