MOVIN' ALONG

Since tomorrow's Christmas Eve, we got our update early! Moved up one spot! 19!

CAN'T WAIT TO SEE THAT FACE!!

It's getting so close and I can't stop thinking about what it's going to be like to see Arthur's picture for the first time!! I've been finding other referral pics and watching videos from other families to ease the anticipation a bit. Here are referral pictures from some of the blogs I follow...

Zoie from My Crazy Adoption

Tegegne from Bicycle Basket

Zinashi from Finding Magnolia

Silas and Olive from Ethiopia or Bust

FRIDAY UPDATE

Every Friday we get an update from our agency letting us know how many referrals (if any) came through. I will be subtracting the referrals and we can watch this number get smaller every week! Sound good?

YOU'VE TAUGHT ME SO MUCH!

Arthur,

I don't even know who you are, but you've taught me so much!!

Through sharing our story and realizing we can't do this alone, I've learned a little something about being vulnerable.

You've made me more aware of the severity of today's orphan crisis and sparked a passion in me so strong it hurts.

I've learned that we have been adopted as God's children and I understand a little better how much he loves us!

I learned how to start a business! I was always too scared before.

You've taught me how to let go and trust that God is going to make a way.

Being on a budget has forced me to get over myself a little, and be ok with less. yay! This feels so good!

And lastly... you've introduced me to some great friends that I hope will be lifelong :)

I mean come on... are those not the sweetest faces?! Love you girls!

#23!

We heard from our agency a couple days ago. Subject line read "Waiting List Update" So exciting! We haven't received an update like this since we started our wait 10... almost 11 weeks ago.

The email informed us that we are family is #23 on the list overall! Things are starting to move along a lot faster now than they have in the past. We were expecting about a 10 month wait for a referral, but just 10 weeks ago we were #50 or so on the list... you do the math. ;)

JAMBO!

You know when you have an awesome idea, only to realize someone else thought of it first?? This is a still from Madagascar II. Not the best pic, but this granny is wearing the Jambo shirt!!! Zig zags and all. Weird huh?

BABY GEAR!

STROLLER

MONITOR

DIAPER BAG

CAR SEAT

BABY FOOD PROCESSOR

G DIAPERS

HIGH CHAIR

I've sort of figured out that I can't really buy ANYTHING until I know how old Arthur is. It is killing me!! I have all this time to get ready and make decisions, but alas, all I can really do is stare at his cute curtains. The other day I decided to do some dream shopping online. I picked out things that I would potentially need for a baby 6 months or older. It was really fun and relieved some of my frustration even though I didn't purchase anything. I felt more prepared in a way... until I started asking other moms about this stuff! ha! For the most part, my mommy friends have been very awesome and have helped me sort through some things, but I have definitely learned that every mom is different. Every baby is different. And I can listen to all kinds of different opinions, but at the end of the day it's going to be me and Aaron and Arthur trying different things and figuring out what works for us :)

WERE YOU BORN TODAY?

I had the craziest dream that you came into the world last night and when I woke up my insides were aching. I wonder if I could sense you being born from across the world. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

RANDOM UPDATE IN PICTURES...

A Thanksgiving dinner for two. We decided to stay in Kansas City this year. We missed family, but it was nice to just relax and have a few days off without traveling. I ended up making some fried chicken and mashed potatoes... mmmm! I kept thinking about how this will be our last Thanksgiving without Arthur! So crazy!!

We made it out to the Plaza lighting ceremony, which was fun but sort of anti climactic.

The crafty chicks show was really fun! I got to meet Zinashi and some sweet friends came out to support me :) THANK YOU!!

A few weeks ago I had a few friends over for pot pie! Each pot pie had the guest's initial on top. Tegegne got a kick out of it!

Told you... random.

CRAFTY CHICKS THIS SATURDAY!

If you're around this holiday weekend, you don't want to miss out on the beautifully unique, handmade treasures at this show. The girls from two stitches were kind enough to let me share a table with them, so you can come see the Love is Waiting goods in person! Bring your friends!

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 27

9AM - 4PM

HERITAGE HALL

117 W KANSAS

LIBERTY, MO

Here's a little a sneak peek at few of the artists that will be there.

Flora Chang

Jeanee Duval

Ashlee Dowd & Heather Van Wyk

BROOKE FRASER - LOVE IS WAITING

I was out running errands the other day and listening to the song that inspired the title of the blog. The cold, sprinkly, autumn day really set the mood for the song and I got a little teary thinking about my boy. (even though this song is meant for more of a romantic love... whatev.)

"Love Is Waiting"

In the autumn on the ground,

between the traffic and the ordinary sounds

I am thinking signs and seasons while a north wind blows through

I watch as lovers pass me by

Walking stories - whos and hows and whys

Musing lazily on love

Pondering you

I'll give it time, give it space and be still for a spell

When it's time to walk that way we wanna walk it well

I'll be waiting for you baby

I'll be holding back the darkest night

Love is waiting til we're ready, til it's right

Love is waiting

It's my caution not the cold

there's no other hand that i would rather hold

the climate changes, I'm singing for the strangers about you

don't keep time, slow the pace

Honey hold on if you can

the bets are getting surer now that you're my man

QUESTIONS ABOUT MOTHERHOOD

I am so blessed to be surrounded by so many amazing women and mothers who don't mind me asking a million questions. I've gotten some really great, really funny advice about being a mother. I thought I would share some of what I've learned...

"Don't read too many books. They will just freak you out!"

"Adoptive parents are better... they want it more." (he was kidding... sort of)

"Find a mom who you really love their parenting style and ask them lots of questions." ( sweet Olivia)

"Parenting is 1/3 love, 1/3 discipline, and 1/3 sitting on your hands." (from Kristyn via "Blessings of a Skinned Knee")

"Ask your mom." (duh. I can't wait to hear all of my mom's secrets)

"Knowing Jesus is the most important, most helpful, most impacting and most transformational person you could know and all you really need to be a good parent. Remember that when it gets scary." (Thank you Besty!!)

"Drug 'em and send 'em to day care. You can at least get a half day out of it." - HAHAHAHA

Here are some books that were recommended. I'm going to heed that first piece of advice and try to decide on a couple. Here they are...

DO YOU SEE THE PROGRESS??

I get so excited every friday when I get to take another link off of our waiting chain! And today marks 6 weeks of waiting!! Can you believe it? I can't. I have heard stories of how painful the waiting period is and how time just stands still, but so far, I'm not feeling that way at all. In fact, I almost feeling the opposite... meaning I'm kind of freaking out! I feel like there's so much we still need to do and time is flying by. OH! and according to the email updates we get from our agency, the wait time seems to be getting shorter and shorter! The last family to get a referral only waited 7 months... what?!

I think it's time to do some reading! I need recommendations. Arthur will likely be 5 months or older when we bring him home and I don't really know anything about babies. Help?

STORE UPDATE!

I've had a blast putting this store together and seeing my friends wearing my creations! I really appreciate your support and it has allowed me to expand!

my cute friends janette and amy :)

A week after I got the shirts in the mail I sold out of two sizes! Which sort of threw me into a panic, because ordering more shirts, means more money I have to spend and more risk I have to take. In the end I decided, if I'm going to do this I just have to go for it... And I have to go for it before Christmas so that I don't miss out on crazy Christmas shoppers! This all happened really fast, but I'm excited to show you some new designs that will be in the store very soon! Sorry guys, this one's just for the ladies.

SPEECHLESS PART 2

This was the first of four sweet notes we received in the mail this month, each containing four generous checks! We're blown away and so so thankful that these four people felt a call give to our family. This was a rough month and these checks made it possible for us to stay on track with our "adoption saving plan"!

Aaron and I have talked a lot about fundraising and writing support letters and so far we just haven't felt really comfortable with it. I'm not saying that I disagree with people who decide to do fundraisers, I honestly just think that Aaron and I NEEDED to get our butts in gear and learn some financial discipline! Ha! We have an amazing support system (I'm talking about our parents, both sets!) And every time we had a new idea they were there to "help us out"... house, car, debt, music... I probably shouldn't be telling you all this, but I want you to know our thought process and how far we've come. When we let our family know that we were going to start paperwork, there was just sort of this understanding, not something we had to talk about, we just sort of knew that we had to figure this out on our own! And I'm so glad because in the past six or seven months, Aaron and I have been able to come together and set goals, and make changes, and work overtime!

We've also had to learn to rely on God when our efforts fail us. Receiving these gifts from you just feels like a big pat on the back for all we've done to get this far :)

GETTING AHEAD OF OURSELVES? ...MAYBE

... but when you want something from IKEA you have to sort of seize the moment or else you will pay a mega ton in shipping. Am I right??

I've had my eye on this crib for a while. Simple, modern, affordable, just love it! And get this, it was Aaron's idea to go pick it up on his way back home from Waco a couple weeks ago! What a sweet dad this one will be :)

Almost as soon as he picked it up, my sweet cousin, who has two beautiful kids, expressed some concern in our choice. Aaron even made a comment about the crib looking really small. So together, my cousin and I did some research. At first glance we found some things that were a little questionable. 1) they don't come out and say that the lacquer is non-toxic and 2) the measurements were quite a bit smaller than your average crib.

I was very happy to find this review on consumerresearch.com. Turns out the paint is non toxic AND it's one of the best reviewed! As far as the size goes, we thought maybe it fit the description of a mini crib, but it's more like something in between the mini and the standard. Sort of perfect for us and our tiny house. The more I research the more I find amazing reviews... like this one!

"We used the Ikea Gulliver crib. It was 80 dollars or something, but went through 4 kids. My friend has it now and she has 2. I loved the look of it, and it was one of the best cribs I have ever seen. My friend spent $400 on her crib for her first and took mine for her second and third because the first crib fell apart."

Probably more than you ever wanted to know about cribs, but I'm so glad my cousin voiced her concerns, because I'VE NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. It's so wonderful to have people around you who love you and want what's best for you. I am definitely inspired to do my research from now on! Thanks Dinah :)

THOUGHTS FROM THE CONFERENCE

Walking into the conference on Friday, I expected to find encouragement, support, community and maybe some good tools to be successful as a parent. And, somehow, walking away from the conference I felt, confused, scared, stressed and sort of alone. NOT what I expected at all!

The very first break out session was all about foster care. The speaker was from Cornerstone church in California. After he and his wife found out that they couldn't have kids of their own, they looked into being foster parents. He shared story after story about his experience fostering kids, loving on them and then learning how to let them go. He talked about how the final goal with foster care is reunification with their parents. He talked about God's Sovereignty. He is ruler over all, and these children are not our children. These are God's children. I thought it was so beautiful that this man's desire for these kids was to reunite them with their parents even if it didn't seem to be what was best in his eyes. He was fully trusting God with these kids even when it didn't make sense.

Walking out of that first break out session, I have to admit, I was starting to feel insecure about our decision. My heart was starting to break for these families! A lot of children are orphaned in Ethiopia because of poverty. Poverty? If that's the only thing keeping Arthur from growing up in Ethiopia with his mother, then there's got to be a better solution. right? I don't know Arthur's story, these are just the things I was thinking about. It was really hard for me to go to these places in my mind. Especially since tomorrow will be two weeks on the waiting list!

I believe that Arthur was always meant come into our home. I just feel like, now I have a bigger picture and a better understanding of what we're doing, and moving forward I wonder if we can talk about more solutions to this problem.

OTHER TAKEAWAYS:

Dr. Karyn Purvis. This lady was amazing. If you're looking for great parenting techniques, (adopted kids or not), check out her Empowered to Connect program.

Carlos Whittaker. This guy talked about ways to create awareness by sharing your adoption story online. Here's his YouTube video that went viral. The popularity of the video has allowed him to share his story with millions of people.

And Finally, Aaron Ivey. Aaron and I got to see him at a house show here in Kansas City. We were already talking about adoption quite a bit, but after that show, we knew for sure that we were going to start the process. He and his bandmates all shared their adoption stories and played beautiful music in between. It was a beautiful night :)

TOGETHER FOR ADOPTION

(My mom and I trying Milk samples at the Shatto Milk Farm)

My mom and I are meeting up in Austin tomorrow to go to the Together For Adoption Conference. Aaron would have come with, but he's at another conference in Waco. I know... were just a couple of dorky conference goers :) I'm not sure what to expect from the next couple of days and to be honest the schedule was pretty overwhelming to me. Just gonna play it by ear. See you there!

OFFICIALLY A WAITING FAMILY!

We heard from our agency Friday afternoon. All the paperwork is complete and we are officially on the waiting list! We already had plans that night to go eat dinner at the Joneses with another couple who is wanting to adopt! It was the perfect way to celebrate! It's crazy to think that in about 10 months we will get to see a picture of Arthur's face! We'll know how old he is and a little bit about his story! I have been thinking it might be nice to have something to wear everyday in place of a pregnant belly. I'm pretty set on this ring I found on etsy. It's perfect! If anyone ever comments on the ring I can tell them about little Art!

IT'S OPEN

Well guys, that happened a lot faster than I thought it would! With a little encouragement from Amanda I went ahead and opened the store! The art print will be ready to ship Wednesday and I'm doing a pre-sale on the shirts... meaning you go and purchase a shirt on the site and after a couple weeks I get an idea of how many I should order and what sizes. Brilliant! Since I'm starting small I can't spend a ton of money on100 t-shirts and have them sit in my basement. This helps me avoid that :) I'm so excited about what I've created for the store and I hope that you like what you see!

Go buy something, and help us get a little closer to bringing our guy home!

LOVE IS WAITING ONLINE STORE

Well... last Monday we put our dossier in the mail!! Yeah... it's done! I can't believe it! Miraculously, our agency received it the next morning and assured us that everything looked good. Now it has to travel to D.C. for authentication. In about a week someone will call us and say "you are officially on the waiting list for a healthy boy, 12 months or younger from Ethiopia" AHHH! Can't wait! After we get that call we'll have about 10 months to save, nest, cry and probably freak out a little bit.

I've wanted to put my talent to good use and figure out a way to pay for this adoption and I've recently found time to put a few things together. Some of these are still in progress, but I couldn't wait to share! I have had so much fun putting these pieces together. When I started brainstorming I got really hung up on making everything hold together in a certain color palette, style and theme, but that would just be too limiting for buyers... right? I want to have products that are adoption/african inspired but will appeal to a lot of people. So, now that the designs are almost done I have to switch over to business brain and think about how much I can spend, how much I can charge, how many I should print, and what printer I should use! Business brain is not my favorite :( Thankfully I have friends that are giving me great advice and helping me to make smart decisions. I think I have to start small and print one thing at a time. The "Gotcha Day" art print is on the schedule to be printed at Blue Collar Press and I can't wait to see how it turns out. It's a three color screen print on natural stock measuring 8x10. As soon as I have them in my hands my Storenvy store will be up and running. Since this print is more specific to Ethiopian adoption, I plan to partner with some other Ethiopian adoption blogs to help spread the word. Maybe do some giveaways?? Also the Together for Adoption Conference is right around the corner and I hope to make some new friends there! What do you guys think??

SPEECHLESS!

Wednesday Aaron and I had an appointment to close on our house. We were able to refinance, which is going to be a HUGE help with our budget. Aaron made the call about a month ago to get everything started. He told the mortgage planner that we were trying to save for an adoption and when we met with her to sign papers she seemed really curious about the process and asked lot of question about our adoption. I could talk about it all day so it was no big deal ;) After the last paper was signed she put a gift bag on the table and said, "Ok, this is totally unrelated to the loan. It's a gift from me. Ever since I talked to Aaron on the phone and he told me why you guys were doing this I was so touched and really wanted to do something for you..." And so on.

Wow!

She found our blog and as far as I'm concerned she is a master scrap book maker! How beautiful is this? The paper work for this adoption has taken WAY longer than we anticipated and I was kind of down in the dumps, but this totally made my day. It's so cool to know that there are people out there that we don't even know thinking and praying for us as we continue on in this journey. Thank you Erin! You are a blessing :)

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

Remember those cute little aprons Rebekka was making to raise money for her adoption? Well... the bad news is you can't buy them anymore. She couldn't sew fast enough to make it worth her time, but the good news is... she has created some more adorable things for you to buy!! Go to her shop and help bring Beda home!!

HURRY UP AND WAIT

On Friday we sent our Dossier to the secretary of state to be "state certified". We should be getting it back in the next couple days. Then we send it off to our agency. Soon after that we'll get word that we're officially on the list for a baby boy!! Thinking about a 10 month wait is a little overwhelming, but my friend Becca inspired me to make a paper chain. Every link represents one week of waiting. I'm not sure if this will make the wait any easier, but I think it will be a fun way to track our progress.

MEET MY DAD!

Today is special for a couple reasons... one, we finished out dossier and sent it off to be state certified! Yippie! ...and two, today is my dad's birthday!

I told you about my mom around mother's day, and you were probably a little jealous because she's the coolest mom ever! Well, you're about to feel jealous again because my dad is awesome too :)

A CRAZY smart business man, he has grown his roofing company to be named the #1 roofing company in the nation by ABC roofing supplier. First and foremost in his heart is to love and support his family. I know this because he has been committed to loving and supporting me for 27 years now. As I get older I have a better understanding of how hard he's worked and I can see that he's made sacrifices in order to provide for us.

All that and more! This man is FUNNY, talented, sensitive and very athletic.

FUNNY: He comes up with words like "Hirstwhile". A word that, to him means "meanwhile", and is now the new nickname for his dog Molly who seems as if she's always waiting for something to happen.

TALENTED: He can play the piano beautifully... and by ear!! I love sitting and listening to him play and a lot of times, when I go visit he plays "Somewhere Out There" for me - one of my favorites as a little girl.

SENSITIVE: It's amazing that my dad can totally be a man's man and at the same time he LOVES shopping, candles, Celine Dion and would choose to watch a chick flick any day over an action/suspense movie. ha!

ATHLETIC: This guy is in better shape than me! He's the best golfer I know and he works out every morning! Even if he's on vacation!

He talks about little Arthur a lot. Even brags to his friends about how he will be a grandpa soon! Can't wait to see these two together! We are a lucky little family :)

Happy Birthday Daddy! I love you.

ALMOST THERE!

Remember that to-do list from a few weeks ago?? Got it all crossed off and now we're just waiting to get a couple papers in the mail so we can send this thing off and officially be a waiting family!!

Waiting on fingerprint approval forms and a certificate from the hospital saying we attended the newborn care class. Come on USPS, be good to us!

BIG PICTURE

Saw this today on my friend Meg's blog today and thought it would be so great in Arthur's room. Might help him comprehend where he lives and where he's from at a young age :)

Get it here.

GOOD FIND!

Went out to a couple thrift stores today. I was in search of something I could use to organize my jewelry and found the perfect thing! But of course, I'm always keeping an eye out for fun things to put in Arthur's room. I had to bring this 3 dollar lamp home. I'm loving the look of this room so far :)