What to expect...

Good news is- we're slowly moving up the wait list. We can't wait for the day when we get 'the call' introducing Baby Roth! We've been asked many times, so- what actually happens when you get your referral. Here are some things to keep in mind for THE DAY when we get 'THE CALL'...

First, we will receive from our social worker an email of information regarding our child's age, gender, social/family background, medical information and as much information as possible related to Baby Roth. Plus, we'll get at least one picture if not more! : ) We'll get a picture of a child that needs a home, a child that doesn't have a home...therefore, we need to be mentally prepared that the picture we get to pass along to family and friends very possibly won't be that of a chubby cheeked, smiley faced, all dressed up cute little babe. The other day, I read on a fellow Bethany family's blog that their referral was for a 4 month old baby boy who weighed 8lbs at the time. And, typically, once those small, little, babies get home to a family full of love, good food, clean water and good doctors, they grow super quick.

Second, Ethiopian law prohibits adoptive families from posting pictures of their prospective adoptive children online or to be electronically transmitted until after the child has traveled to America. So...what that means, is that we can't post to our blog or Facebook or anything like that until Baby Roth hits US soil. And, we can't send out a big mass email full of pictures either, stinky deal but, its for the best. We've just got to think that in the big picture.... we're gonna have years and years and years of pictures to share.

Third, just keep on praying for progress! Today at church, Pastor Ron reminded us that when we pray- we're talking to the creator of the universe.

We're talking to the Man..." who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its offspring, who gives breath to the people on it..." Isaiah 42:5 Baby Roth will join our family because we, the three of us, are all part of the plan- His plan to build our family! Yay, can't wait : )

Training...

Although, kids don't come with a user-manual...adoptive parents definitely go through more 'orientation' than those who become parents through birth. We've been working on finishing some of our training requirements and are finally making good progress. So far, we've attended some face-to-face training through our agency, read some very interesting books and are currently working through the Because They Waited training. So far, its been good. The information is pretty straightforward and they seem to have some very credible points. Of course, nothing is perfect and parenting is by no means a formula. However, its always nice to gain perspective from experts who've walked through similar phases which will be ahead for our family. I've attached an interesting article from the New York Times which demonstrates childhood brain development. Take a look, I think you'll be surprised by what you see : )

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/09/15/health/20080915-brain-development.html

In other news...nothing exciting to report. We're looking forward to hearing the October numbers for Bethany's referrals. And, we're coming up on our 3 month mark!

God Knows...

Yippee!! Its been 75 days since our paperwork took flight to Ethiopia : ) It seems like August was forever ago, most likely due to our super crazy schedule lately. But, a calmer sense of normal is almost here. This fall has been filled with working lots of volleyball concessions, knowledge bowl meets, school work, helping with the election, friends, church, getting a few wisdom teeth taken out, house projects, family visits and lots more! The busyness has been good- its made the time go by relatively 'quickly' yet at the same time it seems like I haven't seen our paperwork in ages. If you're wondering if your prayers for progress are working.... they are!!! Here's a glimpse of a few answered prayers...Last Friday- referral for a 6 week old baby boy, their paperwork was submitted in late May. Monday- referral for a 1 1/2 year old little girl, their paperwork was submitted in late June. Today- referral for a 5 year old girl, their paperwork was submitted October 8th- crazy!!
* Keep in mind, we're requesting an infant which normally takes longer to get a referral. Single children who are older and have special needs are placed much more quickly.
There's no magic formula or secret calculation method for knowing when that phone call might come however...we know, that God knows. Isn't that amazing!!!! I just can't imagine the joyful anticipation that He lives with every moment of every day. He knows which day and who Baby Roth is! We're so grateful and blessed that the process has continually became more efficient and speedy since we began this journey last spring. Again, we just keep praying that things keep moving along smoothly in order to allow more families to be united. And remember, if you see an expectant mom.... or a cute little scrunchy faced baby....say a prayer for Baby Roth.

Shoes, shoes, shoes...

Just a quick update on the shoes... its been amazing to see what started as just a handful of cute shoes turn into a big pile of shoes! As of right now, our count is up to 44. How awesome is that : ) A couple weeks ago the future Grandma Berry came up for the evening enroute to a school meeting. She dropped off a few pairs and got to check out the growing shoe mountain.

Its a Dad Thing...

This afternoon, we had a fun development in our journey to becoming parents...we took that pile of pieces and turned it into a crib! Here's a look at the amazing future dad in action : )

Yay for directions : )

Almost there...

Good Work!! : ) We think it looks amazing!

Thanks Grandma & Grandpa Roth- we're sure Baby Roth will love it!

Keep Praying for Progress

During our waiting time, I'm often reminded that God is always at work whether we can see it or not. Which is a wonderful thing! As you may or may not know, our agency- Bethany Christian Services, has discussion board which I am constantly checking. Its a wonderful place to ask questions and to celebrate each other's journey to our children. Ask Wes or anyone super close to me and they'll tell you I'm well-addicted to checking the boards to see if anyone has heard 'good news'. We have a waiting list which is fun to watch people transition between the phases of bringing their child home. Not everyone is on the boards but about 1/2 or so the veteran board addicts predict : ) Recently however, there haven't been many referrals on the boards because nobody who submitted their paperwork in April and May have chosen to participate on the discussion boards. Therefore, its been quiet. There's been this mysterious silence of now knowing if referrals are being made, how many, how are things progressing...

BUT- great news, as of yesterday, the silence just may have been broken. A family who submitted their paperwork on May 21st received a referral for a 6 week old baby boy. Our paperwork is a few months behind theirs but still- we're making progress!!!

So, please- keep praying for progress. Keep praying for our little one who very likely may already be born. Keep praying that God will have us meet in His pre-destined timing, just when everything is ready and set to go. Thanks for praying and trust us, if we get the BIG news....we'll be shouting it for the whole world to know! God Bless everyone : )

Outta the Blue...

Today, just out of the blue, three people asked about you. Another student spoke on adoption. They wanted to know, if we'd heard anything yet. I said, sorry- not yet. There are lots of people just waiting to meet you. There are students who find our family story fascinating. There are colleauges who want to throw you parties, friends who are donating shoes for your home country and a big family praying you home. We can't wait to love on you!! So, maybe today, was some big kind of day, in some sort of way. We'll probably never know what today involved. But, know that lots of prayers were sent your way. So, tonight- my prayer is that you're warm and safe and nourished and healthy and hydrated and well. We're trusting in God that He will provide for you no matter where you are. Whether that be in the safe womb of your birth mom, in a little mud hut, or waiting in the orphanage. No matter what- God's there! He made you and has great plans for you!!

God Bless & Sweet Dreams Baby Roth! : )

Two

Two months. Its been just two months since our dossier (paperwork) flew to our child's homeland of Ethiopia. That was the day, we officially knew we were on the list. Actually, however, its been longer than that. It has been 12 weeks since we turned our paperwork into our local Bethany office. 12 weeks not having any papers, seals, signatures or other requirements to work on. It felt like it took forever to get to one month on the wait list. This past month- getting to 2, has actually went by more quickly. School and work and life is super busy right now. Which to a certain extent is a good thing...makes the waiting go more quickly.

So, its been 2 months...how much longer until you get a referral? This is starting to be a common question. So, here's the short version of our best guess. Referrals for our age range, 0-12 months have been around 6 months recently. Therefore, we are telling people that we may know something in January or February. Realizing, it could be longer however. We try to remind everyone though that this is just guess-imate and nothing else. We are very appreciative that Bethany intentionally matches the children to the family therefore making the child's needs the priority when selecting the family.

Technically, we could get that phone call anyday but- we know and believe that God will send that phone call at just the right time, when He has prepared just the right child for us. I've got to admit though...we're praying hard that that phone call comes much sooner than later!