Thank you Friends!

Well, I just want to say a HUGE, "Thank you" to all the ladies that came out to the Adoption Shower today.  We had a great time, were adventurous with the foods we ate and decorated T-shirts to take to the kiddos.  And best of all, because of your generosity, we have filled one and a half of our big green bins with donations!  On that note I will leave you with some pictures from the Shower.  :-)

                                                                                    

Come Eat Cake!

Just a friendly reminder for those in the San Antonio Area to come and join us for cake at the Adoption Shower tomorrow, from 1-3pm!!  I am excited to see all the friendly faces gathered to give blessings to the sweet children in Ethiopia.  See you all there. :-)

Tidbits...

Wow!! Only 3 weeks till we head out from Texas and begin our first journey to Ethiopia.  My head is buzzing with all the tasks and planning that has yet to be done.  I go to bed at night thinking of all the things I need to do and then wake in the morning and can't remember what to do first!
Thankfully, we have most of the "big" pieces in place.  The airline tickets are purchased, the tour of Elizabeth's home region is secured, the lodging is confirmed and we have begun to collect a small mountain of items to take with us.  We have worked hard over the past year to save money and have been blessed by the generosity of others, but "OUCH" it hurts to see it all going like water through a sieve! I have to just keep reminding myself that we have planned for all this.
In addition to everything above, I am also putting the final touches on the plans for the Adoption Shower.  If you are in the local area, you really must come.  It is going to be a fun gathering of ladies and I hope it will be a blessing to the children in Ethiopia.  So don't forget... Saturday at 1pm! 
Alright, I really should get back to doing something more productive.  Just wish I could remember what it was....

Amazing Fundraiser!

Well, it was not exactly our intention to begin another fundraiser right now, but this is just too cool to pass up!  My sister, Whitney, clued me into this amazing organization that provides fundraising opportunities to adopting families and also helps widows and orphans in Africa.  These beautiful necklaces have such an amazing "full circle story of the body of Christ."  I am so thrilled to be able to help and receive the help from such a unique organization.  For more information, please check out the "Orphan Beads Fundraiser" page at the top our blog! And while you read, keep in mind that Mother's Day is just around the corner and these would make beautiful gifts. ;-) 

Court Date Change!!

Yikes, it sounds scary, doesn't it?!  I just received a call from our coordinator and was informed that our Court Date has been bumped up! Thankfully... it is just by one day, but still - Crazy.  So now we are the only family with a May 25th date and there will be a small group of 4-5 other families on the 26th.  Really, in my mind, this is rather minor.  We do not have to change our flight **Sigh of relief**, as we will still have one full day in Ethiopia prior to court.  And on the bright side, it may give us one more day to pass court while we are in country, rather than when we arrive back home!
Since I am writing, I just want to add... 37 DAYS TILL WE LEAVE!!!!

Ready to take flight...

Flight booked - Check.
Malaria Medicine - Check.
Vaccinations - Check.
Packing List Made - Check.

YAY!!! It is becoming official!!! Everything is starting to fall into place.  I just booked our airline tickets to Addis Ababa! Paying for them was not fun, but it will be so worth it when we get to hear Elizabeth's little giggle in person.  I can hardly wait!  Do you think the airline will mind if I go ahead and wait in line?! :-) 

A Shameless Plug....

Many adoptive parents take small items with them when they travel to leave behind for their children in between Court and Embassy.  Some of these items are things such as a photo book, photo collage, stuffed animal, small cuddly blanket, ect.  We would also like to leave something for Elizabeth to remember us by and to help her become familiar with her new family.  However, we have heard that it is not uncommon for other children to steal some of these items, for them to be misplaced or for the nannies to put these items away in a safe place, so as not to have the aforementioned things happen.  It was suggested by some of other adoptive parents, that if you chose to leave some items behind that the child be able to keep them in a pocket or on their person. 
This is where my friend Shannon comes in! She makes jewlery and as you can see above, she makes personalized charms.  We sent her a couple of pictures and she made them into these cute "picture tile" charms!  Our hope is that Elle will be able to keep up with this necklace during her remaining time at the Care Center.  This way, she will have a tangable reminder that we are coming back for her and love her. 
We also hope to give one to her Birth mom if we are able to meet her.  It seems to be a rare thing for Ethiopians to have access to pictures and is likely that her mom does not have a picture of Elizabeth. Something for all of you other adoptive parents to consider (hint, hint)! ;-)
If you are interested you can contact Shannon through her blog or Etsy site.  She is traveling in two days for her court hearing and to meet her sweet little boy!  I know that your purchase of a charm would help her as she returns home and prepares to travel for Embassy. 

Hear, Hear!

Would all gathered please rise..... We are ecstatic to announce that we have a COURT DATE!!!!!!  I think that I could just fill the page with exclamation marks right now, but I will spare you and try to keep them to an acceptable level!  (Although it might not work.)
May 26th is the big date!  So, roughly 7 weeks from tomorrow we will be on our way to Addis Ababa to meet our new daughter, Elizabeth.  I can barely contain my excitement, so if you happen to glance my way and see a big grin on my face, you now know why. :-) 
OK, since my head is still spinning and buzzing from adrenalin and since I am likely to just break out with more exclamation marks, I will end this post and promise to update further in the near future!  And in the meantime, if anyone happens to visit Addis Ababa, tell Elle, "WE ARE COMING!"  

This little piggy...

Elizabeth's foot print!

Again...It's the small things in life!  A family that recently traveled to pick up their little one and bring them home, took some time to do a small "art project" with some of the kids at our agency's Care Center.  So, as you can see, the result for us is a tangible little gift that puts a smile a "foot" wide on our faces!  It has been fun for Addie and Ian to see something other than pictures.  I think it helps make Elle seem more "real."  And it gives me an idea of what size shoes she will need.  Therefore, a little bit of shoe shopping may be in order.....

You're Invited!

We are having a party, an Adoption Shower to be exact! A dear friend has offered to host the shower at her home here in San Antonio on April 30th from 1pm-3pm.  Instead of bringing gifts for Elizabeth or us, like a traditional shower, we are asking that each person bring a donation for our agency's Care Center and we will take it over on our first trip.  I am so excited about this and to invite you all to help these sweet children and their dutiful nannies at the orphanage.  We have been blessed with so much in this country and have an unique opportunity to help others in need.  I would love to see you all on April 30th.  However...if you are not able to make it or would like to send a donation to us here in TX we will gladly take it with us.  (Please contact me personally and I will give you our information.)
I have listed below, some of the needs that the Care Center currently has.  If you chose to send or bring something to the shower, please keep these things in mind:
1. Our space is limited to 2 totes that will be checked at the airport
2. There are many children at the orphanage of all ages, therefore, toys need to be safe for little ones
3. Multiples of any toys are good, that way every child will receive one (matchbox cars, jelly bracelets, inflatable balls, hairbands, bouncy balls, ect).

Suggested Donations:

• anti fungal cream for the scalp
• baby lotion
• baby shampoo
• Bandaids
• Neosporin
• Children and Infants Tylenol or Motrin
• Flip Flops for nannies
• Multivitamin syrup (poly-vi-sol)
• Pedialyte powder
• pajamas of all sizes
• baby clothes
• toddler clothes (pants and shirts)
• diaper covers
• Disposable diapers
• Disposable drinking cups
• Clear bottle nipples (small)
• Sheets for Cribs and Twin Beds
• Shoes (all sizes-toddler to age 14yrs)
• Soccer balls (deflated)
• Board Books and Easy Readers

THANK YOU!  And can't wait to see you at the end of April! :-)

Unexpected Blessing...

I have had several questions about if we have received pictures, updates, ect. of Elizabeth.  The answer is "yes" and the way the process looks is something like this...
We receive one update a month about her physical well being, height, weight and "other comments" from our agency.  With this update or shortly after, we also receive one or two pictures every month. Of course, we receive these with gratitude from our agency and knowing that they have multiple families who are wanting the same thing, we really did not expect to get much more than this.  In fact, at the beginning of this process we did not know if we would ever get more than 1 or 2 pictures of Elle before we traveled to meet her. 
Well, as we became familiar with our agency's process and a Yahoo Loop for families adopting through I.A.N., we discovered that those families traveling before others would volunteer to take pictures and maybe even video of the kids!  And once they arrived home would then update the waiting families.  At first I was a little skeptical, mainly because I felt this was unfair to those families who were there to meet their own children.  Selfishly, I thought, "I don't want to give up my time with my child to take pictures of other kids!" 
Now I can say, " I can't wait to take pictures of as many children as possible and share them with their families waiting in the States!"  You may ask, "Why the sudden change of heart?"  Well, this week we have been the recipient of several pictures and even video of Elizabeth!!!!
This has been such an unexpected blessing and just makes my heart soar to hear stories of her, see pictures and even hear her sing!  I cannot fully express my gratitude to these families for taking the time to meet our daughter, play with her and grab a snapshot for us to pour over until we get to do these things for ourselves. I have been able to ask them questions about her personality and confirm some of the information we have received in our updates and it has been a relief that I never anticipated.
This is a two-fold blessing, because now Elle will have some record, in photographs, of her time in Ethiopia.  We all know how much pleasure we get from capturing our own children on camera and from sharing our childhood photos with them.  Now Elle will have some of the same! The only down side is that this has wet my impatience even more!  But now as we wait, we have a precious video to watch, because someone else gave up a little bit of their time.  I thank the Lord for showing me how big of a difference I can make in someone's day by sacrificing a little bit of my focus when we travel. 
THANK YOU I.A.N FAMILIES!!!!

One month and counting...

It is hard to believe, but 4 weeks ago today we accepted our referral for sweet Elizabeth!  I can attest that these past four weeks have most definitely been a harder wait than everything prior.  Especially for me, as I am a "planner."  I want to plan our trip, get our vaccines, decorate the bedroom, buy clothes that match for Addie and Elle (ha, ha), make packing lists, organize donations to take, ect.  As you can tell there will be a lot to do! 
As we continue to wait for our court date, I have to remind myself that after we travel this waiting will be even harder.  We will meet her, we will have to leave her, and we won't be able to tell her when we are coming back.  So for now, as my impatience grows for the next big phone call, my mantra is, "It is all in God's timing, it is all in God's timing, it is all in God's timing....."

Then there were three...

It's the little things in life, right?!  Well for now, because that is all I can do, that is what is most exciting!  We received Elizabeth's new backpack in the mail today, complete with embroidered name.  About two years ago Addie received hers from Grandma and Granddad and it was such a hit that we asked for one for Ian at Christmas.   Therefore, it was high on my list of things to buy for Elle and low and behold they were on sale last week!!  Well, it was meant to be... so I hit the add to shopping cart button, choose a color for her name and voila, it was on my doorstep today.  I can not wait to pack it with activities, snacks, clothes, ect and take it for her to have on the plane ride home.  Until then it will just have to sit in the slowly growing pile of pink, green and purple!

Two exciting updates...

I am so excited to share with you all that Elizabeth (and Addie & Ian), will have a new Ethiopian Cousin sometime next year!  Brandon's sister and husband are heeding the call to open their home to an orphan.  We are beyond ecstatic that Elle will have a cousin with whom she can identify and relate to in such a special way.  They are at the beginning of their journey and you can follow their progress at www.mlelliott.blogspot.com .  Now if we can only convince my Sister and Brother-in-law to do the same, hmmmm...
The next piece of exciting news, is that we received two more pictures of Elle today!  She is outside and the sun is shining right into her little face, so this probably explains why she looks a little less than pleased to be having her picture taken.  She has also been given a "hair cut" (all the kids apparently get this, it is easier to maintain and keep free of parasites). We might have to find some cute head bands for her.
I also have a feeling that she and Addie will enjoy playing dress up together. In typical little girl fashion Elle is wearing a couple of colorful bracelets that she seems to be very aware of!  For those of you who have little girls, you know what I am talking about.  For some reason when a bracelet is on that wrist, the hand just doesn't seem to work quite right. ;-) Some of Addie's play bracelets might be held hostage until they find their way to Ethiopia!

"Smiley and Friendly Child"

So we received our first Milestone Report about Elle today!  And one of the comments was that she is a, "Smiley and friendly child."  Oh, how that makes me want to meet her TODAY! I think this is definetly going to be the harder part of the wait, but I have a feeling I will really be saying that as we are waiting for an Embassy date after our Court appointment.  At that point we will have meet Elle and then have to leave her.  Lord, give me patience!  The good part is that while I wait I can at least shop for her (I don't think that Brandon would agree with me on this point. Ha, ha.)! :-)

We also mailed in our official, signed and notarized documentation today, accepting the referral.  Ahhh...feels good (and official) to have that in the mail.  So now as we wait for a court date, I am going to scan the internet for information about where she is from and look into places for us to visit while we are there and (don't tell Brandon), but I might even look for some bedding and a little brown baby doll. Although, I doubt there is one as cute as she is.

More excited thoughts...

We are still on Cloud Nine and so excited to be able to call Elizabeth ours!  We love that the name we have chosen for her means "God's Promise," especially in light of the verse that we named our blog after.  What an amazing gift that God promises us through His Son, Jesus Christ!
Speaking of names... We plan to call her "Elle," as a nickname and also as wonderful transition name from her Ethiopian name.  You will have to remain in suspense with her Ethiopian name, as we are not allowed to post it on public access sights, such as this or Facebook, but once she is ours we will relay the amazing coincidence of her name! 
In addition, we are not allowed to post photos of her in public forums, so if you have our email address and just simply can not wait to see her until after we travel for court, email me and I will do my best to send it to you privately.  Really, we are so proud of her that we wish we could just post a picture of her adorable little self for you all to see, but until we can you will have to trust me when I say that her eyes are captivating!
You may ask, "What happens next?"  Well, the answer is, "We hurry up and wait!"  We are hopeful that in about 3-4months we will be traveling for our 1st court date.  And if all goes smoothly, without any major bumps, that we will have her home sometime this fall.  Of course there is always the potential that the process could move faster or slower, but we will make sure to update you all as we proceed and move along this next part of the road to bringing Elle home! 
We Thank you all so much for your support and the help that you have given us already.  What a blessing we have in our family and friends.  I can not wait to introduce Elizabeth to you all!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I have been racking my brain to come up with some cute creative way to say this, but I think short and sweet will be the best way.  

WE HAVE ACCEPTED A REFERRAL!!!!!! 

We are hopefully, soon to be, the parents of a sweet baby faced little 3yr old girl!  For now we will call her by the American name that we have chosen, Elizabeth meaning “God’s Promise”.  Our excitement can hardly be contained and I am so relieved to finally be able to share it with you all.

We received our referral one week ago and have been praying and going over her file for the past week in secrecy!  It has been so hard not to talk about it, but to guard our hearts until we knew more about this little angel, we felt it was wise to bite our tongues.  And I can tell you that my tongue has been bleeding for 7 days!  After I regain my composure and can type properly, I will post more details. J

Movement on the list...

I just love it when I finally resign myself to coming up with something to say on this blog that is not nearly as much fun as movement on the wait list and then, low and behold, there is movement! Whoopee! Maybe I need to try and come up with less fun things to say more often?  But for now I will reserve what random thoughts I had for another time and entertain you all with our current standings on the list...
Baby Girl - #32
Baby Boy- #13
Toddler Girl - #6
Sibling Group - #8

Infant list moving on up!

This is such a crazy process!
There was more movement on the list today and at this rate, maybe we will end up with an infant boy.  The more the list moves, the more convinced I am that there is NO way to tell "who" is going to be joining our family.  This is most unpredictable. :-)
Our current numbers...
Baby Girl - #32
Baby Boy- #14
Toddler Girl - #6
Sibling Group - #9

Two lists in the single digits!!

Woo-hoo! More movement today on the wait lists.  I can hardly believe that this is the third day in a row.  And now that we are in the single digits on TWO lists, I am anxious to see if God really does have siblings in mind for us! Guess we will find out soon enough. :-)
Our current status is...
Baby Girl - #33
Baby Boy- #15
Toddler Girl - #6
Sibling Group - #9