drum roll

Ok, for the most part, we have told our parents. Mind you, we each have several sets of parents. Hopefully this week we'll get to tell (in person!) our numbers to Justin's Dad and Bonus Mom. But since they don't read this blog...and nobody will really tell them, I feel like it's alright to post.

Are you ready?
Drum Roll please.

According to our phone call LAST WEDNESDAY, we were OFFICIALLY
#25 Girls (Cindy- good guess!!!)
#15 Boys
#9 Sibs

BUT!!! There have been at least TWO referrals for girls this week, maybe three and I'm not sure if any of them were on multiple lists. All I can say is that it's pretty nifty to be on The List for 5 days and already move a few spaces. How cool is that?

The current debate is whether or not the girls number will get anywhere close to the boys number. Justin is definately convinced it's going to be a boy (has been all along) but my grandparents are really pushing for a girl. You can cast your vote on the sidebar if you'd like. I think it would be a fun game. Julie (AGCI) said that you can never tell what the numbers will do or where you will be on either list when you get "the call". I hope she's right. I want to be guessing until the end! I love surprises! In fact, if we could not know until we went to Ethiopia to meet our baby, that would be awesome. I know, I know, you're all thinking I am crazy. Oh well. I never said I wasn't.

So those are our numbers. And we're still celebrating. Especially since there's been movement!

WE HAVE NUMBERS!!!

And I want to tell you.
Really I do.

But we haven't been able to tell all of our parents yet...
so please,
be patient!

I promise you will know.
They are awesome-
by the way,
in case you were wondering.

(Shout out to Julie @ AGCI who looked at our stuff the moment it arrived and was able to get through it all - without laughing too long at our ridiculous pictures - and call me back with our fabulous numbers on Wednesday. Did I mention that the numbers are fabulous? Well, they are.)

YAY Day

That's right. It's a good day. Or rather, yesterday (Monday) was a great day...and today (Tuesday) has been pretty nifty, too.

Look! Here we are at our favorite neighborhood eaterie celebrating the completion of our dossier. Yep, that's right. I said (typed) completion!!! We spoke with one of the managers, Shane, who was so excited for us --we nearly fell out of our chairs with laughter when-- he squealed.

Yep. Squealed. It was awesome.

Oh, and look. Here we are at Fed-Ex/Kinkos making our last copies and mailing our dossier.

Yes. We finally mailed our dossier.

Here we are laughing because Ken, the guy at Fed-Ex/Kinkos, was so deadpan hilarious. "Wow, I've never seen anyone so excited to send a package." And also, "I misquoted you, so I'll give you the discount overnight rate of $14.80 --because it's a good cause. And you can't stop jumping up and down." (This is because I asked my hubband if it would be ok to spend the (misquoted amount of) $25 to overnight the package...he responded, "With the thousands we've already spent, I don't see how twenty five bucks is a big deal." Also deadpan. Also hilarious.)

So YAY!!! We finished. And we mailed. And we celebrated. And today (Tuesday) at 6pm CST out "mail order baby" was picked up from Spring, Texas and shipped as fast as can be to Portland, Oregon. Because of our ridiculously long homestudy and dossier prep work (have I mentioned lately that it took over a year???) that our AWESOME case manager, Julie, said she'd look at it tomorrow instead of waiting until Friday like normal. Yay!!!

My next post

will for sure

for SURE

be

NUMBERS!!!!!

YES!!!

hip hip hooray!

First of all, I am so excited to see so many referrals lately. That is total awesomeness. Yes!

Second of all, my new friend Kim is beating me in the numbers race because she's already overnighted her dossier to AGCI.

But most importantly, our HOMESTUDY is COMPLETE and APPROVED and being mailed to me asap! Praise Jesus! Finally. Our dossier stuff has been ready and complete and just waiting to be mailed for oh...months now. But it's all good, because in God's perfect timing, our child will be home!

Now, onto the list!

Dear elusive Wait List,

We know where you are.
We're on our way to get you.
Don't be scared.
Just give us a number
and no one gets hurt.
Thanks.
See you soon!!!

not what you think.

Ok, I realize I have left you all hanging. I'm sorry. I was trying to save this (our 50th post) for some exciting news...you know, like a number. But alas, it's not happening today. Instead I am posting to say that
1. Yay! We made it through Hurricane Ike with little damage to our property.
2. Yay! After like four or five days, we finally have power! And air conditioning! Yay!!!
3. Dear Hubband is on 12 hours shifts for at least two more weeks...with no days off. Booo.
4. Our homestudy needed some revisions, we made those.
5. Our homestudy revisions should be just about done being reivised and approved and complete!
6. We should have a number soon!!!

Yay!!!

More posting to come soon, I promise!

Thanks for checking in on us so much. I love it!!!

i could scream...

because I am so excited!!!

Just kidding, I have been screaming. And squealing. And giggling. And definately crying!

This morning I received an email from our wonderful social worker stating that our fingerprints had been cleared! Yes, that's right. We are in the clear. Justin doesn't have to go back. Our homestudy is done!

Hip hip hooray!!!

For the first hour, all I could say between the tears and giggles was "Thank you, sweet Jesus!" This has definately been a struggle. I never would have imagined that we would work on paperwork for over one year! But the Lord is faithful and provides grace and mercy to all -- and has pulled me closer even still to his overflowing heart. God is good! Soo good!

I was on my way to lunch today (I was mostly done crying by then) and thought perhaps a song on the radio would help distract me. In case you were unaware, crying while driving is not the best option. Well, I turn on the radio and there's a song playing (of course) and I listen to the words and it went something like this...

"Because He is a loving and just and merciful God...

and all the children in Africa are His..."

I kid you not! So, there I am, pulling into Double Daves and blubbering all wet faced and sure to embarass my lunch companion. But I didn't care because it's true.

I'm saving my next post, which will be my 50th...for a great entry. Look for some great news sometime next week (I'm guessing).

Yay!!!

P.S. For those not in our blog community, we'll be sending out a letter of sorts to friends and family to let them know the good news. We need a great pic for that...so gimmie some ideas of how to let everyone know. My best idea is matching Tshirts that say "we've been waitlisted"...but I'm not thrilled with it. I need your help!!

one down!

Ok Gang, round one fingerprints: check!

Several of hubband's were rejected but they'll call and make him a new appointment and get that all taken care of --hopefully really soon. I am done.

In the morning I'll call and make new appointments for an updated doctor's visit for each of us for this week.

Our case manager said that I can go ahead and get our dossier mailed in and checked out so that the day our homestudy gets there everything is ready, set, go!

I'm pretty excited.

Also, it's 2:45am and I just got back from the hospital where I met Baby Sophia! She was born just after 1am after taking her sweet time. She is definately one of the pretties just-born babies I've ever seen. Lucky for me she lives right across the street. Lucky for them, I'm awake at middle of the night feedings. Yay for babies!!!

ten days are up!

(Thanks to the Furmans for reminding me to post!)

Ok, we had to reschedule (again) because of some computer malfunctions, but! Tomorrow we are doing fingerprints. Yay for that. I know that this is going to be a bit of a frustrating time for Justin so I'm praying that people are at least nice about it. I never realized it before, but it does kinda stink to have no fingerprints.

To review, our social worker said that this should take us around six weeks. We'll go in for prints tomorrow. Justin's will be denied and we'll have to make two more appointments for him. Apparently the state has to officially deny you twice before they will do a name check even if you've already been cleared by the FBI to be in state law enforcement.

We were also advised to schedule another set of health/doctor appointments because our others are from so early in the process. Our agency rep said it was best for things to be in "fresh ink" so that's one last thing. I figure we'll schedule those in the next few weeks also so that everything will be done at the same time.

The best news is that when we finally get those fingerprints...and we get the new dr. notes...we can turn in our dossier and homestudy and finally...

JOIN THE WAITING LIST!

(Can I get an amen?)

Some more good news is that our friends (and across-the-street-neighbors) went in tonight to start the baby drugs. That's right, even though they stole our baby name, we're thrilled because little Sophia Grace Elam should be here sometime tomorrow! Yay!

See, great news all around!!!

things around here

Tonight I sat with a friend in our nursery-hopeful. She and I talked about paint colors and how strange it will be for a baby to finally be there. It was a good time.

Hubband is currently working a stretch of night shifts (10pm-6am) and I am spliting the time between his schedule and a really late version of a normal schedule. You know, waking at lunch time? We've also been taking turns being sick. Or out of town. Good stuff. Anyway. If only we could get somewhat consistent or routine we could manage.

I really appreciate those of you who are still checking in on me. It's really encouraging and uplifting to hear from you. And I definately need it! I am making a pact, right now (at 3:21 am, and whenever you are reading this) to start the final two steps within 10 days. So please, if you read this, check in with me and keep me accountable to our little one who waits for us. I can't explain it, because for so long I have been so desperate, and yet lately I have felt almost cold towards our journey. I'm not sure if the Lord has been giving me a gracious vacation where other things occupy my mind or what, been it has been strangely far away. The rest has been good but I am ready to go on.

March on!

we're still here

Thanks to those of you who are constantly checking in on me/us. Hubband remains a calm and distracted man, unbothered by the state of our adoption. He's too busy loving his new job to deal with the downer of a crazy wife.

I, on the other hand, am taking my very last final ever this evening. Which means I'll have one fewer distraction to keep my mind off the state of our adoption.

I am feeling better though. I am encouraged to see some travel calls and some referrals. Those are always good news, great news.

I can feel it, we're about to move on.