Wait until....

There will be a key court date for our case in Ethiopia on March 20. Until that date comes and all necessary paperwork, persons, and processes have been approved, we are not issued a court date. Should all go well on March 20, we would get the green light and be given a court date where we would fly to Ethiopia to appear before the judge.

Just for those of you keeping track or wondering if there is "news"...

Dreams

Last night I had a very vivid dream about Hoolet. It was one of those where I did not want to wake up because I knew that she would not be there if I did. When I awoke, I scrambled to remember all that I could. I know it is just a dream, but it felt so real.

I could feel her hands as she reached for me.

I could feel her heart as she made eye contact with me.

I could smell Ethiopia and her - a blend of good and hard memories flooding back to me from our previous stay.

I don't want to hold onto the images and experiences of that dream as if they were memories. We don't have memories with her... YET. But I do think that God was teaching me some things through the dream and I wanted to share them here. In fact, I think I might burst if I don't get them in writing.

That first time she touched me was amazing - but it was on her terms. She reached out to me. I feel that is important. I look forward to her initiating our interactions. This does not mean I won't hold her and love on her before this moment, but it means that first touch initiated by her will be important. I am still a stranger to her. I can't expect her to instantly love me.

Eye contact was key. All the books say that, but this dream was confirmation. Sustained eye contact will be important as we develop trust. I look at those eyes in the photos I currently have and can melt into them.

Take it slow. I was not anxious in the dream to get her to like me or to connect instantly. I was patient and celebrated each step. Each interaction was huge, but not rushed. I want to have the patience to be like that when we meet her.



With the passing of my grandmother last week, I really had something else to keep my mind "busy" as I was with her for hours on end for a week or so straight. I am grateful for the time I was able to spend with my Moeke and sad that she won't meet Hoolet until Heaven. I dream of the day they will meet and Hoolet will see her godly and loving heritage in the presence of Jesus.



I have dreams about advocating for orphans. Sometimes I do not know where to start. Sometimes I think that I have already begun. (We have had four families tell us that we played a part in their decision to adopt at some level.) Sometimes it feels overwhelming and I feel small. But last night, I felt like I need to press in a little farther and advocate. I need to be a voice. I need to use my gifts of ideas and communication to care for orphans. I'm not sure if I will do so on this blog or another, how I will go about things, or where my focus will be. But I feel compelled to at least start. I guess as they say, stay tuned.

Anticipation

Doorbell Rings.
Me: Who is that?
Zain: HOOLET!

(It was the mailman... I guess I'm not the only one in eager anticipation around here!)

Missing You

The best emotion to explain our stage right now is "Missing You."

It is a strange idea to miss someone you have never met. Yet the essential feeling can only be compared to missing her. It is that longing as if something is not here that needs to be so that hearts can feel full.

Don't get me wrong, we can wait. The phrase. "I cannot wait to meet her!" is appropriate but inaccurate. Waiting is part of adoption. It is part of birthing, too! How many pregnant mothers are just waiting for that kid to decide to come out and put an end to six pillows to get comfortable and hourly bathroom trips? How many couples tried to get pregnant month after month, some taking medical measures, just waiting for a positive pee-stick? Waiting is part of having kids no matter what.

And quite frankly, waiting is part of our love for her. It is not easy. But her life has not been easy. And every time I realize I'm having a hard time in my heart with the waiting, I think of her. I think I would do anything for her. I am loving her already even by waiting.

My heart is full. I am so blessed to be in the process to mothering her. I am grateful for the way God has woven the tapestry of our story together. My heart is full. Yet it is the kind of full one might feel during a trip. When Erik is away, my heart is not less full, but I miss him terribly. He misses Zain and I and longs to return. We miss each other.

Today, we miss her. We wait. We love. We pray.

We are coming for you, daughter!

Becoming a Family of Four

 

It's a girl!

"She's pretty. She has hair like mine!" -Zain

We are proud to announce that we received a referral! We have been matched with a 19-month-old girl from Ethiopia!!!

Excited. Nervous. Sad. Thrilled. Happy. Butterflies.
There are lots of emotions flying around here. We have been in the process for over a year with paperwork and waiting, however being matched once again feels sudden and immediately life changing. We are so happy. We are also sad because every adoption story includes loss, and though we do not know everything about the first year of her life, we know it was hard for her and her birth family. We are a bit nervous about parenting two at a time, but we know we can do it. It will be a big adjustment, but we are ready.

There are many aspects of this second adoption that are the same, however some changes in the process have occurred. Lord willing, we hope to bring her home sometime before she turns two. In May, Zain will turn 3 and she will turn 2 a couple weeks later. 

We will go to Ethiopia once this spring to appear before a judge to officially say, "YES! We want her!" That trip will be about five days long. This time we will come back to the U.S. to await news of her paperwork being ready to return to Ethiopia to pick her up. We will go back for about a week to bring her home to Illinois!

Because she is not legally ours, we once again cannot post pictures or identifying information about her before the adoption is final in Ethiopia. For now, we are calling her Hoolet. This is simply the Amharic/Ethiopian word for number two! (You might recall that we called Zain "Moosh" for a while. This is similar.)

Since we can't show you her picture unless you see us in person, we thought you might want to see Zain's reaction to first seeing the picture of his new little sister! I didn't get the camera on right away, but you can kinda tell that at the beginning he is saying, "She looks kinda like me!"

A few notes: In the pictures we have, she is in a cute dress with purple flowers on it and pants underneath. In one of them, she is riding in one of those "Little Tykes Cozy Coupe" type of cars and there are some toys laying on the floor in the background. 

Zain cannot wait to meet her. He wants to play Legos with her, teach her to bake muffins, play drums with her and race cars. He knows he is the big brother and she is the little sister. He smiles every time he sees her picture. 

We have seen God's hand in some incredible ways over the past eight weeks. He is so good.

Happy New Year! Here's to becoming a family of FOUR!  

Cutest 7th Inning Stretch Ever!

We went to a Cubs game and Zainers just had to "root, root, root for the Cubbies" all day long... which turned into a daily occurrence. So I caught the 7th Inning Stretch by Zain at home.

Extend the Adoption Tax Refund

We would not have been able to adopt Zain without the Federal Tax help we got. You can help make it permanent here: https://www.popvox.com/bills/us/112/hr4373

Photo Shoot

We did a little photo shoot with Zain last week. We think he is the cutest kid ever, and we thought GAP might agree... but we have not received a call yet. Perhaps the 500,000 other entries were bogging them down. Here are the four we posted.

Hope Ethiopia from Lifesong for Orphans on Vimeo.

Children at the Lifesong Ethiopia school  are fed 2 nutritious meals per day, provided with a quality education, and taught the message of Jesus Christ. This gives kids like Beza the hope they need in order to break free from gripping poverty.

We currently have a need to build a 12-room expansion to our existing school, in order to reach more children like Beza. We have been blessed, by the generosity of a donor, to be able to MATCH all donations to the Ziway and Adami Tulu Schools between now and December 31st... up to $130,000!!!

This week, the 5^th through the 9^th, we invite you to join Hope Ethiopia:100. We are looking for 100 people to give a one-time $100 donation! 

Joining this team will not only give hope to kids like Beza, but your dollars will be matched AND you'll be entered into a drawing for a FABULOUS gift basket (details below).

Help us achieve the next $10,000 by being a part of our Hope Ethiopia: 100 Team!

Together we can make a difference in the lives of these kids!  Together we can do more to bring joy and purpose to orphans!

And don't forget to keep checking the Lifesong blog for updates all week!

*Gift basket includes: $100 itunes or amazon gift card, Lifesong t- shirt, Lifesong cookbook,Journey On CD, handmade necklaces & note cards by orphans in Zambia, handmade ornament from a child in Ukraine, 5 bags of Gobena coffee, Gobena coffee mug, Gobena t- shirt, andGobena tote bag. This basket is worth over $250! *To commit via check, please send an email to info@lifesongfororpha ns.org. Make check payable to Lifesong for Orphans, indicate 'preference Hope Ethiopia: 100' in the memo.

One Year

One year ago we were in Ethiopia spending every second we could with Zain. A year later, we are in Elgin still spending every second we can with Zain. His personality is coming through and he is such a joy! He truly is a happy, healthy kid full of joy, love, and smiles. This Tuesday we will have our final post placement visit and all will be complete with Zain's process. We will send yearly reports to Ethiopia but will not need a social worker for those. Here are the six photos we are sending with our report. This kid is the best!

Apple Picking with the Patricks in September

Our Favorite Family Photo

Ethiopian New Year in September

Zain's first trip to the California Beach

At Huntington Beach where Dad proposed to Mom

Goofin' around at APU

Friends Online

Last summer was tough. We waited, without knowing our fate, and only knowing that we would eventually bring an Ethiopian baby into our home someday. God got us through a lot. And we depended on Him as much as we could. Yet, the reality was that I needed others to help me through, too. I read blogs about other families almost everyday. Sometimes it made my heart hurt worse, but mostly it gave me hope. At one point, I reached out to a few moms to actually make "friends" over the internet. One day, I got to talk on the phone with one of those moms and it brought me so much peace and hope. This summer, I got to meet her and her four kids. It was such a joy! I am not always the biggest fan of social networking, but this situation got me through. Thanks, Christy, for your support and joy! And thanks Evan. You two might not ever know how much you helped!

Picture taken by the Beautiful Miss Avery!

Referral-versary

One year ago we "met" Zain for the first time. We got an adorable picture of a chubby little man named Sato and fell in love. I have seen pictures before of referral compared to a year later and been blown away by the difference. Love changes a kid for sure! Funny thing, I don't think that our referral pics look like Zain at all! So here it goes:

Our first glimpse.

Our first meeting.

Our first week.

Our first week in the US.

Zain "helping" dad change the oil on the car.

Zain playing in our living room yesterday.

We are so in love with this kid! We are now good at waiting and will wait with joyous expectancy for our next referral day. Happy Referral-versary, Zain Sato!

I realized that we have not updated in a while. But we are now chasing around a toddler who can unlock my phone, reach the keyboard of my computer, and climb on chairs which can get him pretty much anywhere. So I took a video that updates a lot of his growing.

He is walking all the time. He doesn't need to pull up anymore. He repeats sounds and words. He can throw a ball.... kind of. He problem solves and loves to be active. He still loves to be with me and I will take every moment I can get. He is so happy and we can tell he is developing great!

Notice that when he crawls under the high chair, it is the most direct route, but not easiest. There is room for him to walk behind the chair, he just loves being adventurous. We love that about him! (As you can see, we are in the middle of a huge heat wave here. Too hot to even go outside. Yeesh.)

Two months' of photos

Erik's college buddies came to visit in May. We had a blast and did some great hiking!

 It's been really hot around here, so we have been playing in the kiddie pool and with the water table in the backyard. I LOVE the water!

We also love to go for picnics! Summer is SO fun! What did I do in a crib all of last summer? This is way better!

 We went to the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago. I loved looking at the fish. I could get so close and they were always moving!

I took another plane ride. This time we went to Oregon to see Craig's mom and sister. They were so great. I even go to hang in the duplos.

 Every fourth of July, we go to Minnesota to see Daddy's family. Boy that is a LONG car ride! I was all done before we got to Wisconsin. But I found out - it was totally worth it!

 I'm pooped! But it is only halfway through the summer, so I'm sleeping lots to get ready for the other half!

Walking!

Zain decided to start walking on his first birthday! May 6, 2011 he took 5 steps.

We were in the kitchen getting ready to go out, when he started standing on his own for longer than a second. He was so proud of himself! He squealed with joy and so we ran for the camera. After we thought he was all done with standing, he busted out 5 steps. We didn't get those on film, but we did get an example of it for you to see a few days later.

He is so proud of himself!