Wearing a Simply Love shirt yesterday similiar to the one above...O-boy asked, "mommy is that Africa on your shirt??" pointing to the back. I started tearing up. I love that this adoption will forever change all of us..even our 2.5 year old.

Visas are being issued again!!! Seriously. Families are beginning to come home after months of waiting. Things are happening again! Go here for all the details.

Thankful today for God's perfect timing.

Come eat at Pizza Mizza this Saturday (May 22) and we will get a portion of the proceeds. Just say our last name at the time you pay and they will be sure to mark the ticket.

***Thanks for your continued efforts to help us get our sweet babyu home. We really can't imagine walking this road without you!***

Redeeming Silent Souls - Conference Trailer from Joseph Horsefjord on Vimeo.

We received a letter from the State Department today, informing us that our petition and approval has been sent to the appropriate embassy in country. YES!

This. is. really happening. Love it!

as we come upon this Mother's Day, I can't help but think of babyu's mama. I sit here on my cozy couch in my home and I can't help but think of our child's birth mother. I have tears in my eyes as I think of what she has been through, what she has encountered, what she has experienced to get to the point she is today. I am trying to imagine how she is feeling today and honestly, I can't. I can't pretend that I know the pain she feels when she thinks about sweet babyu. How she feels when she wants to touch his skin..when she wants to kiss him goodnight...or when she just wants to watch him sleep but she can't because of certain life circumstances that has gotten her to where she is today. I can't imagine the pain. The sorrow. It has got to ache deep in her heart.

I can however, tell you that I am forever grateful for the love she has for her child. A love that is so strong that she would overlook her wants and dreams and put her child's life before her own. Love like that is amazing and inspiring but also tragic. As we get closer to meeting babyu, I have so many mixed emotions. We see it as this wonderful blessing (it is, don't get me wrong) but we also realize that our sweet one has been through the trenches to get to us. In order for us to adopt babyu, it means that somewhere along the road, his/her sweet mother and father had to make really tough choices. Choices that would tear me apart. They have had to experience a crazy deal of tragedy, pain and loss.

Adoption is a journey. A sticky, messy journey. While I am thankful for this journey we are on, it is hard. So hard because while I am happy (thrilled!) about the progress that we have made in the last month, I am also heart broken thinking about babyu's mama. Nobody should ever have to go through what she is has been through.

******

God, I pray that you would wrap your arms around babyu's mama tonight. May she feel your love and peace. May she know that you are holding babyu tight until I can wrap my arms around that sweet bean.

if someone would have told me the first time I travel to Africa it would be to pick up our child, I would have thought they were out of their mind! And now this is our reality. I love it! I have always dreamed of visiting Africa (let's be honest, I would love to LIVE in Africa!) but I never imagined we would be meeting our sweet one on our first trip. I was walking with a friend yesterday and she pointed out that we are not only adopting from this amazing country but also traveling to Africa for the first time AND living in the country for 6-10 weeks (yes, it might be 10 weeks with recent news..praying it's not--((well some of us are;) or aren't;))) Amazing! All of these things happening so soon. Hopefully sometime in the fall!! Some might be turned away due to the time we have to spend in country but I count it as a blessing. Some might think of it as an inconvenience but I think of it as a great gift. Some might let it get them down but I see it as a dream come true!

We cannot wait to board the plane to go meet our little one! O is so excited, he thinks every plane in the sky is headed to Africa (or Haiti:) We cannot wait to smell the sweet (polluted) air! We cannot wait to spend time with our childREN in the birth country of our youngest! We cannot wait meet the people and learn more and more about the culture that we will incorporate into our lives here in America. We cannot wait to be together as a family of 4! wow. I have never said or written that before. mmhh. I like the way it looks. and sounds.

I just called to make our appointment with our local travel clinic. Wow, do we have a lot to talk to her about. Yellow fever. Typhoid. anti-malarials. Hep A & B. Meningitis. Tetanus. MMR.... Doesn't it make the common cold look good??

I am even excited about getting immunized because it means we are closer****Closer to our dreams coming true.

We are officially on the waitlist!! We are excited beyond belief!!!

this approval thing is such a funny thing. yes, we just got approval from immigration. yes, we now have the official I-171h. But really, what does that mean??? it really means we wait some more:)

and then we wait some more and then realistically, we wait some more.

i would love to say by the end of this journey, we will be the most patient people in the world but that probably won't happen! i do believe that in this wait, we will learn, grow and live fuller lives because of this journey. because of all the waiting, we will be better people.... at least that is our prayer.

Last week, we were meeting A for lunch and we were trying to find a spot to park. I am ALWAYS running late. I don't like that I am and I really do try to change but it never seems to happen. So of course, A was probably already waiting and we couldn't find a spot anywhere...but then we found one right next to the elevator. As I was pulling in, I notice it had a sign marked "expectant mother"....This is a new sign, I have been to this garage for years and never noticed it. I am not sure what prompted the city to post it but I thought, "well, I am an expectant mother. Right?? I am just not carrying him/her in my belly but I AM still expecting!" So I decided to park in the designated spot. I felt a little guilty parking there because I know when they posted it, they probably had no intention of saving the spot for an soon-to-be adoptive mother. But at the same time, I felt like I should be able to park there because I am an expectant mother!

I still go back and forth on whether or not I should have parked there. At lunch, after I parked in "the spot", we were talking about it and it came up again that when they posted the sign, they meant if for expectant mothers of biological children. And honestly, that makes me sad. really sad. When will the term "expectant mother" mean more than a woman carrying her biological child? When someone mentions that someone is "expecting", when will we ask "through adoption, foster or biologically??"

When will a soon-to-be adoptive mother be know as an "expectant mother"??? I am an expectant mother. I am expecting.

Just because my son or daughter is not in my womb does not make it any less amazing, miraculous or wonderful. Just because this sweet bean was born in another country to another woman (his/her mom) doesn't make him or her any less special. This sweet bean was meant for us and no matter HOW he/she comes to us, it is OUR child just the same as o-boy

We officially have our approval from USCIS! Thank you United States of America!!! Only two weeks after I drove down to LA to drop our home study off at our local office...thank you Officer ******!!! Our officer did say, it would be processed as soon as possible. But 10 days is AMAZING!

We really can't believe it. When we opened the letter, tears just started flowing. My husband kept assuring o-boy that they were good tears. Tears of joy! It was such a sweet moment between the three of us. One that I will never forget! We told o that this meant babyu can come home...he just kept giggling. and giggling. So precious!!

I can't even stand it! Oh my goodness. I just keep smiling.

Babyu hold tight-we are one. step. closer.

Let the fun begin...