Waiting waiting waiting...

Today I got an email from my case worker that said lately families are waiting about 6 months for a referal for a baby girl. So based on that information, it's looking like it may be next spring before we bring home our baby. It's really hard for me to accept that the wait is going to be that long. I was SO hoping to have her by Christmas. I am really trying to stay positive though.
As for our journey. We are about half way to being able to send our dossier! Yay! And we have delivered tons of shirts. For those of you who have requested one and haven't received it, I apologize. We had a mix up with the printing. So they'll be here soon. That's it for now. I'll write again soon. My brain is really scattered today, so next time I'll share more of what God's teaching me and such.

Sam's Birthday

Today is Sam's birthday and so a great day to write a blog. :) I am hoping that this will be Sam's last birthday without Violet. Which by the way I emailed our agency and asked if we could change our request from female preferred to female only. They said that was fine, so we do know now that it's a girl! :) Now if we could just go get her!
Some updates on the fundraising. We have now sold 85 shirts. Praise the LORD! And here is a fun bit of info for you all. Last night we celebrated Sam's birthday with my family. In the card from my brother was a check to purchase 5 more shirts. And he wrote a note saying that in order to raise awareness and encourage support of our adoption he is committing to wear our adoption shirt five days a week for 8 weeks! Isn't that awesome.
I hope you are all doing well. We have about $5500 more to go in the fundraising. A big THANK YOU to everyone who has either donated furniture, sent money, bought a shirt and especially all of those who are praying!

Perspective

It has been a week since we got our shirts and we only have 2 left! Praise the Lord! But don't worry, there is still time to get yours if you haven't done so! I am going to place another order this week, so I will have plenty!
Yesterday I was feeling so discouraged about the distance we have left in the adoption. I was looking ahead at the what we still needed and it seemed so daunting. I have been really anxious lately about the whole adoption. I feel like my baby is laying in a crib in an orphanage in Ethiopia just waiting for me to come get her. I feel a sense of urgency to get to her and take care of her. I realize that it's a bit ridiculous for several reasons. First of all, she is in the hands of my heavenly father and He cares for her more than I ever will. (not to mention I don't know if she's born or not!) Second, I know that God called us to this, He is making the way before us, and He will provide for us in His time...the right time. (at least I know this in my head) The thing is, I pray about it every day, but I don't really give it to the Lord. I never really realized the difference until now. It's amazing the things God has taught me through this whole process.
Today I am looking behind and seeing all that God has done, all that He has provided. It puts the future in better perspective. He has been so faithful and I don't know why I ever doubt. We serve a big God and he cares for his children, even when we don't deserve it.

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7

Back from Camping

We got back from camping yesterday, so I thought I should give you all something new to read. I'm hoping that this was our last memorial day camping trip without our baby. We went to Santa Cruz and went to the Boardwalk one day. We also went down to Monterey Bay Aquarium which was a lot of fun. We were approached on our way into the aquarium and asked to be a part of a study. Ben did a survey on the way in and again on the way out, the lady followed us around at the aquarium, and we all got in for free. It was great!! Sometimes I think God just decides to bless us, just because he can.
Nothing new has happened with the adoption. But we should be getting our T-shirts in today which I am very excited about. We haven't even got our first order yet and half of them are already gone. I think I'm going to end up wearing mine all the time because in some way it will make me feel like I'm doing something for the adoption.
Anyhow, please continue to pray for us: pray for my sanity as we wait, pray that God would provide for our needs, most importantly pray for our baby, whether born or unborn that she and her birthmother would be safe and nourished and that her birthmother would give her life to Christ.

Impatient

Today is one of those days where I feel like this adoption is never going to happen. I'm terrible at waiting for things especially when I dont know how long the waiting will continue. Sometimes I feel so positive but today I feel overwhelmed by the distance we have left to go. I just want to go to Ethiopia and get our baby. Can someone push the fast forward button! I have to keep reminding myself of how God has provided so far. His timing is perfect this I know. Maybe I should go read my bible and quit complaining. :)

T-Shirts Ordered

Today I turned in our T-shirt order. Yay! I've been really excited about this idea and now we can really get started on it. So, I'm not sure when they'll be done, but it's in their hands now. The design can be seen on the right side of the blog. You can even order them right here through paypal. Just dont forget to note which size you want in the area it allows you to write a note. :)
This weekend was mothers day which was pretty torturous. I just kept thinking all day that I feel like a mother in my heart already, but I don't have my baby yet. I wonder if she is born yet, I wonder if she's with her birthmother this mother's day. Or is she in an orphanage waiting for me to come get her. And so once again I prayed for her and entrusted her to my Heavenly Father's care.

Approved!

We are approved for adoption! Yay! Last night we checked our mail and found that we received our letter of approval from CIS. This means we can send our dossier whenever we have enough money to pay the fees. I also still need to finish the dossier, which I will be more motivated to do now. This is really happening! Even though we have been in the process for over five months, sometimes I still think, oh my goodness we are really adopting a baby from Ethiopia. I've always talked about adopting internationally. And now we're really doing it! And have I mentioned that I can't wait to hold my baby in my arms. How can I love her so much when I've never met her?