Thursday, March 7th–Gotcha Day (Part I)

I’m writing this as if it was really March 7th, k? Play along. I’ve been busy. We’ll get to that next…

So, last night Brent and I packed up a ton of stuff for the boys, put it in the van, and drove over to my mom’s house. We brought the boys and all of their belongings in the house, and then we had an awesome homemade supper (awesome because it was my mom’s mashed potatoes and meatloaf, and awesome because I didn’t have to make it). We hugged and kissed the boys over and over (and over and over). We talked about what the next couple weeks would look like. They were so excited to be staying at Grandma’s house, and they were so excited that we were leaving to go get our baby girl.

We cried as we left my mom’s yard, knowing that we wouldn’t see the boys for at least two weeks. That, without a doubt, is the hardest part about this all. We’re so thankful for family that will take care of our boys for us.

We got home from Mom’s house at about 10:00 that night. We finished packing our stuff, got the van ready to go, and then Brent headed to bed. I thought it was more important to finish making a red headband for our baby girl to wear with a special little outfit I had for her. By the time I climbed into bed it was about 11:30pm.

At 2:00 AM our alarms started going off. We hopped out of bed with smiles on our faces climbed out of bed trying not to be grouchy. At 3:00 AM we climbed in the van and backed out of the garage. We were officially on our way to get our baby girl.

We made it to Sioux Falls at about 4:30. We checked our bags, made it through security and sat down at Gate 7. We were scheduled to board the plane at 5:30 and take off at 6:00. We patiently waited, and then boarded when our group number was called. We got seated and situated. I opened my book and started reading. And then…

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’ve just been told that there is a mechanical issue with this airplane. There seems to be a leak in the break line. Please take any items that you carried on to the plane, and we will de-board the plane at this time. Thank you for your patience.”

Ugh! Exactly 8 hours later (give or take a few minutes) we re-boarded the same airplane. Yep, we spent an entire day in the upstairs of the Sioux Falls airport (we didn’t feel like going through security again). Some people were EXTREMELY cranky about the situation. Me personally, I’d rather ride on a airplane that will get me safely from Point A (Sioux Falls) to Point B (Chicago).

We arrived in Chicago and had 30 minutes to go across the airport. We pretty much ran the entire way, and we made it with 3 minutes to spare. We boarded the next plane and we were on our way to Charlotte. I couldn’t believe it. We were almost there.

Originally we were supposed to be in Charlotte, NC, by 1:45 PM. Then we were supposed to head directly to the agency for placement yet that afternoon. When we heard that we wouldn’t land in Charlotte until 7:30 PM, we assumed they would tell us to just check-in to the hotel, and we would have placement Friday AM. I called Doris, the head of the agency, at some point while in Sioux Falls. She said that she was actually flying out Friday morning, so we would need to do placement yet that night.

On the flight to Charlotte, emotions started hitting. As we started to descend, the tears started falling. With every mile that we got closer to Charlotte, we got closer to our baby girl.

And then… we touched ground.

We were in Charlotte… We’re coming, baby girl! Mommy and Daddy are coming!

No New News

Yep, 2 posts in one night. (In other words, Brody still isn’t sleeping, so I have more time to blog.)

I thought maybe I should update about our adoption. After the failed adoption, basically our book just got put back in the “waiting” stack. So, anytime there is a situation that matches with our Baby Wish List (which was pretty much wide open), our book will be shown.

Brody has just started asking again when we’ll get a baby. I wish I had some kind of answer for him. I wish I could tell him that it will be by this summer, or next fall or winter. It could be 5 years down the road. We don’t know. But God does. And I love that.

God has given us a great peace about this time spent waiting. There are some days that I even forget that we are, in fact, waiting. Then, when I realize that I had forgotten, I feel guilty. It’s weird.

Until then, we will continue to eagerly anticipate the day when we hold our baby for the first time.

Thanks for all your prayers, friends. They’re worth much more than you know!

Names

Karter’s votes:

- Boy Name: Toby (I think someone watches too much Good Luck, Charlie!)

- Girl Name: Ashley

Brody’s votes:

- Boy Name: Pencil

- Girl’s Name: Pencil

Hmmm… we’ll see what happens. Good thing we started this process before placement!

Ephesians 3: An Adoption Update

God is so good. (Duh, right?) Brent and I are trying really hard about spending time in The Word. I love how I can read a verse that I have read many, many times before, and use it to speak to me in new ways each time.

My life verse is found in Ephesians 3, specifically verses 18 & 19. Actually, I have a hard time saying exactly which verse it is, because I just love the whole chapter. Click HERE to read that chapter on Biblegateway.com.

Tonight, with adoption on my mind, I lean particularly on verse 20.

“God is able to do much more than we ask or imagine through His power working in us.”

Oh, the peace that brings me.

- When I’m not sure if I can wait one more minute to get a baby in our arms… God is able. It’s in those moments that I get a hug from the boys. And I must say, my boys give the best hugs!

- When I’m not sure where the money will come from to pay the placement fee… God is able. He provides fundraiser opportunities, and we continue to be amazed at the support we receive from friends, family and complete strangers.

- When I’m not sure how to answer Karter’s questions… God is able. He is able to work in the hearts of our boys. I love that they already have a heart for the orphans, and I pray that they never stop hearing God’s call to care for the orphans.

- When Satan gets through to me and makes me wonder if we can really do this; if we’re really cut out to be the parents of three kids… God is so much bigger than Satan! God provides family and friends that understand and are willing to pray for us.

It’s hard, and it’s not hard. Makes perfect sense, right? We’ve been a waiting family since May, and sometimes that’s hard. 5 months? Some people don’t even wait 5 days. And then other days I can’t believe that it’s really been that long. It seems like it was just a couple weeks ago that we got the email from our caseworker saying we were officially a waiting family. Oh, the emotions. That’s where we are now, though. We are waiting. 

Here’s what’s on my heart today: Somewhere out there is a woman that is making some life changing decisions. Not just life changing for herself, but for a child and for our family. I can’t imagine being in that spot. I must say, I am in awe of her already. I pray for her and for the people in her life. Then God speaks, “Kelli, do you have no faith? You pray for a sense of peace, the strength to get her through this time. I can do so much more than that. Do not limit Me.”

I do that. I limit God. Why do I ask for just enough strength to get through this (whether it be for me or for someone else)? So today, here’s my prayer…

God, You are a God of Love. I am in awe of how you love your own. Please, I’m begging that you use this situation, this circumstance. Use this to glorify you, like only You can do. By our own efforts, this will never work. Without you, no Mom could handle these decisions. No one could hand over a baby they just delivered to someone else and ask them to parent that child. God, it is simply by your strength. Tonight I ask you to be with every birthmother out there. I ask that they are simply overwhelmed by your love. I ask that, like it says in Ephesians 3, they may understand how wide and how long and how high and how deep Your love is. You are amazing, and I am so grateful for your love! Amen.

We’re Adopting

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.           James 1:27

We are following God’s call to adopt, and we couldn’t be more excited.

There, it’s on the blog… so that makes it official, right?