It's Time to Start Nesting!

The joy in my heart is amazing right now. Those days of pain and disappointment are over. I won't forget how it felt to wait to find out who our daughter was and to see her face, but that is all a memory now. I thank God for the journey to Marley and I thank God that it is almost over. I recall hearing other adoptive parents claim how it all just disappear and you just forget the wait when you hold your child for the first time. While we aren't there yet, we definately feel relief. That pain has been filled with utter joy! We have a daughter, a real life baby girl that is waiting for us! She is just amazing and this heart if about to burst with love and joy! She is on this earth and is sleeping under the same sky that we are sleeping under...my baby! Just amazing!
I went to a baby shower today, the first time in a while and it brought me to joyful tears. I too have a little one coming soon. I shared in my friends happiness today in my own little way. It made me realize that I am way behind. Some of my adoption friends laughed when they saw my "nursery." Okay, so here it is.
You can stop laughing...lol. I have been avoiding preparing her room to prevent an emotional breakdown. I didn't want to have a nursery to look at everyday for a year. Whew, that would just kill me. But today, I realized that chances are Marley will be here in about two months. That's not very long! If I was pregnant, I would have already started the nursery. I get excited easily, no secret. If I were a dog, I'd be the one jumping up and down and peeing when company came. And today, the idea of Marley coming home kicked in.
So in the next few weeks, I'll be setting up the crib and getting my baby girl's room ready. YAY!

Some Family Time

We recently traveled to Oklahoma and Arkansas for a funeral and spent some great quality time with some family. While we would have loved to travel under better circumstances, we did enjoy our time. Miles spent time with his baby cousin, Jordan. We don't have a lot of little ones in our family and time with Jordan was amazing. Miles was the baby prior to Jordan, who is 18 months old. He is just a ham!
Brandon and his mother take such great pictures together. And so do I....LOL! She's the hottest mother in law I've ever had...hah!
We have some beautiful women in our family!
We were Aunt Tammy's house and wanted a group picture, but couldn't figure out who was going to take the picture. So I figured out, after six years of owning my digital camera, how to set the timer. It was so much fun setting the timer and running to get in the picture, that I think more self timer pictures are to come!


MARLEY UPDATE:
We found out this past weekend that Marley is now at our agency's transition home. There she will get great care, and we are more at ease knowing she is finally there. We also got some updated pictures from a family that just recently traveled. She was sleeping and her lips were just puckered up, I can't wait to kiss all over them! The Ethiopian courts closed last week and will open in the first of October. We will get our court date sometime after they open. We are still anticipating an October court date and travel in late October to early November. Nothing is guaranteed, but we can always hope!

Happy Three Months Marley

My precious baby girl,
Today you are three months old. Your aren't in our arms yet, but your have taken hold of our hearts. It's only been 25 days since we found out about you, and I promise you it's been 25 days of longing to be with you. I think about you sleeping and if you are sleeping well. I think about you eating and if you are being fed well. I wonder if you are being held and if someone is wiping your tears when you cry. I long to be the one do that, my little Marley.
Just yesterday, I was getting overwhelmed with the need to hear more about you. How you were growing and to see what you've grown into in the last month. I came home to a beautiful email, telling me how beautiful and tiny you are. I know you will be with us soon, I just can't imagine missing out of these days. I am so overjoyed to have you in our lives. You are our little angel God chose for us to love on.
Happy Three Months Marley! I hope to have you home in less than three more! My sweet sweet baby girl.
Love,
Mommy

The Seeds

Who knew all these seeds would come from one sunflower! So cool!

Sunflowers

We are in the midst of harvesting our sunflowers. So amazing these flowers. They grow in roughest soil and don't require much attention. We knew they were there, but we didn't really tend to their needs, yet they still grew. Without much nourishment, they grew a towering 8- 10 feet. They followed the sun in the morning and in the evening. When it was their time, the began to produce little seeds. The weight became so heavy that they bent their heads down until I came along to reap the benefits of their work.
These beautiful flowers make me think of Marley's first Mommy. She probably hasn't had the best nourishment. I can only imagine that she cries out to God and follows his Son day and night. And she carried a little seed that has become our daughter. I come along and reap the benefits.
Thinking of Amaye brings tears to my eyes. I long for the day to meet our daughter, but I also long for the day to meet Marley's Amaye. I want to learn about her family and love on her and assure her that we will love this little one and meet her needs and always share that love with her. We wouldn't have a little girl if it wasn't for this woman I have yet to meet. She has given us such a gift, I only hope that she sees that and knows that. Amaye and I both love this little one. It's just a different kind of love. She brought life into this world and sacrificed being a mother to selflessly give her daughter a better life. What an amazing kind of love. It reminds me of the love God has for us, His children. He wants what is best for us even when we don't get it or thinks it's fair. Amaye knew that this little one would not survive in her world, so she chose to give her life. What an amazing woman...Amaye.

More Referral Day Footage

You all saw the Referral Day video! I had to edit out a ton of footage to announce our news that day. Over the course of the next few months of our wait (to travel), I thought I'd post some of the funny things that we caught on tape.
The FIRST thing I did after I got "the call" and was waiting for Brandon to get home so that we could open our email and see her picture was thank God for this huge blessing. Then I had to call two of my closest adoption mama friends, Missy and Justine. I have many many more adoption mama friends, but these two turned in their paperwork with us around the same time and we have been on this journey together for about a year. These two ladies have been such a tremendous support during this time we've been waiting. So anyways, check out the video of me calling them, it's hilarious! We all have that day in our heads, we THINK we know how it's all going to go. I couldn't wait to share the news with them!

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Two Weeks Since We Joined the Club

Two weeks ago we joined a new club. The "I have a referral" club. For years we wined about waiting for our little one. We cried and longed to know who our daughter was, to at least have a face. We have it, and I have to say that that long journey is almost over. I feel relief. I doubt I'll ever forget that feeling of waiting to know who she is, or the pain we went through on our journey. I will leave that behind. I am celebrating and rejoicing! We have a 11 week old little girl and she's perfect!
I haven't set up her room or done much shopping, and I'm a little hesitant. As everyone knows, I'm "overly zelous" and to avoid driving myself crazy, I'm taking it slow. I did get her first hair bow today and a pair of shoes! OHHHHHH I can't wait!