Finally!!!!

The day that I have dreamt about for so long has now come to life!  The call that I have prayed for has come!  The news that I have longingly needed to hear has been heard!  Here's how it happened:

I was on my way home from a meeting a church and my phone rings (mind you I have been stalking my email and facebook to see if anyone of my adoptive friends have heard anything).  I see that the number is and Indiana number and so my heart begins to pound.  I begin to think "Could this be it? The call I have dreamed about getting?"  I answer the phone with an enthusiastic "HELLO!"  "Brittany, are you ready to go to Ethiopia?" asks a very familiar and sweet voice.  "Yes I am!  Do you have a date for us!!!!"  "Well, I don't have a date yet, but you have been cleared to travel.  I will have travel dates for you tomorrow." The biggest wave of excitement surged through me!  I honestly can't believe it!!  I could be on a plane in just a few days to go get my baby! So, I guess I better go and get my bags packed ;)

A Much Needed Getaway!

This past week Will, Liam and I went to Texas for a much needed break!  Will's brother, JT, lives in Fort Worth, Texas where he goes to school.  He has been wanting us to come down to visit and have Will preach at his church.  We had planned to go back in November, but the timing just wasn't good, so we postponed our trip.  So, a couple of weeks ago we worked it out and the timing couldn't have been better!  I know I've said this before, but I have to say it again....God is so good at providing what we need at the exact moment we need it!

So, last Thursday we packed up and headed out.  We drove for about 7 hours and stopped in Hot Springs, Arkansas for the night.  Friday morning we woke up and headed to the Lonestar state.  When we got there we met up with JT and grabbed some lunch and then went to the Stockyards.  The Stockyards are modeled after the old west, so the streets are brick and everything is very western.  They even have a cattle drive and drive the Texas Longhorns right down the middle of the street.

Liam in his new boots :) And you better believe, I had mine on :)

The Cattle Drive

Texas Longhorn!

On Saturday, we went to The Fort Worth Museum of Science and History.  It sounds boring, but it was so much fun.  It was geared toward kids, but I think it was more fun for us adults ;)  The annual stock show was also going on, so we got to go to that as well.  That was neat, it really showed me what a city girl I am! 

Will, Liam and I in a 3D movie at the museum.

Liam and his creation.  He was so proud :)

Will and JT's creation.  They were so proud :)

The Stock Show

A couple of the many animals we saw at the stock show

Sunday was a great day spent in the house of the Lord, with JT and some new friends.  Will preached both services at JT's church and we spent the afternoon with JT, his pastor and his family.  They were wonderful and we truly appreciate them opening their home to us and being so hospitable.

On Monday, we went to the Fort Worth zoo.  It's ranked top 5 in the nation and we quickly found out why!  It was awesome.  The animals were all so close and you could see all of the animals.  I hate it when you go to the zoo and the animals are hiding.  At the Fort Worth zoo they had the exhibits set up to where the animals couldn't hide.  The gorillas were by far our favorite.  You'll see why in the pictures.

The gorillas put on a show for us.  And the one in the last picture kept mooning us.  Hilarious!

JT getting mooned.

One last pic of the zoo.  Simply beautiful!

Monday night, we went to a Dallas Stars hockey game.  That was tons of fun.  Not only was it Liam's first professional hockey game, but the Stars won!

Tuesday, we went to one of JT's professors Stewardship exhibit/museum.  It was very interesting to see all the history of church stewardship.  He has collected everything from art to old offering plates and books. After lunch with JT and his professor, we started our long journey home.  We hated to leave, but we were refreshed and ready to get back to our calling.  Thanks JT for being such a great host!

Tired?

Are you tired?  Tired of this, tired of that?  Tired of the same ol' same ol', everyday life?  Tired of being stressed?  Tired of worrying about what the future holds?  Tired of wondering when things will get better?
I'm not gonna lie, I AM TIRED!!!  I am tired of waiting.  Tired of checking my email all day everyday hoping to hear when we get to go pick up our sweet little boy.  I'm tired of getting my hopes up every time the phone rings or every time I have a new message in my inbox.  I'm tired of feeling like I'm always at the mercy of someone else.  Tired of constantly wondering how much longer. 

I hate to sound negative, but I want this blog to be real.  About our real life, the good, the bad and the ugly.  And this is just where I'm at at the moment.  We knew going into our adoption that waiting was part of it, and I know that when the wait is over it will be well worth it.  It's just that in the midst of the wait it feels excruciatingly long, like it's never going to end.
As I was praying through all of these emotions today God brought Matthew 11:28 to mind.  It says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  God promises rest to those to come to him.  And you better believe I went running.  There is no greater feeling than to give a heavy load to the Lord!  I pray that if you are weary and burdened that you will go lay it all at his feet, and receive rest!!

OUR TRIP

WOW!!! It has been a long time since my last post and a LOT has happened since that post.  I will give you a short version of all of the happening in our household since......
On October 18, 2010, we received a court date for December 8th.  Honestly, we were pretty disappointed because we were hoping to be making our second trip around that time.  But, we just trusted that God had everything under control and stayed busy with everyday life.  I will say though, that the time passed quickly, especially with Halloween and Thanksgiving thrown in there.  We also received two other updates before our first trip.

On December 5, 2010 Will and I left for Ethiopia.  We flew from Nashville to Washington DC and from DC to Ethiopia with a stop in Rome to refuel.  That day was a very emotional day for me.  I was torn between two very different worlds, each world with one of my babies.  It was very hard to leave Liam.  To think that we were going to be so far away and couldn't make a quick trip back if we had to made me sick to my stomach.  But, I had to keep reminding myself that God had it all under control and it was all going to be ok.  On the other hand, I was sooooo excited meet our precious Tytus.  Just to think that we were days away from something I never thought would happen took my breath away.  Those things combined with a very LONG day of travel, airports and airplanes made me weepy.  And can I just say that God is sooooo good!  He provided people all along our trip to encourage us and to connect with.  He even put an Ethiopian couple who are also adopting in our path, which was very helpful when we landed in Africa.
We arrived in Ethiopia around 8:30pm Ethiopian time on Monday, December 6, 2010.  Once we got our visas, luggage and money exchanged we headed to our guesthouse.  When we arrived, it was pretty quiet.  Everyone was already in bed.  We had a bowl of soup (our first taste of Ethiopian cooking, and it was delicious) and went to bed.
On Tuesday, after an awesome breakfast of pancakes and meeting the awesome families that we were going to spend the week with, we went to meet Tytus!  WOW!  What a moment!  Words just can't even describe it!  It was soooo surreal to be actually holding the child that we had come to know through pictures and email updates.  Like I said, I honestly thought that this day would never come.  After about an hour and a half of visiting with Tytus (which included feeding him lunch), we had to leave.  We then went to lunch and went back to our agency office for court training.  After court training we went to a couple of shops to do some shopping.  Dinner that night was a traditional Ethiopian meal. It was interesting, but I tried everything that was on the tray that was not spicy.  And believe it or not, I actually liked a few things.

 The Restaurant

 Will and I at the traditional Ethiopian meal

 Traditional Ethiopian Food

    They even served POPCORN!  Nothing bridges the culture gap like popcorn!

Wednesday was court day!  After an even more amazing breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls we headed off to the courthouse.  I was soooo nervous because I have never been to court before, let alone court in another country.  Thankfully we had training on what to expect.  When it was finally our turn, we were called into the judge's office.  She asked us a few questions, signed the papers and said, "He's yours."  Wow!  What powerful words!!!!  There were 6 couples that went to court and we all passed, so we went to a cafe down the street from the courthouse for a celebratory mocha.  Now, I'm not a coffee drinker, but that mocha was amazing.  Maybe it tasted so good because of what it followed :)

 Celebratory Mocha

Will and I after court

Thursday, *SIGH* our last day.....We had an awesome morning!!!  We got to spend several hours with Tytus.  We played most of time as well as feed him lunch.  I also rocked him to sleep.  When it was time to leave, I took him up to his bed.  I didn't cry too much when we left because I knew that he was in such good hands.  We were able to see the care he was getting first hand and had complete confidence that the nannies love our boy.  It wasn't until we got back to the agency office that I lost it.  They sent Will and I up to a meeting room to wait on the others to get there.  When we walk into the room it was full of families who were all taking their babies home.  That was a slap in the face to me and I just lost it. 

Once the other families got there we went to lunch and then did some more shopping.  After our shopping excursion we went back to our guesthouse to eat and get our things to begin our journey home.  Leaving was very bittersweet.  We had not only met our little Tytus, but we had made some really good friends along the way and fallen in love with Africa.  But we were also excited to get home to sweet Liam.

Goodbye Tytus....Until we meet again

Since our trip we have had lots of things going on.  Mainly staying busy with things at church and preparing for the celebration of Jesus's birthday.  Add in the New Year and that pretty much brings us to the present.  

I truly apologize that this post was so long, but it has been a long time since my last post.......   

LIVE AND ENJOY THE NOW!!!

I'm not a very patient person.  Through this adoption process, God is teaching me to be patient.  The adoption process is essentially a series of waiting periods.  Waiting while gathering your paperwork, waiting while your paperwork is translated, waiting for a referral,  and in our case waiting on test results, waiting for a court date, waiting for travel dates, waiting for birth certificate, and finally waiting for second travel dates!!!!  Waiting, waiting, waiting!!!  And in this time of waiting (and time of learning patients) I am also learning that I need to slow down and live and enjoy the now.  I can always remember my mom saying, "Don't wish your life away!".  I thought that was one of the silliest sayings I had ever heard.  But now that I am older and in this waiting process, I get it!  I totally get the fact that today is something I can never get back. 

The song that is playing is called "Blink" by Revive.  This song makes me cry every time I hear it because it reminds me of just how quickly life goes by and how fragile life is.  It reminds me that I need to enjoy every moment, even those moments that I get frustrated, angry, upset, tired, and yes, even those moments of a four year old temper tantrum.  And I hate the thought of looking back and wishing that I took more time to enjoy life, especially life while my kids are little!

The words to this song are so powerful.  I hope that you will not just read the words or hear the words, but that you will actually take the words to heart.  The lyrics go like this:

Teach me to number my days
And count every moment before it slips away Taking all the colors before they fade to gray I don't want to miss even just a second more of this
It happens in a blink
It happens in a flash
It happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight, but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink When it's all said and done
No one remembers how far we have run
The only thing that matters is how we have loved I don't want to miss even just a second more of this

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink

Slow down, slow down
Before today becomes our yesterday
Slow down, slow down
Before you turn around and it's too late

It happens in a blink
it happens in a flash
it happens in the time it takes to look back I try to hold on tight but there's no stopping time What is it I've done with my life It happens in a blink

This song has totally changed the way I view my day!  I hope it changes your too! 

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

So, on October 22nd, 2009 we made the decision to pursue an African adoption.  And that very night, we called our social worker and told her that we had made our decision and that we wanted to get started as soon as possible.  We had another meeting with our social worker in November to update our homestudy and completed some training.  During this time, we also applied to Families Thru International Adoption/FTIA (our placement agency).  On December 29, 2009 our homestudy for International adoption was completed.

Over the next several months we gathered paper work for our dossier (a large chunk of papers about our family which includes employment letters, bank letters, tax information, photos, etc........).  And finally on March 22, 2010 (what would have been one of my sweet grandmothers birthday), after what seemed like an eternity we competed the paper chase and turned in our dossier to FTIA.  That was one of the greatest feelings ever, to know that all the paper work was done and the first part of the process was completed.  Total relief! 

On March 26, 2010 our dossier was sent to Ethiopia to be translated and reviewed.  The wait officially began!  We were told that our wait would be between 0 and 6 months.  During this time, we completed more training and did lots of praying! 

Four and a half months into our wait, we got THE CALL!!!!!  On August 6, 2010 we get the call that we have been matched with a little boy!!!  Salome (our social worker at FTIA) gave me a little information about him and sent us an email with his medical info and picture.  She told us his African name, his age (8 months),  and his date of birth (November 15th).  I called Will to tell him to come home and all I could do was cry. His first words when he heard me crying was, "Did we get the call?"  Through the tears I was able to give him the information that Salome gave me.  I tell him to get home quickly, safely, but quickly!

He gets home and we open the email and seeing his face for the first time was love at first sight!  We were speechless!  This was the moment that I have dreamed of for sooo long!  All I could do was stare at that sweet face!  And you know, God has such a sense of humor because at lunch that very same day, I looked at Will and told him that the wait was getting harder and that I didn't think that we were EVER going to get the call.  It seemed like everyone else in the Ethiopia group was getting referrals and travel dates and I felt so left out!  I know that God chuckled because He knew what was going to happen.  His timing is impeccable!!!  Once Liam woke up from his nap, we showed him the picture of his little brother and we let him name pick his name (we had two named that we couldn't decide between, so we let Liam choose from those two names.)  He was all smiles and so very proud :D

On August 11, 2010 we took our referral acceptance paperwork to FTIA!  We also heard from the medical specialist that we sent his medical records to.  The specialist said that he looks pretty healthy based on the information that was sent to us.  She was however, concerned with the measurements of his head.  She feels that his head has grown too rapidly.   So, she suggested that we order a CT Scan to get a better idea of what's going on.  This was something that was very hard to hear.  It was hard because not only do we want him to be healthy, but if our baby is sick, we want to be with him. And now he has to have a CT Scan and mommy and daddy are all the way across the world.  That's where faith comes in...

So, on August 25, 2010 the CT Scan was requested.  And our acceptance paperwork was sent to Ethiopia on August 27th.

Which brings us to today, August 30th.  Waiting, again........waiting to hear the results of Tytus' CT Scan, waiting to hear when he will be transferred from the orphanage to the transition home where he will stay until he comes home and waiting for a court date which will be our first travel dates.   We're hoping to hear about his CT Scan within the next day or two as well as when he will be moved.  We probably won't hear about a court date until their court system re-opens in late September.  We're hoping to make our first trip mid October and hoping that we will have him home by Christmas!  So, stay tuned, there's lots more to come!

                                          THE JOURNEY BEGINS

Before I started this blog, I asked several people for suggestions on what I should write about.  Almost everyone I asked told me that they wanted to know about our adoption journey.  And our adoption journey is definitely something that I want to share.  I pray that our journey sheds some light on adoption and inspires you to pray about adding a precious child to your family by the way of adoption.  Our journey is somewhat long, so I will split it into two post because it is quite lengthy. 

Our adoption journey began long before Will and I got married.  When Will and I began discussing marriage, family, and the future, both of us began to feel God's call to adoption.  So, in January 2009 we made the call that began the journey to bring Tytus into our family.  Over the next several months we completed paperwork, had both individual and family meeting with a social worker and completed required adoption training.  And in March of 2009, our homestudy was completed for a domestic adoption. 

Over the next few months we had a few leads on possible adoption opportunities, but nothing ever worked out.  In August 2009, we got a call from our social worker saying that there was a birth mother looking to place her baby for adoption upon delivery around the first of September.  So, we begin planning and preparing for the arrival of our second child. 

On, September 5th, 2009 (Labor Day Weekend), we get the call that our child has been born and that it is a girl!  So, we cut our visit with family short and headed home to meet our precious little girl.  And that night, we met Lynlee Faith for the first time. 

Two days later we were on our way to the hospital to bring our little Lynlee home when we got a call from our social worker telling us that the birth mother had changed her mind and that she was taking her home with her.  WOW, you talk about devastating.  We felt like our hearts had been ripped out.  But, you know God is good and we knew that He had something else in store for our family.  We also knew that if Lynlee was suppose to be a part of our family, then He would bring her back into our lives.  And He did just that, two days after we were suppose to bring her home from the hospital, we get another call stating that the birth mother changed her mind again.  Our social worker wanted to know if we wanted her in our home or if we wanted her to go into foster care until the adoption was finalized.  After talking it over with Will, we decided that we wanted her in our home.  We felt that God had given her to us, even if that meant for a short amount of time.  And that was a risk we were willing to take.  For, "Tis better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all" (Alfred Lord Tennyson)

The next 5 weeks were a roller coaster.  The birth mother and birth father struggled with their decision and exactly 5 weeks after Lynlee joined our family, the birth mother changed her mind a final time.  The only thing we knew to do at that point was to pray.  We knew that God was in control and that He had something great in store for our family.  

A few days later our case worker called to check on us and to see how we were doing and to see what our next step was.  At that point, we weren't sure what our next step was.  We were praying that the Lord would just show us what He wanted us to do.  Our case worker gave us a blog of a family that had adopted from Ethiopia Africa and told us to take a look at it.  So, that evening I decided to check it out, and as soon as the page loaded and I sat there looking at the face of this precious little boy, I knew what God was calling us to do.  I showed the picture to Will and agreed that God was calling us to adopt from Ethiopia!