Referral!!!

Our house is bursting with excitement this weekend. Yesterday afternoon we got the call that we've been waiting for for over eight months now. We have a daughter!!! She is beautiful with lovely brown eyes, and I am ready to jump on a plane tomorrow for Ethiopia.

Now, we will submit our acceptance for the referral and wait for the court date to be assigned. It should be sometime in the next few months, but the rainy season in Ethiopia is coming up in August and September. It causes the courts to close for approximately 45 days, so that can throw a kink in things. Once our court date is assigned, we will start packing our bags and get ready to meet our daughter. We will spend a little less than a week in Ethiopia and will visit our daughter every day for about 3 hours each day. She is in our agency's transition home, and I have great peace knowing she is well-loved and well-fed there at the home. After the court date, we will come home without her and wait for the embassy date to be assigned. Hopefully, that will occur two months after we pass court.

The boys are thrilled about the news of their little sister. We printed off the two pictures our agency sent us, and Graham asked if he could hang one in his room. Later, I found the picture of sweet Lidiya (that's her Ethiopian name) taped to the wall by his bed. He said he wanted to look at her as he fell asleep. My heart melted! The boys often ask me throughout the day what time it is in Ethiopia, and we talk about what Lidiya might be doing in that moment. We try to stop and pray for her at each time.

I feel like I can breath a sigh of relief. We finally have a precious face to spend time gazing at, we have a name to replay in our minds, and we have a hope that the end is in sight. But, it's really not the end. It's only the beginning.

We ask for your prayers for her health. She is very small, and we pray she will quickly gain weight in the transition home. We pray God will protect her little body from illnesses. We pray that a court date will be assigned quickly.

Thank you for your support, your prayers, and your excitement. It has been so fun to share the news, and our hearts are overwhelmed not only with thankfulness for our beloved daughter but with gratitude for the love of our friends. We cannot wait for you to meet her!