We Got THE CALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are no longer a number on a list! We received a call Thurs. evening for a sweet baby girl that was just born on Sept. 1st of this year. Oh how I wish that I could show you her picture, but sorry, it's against the rules until we bring her home. So you'll have to trust us that she's Perfect- with chubby cheeks, huge dark eyes, and the sweetest lips! She does not have any hair that we can see yet, Gamma already said, She doesn't have any hair, she must be an Emerson! It's true, but I can't wait to see those sweet curls come in! Here's how it all went down.....

I had known that we were the next family on the list for a 0-12 girl for a couple of days. As a result, I was walking around with my phone in my pocket and jumping every time it rang. This evening I had glanced at the kitchen clock around 5 pm and thought, Well, technically they are still open for 2 more hours, but it doesn't look like this is our day. So I started on dinner, Ethiopian interestingly enough! I had injera batter rising on the counter and I had just sliced into a huge onion for my first attempt at an Ethiopian chicken stew. My phone rang, I grabbed it out of my pocket and there was my caseworkers name! I couldn't believe it, I think I got out a very cautious "Hello!" and then a "Hi K...." which always makes her giggle, I guess she's surprised that I always know who it is! Anyway, I think she asked me how I was or something and I remember telling her that I had been carrying my phone around in my pocket to which she replied, That's good, b/c I have a little girl that I need to talk to you about.

Ok, so now I am trying to listen and at the same time digging for a notebook ( I grabbed this little Star Wars notebook out of the junk drawer that is about the right size to write 3 words on!! ) and then I grab Cullen and we start walking towards my neighbor Robyn's house. K asks me if I can get to a computer and I say something about needing to go to my neighbors house b/c my 4 yr old is with me, to which Cullen starts yelling " I NOT four I free" which is actually true, but was very distracting. (Side note, I had already warned Robyn that I might show up at her door. For several reasons... I knew that if Cullen was with me I would need some way to distract him, he acts so jealous when I am on the phone, I didn't especially just want to be sitting at home alone for the big moment, and I wanted someone to be there to document.) So, I'm walking to Robyn's house, with my THREE year old yelling at me and with my cooking apron on. My caseworker suggests that I get settled and call her back and I was afraid to hang up! I asked her if she was sure that she would answer the phone when I called back and she assured me that she would. (:

Robyn and Vernon get Cullen settled. I'm calling Chad, going back to the house to get my reading glasses, walking down the street to tell my big boys where I was, and sweating and trying to remember to breathe. Finally I nervously open my emails, I wasn't sure if the picture was going to be there already or not. So I open it up as I'm calling my caseworker back and there she is.... a little bald baby sitting in a pink bouncy seat wearing a white onesie and looking STRAIGHT at the camera with huge eyes! Oh she was sweet! For the next 29 minutes and 39 seconds I listen and looked at all the info in the world that exists about my little one. It is sketchy at best. And it is her story to tell. But it was hard for me to hear. I've spent plenty of time thinking about the loss that is involved in my blessing. But in that moment it was very real to me. Real people, real dates, legal documents, hard choices. I was very quiet as she gave me what info she had for me. She then asked if based on this info we wanted to proceed or if I needed time to talk to my husband about it, etc. "YES! Yes, please." I mean this is our daughter. What more is there to say?

Finally I'm able to call Chad back , he's almost to the house by now and I give him her basic info and then head home to wait for him. He couldn't get to the computer fast  enough when he walked in the door. By now we had several more pics to admire. A few minutes later Owen came in the door and saw his sister for the first time. The next few hours were a crazy blur. Supper had been interrupted and had to be rethought, Daddy went on to his weekly tennis match, little boys still had to be put to bed. Lots of phone calls had to be made. Chad and I finally calmed down and crawled into bed around midnight, feeling like we were in a bit of dream, but with a new sense of Peace. Now we begin a whole different type of waiting!

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.