Life

Wow! So much has happened since I last posted, so I thought I would fill everyone in. (Picking up where my last post left off...there are a LOT of dates, but each is very important!)

We completed the home study and Mr. Dobbs submitted it to the orphanage around the first week in December. We officially made the waiting list December 21st. On February 2nd around 9:45 pm (our time), we got the phone call that forever changed our lives! After being on the waiting list only a month and a 1/2, we were blown away that we were matched so quickly! We had a baby girl! MGM was born Christmas Day, 2010, weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz. She was 1 of only 3 girls there at the time (w/around 12 other boys). It's amazing how God works every little detail out - even those that you think are silly. A few months before we were matched, I was thinking that it would be really cool to have a baby by Christmas; little did I know, God was working that detail out. :) The first pictures of her brought tears to my eyes. She was (and is!) perfect! What is absolutely crazy is that she and I actually look a LOT alike in our baby pictures! Our God cares about every little detail! When my mom found out we would be adopting, she began praying that our baby would fit in our family perfectly. So when she saw M&M's baby picture, she went and found mine and made a postcard for me. "Only God could bring Mother and daughter together from half way around the world and more than a quarter century apart, bearing this much resemblance." How great is our God!

February 4th we went to Wichita, KS to get fingerprinted for our I-600A paperwork. February 16th we got the POA document from the orphanage to get notarized and sent it back to Ted. March 9th we received our translated paperwork from Taiwan as well as our I-600A approval notice. So the next day we made our trip to Topeka to the Sec of State's office and then on to Kansas City to the TECO office. On March 18th the orphanage was able to apply for a court date after receiving all of our paperwork back. April 13th was the court date in Taiwan where M&M's biological grandma came and gave up their rights to contest the adoption (which was an answer to prayer!). We found out a short time later that M&M's biological mom is in jail (although we don't know why at this point).

Earlier this week we called and got to speak with our daughter for a few minutes over the phone. The volunteer we were talking to said M&M was smiling the whole time and "actively listening" to the conversation. :) She said M&M is a great baby, very easy going (just like her daddy) :) and always smiling. She also said she's very cuddly. :) So now we are just waiting for all the final court documents to come in...it's been 2 weeks since the court case and typically it takes 4-8 weeks from the time of the court date for the final paperwork to arrive.

It's getting harder to wait, I have to admit. The last set of pictures we received melted my heart that much more. She was smiling and had on an outfit and hairbow we had sent her and she just looked absolutely precious! I think one of the reasons it's harder now is because it's completely out of our hands. We have no more appointments to make, no more paperwork to submit, we are completely at the mercy of the court system. Of course, everything is still in God's hands and I know everything will happen in His time! This momma just wants her baby now, though. :)

Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement in the last few months! It has really meant a lot to us! Please continue to pray for us! Adam just had surgery to repair the hernia he has had, so he will be out of commission for the next couple weeks. Please pray for a speedy recovery for him!

I hope you all are having a wonderful year so far and if you're like me, you're looking forward to summer and everything that has to offer. :) School is almost out and that means that it's just around the corner! Can't wait!