A nice visit with family!

Grayson and I got home last night after spending a couple of days in Liberty, IN. My sister, who moved to Virginia in March, was in town with my niece and nephews. It had been a few months since Grayson had seen his cousins and he needed his fix! He and Coleson (7) became buddies the instant Grayson came home from Guatemala. Coleson took one look at Grayson and said, "He's brown....I LOVE brown!" And, they've been friends ever since. Grayson is also great friends with Ellie (3). Their closeness in age makes them great playmates. Ellie and Grayson are great at sharing and he gets so concerned when she cries. Grayson and his new-found vocabulary loved tattling on Coleson this visit. He would run to me and say, "Ellie cry...Coleson hit Ellie....Mommy, come see Ellie." And, he got to get a little taste of what it will be like to have Abram home. Cooper is 10.5 months old and is crawling and pulling up. Grayson was quite annoyed by the fact that Cooper is teething and Grayson's face often looked like the perfect teether!

We spent a couple of hours on Monday at my sister's boyfriend's farm. The kids loved playing with the goats, dogs, and cats (with the exception of Ellie who was a little unsure). Coleson ran through the pastures herding the goats from one pen to another. Grayson preferred the little kitties and couldn't understand why they kept running from him.

Here are a few pictures from our visit!

Trying to hang the kitty on the fence.

Holding the kitty.

Being silly.

Cooper and Ellie

Herding the goats.

Another update!

We received another update on Abram. This update included detailed measurements. They measured his little feet...4.75 inches long! This comes in handy as I am really unsure what size shoes to bring. And, of course, there was another picture! He just gets cuter every time we see him! I can't say enough for Gladney! The provide so many wonderful updates. I just know they love each child that comes into their care. I'm so grateful God lead us to Gladney and ultimately, Abram! Only 23 more days (22 not counting today...it's 10 p.m.)!

Oh, and for those of you who may be traveling soon, we used Susan Parr. We didn't think we would use a travel agent BUT, she was able to get us better rates (including her very minimal fee) and was able to get us seats on a flight that even the airline was telling us was booked! So, it's worth a call!

Holding our son in 27 days!

Well, we're back in Lafayette after a wonderful Father's Day weekend spent in Liberty with family. To back up a couple of days, we were literally walking out the door on Friday at about 11:40 when my cell phone rang. I didn't think too much of it because I wasn't expecting Jessica to call for another hour at least. When I saw the 817 area code my heart started racing. Jessica immediately said she had wonderful news for us (they cut right to the chase so as not to induce stress-related heart attacks, strokes, etc.)!!! She had gotten an email from Belay saying we passed court! She then wished Aaron a Happy Father's Day times two! I of course couldn't just jump in the car and drive 2 hours to Liberty. I had to run back inside and update my blog! I've been reading blogs for over a year and was looking forward to the moment I got to introduce our newest son to all my blogging buddies...it simply couldn't wait another couple of hours!

So, we are leaving Indy on July 19th and will be returning to Indy on July 26th. If anyone would like us to take a small care package and/or photos, please let us know.

On Sunday, we went to Day out with Thomas in Connersville, IN. It was extremely hot, but Grayson had a wonderful time seeing Thomas, riding Thomas, and buying a few new Thomas items:) Here are a few pictures of our day with Thomas.

Grayson and Daddy with Thomas.

Junior Engineer certificate.

And, a little mini-golf.

Introducing...

Our son, Abram Kembata Jarvis!

We passed! We just got of the phone with Jessica! We were on our way out the door, but I came back in to update the blog! God is so, so, good! He gives us so much more than we deserve!

4 years ago!

In all the excitement/nervousness/anxiousness of court, I didn't mention earlier that four years ago today I married my best friend! And while today's news about court was slightly disappointing (though promising), today was a wonderful day. So many times today God reminded me that I have so much to be grateful for. First and foremost, a wonderful marriage. Without this solid foundation we would not have our amazing son, Grayson, or our soon-to-be (tomorrow?) son, Abram. It would be a gross understatement to say I hit the husband lottery! Happy Anniversary, Aaron! I thought today might be kind of neat if I could say, "4 years and 2 kids later!" But, I may have to settle for, "4 years, 1 day and 2 kids later!"

Praying for tomorrow!

We didn't pass today, but the judge left our file open! Praise God! No waiting on a new court date. It is Gladney's hope that the needed document will be taken to court tomorrow and that we will pass at that time. Could be sometime next week. Only small problem is that communications between Ethiopia and the U.S. have been really crummy lately and they may not be able to get an answer to us tomorrow. Please continue to pray...we're so close!

He never lets go...

Clinging to this as we wait to hear about our court date....

Starting to get a bit antsy!

Well, here we are, less than 24 hours away from knowing the outcome of our first court attempt. We're probably less than 8 hours (due to time difference) from our case actually being reviewed by the judge. I'm getting nervous. I'm more than nervous...my stomach is starting to feel all weird. I just want to know...one way or another...I just want to know. Do I keep on with this super-motivated, organizing, packing, doing laundry thing? Or, do I just chill out for awhile and face the reality that it's not quite time yet. I just want to know how I should be acting/what I should be doing:)

With all that said, I'm still at a pretty good place with all this. I know this will happen. And, I'm fairly certain it will happen relatively soon. Best of all, we're continuing to have faith that God will bring us together in His perfect timing and we're learning each and every day to trust Him more and more. I remember a particular lesson in BSF in which the Israelites had done something to turn their backs on God and God had told Moses that He would not lead the people into the Promised Land...they would have to go alone. This just absolutely crushed Moses. He pleaded with God to go with them. He basically said he would rather spend a lifetime in the desert with God than one day in the Promised Land without Him. Wow. So, I dare to say, "Lord, I would rather be in limbo/up in the air the rest of my life with You, than spend one day of certainty without You."

At the water park, taking our mind off our court date:)

T minus 2 days...

Only two days until we find out the outcome of our first court date! It seems that lately, families are taking a couple attempts before passing, but it's absolutely possible to pass the first time around. Either way, we will be that much closer to bringing Abram home. As we approach our big day, there are a few specifics that I ask each of you to pray for:

1. That Abram is safe, healthy, and happy.
2. Safety for birth relatives traveling to be in court.
3. That the Ministry of Women's Affairs issues a positive opinion.
4. That all the paperwork needed is in our file and just as the judge wants.
5. That the electricity is on and our case is able to be heard.
6. That the judge rules in our favor and that we legally become Abram's family.
7. That we will handle the outcome, regardless of what it is, with grace.

Aaron and I spent last weekend at Dale Hollow with some friends while Grayson stayed in Lafayette with the grandparents. It was great to get away and take our minds off the upcoming court date for a few days. And, it was comforting to see how well Grayson did away from us for a few days. I think he will do great while we are in Ethiopia. However, I know we may have a few rough days as we get home and make the transition. Yesterday, Grayson was not very patient with me and seemed to get upset over little things but, he was back to his normal, easygoing self as of this morning. I am so excited to see how he reacts when he meets Abram in the flesh! I think it will be a dream come true!

Great week for Gladney families!

This has shaped up to be another AWESOME week in the world of Gladney families. After a long, long wait, Ryane received a referral for a handsome 4.5 month-old boy. THEN, doubly exciting news came when Kat received a referral for 2 month-old TWINS! A boy and a girl! Also, very precious.

The icing on the cake, Ellen passed court TODAY! Woohoo!! They are leaving to meet precious Teamir next week!

Let's hope we can keep the ball rolling by passing court next week:)

Making progress...

Well, our court date is quickly approaching....only 10 more days for those of you who dare lose track! And, I'm beginning to feel as if we are ready to add another little one to our house, logistically speaking. As I mentioned, I've gotten clothes and toys together. This past weekend, I put some final touches on the nursery...just a few decorative items left to add here and there.

I'm also beginning to feel like I have a handle on all that will need to be packed if we do in fact pass on the 18th. Thanks to a local family that has gone before us, the Darlings, I have some great advice on what kind of foods to take for Abram as well as how to go about packing our humanitarian aid. The travel packet we received from our agency mentions that children over 12 mos. old are drinking whole fat powdered milk. Nestle Nido is the specific brand. I remember seeing this A LOT in Guatemala, in fact, Nestle Nido was the brand of formula Grayson was on. So, I thought I would try the Hispanic foods section at Wal-Mart and sure enough, there it was! So, that's a relief. I also need to figure out the bottle situation. I may take a sippy cup or two, but I think he may still take a bottle at night, if not all the time. We of course have the Dr. Brown's bottles which seem like a sanitary nightmare with all their pieces. I think I'll grab some basic Gerber bottles for the trip, or, maybe the Playtex with disposable liners...AHHH, maybe I am no where near ready!

I'm also educating myself on caring for Abram's hair. Unlike me, who needs to shampoo my hair DAILY to avoid looking like a grease pit, Abram will need to hang on to the oil. Shampooing too often can cause his hair and scalp to become too dry. Part of caring for his hair will also include a rinse-out conditioner as well as a leave-in conditioner that can be used in between washes. It's also important to avoid certain chemicals as they can make his hair more brittle and/or clog his pores and retard hair growth. So, I'm thinking of going with a line of products called It's a Curl and Curly Q. A local family and friend use these products for their son and love them.

Okay, so enough with packing and hair care details...here are a few pics of the nursery. Grayson is kind of like "Where's Waldo" in the first couple!

Pictures and an update...what a great week!

This week has been wonderful! On Monday, we received an update and new picture of Abram. Here's what they have to say about him this month.

All the toddlers were playing outside when I arrived. I finally spotted K. And he was right where he wanted to be: in someone's arms. He is so loving and snuggled up to me as he observed the other children on the ground. His beautiful face was lit up by the sunlight. He gazed down at the kids in a sort of "I know something you don't know" kind of way. Every picture I took, he looked at the camera with the same no nonsense expression!

Tuesday, of course, was the day we received our court date. And then today, a lovely family that just returned from picking up their son, sent us 5 more pictures of Abram and a video clip! What a blessing to continue to get updates and pictures all along the way! The video clip was cute; he had a kind of deer-in-the-headlights expression the whole time. And, from the pictures we were able to see that he has 4 teeth on the bottom! We hadn't seen any teeth in any of the other pictures, so, this definitely helps us know what kind of foods he will be ready for!

AND, to make this week even BETTER, Chris and Dawn FINALLY received their referral! He is a precious 2.5 month-old baby boy. They had such a long wait. Please pray they will receive a court date before the court closes for the rainy season.

I can't believe our court date is only two weeks away! We're hoping to keep busy so the time flies. On the other hand, I feel like I have A LOT to do to prepare for the possibility of passing the first time around. Grayson and I have been going through his old clothes, pulling out summer things we think will fit. We've also been incorporating some Abram-appropriate toys in the playroom. Grayson is so excited about Abram that he doesn't seem to mind at all that Abram will have a stake in the toy collection. Please continue to pray with us for our court date!

We have a court date!

That's right folks! June 18th is the big day! Can you believe it? That's only 2 weeks away! And, it happens to be the anniversary of Aaron and I's "big day" 4 years ago! Once again, this happened when I least expected it! Grayson and I were at the zoo with some friends (also adopting from Ethiopia) and I saw I had missed 3 calls on my cell phone! I saw the # and called back. After not getting through I listened to my messages...and, there it was, our court date! I wish I had gotten to talk to Jessica in person, but I'll talk to her tomorrow. So, this means that if we pass on the 18th we will be traveling 2-5 weeks later...I can't believe it! Please begin praying with us that we pass on the first attempt. There are so many things that have to happen. So much paperwork, a birth relative that has to travel from out of town, power has to be on, etc. Please pray that all things will fall into place on this day and that we will legally become Abram's mommy, daddy, and big brother!

I just want to add that we are serving a loving, faithful, merciful, prayer-answering God. From the day of our referral, my specific prayer has been to receive a court date by the end of May and be assigned a date in the 1st half of June...it doesn't get any better than that.