It's a boy!!

It seems like it's been a while, since I've updated on our adoption.  The last few months have just been a lot of waiting.  We sent our dossier to China in late February, and then we just waited to get a referral for a child. And I am now so very excited to say that we have been matched with a child....a sweet 8 month old boy!! To say that we are all excited is an understatement.  Just to watch Emma and Liam's faces when we talk about him is priceless.  Huge grins and giggles and questions galore....where is he going to sleep? when are we going to get him? what is his name going to be? With two small children, I sometimes feel like I answer questions all day long....but these are questions that I actually love to get to answer.

I don't have the answers to a lot of these questions.  We are now waiting on our Letter of Approval from China, which can take anywhere from 2-4 months or so.  We hope to travel anywhere from August to October...and yes, all 4 of us are going!! I can't imagine a better experience for Emma and Liam to go with us to bring home our son.

A lot of people keep asking why it takes so long after you get matched to actually go get your child.  Truthfully, I have no idea.  I know that China does still have to officially review our dossier.  Why it takes a few months to do it I'm not sure.  But this whole process has been this way.  There's definitely a lot of waiting and wondering and wanting things to move quicker.  And it's hard to not get impatient.  But I can truly say that God has given us a spirit of peace and patience as we have waited.  First, waiting to get matched with a child and now waiting to actually bring him home.  And I'm also treasuring moments with Emma and Liam, as we also prepare their hearts for a new brother.

The last few months have also been filled with yard sales and other small fundraisers to help raise the money to bring home our son.  We've also just found out that an organization named Lifesong has agreed to help us with our fundraising.  You can give money to our adoption through Lifesong and it is tax-deductible.  This is a huge blessing! (If you'd like to give you can go here...http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html.  Please make sure to include our name and number in the donation: Elliott #2613).

So, this mama is excited and over the moon and already in love with this precious child that God has given us.  I know the next months will sometimes feel slow and other times feel fast.  I'm praying God will continue to walk alongside us in the "waiting".  And I'm also praying for our child's health, for the caretakers and orphanage he is in, for the bonding is to come with us and him...and thanking God every day that He is allowing us to be His parents.