Time to Catch Up..........

I cannot believe it has been over 3 months since I updated this blog. So much has happened, but I will just touch on the major highs and lows. After my referral on February 13th, I was waiting on her medical before I posted anything else. I really didn't want to say too much about her until I had seen her medical and officially accepted the referral. During this time, I received over 50 pictures of my beautiful girl from other traveling families. With each new picture, I fell more and more in love with her.

On March13th, exactly 4 weeks after I had received my referral, I had a call from the agency. I was told that I would not be adopting Rediet (this part of the story is private and I may share at a later time). Needless to say, I was devastated beyond words. I asked that the agency advocate on my behalf. I actually called the director in Ethiopia a few times over the next few weeks, just to check on my case.

On April 9th, I received another call, saying that there was nothing more the agency could do for me. Later that day, I was forwarded a post from the director saying she would try different avenues for me. So, I sat back and waited. Over the next few weeks, I tried to move on from the loss of Rediet. I completely took down the nursery and packed up her clothes that were already washed and folded in her dresser. I cried more than I think I have ever cried before. Everytime someone asked about the adoption, I burst into tears. It was horrible. It was especially hard on my youngest daughter Maryn, who to this day, asks almost daily why we cannot bring Baby Rediet home.

Fast forward to April 30th. I received a call from my agency telling me that I need to call the director in Ethiopia--she has some news for me. I was on the phone within minutes calling Ethiopia and spoke to the director,who told me she was looking for an abandoned child for a referral for me! I could not believe it--was this really happening? I had almost gotten to the point of acceptance that an adoption from Ethiopia was not in the cards for me, and WHAM! A phone call that can change your life in an instant.

So that's where we are. I have decided I am not going to tell my children until everything is finalized, which means that I will have a referral AND we have passed court. I was really hoping that yesterday was going to be the day. My agency is expecting to give between 12-15 referrals, so hopefully Tuesday will be the day that I can make another announcement.

Stay tuned.