GUARDIANSHIP!!!

I received a call this morning and found out from one of the most precious voices around that WE HAVE GUARDIANSHIP!!!! Tami, from Dillon called this morning and had quite a time getting through our phone line. It seemed like our phone rang off the hook for various reasons this morning. She said she'd been trying for a while and then finally got through:) I think it is so special that she called and I got to scream in her ear ... I'm sure it made her day! HA!! SOOOOO..... you may be thinking, what does that mean exactly. WELLLL, that means that we are Joseph's legal guardians. Now, we need travel Visas, a passport for our little man and we are on the plane!!!!! We are planning the VERY end of April or beginning of May!! There is a good possibility that we will miss his first birthday (April 30th), but not by much!

Now... I'm glad you are wondering what you can do!! PLEASE CONTINUE TO PRAY! Pray for trip preparation, the paperwork, safety, heart preparation for what we are sure to experience and see, Joseph's well-being during this tough transition, packing, hooking up with the right travel agent, and our two homegrown boys while we are doing all of this!!! I know that is a lot to ask, but we know our God is great and listens to His children when we call. Oh...and rejoice with us today!!

More practice at waiting

Last week was, in a word, HARD. We found out that Joseph finally had his guardianship hearing on Thursday with one little thing missing... THE JUDGE!! He was away at a meeting. Now we wait for a new court date to become his guardians. We have been in the courts of Kolkata since January 3rd in case any of you are counting! It took a few days to lick some wounds and to do the spiritual thing... grumble. Then, my Lord scooped me up, dusted me off, and sent me back into the ring! I was encouraged by the hope that God is still in control and loving us. We don't know why these delays are happening, but I am determined to trust my Lord. Adoption WILL draw you closer to God as you are faced with the reality that there are truly very few things we have control over. We think we have more influence than we do in so many areas of our lives. Ultimately, we are here for one reason only... "to glorify God and enjoy Him forever". It is His good pleasure for us to wait at this time. I told my husband this evening that I think I am finally understanding what it means to wait on the Lord. Maybe we are waiting so long so I can get in some practice!!

I would like to ask each of you reading this post to pray for Joseph and his court date. It is likely this week or next. Our friends are traveling to pick up Joseph's cribmate tomorrow. Please also pray for them. My friend is named Liberty and their son is Ben. She has promised new photos and information regarding his dentition. I am a speech therapist and I don't even know if my kiddo has any teeth yet!! That's driving me nuts!!! THANK YOU for your prayers. That is our greatest need right now!

Baby Shower!

On March 11, some friends held a baby shower for Joseph. Enjoy the photos!

This free photo slideshow made with Smilebox

Take a Stand, Baby!

We just got these photos unexpectedly from a Director of a group in Sweden!! I was so longing for my boy and these pictures were like medicine for my soul. I was planning to post Baby Shower pictures today, but these are so much better.

Awakening Hope Once More

I realize that I haven't posted in a while. Maybe we will call it a bit of an "adoption funk".. or perhaps just overwhelmed with the daily grind. I will never claim to be too busy for something as I firmly believe that you make time for the things you prioritize...but I won't go into that philosophy! ANYWAY--- my last post was borderline depressing, so I thought an update would be in order!

The paperwork snag has turned out to be okay... at least for now. Since then, the judge has approved 3 cases!!! One of them is a new dear friend in Ohio, so we were able to celebrate her victory for Ben (one of Joseph's cribmates!!) We are sincerely hoping and praying that ours will be next, but we have no way of knowing that. God does answer prayers and moves mountains as we were braced for the worst in that scenario.

We received an update on his height and weight yesterday and HE IS GROWING!!! I don't share our concerns for Joseph on this public blog, but we will just say that we realize we won't be signing him up for Mighty Mights Football! He is on the American Pediatrics growth chart for height (27 inches)! His weight is just under 15pounds at 10 months old--- we'll take it!!!

Today, I am feeling so OPTIMISTIC for the first time in a few weeks and it feels wonderful. Sometimes, I think God lets us enter the valleys so we can enjoy the view from the mountain top all the more!

FINALLY... lest I forget to mention my 2 homegrown boys. Thomas J celebrated his 5th birthday in February and I thought I'd share a few pictures. Turner is maturing so quickly at 7 years. We are seeing him begin to understand the things of the Lord which makes us so very excited. If only subtraction would come...:) He is doing a wonderful job on his school lessons. He LOVES history and is turning out to be a great reader. So blessed to have them "on loan" from the Lord!