For Us

My life used to be better documented. My lengthy, emotion filled posts have been set aside for quick texts and my SLR and photoshop have been replaced with a smart phone and instagram. But some things deserve a few more words. Yesterday we received a sweet little gift.

In August of 2011 we made the decision to start the adoption process again. We were much slower completing the paperwork this time around, but we have been officially waiting since May of 2012. We decided that we were open to a toddler this time and we were approved for ages 0-3. Since most families are waiting for infants, we thought that we might have a shorter wait. We didn't.

In December of 2012 we felt strongly that we were to open up our parameters to include a child with HIV. We educated ourselves on the topic. We felt capable and even called. We made the necessary changes and we were approved. We thought, "it could be ANY day now". It wasn't.

Last month our family decided to accept a job offer in a new town, rather unexpectedly. Suddenly things were crazy. Selling two houses, searching for a new one, new schools, packing, planning, saying good-byes. Crazy. And in the middle of that we continued to creep up the list. In fact, we were passed over because we had requested NOT to be placed with a tiny infant. The week that we were passed over was hard for me. It just wasn't what I expected to happen. I comforted myself by telling everyone that "obviously, I had plenty of excitement going on without a referral to add to it " . Several people joked that now was when we would get the call. Others hoped for our sake that we wouldn't (: and everyone made comments about God's timing, knowing what we could handle, etc.

And then yesterday, July 15th, on my Ma's bday and on the same day as the my sweet nephew, Elias, entered the world, I received THE CALL.

The kids and I had ALL been out for lunch and grocery shopping and I had just settled everyone down for quiet time when my phone rang with a Birmingham number. For months now my heart has skipped a beat when I see that area code- but it's always been a doctors office calling and besides, my actual caseworker is programmed into my phone... so I wasn't really sure who it was until she gave her name. Still, I cautiously wondered if she was just calling in regards to an email that I sent her while she out of the office on vacation. The next 3 minutes are kind of a blur. I remember that she told me pretty quickly that she had something to talk to me about. And I said " you mean like something something". Brilliant, I know (: Then I started to tell her that I thought maybe she was just calling about my emails. WHY I was talking instead of letting her tell me her news, I have NO idea. Just nervous chatter I guess. She asked what sort of arrangements Chad and I had discussed as far as him being present on the call, and I told her that she could go ahead and give me the details. She waited to add another caseworker to the call and proceeded to tell me about a little girl who would turn a year old at the end of the month. She has been living in an orphanage about an hour outside of the city for the past 10 months. I was very surprised to hear this and asked why she had been waiting so long. She answered- We really don't know, it's a new partnership. And then added with a smile in her voice, I guess she was just waiting for you. 

The phone call itself was very short, I don't even remember getting off! But I do remember that I was supposed to check my email for her pictures and information. Of course I'm immediately calling Chad, who unfortunately does not answer /: So I send him a text asking him to call me ASAP and then I add a little smiley face so that he won't worry that there has been an accident! Now I am literally pacing the kitchen trying to decide what to do. Of course I'm dying to open that email, but I can't decide if I should wait on Chad, or call the boys down, or what. Chad and I had agreed, when we did briefly discuss it, that I did not have to wait on him. He can be hard to reach during the day and it just wasn't a huge deal to him that we all be together in one place. But still, I was frozen in indecision and paced the floor, put in a few more calls to Chad and finally couldn't take it any longer! ( it was probably all of 5 minutes- but felt like an eternity ! ) So I called the boys down and told them that I had a surprise for them- that we had received a call about a baby girl who needed a family and did they want to come see her pics with me?!
Her three big brothers were actually the first to see her face, because I was standing back with the video camera! Sharing that moment with them was SO much fun. Their faces were so sweet - huge smiles and hugs for me. Daddy finally called back and the boys got to tell him the news. I first called him at 1:45 and he called back by 2:01, but I'm telling you, it felt like hours!

We are so in love with our girl! When we started the process we really felt like we would be matched with an older toddler, simply because there are fewer families open to the upper end of our age range. But just last week I wondered aloud to Chad about how the boys would adjust to adding an 'older' child. I am sure that they would do fine, but they are just SUCH great big brothers and they are all so good with babies. I watched my middle son last week as he scooped up the sweet 15 month old next door and bounced him on his lap and I felt a twinge of 'Aww, it's to bad that we aren't going to have another baby around here'. Little did I know that we had a sister who was practically the same age!
During the five minutes that I was pacing and waiting for Chad to call me back I started googling our daughter's Ethiopian name trying to find out it's meaning. It must not be common because I couldn't find it on any lists. Then I came across a random blog post from another family with a daughter with the same name. They had asked while they were in Ethiopia and were told that the name means
" For You" .

A gift. For Us. Not because we deserve it or because this was the perfect plan for her life. But because God redeems and makes all things beautiful. And today we humbly accepted our little gift and we give thanks and celebrate with those who have waited with us and pray that somehow in her little heart that she will have the peace of knowing that we are coming For Her!