Update 4

These are a couple of things from Hope's nursery. :)



Last week was sort of like an early Christmas as far as pictures go of our baby girl. We received 3
pictures and a video (!) Monday morning from a sweet family who had traveled to Ethiopia to pick up their son. They were able to go to the home B is in and take pictures for us. It was so great to get more than one picture at a time, I felt like I could get a better idea of what she really looks like now, and the video was beyond words. To see her moving and in "real life" was just so wonderful. And then on Tuesday we got another update from our agency. This was the development and height/weight update, and she is doing great. Growing and reaching little milestones. It is always bittersweet when we get new info about her. So, so thankful she is doing so well and in such good hands, but just bummed they aren't our hands yet. We still have not received word about our court date but are definitely still within the estimated time frame. Can I just say though that these two plus months since we received our referral have seemed longer than the previous 7?!

I think her nursery is just about done. We painted the room and dresser and replaced hardware, got a new light, and hung up some pictures. My aunt is also going to make the bedskirt. I love the room, it is soft and sweet, and just waiting patiently for the baby girl it was made for. I found the little doll online and thought it was so sweet, and the picture is one I had in my room growing up.

I also wanted to write down a question Eli asked me a couple of days ago. We have talked a lot about the adoption pretty much right from the beginning, sometimes they ask questions, but usually they just listen. We had told them baby Hope was in a home with a lot of other babies and that she had people there who were taking care of her. He asked why we needed to adopt her if she had people already taking care of her. I thought that was a good question, and just explained that those people were very kind but they weren't like her family.

I just love walking through this journey with my entire family and seeing how we are all processing and learning about it as we go.

Micah's view

Micah has shown a recent interest in taking pictures lately. And while most of the ones he takes are blurry, unrecognizable, or unflattering (double chin and rear end shots anyone?), these are some he has taken that I think turned out pretty good.

I realized I have been writing only about adoption stuff lately, meanwhile life with my boys is marching right on. Tonight we celebrated the first snowfall of the season (it actually snowed Friday night but this was the first night we were home since then) with our first fire in the fireplace and smores! Although for everyone except Aaron and I, it was marshmallows, graham crackers, and chocolate all separate. Not a one of them likes real smores, too much of a mess they tell me. This coming from three boys who can be covered with dirt, sand, and mud up to their ears and not mind at all. Anyway, I am always on the lookout for new traditions, and I hope this one will stick.

I have also been doing preschool at home with them this year. I never actually thought I would homeschool, but just sensed the Lord leading us this way as we started the process of thinking about school. I am just taking it one year at a time, but do plan on doing school at home with them for kindergarten as well. I started out with grand plans and ideas of all of us starting promptly at 9:00 every morning gathered around our table listening attentively and participating actively in each day's lesson. I'm not sure that even made it one day. I do remember Isaac screaming and launching himself across the table to grab a crayon our first day and things going downhill pretty rapidly after that. I have really tried to relax in my approach and make it more about having fun than meeting my expectations. I try to have some one on one time with each of them a couple times each week to work on reading, and we are doing a letter of the week, lots of me reading to them, and other little easy projects. When it clicks it is really fun, and I love seeing them learn new things and get excited. But it is also hard. It's hard to engage them all at once and feel like I am teaching them anything that is helpful or that matters. I also struggle with feeling they are missing out on experiences or activities in a classroom. I do feel good overall about it though, I just realized that even if you do what you feel like the Lord is leading you to do, it can still be hard frustrating. I sure do love hanging out with them though, and consider it such a gift.

Update 3

Well, my titles are ridiculously uninspired! I guess I am feeling a little uninspired lately. Some days I feel fine and strong, and then other days are filled with this anxiety about waiting. I have so been trying to meditate and think about TRUTH, but those doubts and questions are always right around he corner, threatening to pull me in. I do love that we get updates regularly and we received this one last Tuesday. This is what they said about our sweet girl,
"B is a very alert and sweet baby! I found her sunbathing this morning at her foster care home with the most content look on her face. She seemed to be taking in all the noises and sights of the other babies and caregivers close by. She had lots of waving arms and active hands as she continually grasped for things around her. When the sun hit her face just right, she would let out the cutest sneezes and then a huge smile would light up her face. Such a doll!" Her picture was also my favorite one yet, and I was again blown away by how much she had changed.

Yesterday I told Aaron that I thought I would just have this little bit of depression hanging over my head until we heard about our court date. He looked at me and said, "Well, that would sure be a waste." Not in a snotty or rude way, but just honestly. And you know what, he is so right. Why would I choose depression instead of joy? Why focus on the negative instead of being thankful? There is a reason we have not been given a court date, and if we do not hear today, it is good. Because God knows when we need to be in Ethiopia, and we will not be there until that time. And that is good. And I trust Him.

Isaiah 26:3
"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you."