And then there was...

Well, kind of. We are at the top of the list for an infant girl referral! That's the really exciting news. Let me explain the "kind of" like this:

There are officially three families in front of us in line based on our DTE. None of them, however, are requesting girls. Two families are open to either gender (kind of like being surprised at birth) and one is requesting an infant boy. Previously, if you were open to either gender, you were almost automatically guarenteed to receive a boy referral because boys had traditionally (up to this point anyway) been more readily available. But we've had so many girls come through lately, it's starting to flip flip. I'm not sure they have ever had a family at the top of the list waiting for boy or either. So, if a girl happened to come up next, the referral would go to the 'either' family.

Either way, we're so very close, and my heart skips a beat everytime I see a long distance phone number on my cell phone. I've already alerted my co-workers that if the call comes, I'm outta here for the day.

The Number of the Day Is...

That's right. 2. We are now second in line for a baby girl! And you know what's funny? This morning on my way in to work, I was praying about the adoption, and I had kind of a funny feeling and thought, "What if today is the day?" And although it wasn't my day today, it was for two other families. So let's keep on praying...maybe it will be my day soon. Love you all and thank you for all your support and prayers!

Happy 1st Birthday Savannah!

Today is Savannah's 1st Birthday! Savannah's mom, Shari, is one of my best friends, and if you remember from a previous post, I spent a lot of time last February at the hospital while Shari was in labor and then during Savannah's 17 day stay in the NICU. I can't believe a whole year has already gone by and how much she's grown!

Her fingers of choice.

What a cutie!

Rollar Coaster Ride

You have undoubtably noticed the up and down emotions of my postings. No, I promise I'm not bi-polar (although I'm sure some of you are beginning to wonder...Shari :), it's just been a rollar coaster of a ride in the last few months. Today, we are up as I just checked our adoption Yahoo chat group and another family in front of us has switched to either gender (which means they will most likely get a boy referral), so we are now #3 for a baby girl!

A Significant Milestone

Tomorrow marks the ninth month since our dossier left the United States for Ethiopia. As wait times increased just before Christmas from 7-9 months to 9-11 months for baby girls, we are 'officially' in the right time frame (again). There haven't been any more referrals since my last post, so we are still #4 in line. We are hopeful (as is AWAA) that February will be as fruitful as January with referrals, but I try not to be so optimistic. (Does that make me pessimistic? I have certainly not always been a glass-half-empty kind of girl, that's more Travis' style, but I'm really afraid to get my hopes up just to have them crushed again.)
Here's our worst fear right now (as in really unthinkable, we try not even to acknowledge that it is a possibility). If we receive our referral in April (which is not unreasonable as there are typically only 1-2 baby girl referrals a month), our court date would most likely not be scheduled until mid June or first of July. If we pass, great, we'd be on our way to Ethiopia. If not, because 30% of families do not pass court the first time around, our court date gets rescheduled 4-6 weeks later. Here's the problem though: the courts in Ethiopia close from August to the first of October. We're assured that the only people who even notice that the courts are closed are people in jail and waiting to adopt; it's kind of like Congress recessing. So our court date would not be rescheduled until October. (See what I mean about unthinkable?)
I know that is a lot of ifs, and so I am trying to be very diligent in bringing these fears to the Lord. I know I can't control any part of this situation, but I so often try so hard. I'm sure He just watches as I struggle and bloody and beat myself up; then I feel Him gently nudging, reminding me that all my struggle is in vain. I need to do my part by praying to Him, being honest with Him, letting Him take my fears and have peace with the knowledge "that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).
I shared this with my Bible study group last week, and one of my ladies offered the suggestion of finding a project that I could immerse myself in, to keep me distracted for awhile. Since we have economized this year, I can't take on anything too expensive (too bad because traveling always makes me feel better!) so I've been thinking about learning to garden more (as in edible gardening: vegetables, fruits, herbs, etc.) and to begin making daily foods, such as bread and cheese. Any other suggestions?