Waiting and Waiting and Waiting...

We are still waiting from our SW as to whether or not we have been picked by the birthmom of the 7 month old. I sent her an email on Tuesday and she told me the package of profiles she sent out last weekend got returned, so she Fed-Exed them again on Tuesday. She told us we should hear from her by Wednesday or Thursday. It is still mid-morning on Thursday, but we are waiting for that phone call. We have a little understanding of what it must be like to wait for that phone call on referral day! We have all sorts of questions if we are picked! When will we get to pick up this child, will he come with any pictures, clothes, favorite toys, lovies, etc.? We are expected to get 8-10 inches of snow tonight and Friday. Will this slow us down if we ARE picked by the birthmom? I am not good at WAITING!

The interning SW (we really like her) met with our other birthmom on Tuesday and she said things are really going to be up in the air until the 72 hours after delivery are up when/if the birthmom surrenders her parental rights. The BM is thinking logicaly, but is emotionally driven. Based on her track record, we are not getting our hopes up.

I am off to the post office this morning to mail the re-filing of our I-600A since our 171-H expires in April! Praise God for the waived re-filing fee. Our HS update fee was reasonable, so we are not out too much $.

Still Waiting

Still waiting from our SW as to whether we were picked or not for the 7 month old. I had my cell phone by me all day today and got excited and then disappointed every time it rang and wasn't our SW. This is giving me a good taste at what it must be like the closer you get to referral day and waiting to meet your child.

I also took our potential birthmom and her 2 kids to the Dr. today. It was very odd. We had her over for dinner last Wednesday night, per her request, to see the house, nursery, etc. She has not been the same since then. I don't know if the possible reality of it all is sinking in or what. She seemed very depressed, impatient with the kids and adoption talk did not come up at all. She is meeting with our SW on Tuesday and I am curious as to what she has to say.

The Big "IF"

Yesterday we received a call from our SW wanting to know if we would be interested in being considered for a 7 mo. old bi-racial boy whose mother is surrendering her rights. We said YES, so we are 1 of 3 families this mom is choosing from. We should know something early next week! Our heads are spinning because IF we are picked, we will have a child next week! IF our other birthmom goes through with her adoption, we could have ANOTHER child in 4-6 weeks! It is easier said then done to not try and think about the logistics involved! I keep reminding myself that GOD knows how he is going to build our family and we will get the child(ren) meant for us!

The Amazing Ultrasound

...said it is a boy! I went to the Dr. with our potential birthmom last Monday and got to be a part of the US. It was INCREDIBLE! I have looked at LOTS of US pictures in my line of work, but have never been a part of one. What an amazing piece of technology! Everything looked good and healthy...the chambers of the heart, 10 fingers and toes, brain, etc! I told the US tech. I wanted to see if I could determine the sex when she got to that area of the body. The penis was laying against the thigh and I told her, "That looks like a boy!" She said I was correct! Our BM asked if I wanted the pictures and I told her I will let her decide what she wants to do with them. For many BM, they like to keep US pictures because it is a piece of their child they have after signing over their rights. We continue to prayer for her, her kids, family and the baby!

13 Month LID Anniversary

Today marks our 13th month of waiting in line for our little one in China. Rumors are running wild for those with a 12/06 LID. I have heard we might have another 2-6 years! OUCH! I don't like to believe rumors, but the way things have been going lately...they are going down the drain!

I took our potential birth mom to the Dr. on Wednesday and she is 28-29 weeks along. They gave her an EDD of 3/23, but she delivered her previous 2 at 36 weeks so that takes us to the end of February. We go back to the Dr. again on Monday for an ultrasound which will give us a better idea of things. I heard the little one's heartbeat and it was strong. We continue to pray for the baby and mom during this time.

We are Done!

The nursery is painted and the crib and combo are assembled! The room still looks a little bare without pictures on the walls and all the little accessories to add, but it is cute! We love the green/black color combination and the black furniture is sharp! We were SOOOO impressed with the packaging. I was afraid to open the box and find the furniture all dented and scratched, but these pieces were bound in Styrofoam and a wooden frame. Nothing was going to hurt these babies!

Prayers please for our potential birth mom and her baby. I am taking her to the Dr. on Wednesday. I talked with her on Monday and she still wants to make an adoption plan for her child and she is meeting with our SW AGAIN on Thursday after our home study update.

The SLOW Boat

... to China is taking forever. Are they rowing in quicksand? Referrals came out on Wednesday and they only got to Dec. 19, 2005! That is only 5 days of referrals!

Troy and I feel so much better now that we are pursuing a domestic adoption due to the extreme wait. Our home study update was scheduled for today, but our SW had to cancel. She had a birth mom approach her who has not had prenatal care and thinks she is 6 months pregnant. Our SW was going to take her to the Dr. and show her our profile. We still don't know what will come with the other birth mom that asked us to adopt her baby. Her phone is out of order and nobody can get a hold of her. In the meantime, I started painting the nursery and will finish today! I am so excited that we choose the black crib and dresser! It will look sharp next to our green and still baby cute with our bedding and other decor!

Highlights of 2007!

We didn't do a Christmas letter this year since we thought we would be "green" and save a tree or 2, especially in the age of technology...so here we go! Note, this is not in any order.

* Troy was released in March from his duties as associate pastor and became a missionary pastor for the Joshua Tree House Church Network. This got him out in the community and at the YMCA as the associate sports director. He is still employed at St.Paul's with his paychecks from the Y going back to the church.
* A team of us met weekly at our place over lots of food from May-August to set the core values and put together our house church handbook.
* Our house church met for the first time in September and we continue to meet weekly at our place with lots of food, fun, prayer, praising Jesus and conversation!
*The Camry got replaced with a Matrix in June after a fender bender on our way to Chicago. It has been a fun car to drive!
* Troy's dad came down from Iowa for Easter and Fourth of July. They played lots of golf and did projects around the house.
* Amy's parents came out in October for a long weekend visit. We had fun playing games, shopping downtown Decatur and visiting the pumpkin patch.
* We celebrated our 6th anniversary at the end of June!
* Amy started a stamp club in September.
* We celebrated our 1 year log-in-date anniversary waiting in line for our little one in China. It is going to be a LONG wait, so...
* We decided to pursue a domestic adoption while waiting on China.
* We bought a crib, dresser, mattress and crib set for our nursery.
* Troy did the wedding ceremony for his cousin Shane and his wife, Kelli in November up in Iowa.
* Shane and Kelli visited the "Roenfanz Retreat Center" in July for a weekend of pre-marital counseling.
* We went to Texas in June for the first annual Lehman family gathering at the Casa Bonita resort! We had an incredible time relaxing on the terrace, hanging with family, games of wiffle ball,kayaking and yummy food.
* Troy's cousin Abby joined us in September while she did her internship at the YMCA.
* We went to Texas in December for a late Thanksgiving and early Christmas. It was great to see family that we haven't see in 2 years or more.
* Troy completed several triathlons this summer and Amy did her first aquabike!
* Jackson continues to bring us so much joy and laughs! He loves having all the visitors we get on a weekly basis!
* Amy is still working as the teen parent educator for BabyTALK and loves it! They added middle school girls to her mix and that is a whole other story, in a good and bad way!

I am sure we have left some incredible things out, but know we are blessed and grateful for all that God has given us! We are excited to see what 2008 brings...hopefully a larger family!

Happy New Year!

We had a fun time last night bringing in 2008 with friends from our house church and family. It was a low key event with lots of Apples to Apples, Catch Phrase, darts and AquaDoodle! Yep, who would have thought a bunch of adults would have fun drawing on an AquaDoodle and reliving the past and drawing Pac Man figures!

Christmas 2007

Here are the pictures from our trip to Austin and Christmas at home.

Some Things Never Change

Today we went to Babies R Us is Springfield to look at baby furniture after doing massive research on the Net. Wouldn't you know, we end up purchasing the same crib and combo unit (dresser and changing table) we looked at over a year ago when there was a strong possibility of getting a child from DCFS. We were set on one style, but couldn't decide what finish to get it in...honey, walnut, natural, black. The honey and walnut looked "homey" with our Alphabet Soup crib set, but the stains were off between the crib and combo unit and there was not a guarantee we could get the stain we wanted. So we ended up getting the black! It does look VERY cute with our crib set and we have decided to paint the walls the same color as our bedroom..."Granny Smith apple green" as I call it or "Margarita" as Troy says! We will post pictures once we are done! The furniture has to be ordered and we should get it in 2 weeks.

Merry Christmas!

Yee Haaaah!

... school is out and I have 2 weeks off! Not quite off, I still have to do hospital visits to new moms on the 27th and work the prenatal clinic in January, but I don't have to return to school until January 8th! This is a much needed break! To top things off, our nursery bedding arrived today! I ordered it earlier this week and it had a projected delivery of Dec.28th! This is an added bonus! Troy and I will be cleaning and prepping the nursery walls for a fresh coat of green paint! Plus, our oven is now working! It went out and needed a new ignitor switch in which the guys at Dick Van Dyke replaced (We love supporting local business)! Come to find out, we have a high end range from 1995 that is a gem according to the Van Dyke guys! Who would have known!

Home Again

We made it home late Sunday night after a long weekend in Austin visiting family and friends for an early Christmas! The weather was perfect in the 60's and we came home to 9 inches of snow! Jack is LOVING this snowfall! We had to bribe him inside with carrots so we could leave for another Christmas party! Pictures to follow later! Another storm must be on the way because I have a MAJOR headache this morning!

As Christmas Approaches...Pt.2

Follow up from a previous post. This is another article I found in our adoption files given to me from a conference, friend, doctor, social worker...I don't remember.

Infertility Etiquette
By Vita Alligood

1. Don’t tell them to relax.
2. Don’t minimize the problem.
3. Don’t say there are worse things that could happen.
4. Don’t say they aren’t meant to be parents.
5. Don’t ask why they aren’t trying IVF.
6. Don’t play doctor.
7. Don’t be crude.
8. Don’t complain about your pregnancy.
9. Don’t treat them like they are ignorant.
10. Don’t gossip about your friend’s condition.
11. Don’t push adoption. (Just yet- my notes)
12. Let them know that you care.
13. Remember them on Mother’s Day.
14. Support their decision to stop treatments.

1st LID Birthday!

Today marks our 1 year anniversary of being "in line" for a little miracle from China! The time has gone quick, but not quick enough.

Troy and I have decided to try for a domestic adoption in addition to still waiting for a little one in China. With the wait for China getting longer, we are ready to be parents so we thought we might as well try.

With my line of work with teen moms and spending time in a prenatal clinic, we have been asked to adopt about 3 times, but the moms decided to parent. We have been asked again by one of the 3 moms and she met with our social worker yesterday. It does not look good for this mom to make an adoption plan for her baby, so we will be creating a portfolio for our home study agency. Miracles can still happen and this mom may decide for us to parent her chid. God knows how he is going to build our family and we continue to wait, but we are ready to get off the roller coaster ride.

It was 7 years ago yesterday that Troy proposed to me. In Biblical terms, Troy said the number 7 means completion. We found it ironic that a birth mom was meeting with our SW on this day. It continues to be our prayer we will be a family soon!

As Christmas Approaches...Pt. 1

... families, friends, and parties come together...this can be a painful time for infertile couples and those waiting for their child through adoption. I have compiled a couple of articles that I want to share with you that can be helpful in approaching families in these circumstances during the holiday time AND the rest of the year.

Helping Friends and Family Understand: ‘Tis A Gift To Be Wise
An invaluable holiday present is Patricia Irwin Johnston’s booklet, Understanding Infertility: Insights for Family and Friends. Share these suggestions:

1. Understand that an infertile person does not resolve intense feelings overnight.
2. Listen to what the couple has to share—their pain, frustration, and anger—and try to imagine what they are experiencing. Avoid advice.
3. Let the couple know that they are not alone—share your support.
4. Respect the couple’s need for privacy, but let them know you’re there when they might need you.
5. Be honest in telling of your own pregnancy. As painful as the news may be, it is usually better than keeping it a secret.
6. Be aware that emotions differ from person to person and from day to day. Understand that some people may need to isolate themselves occasionally.
7. Humor has its place in dealing with the struggle of infertility, but do not be the one to joke about it—leave that to the one experiencing it.
8. Do not imply that the couple’s inability to conceive must stem from inner doubts about having children or must mean that God has not found them suitable for parenthood.
9. Support the couple’s decisions regarding medical treatment or resolution as best you can, even if you do not agree.
10. Learn about infertility so that you can be an informed listener.

Taking the Slow Boat to China

September 2006 is out of the Review Room! Troy and I continue to look into our options as it looks like we won't be matched for another 2 years! Our home study update is scheduled for Jan. 3, 2008 since our 171-H will expire in April, so we are going to talk with our social worker about domestic adoption! All we have to do is create a portfolio for birth parents to look at since we already have a HS and filled out all the other required paperwork for our HS agency!

A Year Ago Today...

... was the Ice Storm of 2006! Our family was fortunate to have lost power for less then 2 hours, but many were without power for a week! Only damage we suffered was a 6x6 area of wet carpet in our basement when we lost power to the sump pump and had continues rain!

In fact, we are experiencing a repeat, but on a MUCH smaller scale today! It has rained all morning and our deck in a sheet of ice!

Daddy and his caddy...