We got the call!!!!!

We got our referral!!! Monday February 16th we got to see our baby girls face for the first time. She is unbelievably beautiful. I still can't get over how perfect she is! I love her so much. Right now she's about four months old. I can't wait to show you all her picture. Unfortunately we are not allowed to post her picture until after we pass court. And I don't know how I am ever going to make it the next few months. I want to go get her right now! Oh and did I mention that she's GORGEOUS! God is SO GOOD!

We're #1 We're #1

Oh my goodness we're NUMBER ONE!!!! The next time they get a baby girl it will be ours!!! I'm actually going to get to see a picture of my baby! I'm so happy. I'm so so happy! I keep walking around her room and touching her blanket and her doll and her crib. And then jumping up and down and doing the happy dance. :)

Still Waiting

As far as I know we are still number 2 on the waitlist. In the past they have received more than one referral at a time. So we really could get a referral anyday. Everytime my phone rings my heart jumps and I think "Maybe it's Sue". (our case worker). And every night I fall asleep thinking maybe tomorrow I'll get my first glimpse of my daughters beautiful face.
I have been praying for a couple of months that Ethiopia would asign more judges to the adoption cases. Until now there has been 1 judge for all adoptions in Ethiopia. I read from someone else's blog this week that they recieved notice that Ethiopia has assigned some new judges. But they are not authorized to work yet. So please pray that they would be able to start soon. This could make a huge difference in my case. We could see our baby several months sooner!
Thank you so much for your love and support and all of your prayers. It means the world to us.

We're #2

Yep, that's right! We are number 2 on the waitlist! Can you believe it! Oh my goodness, I'm so excited! Today I actually feel like it's really going to happen.
So, I thought I'd explain what will happen next. When we get "the call". Our caseworker (Sue) will tell us that she's matched us with a baby. She will give us some info and then email us her picture and medical information. We will have 10 days to accept the referral. Once we accept they will do a second set of medical tests. Once those come back and we approve them, we will be in line for a court date. Once we pass court. (which less than 50% of people pass the first time). Then they will assign us an Embassy appointment. The Embassy appointment determines when we travel to pick her up. So there is a bit of a wait even after we get the referral. Right now the courts are really backed up so people are waiting several months for their court date.
So, please be praying that people will start passing court, so that they can get caught up. And continue to pray for Violet. Thank you all so much!

Violet's Room

We've done a lot of work to Violet's room. We still have a little to do but I thought I'd post pictures anyways. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!

Yes, you read it right. Today is Christmas in Ethiopia. Actually they celebrate on January 7th. But with the time difference that makes it Christmas right now! :) So we decided to go out to eat to celebrate Christmas in Ethiopia, which is called Ganna. This was also our first taste of Ethiopian food. It was very spicy!

The wait continues...

Yesterday I got a call from Sue (our caseworker). She was wanting to clarify what age of child we are looking to adopt. Our paperwork says 0-18 months but she knows that's what we are required to write for our homestudy. But when they know someone is wanting an infant they will pass over them on the list and wait for a younger child. So to make a long story short. That's what they are doing with us. If they have a child over a year old they will pass over us on the list.
So that means that now we know we will be referred a child between 0-12 months. :) We are still #4 on the list and the 3 people in front of us on the waitlist are also waiting for 0-12 months. So if they get a child 12+ months it will go to someone behind us on the waitlist. The office is going to be closed until January 2nd. So no more referrals will be given this year. I just wanted to keep you all updated. Hope you have a very Merry Christmas.