i remember sitting in the court room on december 14th, in front of 3 appellate judges {in gowns and george washington wigs! this was the real deal folks!!}, listening to our lawyer plead our case...with a voice that was so respectful and so bold. for at least 45 minutes, our lawyer laid everything out for the judges. he cited this case and that, talked about where our girl had been and where she would be. he talked best case scenario for her and with tears in his eyes {don't tell him i told you that;)}, he recalled a [tragic] previous situation that was not in the best interest of the child.....for 45 minutes he went on and on .. but not in a-talking-forever-kind of way, just in a not-leaving-anything-on-the-table sort of way.

to see and experience all of this is something that will forever be ingrained in my heart..

we left relieved and honestly, quite hopeful. we thought there might be a chance to be home before christmas..so hopeful..almost to the point of ridiculousness;) we knew it was an outlandish plan but we also know that miracles are nothing short of the God we serve. so we asked for your prayers while we wished and prayed for a miracle.

well, God clearly had other plans because we spent christmas in uganda...

then on February 9, i remember waiting in the court house with nya, a sweet friend of mine and our lawyers {A had gone home at this point}..the day had finally come, it was time for our ruling to be read

they finally called us and we squeezed into this teeny, tiny room with a couch and a bunch of chairs, most of which were already filled. i have no idea who was in there that day but as i rocked my sleepy girl with knots in my tummy and beads of sweat on my brow, i prayed and prayed as i tried to make sense of the words that the man behind the desk was reading. with the construction noise outside the window and the constant hum of the fan, it was so hard to hear, let alone make sense of the twenty some odd pages he read through..

...i found myself leaning forward, straining to hear all of the words. i caught myself glancing at one of the lawyers trying to read his face. then, i think i hear the words we have been waiting for but look to my lawyer for confirmation. he nods, with tears in his eyes and i KNOW she is ours.

i can't stop the tears from running down my face.
the fight is over.
she is ours.

forever.