So far what has happened

Okay so my mom said to me the other day " you should start a blog " about our adoption! Well little did she know I had already begun to create this blog! It still isn't EXACTLY how I want it to look yet, but it is getting there so I have decided to share it with everyone now! So first things first WE ARE ADOPTING!!!! Our family is SO very excited and we feel very blessed that God has chosen us to care for and love one of his orphans. God has chosen a girl from Ethiopia for us, although at first we were confused about his signs and thought we were supposed to be in Rwanda :)! He steered us to where we were supposed to really be, and our daughter who is between the ages of 3-5 is there waiting for us! Here is how our journey started.

Jared and I had always talked about adopting one day. We were very blessed to be able to have three healthy biological children of our own, but even after the third I felt in my heart that we were not done yet. Now it was up to God, and myself to show Jared the same! It did not take long! We attended an America World Adoption seminar ( that I promised Jared was just to get information on adoption, which it was ) on August 15th, 2009 . After we left there Jared said ok we need to adopt. While there we both felt this overwhelming sensation that God was giving us a HUGE sign that a child somewhere was waiting for us. Of course we sometimes overlook what God is telling us to do, and although we knew for sure that we would adopt someday, we did not know when that day would be. We thought sometime in the near future, maybe a year or two down the road. God had a different plan for us. Now I had not been pregnant or given birth to my own children since 2004. On August 25th, 2009 I went to the mailbox to get our mail. There was a box inside. I pulled it out and addressed to me was a box of Similac formula! The only other time in my life I have received formula is when I have been pregnant or given birth to one of my three children!I ran inside and called Jared and said I think God is saying now!

We had already decided on America World being our International agency, so we began the process of filling out applications, and completing our Homestudy. Now being self employed is a little tricky when you are trying to adopt. We had to get multiple documentation of our income, along with letters from us, and our accountant. After three months of paperwork, and being on an emotional rollercoaster of whether we would be accepted or not, we got a phone call. On December 4th, 2009 as I was walking through Target I received a phone call from America World saying we had been accepted into the Ethiopia program! Needless to say my cart was abandoned as I ran to my car to call my husband! We were elated, and could not wait to tell the kids that night! We told them at dinner and all three of their mouths dropped to the floor! They were more than excited, and started drawing pictures for her, and setting toys aside for her, and arguing over where she would sleep! We now have a calendar up to mark off everyday that goes by, because as hard as it is for us to wait, it is even harder for them! Our Homestudy was sent to America World on December 24th, and our Family Coordinator just looked it over this past Thursday and got back to our social worker on any changes that needed to be made.

As for now we are in the paper chasing part of our journey. I have heard it can take up to 6 months, but we are determined to be done sooner than that. I have had several very vivid dreams about our daughter since this has started, and know she is waiting. If I could I would have it all done tomorrow so we could go and get her! As soon as we have our paperwork in our Family Coordinator told us it could be between 0-5 months before we get our referral. It seems like FOREVER, but I have to remind myself everyday that God has a plan, and I have to surrender myself to him, and know that it will all come together! I will continue to post updates about our adoption, our family, and how things are going! Thank you for being our friends and family, and supporting us in this journey!