Still not too much to say...

Every time I try to post about our trip, it just doesn't come out the way I want it. It's impossible to put into words the range of emotions we experienced, so I'm going to quit trying and just continue to process.

But, what I can put into words is how we're doing. Each day is getting better and better. Abram is really starting to feel more comfortable here at home. And, he does really well getting out of the house and going to the store, out to eat, or to play at a park. He just doesn't let me get very far. He still sobs every time I walk out of the room (unless I can sneak out really quick while he's busy playing). So, I've learned to do A LOT with 23 extra lbs. on my left hip (it certainly provides incentive to never gain 23 lbs.). Our lifesaver around here has been going outside to play. There are some days we are outside playing by 8 a.m. (3 weeks ago, this is what time Grayson woke up). The kids love being outside swinging, riding bikes, pushing bubble mowers, playing in the pool, you name it. Grayson seems to be a little better about not taking things away from Abram when we're outside or at a park where nothing is "his." Grayson is doing really well considering how tough it must be to see me constantly tending to every one of Abram's needs. We're doing our best to do special little things for Grayson, but what he wants most is our attention and that can sometimes be really hard since they don't play too well together, yet (Abram is a little sensitive about Grayson getting too close or too touchy...it's hard to predict what he likes/dislikes).

Nap time and bed time are getting much better. Grayson is such a trooper and has totally been a lifesaver. I have to sit with Abram at both nap time and bed time until he falls asleep. Thankfully, Grayson will wait downstairs and watch a show while I lay Abram down for a nap. Grayson will then go upstairs and lay in bed with a book until he falls asleep (we used to read books, rock, it was a 20 min. ordeal). Abram is also doing better through the night. Most nights he will sleep through the night or wake up once. He is quickly comforted and goes right back to sleep. A good night's sleep makes all the difference in the world with these two, energetic toddlers!

Now, what you really want...pictures:)

Quick update!

I wanted to check in briefly to let everyone know that we are still alive! Aaron and I are both healthy and with the help of antibiotics, Abram seems to be kicking a "touch" of pneumonia.

Adjustment-wise, we seem to be making a little progress each day. The last couple of days, Abram has been pretty good about letting me put him down. He's beginning to venture out on his own a little more, exploring the house and toys. All things considered, Grayson has done remarkably well. He, of course, just happens to want to play with everything Abram does at the exact moment Abram does but, that's to be expected. When he's not wanting to be held, Abram is an extremely happy, playful little guy! He has the brightest smile and a beautiful laugh.

Now, we just have to get bedtime figured out. We were a bit spoiled in Ethiopia. Abram would fall right off to sleep on our bed and we would move him to the crib where he would sleep most of the night. If he did wake up, I got him out and he would fall right back to sleep. For the first couple of nights at home, this same tactic worked. I knew it wouldn't be permanent, but it let us get some sleep right after getting home. Well, within a couple of nights, Abram became very sensitive to us laying him in the crib and would wake up screaming as I laid him down. So, we decided it was time to go straight to the crib. We've been doing pretty well laying him in the crib and then sitting on the floor right by the crib holding his hand, etc. Each day is getting a little better, but tonight it took over an hour for him to go to sleep. He also tends to wake up 3 times a night. I'm exhausted. I don't think it helps that he appears to have about 4 teeth coming in. This type of thing is so hard because there is no letting him "cry it out." I can't even imagine letting this little child think that we've walked off and forgotten about him. As hard as it is, we have to build trust. He has to feel safe in his crib and I don't think he does just yet. But, as with everything else, we'll get there.

Here are a few pictures from our time at home!

I promise I'll update everyone at some point!

Right now, we're a little overwhelmed:) I don't feel that great and Aaron woke up with a temperature of 102! All of this on top of trying to keep up with 2 toddlers...one of which will NOT let me put him down! Don't get me wrong, I'm happy to hold him, but it makes it really hard to care for Grayson. This too shall pass! I'll give the full update once we're all healthy and rested! Here are a few pics.

We're home!

We're home! We are exhausted, emotionally drained, and completely in love with our life as a family of four! I'll be updating and posting pictures soon! For those of you I took packages for...they made it! I'll be emailing pictures soon!


Okay, here are a couple of pics to hold you over:)

Off to Ethiopia!

Well, today is our last night at home for awhile. We leave tomorrow for Liberty to take Grayson to his grandparents. We will then leave from there in the wee hours of the morning on Sunday to head to the airport!

I still can't believe it's really here. I have a feeling the whole week will seem surreal. Tonight we switched the extra carseat (in Aaron's car) over to the van. Aaron's vehicle all of the sudden looks bigger, quieter, and, let's face it, boring. The van, on the other hand, looks smaller, much more chaotic, and absolutely blissful! I've been waiting over a year to look over my shoulder and see both of my boys in their carseats...that day is only a week away!!!

The guest house we are staying in has dial-up internet. So, I'm hoping to update the blog with a picture or two at least once while we're gone.

And now, I leave you with a very short video of the precious little boy I am going to miss so dearly while we are away (have I mentioned we've only been away from Grayson one time and it was for a couple of days).

On the home stretch!

Wow, I can't believe it's finally here! The week we have been waiting over a year for is finally here. This week we leave for Ethiopia to hold our youngest son in our arms for the first time. Even as I type it, I can hardly believe it. It's the strangest feeling in the world. All this time you guard your heart saying, "It's never going to be here." And then, when it is finally here, you still don't believe it. Sure, I'm going through the motions, packing, planning, cleaning...but I don't know if I'm really convinced this is happening. And then, in this really strange, strange, you-can-only-understand-if-you've-been-there sort of way, it's almost kind of sad. Crazy enough, you almost feel a little sad that this process is coming to an end. Sure, the best part is yet to come. The end of this process is what you've been praying for every day since you started...but, you're still a little sad to see it go. No, you don't wish to go through the stress of waiting again, but you wouldn't mind reliving the elation that comes with "the call" or the updates or the "you passed court" or any other number of really exciting things throughout this amazing journey. Weird, I know. But, at least this time I wasn't surprised by the feelings...I went through this with Grayson's adoption as well.

I'm also finding it really difficult to control my neat-freakishness this week. This tends to happen when something big is coming up. No matter how picked up my house is, I feel the need to do more, clean more, straighten more bedspreads, fix more couch pillows, dust more corners, and on and on. I think I'm feeling as if I may never accomplish another thing with 2 toddler boys. And, while things will be a little harder during our transition, I know life will find a "new normal" and in no time I'll be cleaning with the best of them again. But, even those thoughts can't stop me this week! I'm telling you, don't sit still too long, you may get swept up around here!

Okay, okay, enough rambling. I'm taking a much needed break tomorrow and going to the Children's Museum with Rita and Toby. I'm trying to enjoy this last week with Grayson as much as possible!

Here are a few pictures from one of the fountains on Purdue's campus.

10 days until departure:)

Well, I don't have too much to say, other than we are getting everything together for the trip and are trying to take plenty of breaks to have some fun before life gets a little more complicated (and joyful)!

We had a great 4th of July at Dale Hollow, knowing that it may be a little bit before we get brave enough to take 2 toddlers out on a lake! Grayson had a great time with his cousin Ellie.

Today, we went to Monkey Joe's with Rita and Toby. Monkey Joe's is a place filled with bouncy houses, mazes, and slides. The boys had a blast!!! And, the best part is, parents are allowed to "assist" children under 4. So, I of course decided Grayson needed a lot of help on some of the really big slides:) Needless to say, Rita and I had as much fun as the boys!

There was some disappointing news in Ethiopian adoptions today. An agency will be closed for the next two weeks and will not issue opinions for court cases scheduled during this time. This means that those cases will be reassigned. However, we are coming up on the rainy season, so there is not a lot of time left for cases to be heard before court closes for a couple of months. Please pray for the families that this effects!

Here are a few pictures from Monkey Joe's.

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.

More court dates and Grayson' new ride

Two more families were assigned court dates this past Friday! Yay! Their court date is June 17th! Just about 2.5 weeks away! They received referrals about 3 weeks before us, so, we could still have several weeks to wait, or, we could be assigned a court date any time now. Either way, we're patiently waiting. This part of the wait is so much easier. Sure, it's hard having a picture and wanting a specific child home, but it's also SO wonderful to have a picture and to be praying for a specific, sweet face and name. Please continue to pray with us as we wait to be assigned a court date. Pray that we would continue to feel comfort in God's sovereign plan. We are praying for a June court date.

In more exciting news, Grayson has a new ride. He has strollers and wagons and now he has a bike trailer. Yup. We've been talking about getting bikes and a bike trailer and we finally did it. We bought a couple used bikes off Craigslist and a bike trailer at Wal-Mart. We had a great time! And, it's a much better workout than just taking a walk! We were really huffing it up the hills! The bike trailer seats two and, of course, Grayson has already pointed out that Abram will ride too.

We've also completed our 5th day of potty training. We realized several weeks ago that he would go and use his potty if he was naked from the waist down, like before bath time. So, I started letting him run around without any pants or undies on in the house. Sure enough, no accidents as long as he's naked. This past week, we started working on wearing underwear. He had about 3 accidents a day for the first 3 days and is now down to just one accident a day. But, it's of course when he needs to go #2. No fun to clean up. He's had NO accidents when we leave the house! He definitely realizes he needs to hold it. And, he has no interest in diapers anymore. We had been putting them on at night and last night he kept taking it off! We did get him to settle on a Pull-up at night. I'm not quite ready to change the sheets in the middle of the night! Once he consistently wakes up dry, we'll do the underwear at night. So nice that we will only have 1 child in diapers when Abram comes home!

Grayson's new ride!

I'm still here!

So, I've definitely been slacking a bit lately! Tomorrow marks 3 weeks waiting for our court date. I'm happy to report that we have had an amazing peace about this whole process since receiving our referral. Sure, I have moments where I just want Abram home so badly. For instance, today I was pushing Grayson on the glider and was wishing they were both on it giggling hysterically as I try to tickle them as they go by. But, overall, God has given us comfort in knowing He is in control, and just as He was faithful and brought us our referral, He will give us our court date and someday we will have our littlest boy home.

It really helps that I get to talk about Abram all day long. I try not to constantly obsess over him around friends and acquaintances, but Grayson and I talk about him ALL DAY long. And, I am rarely the one to bring it up. Grayson starts his morning by saying, "Abram sleep in Wall-E bed," or "Abram wear Thomas underwear," or "Abram eat waffles." And, it goes on like this all day long - I'm really not exaggerating. Grayson is already SO in love his baby brother. He is going to be the sweetest big brother!

Time is passing quickly as we are enjoying the summer months. We are officially done with bible study and have no commitments! We've been working in the yard, organizing things in the house, etc. I have this urge to go through every nook and cranny, making sure we are rid of any clutter before we add another person to our house!

We've also been taking weekly walks with our wonderful neighbor, Laura, and her kids. Grayson LOVES it! They are the sweetest kids ever!

I'll leave you with a few pics of Grayson...and, I promise I will try to be better about blogging!

Feeding the fish at the park.

On the merry-go-round.

Coming down the big slide!

Driving the big boat!

Guaca-mal-doo

So a week or so ago we got a new camera that takes HD video. We decided we need to capture some of the things Grayson says or someday we will forget them! Here's a clip of him talking about being born in Guaca-mal-doo and bringing him home to eat, sleep, and play (he came up with this list of things a while back). Enjoy!

Abram's birthday celebration!

To celebrate Abram's 1st birthday, we had cake! Grayson was pleased, to say the least. Here's a short video of him blowing out the candle and wishing Abram a Happy Birthday!

Starting to see some court dates!

A couple people were assigned court dates today! These families had been waiting for their court date since the middle/end of March. Their court dates are for the 9th and 10th of June...less than a month away!!! Please pray with us that this is the beginning of court dates being assigned for a whole host of people including us. Please pray that we would receive a court date in the first half of June! Congrats Ellen and Meredith...it was a long wait!

Happy Birthday Abram!

Abram will be a year old tomorrow! We're still on a high from getting his referral; but, I have to say I don't know that I was prepared to miss such a major milestone so fast! We love him so much already. Grayson goes around telling anyone who will listen, "Abram come!" And, he goes about his day mentioning how Abram will eat Fruit Loops and drink apple juice and sleep in his bed with him, and on and on. Just picturing him in our lives has already brought us so much joy! I do have a peace of mind knowing he is so happy and well taken care of. And, a very sweet family is taking him a photo album with our pictures when they travel next week AND taking pictures for us! What a blessing is has been to go through this process with such wonderful people as support.

So, Happy 1st Birthday Abram! We love you! I think we'll have a little cake and take pictures so he'll have some pictures of his first birthday...even if he's not in the pictures:)

Finally getting around to the details!

Whew! Things have been absolutely crazy around here since 4:06 p.m. on Wednesday, May 6th! Let me start by saying that there is no such thing as a bad day to receive a referral. However, if there was one day last week that would've have been super crazy to get the call, it was Wednesday! I volunteer on Wednesday evenings and Aaron had called earlier to say that he was doing some consulting work right after work. Now, he has not been called in to do consulting for the last 8.5 months...no joke. So, I was on the phone with him at about 4:05; he was leaving work and heading to his next assignment. If I had been thinking about the referral call at all that day, it was the last thing on my mind when someone was beeping in on the other line (thank goodness for call waiting)! I looked at the phone, saw Gladney's number and quickly told Aaron I had to go. The next couple of minutes went like this:

Me: Hello
Jessica: Emily, how are you?
Me: Oh, pretty good.
Jessica: Well, I got your email and I thought these things would be best handled by calling.
Me: (trying to hide disappointment) Oh, okay.
Jessica: Especially when I have a referral for you!
Me: Oh my goodness...I was going to say....if you called me just to talk about my email....!!!
Jessica: I wouldn't do that.

At that point I told Jessica I would call Aaron immediately and he would be home in 15 minutes. I called Aaron and told him to get home right away! I have to say, after over 8 months of waiting, when the call finally came, a peace just kind of washed over me. I was excited, but not sobbing, or hysterical, or about to jump out of my skin. It was just so nice knowing when I would get to see our little boy for the first time. At that point, I felt like I could wait longer if I needed to...as long as I knew when it would be. The uncertainty is the hardest part.

So, Aaron got home just a few minutes later and we sat and waited for Jessica to call back. The three of us gathered in the office and we prayed. We thanked God for the news we were about to receive. We praised Him for giving us the strength to make it to this point in the wait. And then, we asked Him to stand beside us through our call just as He had been doing for the last 8 months. We asked Him to prepare our hearts for some of the things we may hear....some of the heartbreaking news we would most definitely learn about our son. Because, we knew that our wonderful gift of a son means death, pain, and heartache for others. We asked Him to help us be sure that this was the son He had chosen for us before the beginning of time.

Jessica then sent us the emails with his information and pictures. We opened the pictures and just smiled and laughed....he's beautiful! We knew he would have tough shoes to fill seeing as that Grayson is the most handsome, beautiful, stunning little boy I've ever seen. Let me tell you, we now have TWO handsome, beautiful, stunning little boys! He has the biggest, brightest, brownest, olive shaped eyes and eyelashes that go on for miles! He just looks so happy and healthy; such a blessing! When we saw that he is almost a year old we were ecstatic. Grayson will have a best friend and sibling all in one like I do! I can't wait to see what these two will get in to!

We have decided to name our little guy Abram K. Jarvis, keeping his birth name as his middle name. We are so extremely blessed to have the opportunity to bring this child into our lives....so, bring on a court date!!!

The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people, and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you. I will make your name great and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you.." Gen. 12:1-3

8 months, 1 week, and 2 days later......

We finally got to see our little boy's face!!!!!!!!!!!!!! That's right, we got our referral call this afternoon at 4:06! It has been a crazy, crazy few hours around here. More details to follow...he is beautiful and he is almost a year old!

Tomorrow marks 2 years home with Grayson!

It's hard to believe that 2 years ago tomorrow, Aaron and I were on our way to Guatemala! So many details of that trip are still so fresh in my mind. We were so nervous, so excited, wondering what life would be like as a family. I could not have in my wildest dreams imagined the joy this precious child would bring to our lives. We are so incredibly blessed to have the privilege of calling Grayson our son.

When you're in the thick of the adoption wait, it is hard to remember that all the months of paperwork, all the months of sitting and obsessing over "unofficial" lists, etc. is worth the wait a million times over. I would wait my entire life for Grayson. And, I know when it's all said and done, I will feel the same about Abram.

Until then, here are some picture of Grayson over the past couple of years. We will celebrate tomorrow with a Wall-E cake that reads, "We're so glad you're home!"

Embassy Day.

Home, at last!

First Birthday!
Second Birthday.