Great News, Hopefully

We just found out some great news today. Ethiopia has extended the law to say that our paperwork deadline is now May 9th. An entire month later! We are so excited and hopeful that our paperwork will get turned in before May 9th and We will only have to make one trip. Please pray that our paperwork finds its way to the court ASAP.
And congrats to the Schmidts on a getting a court date so fast! It has been a great day!

There are positives

Ok, got caught up in my own self pity on that last post and I forgot to list the positives.
1. Troy and I both get to meet Baby H 3-6 weeks earlier then we would have.
2. Hopefully, we will get to visit the town where Baby H was found.
3. Did I mention that Troy and I both get to go on the first trip?
4. We will come back the first time without a new baby and I think this will go over much better wth Dakota. Easier transition...
5. Traveling the first time with Troy will make the next trip easier for me to do with just me and Amy.
6. We will get to do more sight seeing the first trip. The second trip we will focus more on Baby H.
I'm sure there are more, those are the ones that I can come up with off the top of my head. Two trips can be a good thing!

This is how I really feel,

Two days before we recieved our referral we found out that we were going to have to make 2 trips to Ethiopia. Honestly, Troy and I were pretty upset. We even talked about pulling out of the adoption. Partially, because of the stress and a big part because of the money. We are still trying to play catch up from the 6 months that Troy was out of a job. Then Friday, March 12th, we saw the cutest little face and the two trips seemed like no big deal. We could figure out a way to get money... We are still planning on following through with everything, but now that the initial high has worn off, here is where I am. All I can think of is the emotional roller coaster those two trips are going to be. First, we have to leave our other two kids at home and be gone about a week. Meet wonderful Baby H and at the end of the week leave him in Ethiopia. Then 3-6 weeks later we have to go back through the same thing. Leave two kids be gone a week, but in that week Baby H will get to come home with us. Wow, I am going to be wiped out by the end of all of this.
So, then I have to hand it all over to God and think that He knows what is best for us. And there is a reason that we need to make two trips. And there is a reason I have to leave all of my babies for so long. Logic is not winning out at this point, but I am working on it. Please be in prayer for us during this time. And please pray that our paperwork will be submitted before April 9th!

His hands

In the discription of baby H, they told us how he was fasinated with his hands and how they worked. So, I thought it appropriate to share his precious hands with you.
Then, I got to thinking about God and how he holds each of us in His hands. And that even though I can't hold and love on my baby, I know that he is right now. And he has put special people in Ethiopia to love on him. This makes me really happy and sad all at the same time. It also reminds me of a friend of mine who had a baby before we had Collette. We were at the hospital passing around her precious new gift when someone realized that Mommy had not gotten to hold her very much. All I remember her saying was "I want my baby to know that everyone loves her. Love her!" This moment has stuck in my head with each of my kids and now it is even more profound to me. I can't love on my baby right now, but I want him to know he is loved. So, to whoever is out there with Baby H, love him, love him. Until we can hold him in our arms.

Special thanks to our blog friends, http://robynmaner.blogspot.com/ . They are traveling on Saturday to pick up thier little one and will be taking a care package to Baby H, taking pictures, and loving on him. Thanks guys!

Davey Crockett

I realized that with all the ups and downs of the last couple of months that I have failed to put any pictures of my cute kiddos. Here is a video of a song and dance that Dakota and Collette have learned at school.

Sneak Peak

So, the first thing that you notice on this precious boy are his eyes. They are to die for. I thought I would share them with my blog frineds as well. Here is a short discription of Baby H. He sounds like a wonderful baby.

Baby H is a precious little guy. He has the sweetest smile and his eyes
are full of sparkle. He is currently into his hands. He seems intrigued by the way he controls
them. It is quite cute to watch. He is mostly quiet, however, he does vocalize. I noticed he
uses his voice after you walk away – to entice you back to his crib. He is active, constantly
moving his arms and his legs. He makes prolonged eye contact with his caregivers and even
newcomers. He loves to kick his feet against his crib’s footboard. He is a cutie!

Also, anyone who will be traveling in the near future please let me know. We would like to send a care package with you. My email is carterkellie@sbcglobal.net

The Call

We got the call for a precious 5 month old baby boy. We are in love with him already. He has big beautiful brown eyes.
Here's the details: We are going on a backpacking trip this weekend. So this morning we were very busy packing and trying to get logistics worked out. And trying to stay on schedule with nap times and all. At 11ish we were sitting down eating lunch with a friend when my phone rings. I look down and it's "the call". I look at Troy and just start laughing. He says it's them isn't it? So I answer the call and Natalie says I have a referral for you. I ask if we can call her back in a few so that we can get to a computer. We dropped everything, including lunch, and turned on the computer. Natalie calls back and says that she is sending us the email. Then she asked if we wanted any details while we waited. Of course we did! She says it's a boy, he's 5 months old. Then we see a picture and I just melt. What a beautiful baby. I think we were in shock most of the referral and afterward. We then had to flip back to packing mode. So I am calling and emailing everyone as I am packing. It's been a crazy, exciting day. And we now have another precious son. God is so good and his timing is perfect.

I forgot

We are officially at 8 months as of March 1st. I forgot to post with all the excitement over the Schmidts referral. We are getting closer to baby Elliott. The average wait time is now at 9 months. So technically it could be a whole other month or two before we hear anything. Please pray that God will bring our baby to us in His time and that He protects our baby during the waiting.