Starting to believe this is happening

We have been showered with love! So many kind words and excitement from our family and friends about our great...no, not great... FANTASTIC news this week! I'm so so very excited and feel so lucky to have such amazing people in our lives.

So, we don't know much info about him. There are families traveling soon, so we'll get some photos of him. We can't show any photos of him until we pass court though. I am so grateful to the other families traveling that take the time to see the children waiting. It's amazing to have such support of someone knowing exactly what you are going through.

Our next step is waiting to get a court date...this could take a little bit. A court date will be set in the Ethiopian courts to determine us as his legal parents. We were told it could take up to 2 months to get a court date. So, more waiting. But, it's okay. Everything is ok, for now. We are just letting this sink in. Finally, a little face to put to all this waiting!

Once we pass through court, we'll be assigned an Embassy date. This is the date where we have to be in Ethiopia. I just hope this all moves smoothly from here...

THE call

It happened. It came today. THE call that we have been waiting for since September actually happened. It was around 2:30 today. I was working from home and Josh called me and when I picked up he told me "Hang on, I'm conferencing HER in." "Her" is the woman from our agency. I knew what this meant. Everything else became an emotional blur. He came home right after the call and we were together to see our baby's photo and file come thru on email. I feel like I just exhaled after holding my breath for months.

We have a boy!! He is 2 1/2 months old and weighs 8 lbs. I can not believe it!!

Hopeful

Lots of families are passing court right now. Lots of families are traveling this month to pick up their children. Good news! I am feeling more positive about our journey and keeping my chin up!

So Proud

I love watching the Olympics. The competition, the rooting for your country and the best part...the network TV stories of an athlete's struggle to rise above their hardship to compete. It all gets me a little misty eyed. There's just that feeling of pride you get as a citizen of your country when you hear your country's anthem playing. A respect for your country's struggles and achievements. I always think of my parents when I hear our national anthem, as they were both Marines. I felt this sense of pride while watching the opening ceremonies the other night. Each country's athletes entering the stadium, one by one. There it was was. My country's entrance. Walking proud, carrying the flag, waving to spectators. There I was clapping and cheering them on, fully aware I was caught up in a moment of being super cheesy. :) Only it wasn't my native country I was cheering on. It wasn't the country I was born, raised in and currently live. It was the country I've taken on as my other love. It was the country that I've filled my head full of stories, history and culture. Any little bit of info about it, I soak it up. It was the country of our future child. It was the country that we are fighting so hard to become a part of. It was Ethiopia entering the stadium. Before I even realized what I was doing, I was instantly seeing Ethiopia as my own country. Just like I see and cheer on the US. It made me happy, it made me proud. I have never even been to this country yet and it is already fully embedded into my heart. The colors of the flag, the name "Ethiopia." Already as familiar to my eyes, just as much as the "United States of America." I can not wait to visit. I can not wait to give our child all the information on their country's history, customs and culture. I can not wait to be an Ethiopian American family.

Chasing peace

It's been awhile since I posted. A little too long. I was hoping that my next post, THIS post, would be our referral news. But, that's a big no. So...we keep living our lives (as if we have any other choice.) So, what have I been doing these last few weeks? Getting organized and centered. Physically, mentally and emotionally. And, it feels amazing! I've worked on my home office and it's instantly my new mecca of creativity. I have been inspired by other bloggers and crafters on Etsy to put time into myself and my creative spaces. I work on this all the time. It's a constant struggle and I have more luck with it at times than others. I am always chasing that inner peace. That bit of tranquility that will evolve me into the person I truly need to be for myself. I imagine who that person would be if I wasn't chasing all these dreams, all these aspirations. If I had HOURS in the day to really learn, explore and evolve instead of cramming it into tiny moments. I feel like when this baby arrives, I will figure all that out with him (yes, I'm calling it a him already). Kind of like it will all make sense and come together in that moment he's in our lives. I am feeling very inspired these last few weeks and at the same time I have been on a roller coaster of emotions. I had a pretty bad day last week...or maybe it was this week..or maybe it was both. I was feeling rushed to get things organized before our referral, running around like crazy until I hit a wall and realize I needed to stop and listen to my breath. So, I did. I sat there with my eyes closed in a moment of meditation and instantly I felt calm. Centered. At peace with my hectic self. I went through this array of emotion right smack in front of my computer. The one place you shouldn't be when you're looking for peace. But this..this absolutely amazing website brought it to me. I must share: Organic Spa Meditation Room. Click on Launch The Meditation Room. It reminded me to stop. Stop rushing, stop over thinking. Just live, simply...in the moments that I can.