It is with great Awe, Excitement and Joy Overflowing, that we share our wonderful news!
OUR PRECIOUS DAUGHTER IS DUE MARCH 18th!!!
God really did save His BEST for our family!!! His handprints are undeniably all over this beautiful match of Sis and our family!!! He hand-picked this precious little girl and birth mom for us!!!
Details!?!?!
We have been connected with various agencies and lawyers through our consulting agency Christian Adoption Consultants. On Monday, February 2, we were contacted by an adoption agency in Salt Lake City, UT. They were asking if we would like to present our family profile to a situation that they felt was a good mutual fit for our family and birth mom.
We had previously turned down a number of other situations that just didn't seem to "fit" for us....but this situation was different. Everything about it felt different ~ how well the details fit our hearts' desires, the "connection" I felt when reading birth mom's profile, the location of delivery, and most importantly the undeniable excitement and hope that was stirred within both Jeff and me!
We of course said "YES, Please!" and began the challenge of awaiting birth mom's decision while trying to remain cautiously hopeful! I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, but both Jeff and I knew everything about this situation made it feel so right!
Two days after presentation of the profiles, we were called and informed that birth mom had narrowed her decision down to two families, and we were one of them. To help make her decision, birth mom wanted to speak to these two families {which showed us how much she really cared about making the right decision for her baby!} Our caseworker shared that it was our family profile that really stood out to her and that she desired to speak to us first. Which we did the very next day! {right before leaving for Colorado to see the World Alpine Ski Championships with Jeff's family}
The conversation was WONDERFUL!!! After 45 minutes of getting to know one another, and experiencing a divine mutual connection, birth mom told the caseworker, Lisa, who was on the conference call with us, that she no longer wanted to speak to the other family. She liked US!!! Jeff and I were floored! We never dreamed she might make her decision that night!
This was a Thursday night. Though we felt and shared her confidence in this match, we still had to wait for it to be official. Birth mom's caseworker gave her time to process things, and called her Monday to see if she was ready to make the decision final. That was a loooong three day wait! Ufdah! Good thing we were having so much fun with family at the Alpine World Championships to help pass the time away! {GO, USA!}
We went skiing as a family on Monday ~ February 9th.....just one week after profiles were presented, though it felt much longer! Sami and I took off to enjoy the wide, long runs of Beaver Creek while Jeff spent time teaching peanut how to ski the bigger bunny hills. Kaleab even tried a mini race course! {Go, Ka!} Jeff's mom was watching them......and ringing the cow bell {from the ski championships} cheering on Ka! He loved it! He even wanted me to ring the cow bell to cheer him on at pee wee soccer the day after our return home! Too cute!
Mid ski run on SIMBA, with sweet Sami standing right beside me, I got the call telling us that we were the chosen family! THIS SWEET BABY GIRL IS OURS!!!!! The confirmation literally sent God chills throughout my entire body! The very words I dared hope to hear were just spoken to me!
I hooted on the phone with our caseworker, and after the call, stood mid mountain, face to the heavens, arms open wide, giving out a big "WOOHOO!" to God! Sami's radiant smile and giggle clearly shined this Big Brother's excitement!
{Though he definitely shared in my JOY, Sami may also have been seen checking out our surroundings to see if anyone around was watching his mama freak out ~ in a good way! Such a sweet boy!} With all our excitement, I totally forgot to take our picture together as the first two to receive the amazing news!!! BUMMER!!!
I called Jeff to tell him {couldn't wait until we were going to ski together, and wanted to keep it from his mom so we could do the surprise I mention below}. His mom, Jenni, snapped a pic of Jeff and Kaleab on the chair lift, having no idea that she just caught "the moment" when I shared the news with him on the phone!
Jeff quickly joined us for some celebratory ski runs, while a tuckered-out Kaleab took a nap by the fireplace in the lodge with Jenni. He has no idea of the news we just received.....yet......
I could only do two celebratory ski runs with Jeff and Sami before I was overcome with excitement and just HAD to stop skiing, go into the lodge, and call my parents with the incredible news that their GRANDAUGHTER was coming home SOON!!!! {insert HUGE mama grin here}
My parents knew that we had presented and how wonderfully the call had gone, and were waiting with baited breath along with us! OH, the giddy joy we shared when I called them!
I failed to get a pic of me on the phone or me and Sami when getting the call, but we did manage a family photo before departing the mountain!....even though we were looking right into the sun....i had to post this pic!
We kept it from Jenni on the ski hill, because I had wrapped two boxes of matches before we left home, in hopes that we would have reason to CELEBRATE with Jeff's family while on vacation. {Get it......we hoped to be "matched" with baby sis....so I wrapped a box of matches! Yes, I am one of those girls! wink!}
His sister, Tia, had to head home before we received the call, so we weren't able to gift her a box.......but we were able to give the wrapped "clue" to his parents when we returned home from skiing. It took them a while to figure out what it meant and what fun it was to watch them guess! Jeff's dad is the one who finally got it! Way to go Walt!
Our baby girl news was accompanied with a loud squeal from Jenni, huge smiles and tons of questions! We purposely did not share with them that we had even presented, in hopes of being able to reveal a total surprise in person! SURPRISE ACCOMPLISHED! What fun!
OOOHHHHHH!........How I wish I would have taken a video when we told Kaleab that Baby Sis was coming home in March {had to explain that March comes after February}!! Oh the light that radiated from his entire precious face! And the sweet dance his eyes performed with the news! The cheering and clapping! And that sweet sweet voice of his, saying, "Yeah! Jesus answered our prayers!" A moment I will never ever forget!
So what now?........
We are choosing to LOVE BIG again! We do not regret doing so the first time, and we know that we will not regret it this time, either! Regardless of the outcome.
It's so hard to explain, but in looking back, we realize that both Jeff and I had more doubt with our first match {seeing it more clearly in hindsight, of course} than we realized.
The peace and confidence this time makes it all feel so incredibly different. So incredibly right!
We are IN LOVE with this baby girl that we have yet to meet {just as parents fall in love while carrying their little ones biologically}!! We don't have to see her to feel the connection that only God can create!
And birth mom????.......................
Oh the lack of words to describe her! Amazing. Loving. Caring. Selfless. Incredible. Thoughtful. Funny. Friendly. Determined. Courageous. Brave.
We are better people, Jeff and I, just having had the privilege to be a part of this woman's life already in this short time. {we have had three phone calls with her}
I am excited to share the story of our healing that brought us to this wonderful place, but will save that for another post.
For now, we are BASKING in the glory of this story! We are soaking in God's faithfulness and love for our family! We are praising Him for saving His very BEST for us! We are AWED by the wonders of His work!
And we are dreaming of our precious Baby Girl. Believing she will forever be in our arms within the next few weeks!
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Did I really just say that!?!? "She will be in our arms in the next few weeks".......!?!?!?!?!? Abundant blessings, indeed!
PLEASE join us in praying over our sweet Baby Girl as well as her sweet birth mom, "G."
And folks.....I seriously cannot THANK each and every one of you enough for your encouragement, prayers and never-failing belief in the promise we "heard" from above! God used so many of you to remind me of His faithfulness; to encourage me to believe when I couldn't see what He was up to; to walk blindly in my faith!
Never once did we feel God shutting the door on our adoption. Instead, we always felt Him steering us, guiding us and directing our path to her.
YOU have walked this path with me, making the dark days lighter, and now making the celebratory days that much more beautiful!
LOVE to each of you, dear friends and family!
And LOVE to You, sweet Baby Sis and "G!"
OUR PRECIOUS DAUGHTER IS DUE MARCH 18th!!!
Details!?!?!
We have been connected with various agencies and lawyers through our consulting agency Christian Adoption Consultants. On Monday, February 2, we were contacted by an adoption agency in Salt Lake City, UT. They were asking if we would like to present our family profile to a situation that they felt was a good mutual fit for our family and birth mom.
We had previously turned down a number of other situations that just didn't seem to "fit" for us....but this situation was different. Everything about it felt different ~ how well the details fit our hearts' desires, the "connection" I felt when reading birth mom's profile, the location of delivery, and most importantly the undeniable excitement and hope that was stirred within both Jeff and me!
We of course said "YES, Please!" and began the challenge of awaiting birth mom's decision while trying to remain cautiously hopeful! I didn't want to get my hopes up too high, but both Jeff and I knew everything about this situation made it feel so right!
Two days after presentation of the profiles, we were called and informed that birth mom had narrowed her decision down to two families, and we were one of them. To help make her decision, birth mom wanted to speak to these two families {which showed us how much she really cared about making the right decision for her baby!} Our caseworker shared that it was our family profile that really stood out to her and that she desired to speak to us first. Which we did the very next day! {right before leaving for Colorado to see the World Alpine Ski Championships with Jeff's family}
The conversation was WONDERFUL!!! After 45 minutes of getting to know one another, and experiencing a divine mutual connection, birth mom told the caseworker, Lisa, who was on the conference call with us, that she no longer wanted to speak to the other family. She liked US!!! Jeff and I were floored! We never dreamed she might make her decision that night!
This was a Thursday night. Though we felt and shared her confidence in this match, we still had to wait for it to be official. Birth mom's caseworker gave her time to process things, and called her Monday to see if she was ready to make the decision final. That was a loooong three day wait! Ufdah! Good thing we were having so much fun with family at the Alpine World Championships to help pass the time away! {GO, USA!}
Mid ski run on SIMBA, with sweet Sami standing right beside me, I got the call telling us that we were the chosen family! THIS SWEET BABY GIRL IS OURS!!!!! The confirmation literally sent God chills throughout my entire body! The very words I dared hope to hear were just spoken to me!
I hooted on the phone with our caseworker, and after the call, stood mid mountain, face to the heavens, arms open wide, giving out a big "WOOHOO!" to God! Sami's radiant smile and giggle clearly shined this Big Brother's excitement!
{Though he definitely shared in my JOY, Sami may also have been seen checking out our surroundings to see if anyone around was watching his mama freak out ~ in a good way! Such a sweet boy!} With all our excitement, I totally forgot to take our picture together as the first two to receive the amazing news!!! BUMMER!!!
SHE. IS. OURS!!!
OUR BABY GIRL IS COMING HOME!!! SOON!!!
I called Jeff to tell him {couldn't wait until we were going to ski together, and wanted to keep it from his mom so we could do the surprise I mention below}. His mom, Jenni, snapped a pic of Jeff and Kaleab on the chair lift, having no idea that she just caught "the moment" when I shared the news with him on the phone!
Jeff quickly joined us for some celebratory ski runs, while a tuckered-out Kaleab took a nap by the fireplace in the lodge with Jenni. He has no idea of the news we just received.....yet......
My parents knew that we had presented and how wonderfully the call had gone, and were waiting with baited breath along with us! OH, the giddy joy we shared when I called them!
I failed to get a pic of me on the phone or me and Sami when getting the call, but we did manage a family photo before departing the mountain!....even though we were looking right into the sun....i had to post this pic!
His sister, Tia, had to head home before we received the call, so we weren't able to gift her a box.......but we were able to give the wrapped "clue" to his parents when we returned home from skiing. It took them a while to figure out what it meant and what fun it was to watch them guess! Jeff's dad is the one who finally got it! Way to go Walt!
Our baby girl news was accompanied with a loud squeal from Jenni, huge smiles and tons of questions! We purposely did not share with them that we had even presented, in hopes of being able to reveal a total surprise in person! SURPRISE ACCOMPLISHED! What fun!
OOOHHHHHH!........How I wish I would have taken a video when we told Kaleab that Baby Sis was coming home in March {had to explain that March comes after February}!! Oh the light that radiated from his entire precious face! And the sweet dance his eyes performed with the news! The cheering and clapping! And that sweet sweet voice of his, saying, "Yeah! Jesus answered our prayers!" A moment I will never ever forget!
So what now?........
We are choosing to LOVE BIG again! We do not regret doing so the first time, and we know that we will not regret it this time, either! Regardless of the outcome.
It's so hard to explain, but in looking back, we realize that both Jeff and I had more doubt with our first match {seeing it more clearly in hindsight, of course} than we realized.
The peace and confidence this time makes it all feel so incredibly different. So incredibly right!
We are IN LOVE with this baby girl that we have yet to meet {just as parents fall in love while carrying their little ones biologically}!! We don't have to see her to feel the connection that only God can create!
And birth mom????.......................
Oh the lack of words to describe her! Amazing. Loving. Caring. Selfless. Incredible. Thoughtful. Funny. Friendly. Determined. Courageous. Brave.
We are better people, Jeff and I, just having had the privilege to be a part of this woman's life already in this short time. {we have had three phone calls with her}
I am excited to share the story of our healing that brought us to this wonderful place, but will save that for another post.
For now, we are BASKING in the glory of this story! We are soaking in God's faithfulness and love for our family! We are praising Him for saving His very BEST for us! We are AWED by the wonders of His work!
And we are dreaming of our precious Baby Girl. Believing she will forever be in our arms within the next few weeks!
AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! Did I really just say that!?!? "She will be in our arms in the next few weeks".......!?!?!?!?!? Abundant blessings, indeed!
PLEASE join us in praying over our sweet Baby Girl as well as her sweet birth mom, "G."
And folks.....I seriously cannot THANK each and every one of you enough for your encouragement, prayers and never-failing belief in the promise we "heard" from above! God used so many of you to remind me of His faithfulness; to encourage me to believe when I couldn't see what He was up to; to walk blindly in my faith!
Never once did we feel God shutting the door on our adoption. Instead, we always felt Him steering us, guiding us and directing our path to her.
YOU have walked this path with me, making the dark days lighter, and now making the celebratory days that much more beautiful!
LOVE to each of you, dear friends and family!
And LOVE to You, sweet Baby Sis and "G!"
5 comments:
Praise God!!! So happy for ya'll! God's goodness is so overwhelming!
Congratulations!!!! I kept checking your blog since November hoping to see some amazing news...Praise God!
Congratulations, Debb and fam!!! Could not be happier for you!! Okay, maybe when I see pictures of ya'll with your precious baby I'll feel even happier :) Cannot wait!!!!
That's wonderful news! Praise the Lord for answered prayers:). Looking forward to seeing that sweet baby girl!
Debb you are such an inspiration! It's such joy reading your story.
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