Waiting

I feel like I should update but there really isn't anything to say. We are still waiting. Another week is almost over and we don't know anything new. I'm actually feeling pretty peaceful about it this week and I'm thankful for that - sometimes the peace and patience are hard to come by in this process. :)

We are planning to send Emmarie another care package in November and perhaps that will come with some more pictures and an update. In the mean time, we pray for her all the time, pray for the process, and keep working towards the financial end of things. We have a great support network of waiting parents on facebook and that is a blessing. Maybe next week will be the week for our LOA! After that, it will still be 8-12 weeks before we travel.

The boys are excited to have her home and so are we - it feels very disjointed to have a member of our family so very far away! We love her and that love just keeps growing through this process. 

Quick Update

Today marks day 42 of our wait for our Letter of Approval (LOA). Thankfully, the last two weeks have gone quickly. I'm really not sure when we will receive it - I'm praying that it will be soon but the averages seem long lately (70-90) days. It will feel like a small amount of time in the grand scheme of things but for now, it drags. We pray for Emmarie regularly - for her health and safety and protection. Our hearts long to have her here.

In the mean time, I'm slowly starting to gather the things we will need for a toddler girl. I'm having a little bit of a hard time wrapping my mind around the girl-thing but it's fun! I'm also working on packing lists and completely forgot how challenging it is to pack for an international adoption. :) My goal is to gradually add things from the list to my shopping trips in preparation for the great packing of 2013.

We also had to re-do the boys' bathroom. It's been on the to-do list for awhile and must be completed before Emmarie comes home. We are do-it-yourself-ers which is good, I guess. Anyway, it's in progress and I can't wait until it's finished.

We have seen God's provision in some amazing ways...things like discovering that our HSA will cover the major dental work Andrew has to have done. We didn't know exactly how much was in the account (his employer contributes and we hadn't checked for awhile) and are rejoicing that it should cover the whole bill and then some. What a blessing.

We continue to trust Him on the timing and on the finances for this journey. One day at a time, one step at a time, on job at a time. He has been incredibly faithful during this faith-building, humbling time in our lives. Please know how thankful we are to each of you who have given us your prayers, time, donation, and finances - we are truly grateful.

Six

Tomorrow (October 4) marks SIX years since we first officially grew our family - we stood before a judge in Kazakhstan and testified that we wanted Calvin and Patrick to be our sons. And thus our forever family began. In November 2008, we again stood before a judge and testified that we wanted to Titus to be our son. In January (hopefully!), it will be a different procedure but we will, Lord willing, be adding Emmarie to our forever family.

How thankful I am that God chose me to be their mama. No, not their first mama - she gave them life - but the mama who gets to see them grow and change and learn to live life. I am blessed - blessed beyond measure. I think about Emmarie every day and I love hearing the boys pray for her and talk about her. This journey is SO worth it. I love adoption.

OOT

After being SO uptight (okay, I was uptight) about not hearing the same news that pretty much everyone with our timeline was hearing and after feeling very discouraged since China will be on holiday this week...we got an e-mail. We were out of translation (OOT) on Friday. Thank you, Lord. Next step - Letter of Approval (LOA) - still a ways out but hopefully sooner than we expect!

Emmarie - we love you! This wait is bringing out the mama bear in me. :)