Seventeen months...and waiting? That's ok!

There's nothing new to tell in our journey of waiting except that we have now been logged into the CCAA (China Center Adoption Affairs) for over seventeen months. Our journey actually began in July of 2006 when we first applied as adoptive parents with the adoption agency. But the "waiting ticket" becomes the Log-in Date (L.I.D.) and that's what we continue to do. We have been "officially updated" in the system with USCIS (Homeland Security) this summer and again, we wait. But that's ok.

All along, we knew that the road would be uncertain in many ways. We knew we would have no control over the timeframe involved. We knew it was totally out of our hands as to when we would hold our baby girl/s in our arms. In fact, when we first began, the wait was around 18 months. Now it's close to 30. But that's ok.

We have recently been informed that the referral rate has increased, which is good news. What this means is that recently, each month would only produce around 3 L.I.D. days of referrals. It has now increased to nine days. And that's very ok! :)

Does this mean that the wait is easy? Absolutely not. Does this mean that we dream any less of the moment the nanny hands us our daughter? No way. Does this mean that we sometimes wonder if we'll be in our 90s when we begin raising our daughter? :) Not really. (Think Abraham and Sarah!) Does this mean we are learning all about faith and trusting that it will all happen at just the right time and in just the right way with just the right baby girl/s? Definitely!

Of course we would love to have our baby girl home with us right now. But it's even more important to follow the plan of the One who initially brought us into this journey. He is in control. We are not. He knows what is best. We do not. He moved our hearts to this blessed opportunity and He will bring His baby girl/s into our family in His very special and selected moment. And that's incredibly ok!

So we wait, pray, love and learn about faith, God, dreams and the journey of blessings we travel. We learn about ourselves and what He has in store each new day. We learn about others, about life, about what's really important...and what's not. We learn about making choices that serve Him and not ourselves. We learn about placing our trust, our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our family and our baby girl/s...in His hands. After all, He's already holding them there!

Sometimes people ask us if we're ready to "start all over again" as parents. There's an easy answer to that question. We never finished! Being a Mom and Dad to our children has been the highest calling in our lives so far and that won't stop...no matter how old they are...or how long it takes to bring the youngest one/s home. So we live, love, laugh and learn today...and leave the tomorrows in His hands. Yes...we're still waiting...and that's ok!

Thank you for your continued prayers for our family, our journey and our baby girl/s!
Cherishing the journey and waiting on Him,
Terri and family

Weekend With Family

We spent some time last weekend attending family reunions...two within twenty-four hours, actually! It kept us busy but it repeatedly reminded me of the importance of family. We traveled to Virginia on Saturday to enjoy our annual Labor Day weekend cookout. This involves my parents, my four brothers, their families and my family. There was an abundance of food, laughter and reminiscing...and of course, taking pictures to capture the moments.

On Sunday afternoon, we visited with my Dad's siblings and their families. How interesting it was to see aunts, uncles and cousins I had not seen for over twenty years. Yet when we were together, we immediately reconnected, reminisced and...you guessed it...took pictures to capture the moments.

Family is a blessing in itself. We may not get to see one another often due to distance, schedules, etc.. We may even live different lives, have different tastes, make different choices and have different goals. Yet we're still family. As I observed the exciting ways my own family, my original family and my extended family have grown...I couldn't help but think about the exciting moments ahead with our baby girl/s. She wasn't in our physical presence last weekend but she was definitely in our hearts, thoughts and lives. She may or may not be born yet...but she lives in our hopes, dreams, prayers and journey. I look so forward to the day we hold her in our arms and welcome her to our "Forever Family." I think about her learning to say Daddy and Momma, Rachel and Micah. I dream about her learning all her Grandparents', uncles, aunts and cousins' names. (That may take awhile!) I imagine what it will be like for her to meet all our friends in our community, our church and our hometowns. I imagine sharing her with our adoption community as she learns how dreams do come true for so many children and parents. And I dream about her realizing how deeply she is loved on this earth and in Heaven. I want her to really understand what "Family" means for it influences our lives forever.

So to all of you walking along this journey with us, thank you for being a special part of our family, too. As my brother, Dana, shared with me last weekend that he checks our website regularly, I was reminded that we are indeed blessed by the family members and friends who consistently read and pray about our journey to our baby daughter/s. We thank God for all of you. Our family has been touched forever by so many kind people. I pray your lives are blessed as deeply as you have blessed our lives so far.

Our family loves you, JennaBeth (and EmmaKate?)! Come home soon, sweet baby girl/s.

Cherishing family, friends and the journey,
Terri and family