I have nothing to report on our adoption journey! I have not received any updates on my baby! I enjoy reading other adoption blogs and celebrating with the families as they take another step in their journey. But I feel like we are frozen and unable to move forward. It has been exactly 107 days since I have received any information on my precious baby. Our agency sent out a request on December 20th, but we have still yet to hear anything. I just want to know she is okay. I just want to know she is happy! I would loved to have known if she received the care packages we sent for her birthday and Christmas. But most of all, I want to know she is safe and loved. I have been reassured by some wonderful people that not receiving updates in perfectly normal and okay, but it's still hard.
God IS good and amazing!! And I feel so silly sometimes to question His care in all matters. While I have been waiting on our update, I took the time to read the amazing book The House of Hope by Elisabeth Gifford. It was published just this past Fall. It was written all about the wonderful couple who started and run New Hope Foundation. Ellie is currently at Hope Healing home, part of New Hope Foundation. I read about how much Dr. Joyce Hill and her husband, Robin love each of the children in their care. I read about their strong faith and dependence on God's providence. I read about the many times God has poured out His blessings upon them and the children in their care. This book brought me so much comfort. I could not stop reading it! I felt closer to Ellie by learning more about the people caring for her at this very moment. When I take the time to pray and listen to my wonderful Father. He reminds me that HE is taking care of Ellie, and that she is wonderful hands. I know HIS words and my faith in Him should bring me comfort. But is it too much to ask for a written report that she is okay? I can feel it in my heart when I push away the sadness, that she is okay ....but I am a weak human and sometimes I want to see it with my eyes.
To make matters worse our homestudy is still yet to be completed! All I want to do is to have my baby in my arms, and this homestudy is the next step to her. I keep hearing that it is in it's "final review". But I have heard that for the last 2 weeks! We need our homestudy to be complete so I can apply to immigration. This is the next step and could take another 45-75 days!! I know in the big picture one or two months will not make a big deal... but right now it feels like forever!!!!! Please pray for me to accept God's will and His timing! Please pray for my sweet Ellie! and please pray for Dr. Hill and all of the staff at Hope Healing Home, especially Ellie's nannies.
I did write in the title that a lot happens in a month....so onto a positive note...
Over the last month we have had such a wonderful time together! Steve was on break from school for two weeks in December and we LOVED it! His parents, "Granny and Paw-Paw", came up from Louisiana for a visit. We all enjoyed being together during this magical time of the year.
I hope you enjoy these pictures from the last month......
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| One of Ellie's ornaments---- it speaks of my heart. I bought this from another adopting family. He made these to raise money for their adoption!! |
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| Getting ready to open their gifts from Uncle Scott, Aunt Jennifer, and cousin Hayden |
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| Trying out their new rides from Santa! |
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| My sweet boy, Thomas |
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| Ice skating at the National Sculpture Garden in Washington DC |
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| This was only their second time on ice skates... and Jon and Clare did wonderfully! Looks like these southern kids are MADE to play in the snow. |
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| I've always wanted to skate in an outdoor rink... it was amazing! |
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| Anna would not let go of Daddy's hand! And I think she was helping him too! |
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| We had a wonderful visit to the Natural History Museum in DC |
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| Our very own rock band!!! And for all of you wondering... that is a beef jerky hanging out of Anna's mouth. No, we do not condone smoking... she just wanted a snack while playing lego rock band! |
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| And finally our amazing Clare turned 11 on January 13th. She is a beautiful and amazing girl! We are so blessed to be her parents. That's all for now.... hopefully my next post will have a new adoption update. Love and peace, Amiee |
oh my goodness, i have been an emotional wreck lately and your posts have me in tears, tears for the limbo you are in, such a frustrating part......tears for the love you have and trust you have for our Lord. Emotional every time i think of that little girl and how awesome a life she is going to have with you and steve continuing your amazing ability to love! and as i looked at your pictures of your beautiful, HUGE(as in they are getting sooooo big!!!!) family i literally tear up due to the immense loss i feel sometimes by not having you as my neighbor anymore! ha! your just one of those friends, that imprinted so very deep into my heart!!! i pray for your family and the new adoption and that one day soon we can meet up! i know noah has been asking, your clare is turning into such a beautiful young lady:-) noah still tells his friends at school when they make fun of him(that is another story) for not having a girl friend that he has already enjoy a lovely romance with a girl named clare, and he thinks there might still be a chance when they grow up! ha! looks like someone else imprinted on my boy's heart! love you guys so much! keep the faith mam!!! this will be but a blink of an eye when you look back on your journey as you hold your little girl in your arms:-)
ReplyDeleteGirl, I'm right there with you! Sometimes days drag when we're trying to get to our babies. :( We get to see our son every once in a while through the LWB facebook page but we've never seen updated photos of our Addisyn. :( It breaks my heart that I don't even know what she looks like outside of her referral pictures that were taken a LONG time ago. We're waiting on our documents to be authenticated and then we'll send them off to CCAI. I so remember waiting on our approved Homestudy. Oiy, the wait is hard! I'll be praying for you guys and your little sweetie!!!
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