At 1:15 p.m. yesterday, I was in court when my cell phone starting vibrating. I almost ignored it as I was trying to work-out a case but then changed my mind and boy am I glad I did - the screen said "America World"! I tore out of the courtroom as I whispered, "Hold on, I'm in the middle of court." Terra laughed and whispered back, "Okay." Once I got to where I could talk, there was an awkward silence and then Terra said, "This is Terra from America World and I've got good news for you - this is your referral call." I said, "Oh my goodness, I knew this was going to happen because I have 3 cases on the docket and there's no way I can talk right now!" She said for me to call her back when I could. I told the DA what was happening and she was awesome to try to work with me but of course, one case was a tangled mess and had to be taken at the end of the docket, so it looked like I was stuck waiting. I went to the holding area for adult inmates and made a quick call to Jason and asked him to go up to the office because we were getting our referral call today. Of course, he thought I had lost my mind and I didn't have a lot of time to explain, so he just trusted me and headed to the Square.
At 2:23 p.m., we were on the speakerphone calling America World. Terra was tied-up on another call, so another person, Nicole, told us the good news. She is 2 months old! She weighs approx. 6.4 lbs and is 18.5" long. Nicole filled us in on other details which we will not share publicly as this is our daughter's story to tell when and if she ever wants to. We waited almost an hour for the e-mail because Nicole thought Terra was sending it to us and Terra thought Nicole had sent it. I called AWA and told the receptionist not to let Terra leave the building until she knew we had received our e-mail with our baby's pictures - we were on pins and needles and must have hit "refresh" at least 100 times! Terra called me back and apologized and stayed on the line with me until the e-mail arrived in our inbox. Terra told me I was just going to have a fit when I saw her and boy was she right! She is absolutely beautiful! The first picture shows a baby with a head FULL of hair and then the other 2 show a baby with a shaved head. We found out that she got head lice, so they had to shave her hair. She's adorable both ways!
I can't post any pictures until after court when she officially becomes our daughter....I know it stinks, but that's the rules. Now, what happens next? First, praise God, praise God and praise God! Secondly, please pray that our baby remains healthy. Thirdly, please pray that we get a court date quickly (as in late June or sometime in July) and that the court favorably approves our adoption on the 1st hearing! As soon as we know we pass, then we will post pictures for everyone to ooh and ah over! We will travel 2-4 weeks after court.
There is a rumor - and I reiterate rumor - that the Ethiopian courts may not take a vacation for August and September, so we are praying that the rumor becomes true! It would be so wonderful for families to be able to have court during this time and bring their children home! Please remember this in your prayers as well!
Thank you SO MUCH for all your prayers and support! We've been waiting a long time for this post! It just about killed me not to be able to post last night, but we wanted to be able to tell family members before they read it online or heard about it from others. We ended our celebration last night at Cracker Barrel - which is a family favorite for us. We ate supper with Daddy and rejoiced in the news. Yesterday began as a very difficult day as it marked 7 months since my Mom entered Eternity, however God once again showed-up in a might way! It was with tears of joy that I stood at my Mother's grave yesterday evening and shared the news - I know it's just her body there but it sure helps me to be able to visit. If she had still been alive, we would have celebrated bright and early this morning with a shopping trip for a new outfit for my baby!
Ashton's Reaction:
I'm sure many of you want to know how Ashton reacted to the news. First of all, remember he is only 4 1/2, so basically, we have been trying to adopt for at least 1/2 of his life so he is well-versed in the lingo and concepts. After we left my office, I headed to WalMart to pick-up our pictures of the baby and Jason headed to daycare to pick-up Ashton. We agreed that we would tell Ashton together. On the way home, Jason called his older sister, Machelle, and told her that we would be coming to his mother's home to show the pictures, and asked if she would come. Jason had to be very, very careful what he said, so he spelled everything just to be sure Ash didn't catch-on. When we got home, Jason told Ashton that we had a surprise for him and asked him to sit down at the kitchen table. Ashton looked up on the table and then on the bar and said, "I don't see a surprise." We asked him if he knew what we had been waiting on and Ashton replied, "We got the call?!" I died laughing at this statement as I thought about his young age and the fact that he had been waiting for "the call" just as long as we had. Of course, he loved looking at her pictures and wanted to know if we were going to the big airport last night to bring her home. He kept saying, "She's so cute. She's so cute." We told her how little she is and he got down in the floor and started measuring with hands how tall she would stand ; ) He held his little arms out and said, "I'm going to hold her like this. I'm going to be a good big brother." It was a good night for all of us!
The total amount of time we've spent waiting for this day (includes our Ukraine and Ethiopia journey):
2 years, 8 months, 2 weeks, and 6 days
The amount of time spent waiting since our paperwork has been in Ethiopia:
10 months, 1 week, 4 days
I know, pathetic. Well, I thought I was going to cry or at least become misty-eyed but I didn't! I kept looking at the picture of my little girl in the onesie that is far too big and tattered - these children need the clothes far more than my children ever did! The clothes that I am not keeping for Julianna, I am taking with me to Ethiopia for donations. Once my luggage is packed to capacity, I will then give the remaining items to a young girl that my sister-in-law told me about who is very young, pregnant, and on a very tight budget. Honestly, I felt really guilty as I unloaded tub after tub - we are such a blessed and oftentimes spoiled society. We have so much and take it for granted so frequently.
I know, pathetic. Well, I thought I was going to cry or at least become misty-eyed but I didn't! I kept looking at the picture of my little girl in the onesie that is far too big and tattered - these children need the clothes far more than my children ever did! The clothes that I am not keeping for Julianna, I am taking with me to Ethiopia for donations. Once my luggage is packed to capacity, I will then give the remaining items to a young girl that my sister-in-law told me about who is very young, pregnant, and on a very tight budget. Honestly, I felt really guilty as I unloaded tub after tub - we are such a blessed and oftentimes spoiled society. We have so much and take it for granted so frequently.
