Up to #15

Yeah! Today we moved up to #15 on the list. A couple that was on all the lists accepted a referral for 4 month old twin boys. We've moved up twice in one week. Keep it coming!

Sweet Sixteen!

Today they announced that couple #1 has accepted a little baby girl and everybody on the list moves up! I read on my yahoo blog that the baby is only 3 weeks old. The young couple is so excited.

Here's how it works. When we get to number one, we wait patiently (NOT) for our phone call from the agency. They call and say you have a baby! They send you at least one picture and sometimes two or three and try to give you as much information as they can. There will be a doctor's report and the test results for the major diseases like HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and hepatitis. They also give an evaluation on the developmental milestones of the child and how that compares to other children. This would be if she's rolling over, sitting up, crawling, and things like that. Then there is any history of the child. Sometimes they know the parents have passed away and the family could not afford to feed them. Sometimes the child is abandoned at the orphanage and they don't even know a name or birth date.

After your receive all the information (and do the happy dance) then you have two weeks to have a doctor look over the data. It is possible to say no and the child will be offered to the next couple on the list. When you say yes, they schedule your court date. You don't even have to be there for your court date for them to declare the child is yours! They have a man named Abebe that takes care of everything. Once you pass, it takes 2-3 months for all the birth certificates, visas, and embassy appointments to be arranged and you can go travel to pick up your little darling. We will spend about a week in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia visiting her orphanages and talking to the ladies that take care of her.

So, that is what we are looking forward to. We are celebrating our first move up the list, but already checking the website daily waiting for another jump.

Why Adopt?

Many have asked us why we are adopting. Sometimes we would even get a raised eyebrow from those who don't understand why anybody would go through the expense, mound of paperwork, and roller coaster ride of emotions. I think it all started several years ago when my boss went to Russia to take shoes to the orphanages. She came back with lots of stories that made my heart ache. I guess I have lived a very sheltered life and hadn't spent much time thinking about what life would be like if I wasn't born American and with a loving family. My eyes were opened and I haven't stopped thinking about it. A few months ago, Mike and I were sitting at our favorite Mexican restaurant and trying to decide if we should have another child or adopt. As you know, all important decisions are made at Lupe's in front of a plate of nachos :) We knew we would love the child the same wherever she came from. Mike suggested we go for it and here we are. We are very excited about our future and can't wait to go to Africa to meet our newest member of the family.

There are going to be lots of bumps in the road with any international adoption. Please keep us in your prayers that everything goes as smooth as possible. And most importantly, please keep our little girl in your prayers...wherever she might be. She might still be in her mother's belly or she could already be in an orphanage. I don't know what sad event will cause her to be adoptable, but please ask God to watch out for her.

Bud, Egg Roll, and ???

When I was pregnant with Adrian, she was shy and we couldn't even tell if she was a boy or a girl. So, we called her Bud. (That was also the name of our cat and our fish).

When I was pregnant with Cole, we didn't decide his name until the day he was born. So, Adrian and her friends decided to call him Egg Roll.

Now we have the delimma of nicknaming the new little girl. Our agency guesses that it will be between 6-7 months before we receive our referral and find out any information. So, we need a name to call her in the meantime. Any suggestions??

Lucy Lane's Gotcha Day

Here is a beautiful family that has adopted a precious little girl from Ethiopia. Her video has been watched thousands of times and has made a large effort to encourage other couples to adopt orphans in need. When we were only thinking about adoption, I showed this video to my twelve year old daughter. All she could say for five minutes was "order one now!" We hope our child is half as cute as Lucy Lane. Be sure to grab a box of kleenex before you watch!

#17 on the baby girl list

Today we are officially on the waiting list for International Adoption Net. When you mail the dossier that will go to Ethiopia, they put you on a list according to what gender and age of child you would like to adopt. Of course, our category has the longest wait. But it will be soooo worth it! We can check the IAN website every day (or 563 times a day) to see if the list moves up. Pink bows, here we come :)