It's been 2 months since our last blog entry.
2 months.
And. Everything.Is.Different.
At first, I had to take a moment to process, and then more things changed, and more and more, and then our computer was out of service, and I took it as a sign to wait, and then more things changed.
And now, here we are, 2 months later, and I don't even know where to start. If I poured every detail onto this page, it would be a short novel. Considering I am borderline ADD, and no one wants that much info, I'm going to do my best to outline our lives, and not get carried away into spelling out every detail.
The day following our last entry was uneventful, right up until about 10 minutes before Lachlan got home from work. There's no way to spell this out in terms that don't give you to much information into our personal lives, but my history basically requires me to take a pregnancy test each month. It's not a big deal, other than the fact that even cheap tests are not cheap. Except this month the test was positive. Really positive.
Immediately I was shocked. I wanted Lachlan. I didn't now how to respond.
When we found out we were expecting Ellory, it was an anticipated shock. We were not really trying to become parents, we just weren't not trying. We found out late on a Tuesday night, after a date. We laid in bed giggling and taking turns vocalizing "oh crap," in as many forms as our stunned brains could come up with.
Ezra was a different story. For 18 months we timed, calculated, planned for and tried every which way we knew how to become pregnant again. In hindsight, we know the Lord's timing was perfect, but in the midst of those 18 months, it was difficult and sad every time I stared at that single line...squinting, praying, willing all my momminess to see the plus sign. Nothing. Until the month I was stressed, and gave up for the month so we could pack and move and settle into our new home. Nothing more than preparing my second FULL pot of coffee one morning, just weeks after we closed on our home, made me think i should take a test...the last of my stock pile. Positive. Our little man was finally there, growing inside me. God's timing was sweet and perfect, and we were thankful.
But this third plus sign threw me for a loop. Certainly a small part of my heart was instantly joyful, but honestly most of it seemed to shatter...only held together until the moment my man walked through the door. Crash. This was terrible news for our Buna. I was well aware of the clause in our adoption agreement with our agency, "Pregnancy will terminate (seriously, this is the verb they chose!) the adoption process, regardless if you have been matched with a child." I could visibly see these words scrolling through my brain. No, we were not yet matched with a specific child, but our hearts were set on loving, praying for, pursuing and aching for a baby half way around the world. I felt as though we were being forced to give up one of our children in order that another might live. I don't expect that anyone who has not experienced the exact situation could understand.
The days following consisted of me crying. A lot. My emotions were all over the place. I was thankful for the life inside of me, and angry all at once. I was grieving a child that I thought existed, and coming to terms with the reality that Baby Buna just wasn't conceived, born, or ready for us yet. I questioned God's plan, and remembered his faithfulness and perfect timing with Ezra. I wondered why when we were purposeful in trying to conceive, we couldn't, and when we were more than careful not to, we did. Lachlan was so good to daily remind me of God's sovereignty. Clearly this child defied science, and was sent with purpose from our Father, the giver of all good things. Slowly, I chose to walk in faithfulness. With each day I was able to celebrate this new little one more, and grieve the path I though we were on less.
Our agency confirmed our fears, even with all our begging and pleading that we wanted to pursue BOTH new Coffeys simultaneously. They conceded to not "terminate", only pause our process, only becaus they had just announced they were no longer accepting applications for the Ethiopia program because of the many delays, and lack of referrals coming to them from their now reduced orphanage partners. Still, this was not good news. They wouldn't allow us to make any progress until Baby 3 turned 1 year old. With the delays, that meant that Baby Buna would not be Baby Coffey 4 until 2015, minimum. With updates to the program in the weeks following, it now seems that 2015 would be a long shot.
We were sad. We completely understand if families would make the decision to delay their adoption process if put in our same situation, but we felt confident that God was calling us to constantly pursue ALL our children, ALL the time.
Within a week my much dreaded morning sickness had appeared. We went to the doctor, and got an early ultrasound to confirm a due date, May 6, 2012, and were able to hear that sweet "swish swish swish" of heartbeat of a 6week and 5 day old babe. My normal cocktail of anti-nausea medicine was subscribed.
We began networking with all our adoption family connections, and praying that we could find an agency that would look at our family and our desires, and not simply lay out blanket rules to their process. Lachlan was able to communicate with a few recommendations, and felt really good about one of them, who said they would allow us to continue the process, simply slowing it down enough for us to adjust to the new addition before sending us a referral for our #4. (FOUR! this is crazy!). We decided to get through he first trimester before making a decision.
A couple weeks later, we were able to spend a long weekend with my best friend and her family in Alabama. I actually felt really good (given my history) and were had a sweet time with the Hall family, including a kid-free double date night!
The long drive home gave Lachlan and I the opportunity to talk and think and plan what life as 6 Coffeys would be like. This unexpected pregnancy, the pause in our adoption process, and the reality of parenting four children made many decisions we had already made resurface. So, in one trip down I-65, we decided that the ideal plan would be to 1. Sell our house, 2. Move to New Albany, 3. Restart the adoption process as soon as we settled.
The whys of all these things are both simple and complicated, but it mostly boiled down to, "this adoption process, regardless of the agency, is now going to take much longer. Our plan to send our kids to private school, which was already on a teetering point of what was financially feasible quickly dropped to the unfeasible end with the addition of another child, and our current public school option is in simple terms 'the pits'. Many of our very close friends live in New Albany, as well as Lachlan's mom and sister. The addition of a Sojourn campus there was a drawing point, and the public school system is better."
We are Coffeys. Well, perhaps I should say, we are the Coffey family under the leadership of my "do-it-now-husband," Lachlan, so we met with our favorite realtor the following day. We had packed up, decluttered, rearranged, and repaired all the "we'll get to it soon" projects within the week. 6 days after our drive, I was feeling worse, but the house was spotless, listed, and we had spent a day viewing potential homes across the river.
Time at this point becomes a complete blur to me. There were more huge personal decisions made. A ton of home viewings, lots of puking (not just from me), 2 UTI's for me...who knows what else. The day following my second OB appointment, my doctor called to tell me that after reviewing my infections and urinalysis, along with my 8 pound weight loss and my previous pregnancy history, she was putting me on 24 hour home health care, including a zofran pump and constant IV fluids.
God gave me the most amazing husband. I was discouraged, and weak and tired. He instantly took over our whole world. While I puked and began fusing with the fibers of our basement couch, he planned childcare, shuttled our children, took care of the house--in such a way that it was show ready at any moment--did laundry, shopping, and all the loving. All the while working hard and fulfilling all his additional responsibilities. Our friends organized meals and graciously parented and loved our children.
The zofran pump was soon sent back, because it gave me migraines that made me even more pukey than the pregnancy, and I was left on the only remaining anti-nausea medicine, which did in fact keep me from puking, but also left me zombie like and/or completely knocked out for most of the day.
Last week, I returned to the doctor for a check up, and we begged to be off the fluids. She agreed to give me a two week trial. Thankfully, I have felt relatively well the past week. Certainly escaping from my basement dungeon has helped my spirits. I am experimenting with how long I can go without the knock out meds, and trying to survive on half a dose when I do take it. There have been bumps, but so far so good, I think.
The house has yet to sell, but showings have picked up dramatically this past week. We are praying that we be sensitive to any clear direction from the Lord, while doing our best to make wise decisions for our family. Baby 3 is making their presence known early as I look much more pregnant than my 14.5 weeks, even though I am still below my starting weight. My back and hips are feeling much more late-third, then early-second trimester. We are anxious to return to the doctor next week, hopeful for a good report that will allow me to continue trying to hydrate myself with the help of fruit and polar pop ice, rather than IV bags and catheters. The plan is to have an ultrasound mid-December. As soon as we sell (or call it and decide to stay put...ay! the thought!...)we will begin the revamp of our homestudy, and dossier. Ethiopia seems to be changing policies and processes daily, so we are trying to keep up and be open to wherever our Great God leads us on the path to our child. On one hand I daily plead with God to make everything clear. I want it all. I want to know it all. And I want it now. But on the other hand, this process has been a painful yet sweet reminder that we are called to pursue the Lord and act in His wisdom, but His Sovereignty is what will see us through. He is faithful. He always has been. So for now, we are loving all our babies the best we know how and praying the Lord brings all 6 of us together, under some type of house, in either Louisville or New Albany, with one little Coffey in some school, and us attending one of our Sojourn campuses...soon! We'd be delighted if you joined us in praying that the Lord's will be done amongst our family!
-Practical note for all of our sweet and loving friends and family that have given financially to fund our adoption:
The bulk of our financial investment thus far was refunded to us, and is patiently waiting to be sent off again, whenever our process is back on. If you donated to us through the non-profit Tesfa Alliance, they are holding onto all our funds as well. As soon as we send them an invoice for accrued adoption costs, they will release the appropriate funds.
There will be a minimal amount of additional costs as we redo homestudies/update them, and as we submit our application to our new agency.
We are so thankful for your financial contributions. We still plan to creatively fund raise as life becomes more clear, and I am feeling better.
If you feel led to contribute, you can do so through The Tesfa Alliance, or through pal pal at the top of our page. Of course our coffee fund raiser is ongoing and would make great Christmas gifts! $5 from every bag goes to our adoption. http://www.justlovecoffee.com/thecoffeys
We are thankful!
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Friday, September 9, 2011
Birthday, Traveling, Feeling like a whale, and PICTURES!
Ezzy eating yet another serving of blueberries on our Texas trip.
Poor Ezra. We captured Ellory's every move. Each new tooth, step, phase...it's documented. Then came Ezra. We adore him, but documentation wise, he didn't really join our family until our family vacation when he was 6 months old. The iPhone has spoiled me in that I can always snap a quick picture, but I usually don't do a thing with them after I text Lachlan. I'm currently loading the 444 pictures that have been on our camera since April. So, hopefully, by the end of this update, I will actually get to share a few with you!
On August 25th, Lachlan and I got to have a little date downtown. We went to the USCIS building, and got our fingerprints taken for immigration approval of our little one. It was easy, and we were told we had "very clear prints"--the technician said that meant our approval should move quickly, since they seemed to be prints that could easily be cleared by the computer system, and not marked to be additionally reviewed by an actual person, CSI style. What that actually means, I have no idea. Our best guess is around 2 months.
As soon as we get the USCIS approval, we hope to turn in our dossier, which we sent off our payment for the same day we had our prints taken. We need to kick our document gathering into full gear so that it will be ready to send off as soon as possible.
We found out yesterday that we have been a bit optimistic in our estimation of when we would receive a referral, a court date, and bring our little one home. I've been sick the past two days, and the news sent me into sick/sulking mode. Basically, we've been told that it will almost certainly be 2013, (yep, that's a one-three at the end of that) until we bring our Buna home---possibly even until we receive our referral. Pouty face. This timeline makes me feel like I am having the gestation of a whale with this child. It's not that this was completely unexpected, but to have it completely confirmed was a little jab to the heart. It does make me want to do everything possible to get that $11,900 fee turned in, not short of standing on the corner of Grinstead and I-64 and begging. Which I may just have to do considering that in the past 2 weeks we have been hit with a $2000 truck repair bill and a stolen lawn mower. Boo.
Until then, we are living life as 4 Coffeys. Lachlan turned 31 a few weeks ago, and was sub-par celebrated with a dinner out with the kids at Incredible Dave's, and a bottle of bourbon I bought for him 3 days late. Wah wah.
We were happy to get away as a family the week leading into Labor Day. We still had vouchers left over and almost ready to expire, so we flew down to Texas and were spoiled by a week with Lachlan's Uncle Bob and Aunt Sue. Ellory deemed our trip "the best vacation ever," which says a lot, since she still talks about last year's trip to Disney World on a regular basis. It was a relaxing time, that include morning and evening swims, floating in tubes in the river, and day trips to San Antonio, outlet malls, and caves. We were very blessed, Ellory and Ezra were spoiled rotten with all the blueberries and swimming and feeding deer they could take, and Aunt Sue practiced her superb-grandma skills by staying with Ezra during the river trip, allowing Lachaln and I to have a dinner out with his cousin and Uncle without the kiddos in tow, and feeding and putting Ez to bed while I took a late night swim with all the cousins, who so graciously drove in from their first week of college and med school in College Station to visit us for the night! (RUN.ON.SENTENCE)
Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We are certainly heavy hearted with the news of delays.
Why can't I figure out how to move pictures?!?! I give up. Here they are, out of order...
Attempt at a family pic on the San Antonio River Walk
Handsome boy at the Alamo
Can you see the deer? Ellory helped Uncle Bob feed the deer every morning and night...About 6-7 would come right up and eat.
4 Coffeys in Gatlinburg on a hike.--May 2011
Ellory Sue turns 4!--May 21, 2011
The Coffee Cousins in a dysfunctional Easter picture.
Our real life attempt at a family photo in front of the Alamo. Everyone is HOT and HUNGRY and not in the mood for happy picture capturing.That's it for now. It's out of order, missing several, and took me all of nap time. YOU BETTER ENJOY IT!
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Items For Sale To Fund Our Adoption
I just posted this as a note on Facebook:
FOR SALE!
Trying to sell a few things left from the yard sale, so I can park in my garage.
Reclining wing back chair
Counter top wine cooler
2 dining room tables- 1 oak, 1 mahogany
8 bottle wine rack
2 corner shelves-super nice
Van console organizer-tan
2 matching floor lamps, black base with white shades, kinda off white, but barely
massage ottoman
bread machine
4 drawer filing cabinet
Rock climbing shoes, size 6 1/5 and 11 1/2
rock climbing harnesses
The following I will be putting in the Little Treasures Sale Next week, the below prices are discounted to what I would actually receive from the sale:
2 infant car seats with bases--$25 each
changing table--$45, picture on my wall
Pottery Barn Kids Rug-Polka Dot Rug, Green and Pink, excellent condition, 3x5--$56
2 large Rolling canvas totes, pink, for toys--some coloring inside, $8 for both
3 large Vintage style nursery rhyme, nursery art, framed and in excellent condition--$60 for all three
spalding tennis racquet--$5
I also have tons of early reader style books, that I have bundled in to stacks of between 10-20. I will take $3 for a bundle.
Except for one of the dining tables, which belongs to the paces, all money will fund our adoption!
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Encourgament and Discouragement
I think most of the posts on this blog expose my fragile emotional state. This one will not disappoint.
First, I must say, we have been overwhelmed with the love and support we have received from our friends and family members. To know that so many people are praying for our family, especially Baby Buna, is tremendously encouraging. Not to mention the financial support that has been pouring in. We are making drops in that required bucket of cash!
I'm not ignorant. We knew from the beginning that this would be a fight. Adoption, at it's core, is a very clear picture of the gospel. We were once lost, and God, in his goodness--and not because of our own, paid a much bigger price to adopt us as His own children. He continues the fight in convincing some of us that the payment has been made. That we are no longer slaves, no longer orphans wandering without hope. We know that our family's pursuit of Baby Buna is just a small picture of God's love for us, but a picture that Satan would rather not be displayed. He will fight, but we will fight back.
Today we received an email from our agency, we are asked not to share specific details of emails on blogs, social media outlets, etc. but this I took directly from a public page on their website:
First, I must say, we have been overwhelmed with the love and support we have received from our friends and family members. To know that so many people are praying for our family, especially Baby Buna, is tremendously encouraging. Not to mention the financial support that has been pouring in. We are making drops in that required bucket of cash!
I'm not ignorant. We knew from the beginning that this would be a fight. Adoption, at it's core, is a very clear picture of the gospel. We were once lost, and God, in his goodness--and not because of our own, paid a much bigger price to adopt us as His own children. He continues the fight in convincing some of us that the payment has been made. That we are no longer slaves, no longer orphans wandering without hope. We know that our family's pursuit of Baby Buna is just a small picture of God's love for us, but a picture that Satan would rather not be displayed. He will fight, but we will fight back.
Today we received an email from our agency, we are asked not to share specific details of emails on blogs, social media outlets, etc. but this I took directly from a public page on their website:
As many of you are aware, there have been many changes to the adoption process in Ethiopia lately. Several orphanages have been closed, including one of Holt's partners. There has been a slow down in the number of children referred to Holt over the last few months.
In an effort to maintain reasonable wait times for the families currently in process with Holt, we have decided to place a hold on accepting new applications. We expect this to be a temporary measure, but at this time, we are not sure how long it will be before we begin to accept new applications again.
Bummer. Delays in referrals. Orphans piled in less orphanages, with fewer going out to their families. Baby Buna. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.
Now, I must type this to remind myself that our God is good and sovereign. And that no, He doesn't delight in this situation, but He is over this situation, and He is working it our for good.
Courts in Ethiopia close during the rainy season. They will reopen the second week of October. Will you please pray that the government will carefully, but swiftly begin sending out more referrals so that those babies can get to their mommas and daddies, waiting for them. Pray for all those sweet babies, waiting. For their nannies to love and serve them as best as they can. For the officials who have the final say to have mercy. For God to keep all of them, and us in His strength?
I just sent an email to our case worker with a few questions about the next steps for us. One pressing issue on our hearts is to get our dossier turned in with it's $3,000 fee ASAP. Then, we have to work extra hard to get the $11,900 so that our names can get on the list to be able to receive a referral. The longer it takes, the further back the ever increasing list we go. Pray that we will figure out how to get this money and be able to submit it sooner than later.
So, for now, we are thankful, but with heavy hearts.
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Saturday and other things
Saturday was a big day in the Baby Buna world.
All our hard work for the yard sale paid off. With Beth's urging and organization, we set our alarms for 5 am. We were greeted by our sweet friend Anne, who was knocking on our door as we stumbled, sleepy eyed down the steps. More friends soon joined, Rebekah, LT, Amy, Lauren. Coffee was poured, but never enjoyed, as we began the GINORMOUS task of taking all the goods from our garage and house, and setting them up in some type of semi-organized fashion on our front lawns. I put Beth in charge of the set up. The multitude of boxes was simultaneously encouraging and anxiety inducing.
The sale was set to start at 8, which means the first cars started pulling up at 7:15. Yard Sale goers are crazy, and serious, about their deals.
Praise God that we got a small break from this crazy Kentucky summer. It was certainly hot, but not unbearable, and the predicted rain held off to only a few drops as we set up.
Ellory was once again in charge of her lemonade stand, but wasn't quite as interested with her cousins available to play with. Fact: Lemonade stands make more money when a cute 4 year old is manning it.
We were so blessed with lots of visits from friends and family throughout the day. By the time we wrapped up, I had done minimal amounts of my own shopping, and we had added over $1000 to Baby Buna's collection jar!
At last count, we are about $800 shy of our dossier fee. Very doable by the time it is due! What a blessing! I have spent the remainder of the week listing an selling items on craigslist and eBay.
It's quite a job to keep up with all the emails and listings, but it's been great to share our story and the generosity of our friends and family with so many people!
Also on Saturday, we got our USCIS biometrics appointment date! Will be fingerprinted on the 25th! I LOVE having a date to look forward to. It's a continued struggle of emotions as we seemingly wait with what feels like no end in sight for our little one. Having a date to mark on the calendar and focus myself on is much appreciated!
Any insight on how long approval will take following our biometrics appointment?
Well dear readers, nap time has ended at the Coffey house, which means, like it our not, edited or not, it's time to end this post and get back mommahood!
All our hard work for the yard sale paid off. With Beth's urging and organization, we set our alarms for 5 am. We were greeted by our sweet friend Anne, who was knocking on our door as we stumbled, sleepy eyed down the steps. More friends soon joined, Rebekah, LT, Amy, Lauren. Coffee was poured, but never enjoyed, as we began the GINORMOUS task of taking all the goods from our garage and house, and setting them up in some type of semi-organized fashion on our front lawns. I put Beth in charge of the set up. The multitude of boxes was simultaneously encouraging and anxiety inducing.
The sale was set to start at 8, which means the first cars started pulling up at 7:15. Yard Sale goers are crazy, and serious, about their deals.
Praise God that we got a small break from this crazy Kentucky summer. It was certainly hot, but not unbearable, and the predicted rain held off to only a few drops as we set up.
Ellory was once again in charge of her lemonade stand, but wasn't quite as interested with her cousins available to play with. Fact: Lemonade stands make more money when a cute 4 year old is manning it.
We were so blessed with lots of visits from friends and family throughout the day. By the time we wrapped up, I had done minimal amounts of my own shopping, and we had added over $1000 to Baby Buna's collection jar!
At last count, we are about $800 shy of our dossier fee. Very doable by the time it is due! What a blessing! I have spent the remainder of the week listing an selling items on craigslist and eBay.
It's quite a job to keep up with all the emails and listings, but it's been great to share our story and the generosity of our friends and family with so many people!
Also on Saturday, we got our USCIS biometrics appointment date! Will be fingerprinted on the 25th! I LOVE having a date to look forward to. It's a continued struggle of emotions as we seemingly wait with what feels like no end in sight for our little one. Having a date to mark on the calendar and focus myself on is much appreciated!
Any insight on how long approval will take following our biometrics appointment?
Well dear readers, nap time has ended at the Coffey house, which means, like it our not, edited or not, it's time to end this post and get back mommahood!
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
USCIS and Fundraising Updates!
Last Wednesday we mailed off our USCIS forms, along with $890.
Let me tell you a little story about how we don't have the money to adopt, and how God provides.
The weeks prior to sending off the documents, I had in my mind that it was either $300 or $600 we had to send in with it. Then, as I read the instructions on filling out the form, and what additional documents I needed to send with it, I saw the fee. $720 plus $85/each adult for biometrics. (The adoption just went sci-fi with the biometrics fee...) We are collecting money for Buna in an old oatmeal container that Ellory Sue decorated. I pulled out the yard sale money: $800. Certainly we could just pull from our regular budget for the extra $90. But, then Lachlan told me that a friend who we owed, wait for it, $90, for helping Lachlan with a paint job, had called to tell us to keep the money to apply toward the adoption. $890. Done. Thank you God. I'm looking forward to seeing how God will continue to provide for us through this process, and sharing it with you all. This wa0s a huge encouragement to me!
I just received a text this morning from USCIS confirming that our application was received and that an official mailed receipt would follow. So now we wait on our biometrics appointments to be scheduled, which is the FBI fingerprinting. I'm still not sure if that includes an interview. I've heard yes and no.
This week we are HARD AT WORK, organizing our next big yard sale, which will be held at our home, this Saturday at 8am. Yesterday, my amazing friend and neighbor Beth and I lost 5 pounds each in sweat, pulling all the donations we have received thus far out of the 110* garage, and organizing everything into priced piles. I'm surprised with both survived. My sister in law came to man the children, and hang about a billion shirts onto all the hangers we could find.
This week will be filled with pick ups and drop offs and more organizing.
I've also started selling shoes on eBay this week, as another way to fund the adoption. My first auctions end today, so I'm having fun watching the bids on one pair, and hoping the other two gain some last minute interest before the end of the day!
Our coffee fundraiser is going well! We have received $70 so far! If you want some delicious coffee, considering buying it here. $5 from every bag will help bring Baby Buna home. You can also "like" them on facebook, where you can get updates on sales and promotions--they have some good ones!
The other little Coffeys are doing great. (Excluding the THREE drink spills we have had in the past hour.) Ellory is soaking up reading her library books. I read them to her once, and she has basically memorized the entire thing. It's amazing, since my retention level is that of a concrete block. She's also entered into a season of being scared to be alone. She saw some British cartoon that had an "Ice Witch" that has plagued her since. On one hand, it's been a good lesson on taking our worries to Jesus, and reminding her that God is always with us, and always for us. On the other hand, our girl has always been so tough and brave, that this season has been difficult for me to be sensitive to. I'm not used to her having a frightened spirit.
Ezra is a wild man. He is cracking us up with his dance skills. (I think he got them from Lachlan...) He is a man of few words, but I think he is on the brink of a breakthrough. Yesterday his phrase of choice was "hot dog" and it was cute! He says Momma and DaDa, but usually only when he is mad...Wha?! And uses the phrase "what's that?" about 2,000 times a day. He loves bananas, and I may be ODing him on potassium. The man can trow down fruit, and rivals Jack Lalanne in the juicing department. I'm thinking of installing a funnel under his chin and selling at the farmer's market.
And, a shout out to Holly. A friend of a friend I met at Chic-fil-a last night who reads my blog! I didn't know anyone read my blog, much less strangers! Thanks Holly....just knowing that it's read is an encouragement. And thanks Tera for passing it on.
Love to you all!
Let me tell you a little story about how we don't have the money to adopt, and how God provides.
The weeks prior to sending off the documents, I had in my mind that it was either $300 or $600 we had to send in with it. Then, as I read the instructions on filling out the form, and what additional documents I needed to send with it, I saw the fee. $720 plus $85/each adult for biometrics. (The adoption just went sci-fi with the biometrics fee...) We are collecting money for Buna in an old oatmeal container that Ellory Sue decorated. I pulled out the yard sale money: $800. Certainly we could just pull from our regular budget for the extra $90. But, then Lachlan told me that a friend who we owed, wait for it, $90, for helping Lachlan with a paint job, had called to tell us to keep the money to apply toward the adoption. $890. Done. Thank you God. I'm looking forward to seeing how God will continue to provide for us through this process, and sharing it with you all. This wa0s a huge encouragement to me!
I just received a text this morning from USCIS confirming that our application was received and that an official mailed receipt would follow. So now we wait on our biometrics appointments to be scheduled, which is the FBI fingerprinting. I'm still not sure if that includes an interview. I've heard yes and no.
This week we are HARD AT WORK, organizing our next big yard sale, which will be held at our home, this Saturday at 8am. Yesterday, my amazing friend and neighbor Beth and I lost 5 pounds each in sweat, pulling all the donations we have received thus far out of the 110* garage, and organizing everything into priced piles. I'm surprised with both survived. My sister in law came to man the children, and hang about a billion shirts onto all the hangers we could find.
This week will be filled with pick ups and drop offs and more organizing.
I've also started selling shoes on eBay this week, as another way to fund the adoption. My first auctions end today, so I'm having fun watching the bids on one pair, and hoping the other two gain some last minute interest before the end of the day!
Our coffee fundraiser is going well! We have received $70 so far! If you want some delicious coffee, considering buying it here. $5 from every bag will help bring Baby Buna home. You can also "like" them on facebook, where you can get updates on sales and promotions--they have some good ones!
The other little Coffeys are doing great. (Excluding the THREE drink spills we have had in the past hour.) Ellory is soaking up reading her library books. I read them to her once, and she has basically memorized the entire thing. It's amazing, since my retention level is that of a concrete block. She's also entered into a season of being scared to be alone. She saw some British cartoon that had an "Ice Witch" that has plagued her since. On one hand, it's been a good lesson on taking our worries to Jesus, and reminding her that God is always with us, and always for us. On the other hand, our girl has always been so tough and brave, that this season has been difficult for me to be sensitive to. I'm not used to her having a frightened spirit.
Ezra is a wild man. He is cracking us up with his dance skills. (I think he got them from Lachlan...) He is a man of few words, but I think he is on the brink of a breakthrough. Yesterday his phrase of choice was "hot dog" and it was cute! He says Momma and DaDa, but usually only when he is mad...Wha?! And uses the phrase "what's that?" about 2,000 times a day. He loves bananas, and I may be ODing him on potassium. The man can trow down fruit, and rivals Jack Lalanne in the juicing department. I'm thinking of installing a funnel under his chin and selling at the farmer's market.
And, a shout out to Holly. A friend of a friend I met at Chic-fil-a last night who reads my blog! I didn't know anyone read my blog, much less strangers! Thanks Holly....just knowing that it's read is an encouragement. And thanks Tera for passing it on.
Love to you all!
Sunday, July 17, 2011
More Papers, More Money, More Planning, More Needing Jesus.
We need Jesus. We desperately.need.Jesus.
Sometimes you just have to call a spade, a spade. And the fact is, as soon as anyone asks me any question about our adoption, or the process, or says a word beginning with "a," I am instantly overwhelmed. I have not totally dissected this problem, but I will attempt to here:
First, I am a people pleaser, and I want to give people real answers when they ask real questions, and, as discussed before on this blog, when it comes to the adoption process, there doesn't seem to be any real answers. So I usually go into a 5 minute monologue that no one understands, and then end it with a good ol' shrug and say, "I don't really know."
Second, as pointed out in our sermon at church today, I am feeling more and more circumstantially joyful. And at this point in the process, there are not a ton of things to be joyful about. (Insert need for Jesus, and not the need for my joy to come from my children, or anything else.) We receive weekly updates on Ethiopia adoptions, and they are grim. I get bummed. I could not finish filling out the immigration form on Friday, because I needed assistance. Bummed. As we approach more notches in our adoption timeline, all I seem to see are money signs, and reach into empty pockets, and I feel...bummed. My trust that the Lord has called us to this process and will therefore see us through it is shaky. My fears about the whole thing then multiply. My heart is focused on the perfection of administrative details, and not the perfection of the Gospel.
So, I need Jesus. I need to turn my heart to prayer when I read those stink email updates. I need to remember that God's timing has always been and will always be perfect. I need to praise God that he has always taken care of us, and that he has given us the wisdom and ability to creatively raise money to bring home our baby. I need to recall all the fears I had when we were expecting Ellory and then Ezra, and see the Lord's hand at work in molding my heart and turning me to His strength to walk me through the unknowns.
This isn't about you, Terri. This isn't even about Baby Buna, or the Coffey family, or adoption. It's about Jesus. It's all about Jesus. So breathe. He is your joy.
Sometimes you just have to call a spade, a spade. And the fact is, as soon as anyone asks me any question about our adoption, or the process, or says a word beginning with "a," I am instantly overwhelmed. I have not totally dissected this problem, but I will attempt to here:
First, I am a people pleaser, and I want to give people real answers when they ask real questions, and, as discussed before on this blog, when it comes to the adoption process, there doesn't seem to be any real answers. So I usually go into a 5 minute monologue that no one understands, and then end it with a good ol' shrug and say, "I don't really know."
Second, as pointed out in our sermon at church today, I am feeling more and more circumstantially joyful. And at this point in the process, there are not a ton of things to be joyful about. (Insert need for Jesus, and not the need for my joy to come from my children, or anything else.) We receive weekly updates on Ethiopia adoptions, and they are grim. I get bummed. I could not finish filling out the immigration form on Friday, because I needed assistance. Bummed. As we approach more notches in our adoption timeline, all I seem to see are money signs, and reach into empty pockets, and I feel...bummed. My trust that the Lord has called us to this process and will therefore see us through it is shaky. My fears about the whole thing then multiply. My heart is focused on the perfection of administrative details, and not the perfection of the Gospel.
So, I need Jesus. I need to turn my heart to prayer when I read those stink email updates. I need to remember that God's timing has always been and will always be perfect. I need to praise God that he has always taken care of us, and that he has given us the wisdom and ability to creatively raise money to bring home our baby. I need to recall all the fears I had when we were expecting Ellory and then Ezra, and see the Lord's hand at work in molding my heart and turning me to His strength to walk me through the unknowns.
This isn't about you, Terri. This isn't even about Baby Buna, or the Coffey family, or adoption. It's about Jesus. It's all about Jesus. So breathe. He is your joy.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
At a loss.
I'm tired. I have very little energy.
I adore my children, but they are all exhausting. It's nothing in particular. Ellory Sue is actually pretty easy most days now-- after constant, consistent and what seemed to be never-ending discipline there for a while...in fact, I think I may still need to log some extra sleep hours or a pedicure, or some other restful event for those long days. Ezra is physically about all I can handle. He is most of the time happy, although we have entered into fits over the past few weeks. He's just needy, and wild, and a boy with lots and lots of energy. His highs are high and his lows are low, and both require my full attention, even if that means my full attention NOT to give him attention. Baby Buna, bless his (or her) heart may not have even taken an earthly breath, but I am emotionally exhausted by him. I think about Baby Buna all the time. Wondering if today is the day he is being born, or his first day at the orphanage...if he is being taken care of and loved and interacted with.
I'm actually yawning right this second, just thinking about it.
The reality is, the attention they require has gotten my rhythms out of rhyme. And this Coffey house likes it's rhymes. We're like Busta'.
So, our marriage is good, but needs some non-movie-watching-falling-asleep-on-the-couch time. And my friendships are good, but need some let's-not-talk-about-the-900-kids-between-us time.
And my time with the Lord is fine but needs some kick-in-the-pants-this-is-what-sustains-you time.
Lachlan and I have had some good conversations about prioritizing one another.
I'm heading out Saturday morning with a couple close friends for a night away.
Now to the sustaining stuff...how do you do it, Mommas? What do you read? Do you use a devotional? When do you do it? What's your thoughts on audio Bibles? Etc. Etc.
Everyone comment. Go.
I adore my children, but they are all exhausting. It's nothing in particular. Ellory Sue is actually pretty easy most days now-- after constant, consistent and what seemed to be never-ending discipline there for a while...in fact, I think I may still need to log some extra sleep hours or a pedicure, or some other restful event for those long days. Ezra is physically about all I can handle. He is most of the time happy, although we have entered into fits over the past few weeks. He's just needy, and wild, and a boy with lots and lots of energy. His highs are high and his lows are low, and both require my full attention, even if that means my full attention NOT to give him attention. Baby Buna, bless his (or her) heart may not have even taken an earthly breath, but I am emotionally exhausted by him. I think about Baby Buna all the time. Wondering if today is the day he is being born, or his first day at the orphanage...if he is being taken care of and loved and interacted with.
I'm actually yawning right this second, just thinking about it.
The reality is, the attention they require has gotten my rhythms out of rhyme. And this Coffey house likes it's rhymes. We're like Busta'.
So, our marriage is good, but needs some non-movie-watching-falling-asleep-on-the-couch time. And my friendships are good, but need some let's-not-talk-about-the-900-kids-between-us time.
And my time with the Lord is fine but needs some kick-in-the-pants-this-is-what-sustains-you time.
Lachlan and I have had some good conversations about prioritizing one another.
I'm heading out Saturday morning with a couple close friends for a night away.
Now to the sustaining stuff...how do you do it, Mommas? What do you read? Do you use a devotional? When do you do it? What's your thoughts on audio Bibles? Etc. Etc.
Everyone comment. Go.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
a not so updated update.
Several people have asked me for an overview of the whole process. Truthfully, I don't really know many details. It's all confusing to me, and things seem to change on a weekly basis. What we know now, may not be the case next week, but I thought I would give a quick update of timelines and details.
We are learning that this is how the adoption process goes.
Crazy.
Wait.
Crazy.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
We are in a "wait" period.
Friday we were sent the first draft of our homestudy, and we quickly made corrections to it and sent it back to our social worker. We heard today that our agency had made all it's changes as well, and we should have the final report done by the end of the week. As soon as the final copy is in our hands, we will finish up the dossier paperwork (all the stuff sent to Ethiopia), as we have to make sure that some of the facts and figures are an exact match to the homestudy report.
I'm pretty sure we can have the dossier work done within a week, since most of it is all ready finished, and just needs to be finalized, put on letterhead, and notarized. The hold up here could be that our next big fee is due along with the dossier. However, it is not the biggest chunk, so hopefully we will have both the papers and money in place by the end of July.
At the same time, we will fill out and send in the immigration paperwork. This whole thing is confusing to me. All that I know is that it will require us being given an appointment with the FBI to be finger printed, and perhaps interviewed.
I've been interviewed by the FBI before, and it's weird. I get all insecure and shifty-eyed, which I hope they are smart enough to realize is because I'm freaked out, and not for some crazy reason that would prevent me from adopting a child.
Supposedly the FBI clearance can take some time. Hopefully my crazy eyes will not add on to that.
Side note: Adoption people like to give you ridiculous ranges in time to go by. (I literally read one piece of information that gave a range for a particular part of the process in terms of 6-190 days! REALLY?!) You basically have no clue what to expect. They give you the short amount of time to give you great hope in that you may actually one day have your baby. And then they give you some other number, that would serve better as a telephone number, to make you want to curl up and cry and pray that you don't find yourself even close to touching it.
As soon as the dossier paperwork is approved, and immigration has passed us, and we pay the big ol' country fee, we will be put on the referral list. To the best of our knowledge, from the time we are placed on the list, we can expect a referral in 9-12 months...and because we have requested a child younger than Ezra, we can expect the double digit range of that.
Once we meet our baby, via picture and fact sheet, we wait again. This time for a court date. Then Lachlan and I will travel for about a week to meet our little Baby Buna face to face, spend some bonding time, and appear with our child in court to state our intentions and officially adopt our child.
Then we will say what I am sure will be a very tearful good-bye to our little Coffey, and come back home, and you guessed it...WAIT. Again.
Not.Looking.Forward.To.This.
As soon as we get the all clear from the courts, (1-3 months) we will get our butts on the next plane outta here and go back to Ethiopia to bring our babe home for good. Right where they belong.
Just a reminder that you can support us in many ways:
We are learning that this is how the adoption process goes.
Crazy.
Wait.
Crazy.
Wait. Wait. Wait.
We are in a "wait" period.
Friday we were sent the first draft of our homestudy, and we quickly made corrections to it and sent it back to our social worker. We heard today that our agency had made all it's changes as well, and we should have the final report done by the end of the week. As soon as the final copy is in our hands, we will finish up the dossier paperwork (all the stuff sent to Ethiopia), as we have to make sure that some of the facts and figures are an exact match to the homestudy report.
I'm pretty sure we can have the dossier work done within a week, since most of it is all ready finished, and just needs to be finalized, put on letterhead, and notarized. The hold up here could be that our next big fee is due along with the dossier. However, it is not the biggest chunk, so hopefully we will have both the papers and money in place by the end of July.
At the same time, we will fill out and send in the immigration paperwork. This whole thing is confusing to me. All that I know is that it will require us being given an appointment with the FBI to be finger printed, and perhaps interviewed.
I've been interviewed by the FBI before, and it's weird. I get all insecure and shifty-eyed, which I hope they are smart enough to realize is because I'm freaked out, and not for some crazy reason that would prevent me from adopting a child.
Supposedly the FBI clearance can take some time. Hopefully my crazy eyes will not add on to that.
Side note: Adoption people like to give you ridiculous ranges in time to go by. (I literally read one piece of information that gave a range for a particular part of the process in terms of 6-190 days! REALLY?!) You basically have no clue what to expect. They give you the short amount of time to give you great hope in that you may actually one day have your baby. And then they give you some other number, that would serve better as a telephone number, to make you want to curl up and cry and pray that you don't find yourself even close to touching it.
As soon as the dossier paperwork is approved, and immigration has passed us, and we pay the big ol' country fee, we will be put on the referral list. To the best of our knowledge, from the time we are placed on the list, we can expect a referral in 9-12 months...and because we have requested a child younger than Ezra, we can expect the double digit range of that.
Once we meet our baby, via picture and fact sheet, we wait again. This time for a court date. Then Lachlan and I will travel for about a week to meet our little Baby Buna face to face, spend some bonding time, and appear with our child in court to state our intentions and officially adopt our child.
Then we will say what I am sure will be a very tearful good-bye to our little Coffey, and come back home, and you guessed it...WAIT. Again.
Not.Looking.Forward.To.This.
As soon as we get the all clear from the courts, (1-3 months) we will get our butts on the next plane outta here and go back to Ethiopia to bring our babe home for good. Right where they belong.
Just a reminder that you can support us in many ways:
- PRAYER! This is an emotionally draining experience. It's important that our hope and trust be in our Sovereign God, and not in our agency, ourselves, or any other person or thing. Pray for our sweet baby.
- Buy some coffee from the roaster we have partnered with--$5 from every bag goes directly toward our adoption fees. www.justlovecoffee.com/thecoffeys
- Donate your unwanted items to us for our 2nd yard sale! We plan on having another at our house in a few weeks! You can call us if you need a truck to pick things up, or just drop it by our house!
- Give a service or item from your business to be auctioned at an upcoming fundraising event that you WILL NOT WANT TO MISS.
- Give financially to help us cover the estimated $22,000 it will take to bring home Baby Buna. You can give through the Pay Pal link at the top of our page, or you can send a tax deductible donation made out to The Tesfa Alliance, with a note indicating it is for the Coffey Family. www.tesfaalliance.org
Sunday, June 26, 2011
YARD SALE!
It was 9:30am, before I'd realized that I had not fed my daughter.
Lachlan, Ellory and I had been going non-stop since, well, truthfully, all week, but for the sake of this post, we will start with Friday.
Ellory finished her last day of Vacation Bible School at noon on Friday. She did great! Our church did great! So many servants, pouring into the all those little hearts...I'm not much of a crier, but seeing 160+ kids belting out the truth of the gospel through song, is enough to moisten my eyes.
After VBS, we shipped Ezra off with my sweet sister in law, Lauren, and Ellory Sue and I began the final preparations for the yard sale.
Our first stop was our friends, the Wainright's, house. I loaded up the van with lots of stuff, and Ellory took a break to play with her friend Nora. She was very disappointed when I broke up the party, because, they "hadn't even gone to the ball yet."
Then, Princess Tiana...I mean Ellory and I rushed home, packed up all our stuff, organized her lemonade stand bag o' goodies, and loaded up the van with as much stuff from the garage as possible. To. The. Top.
I meant to take pictures of all the craziness, but it was too crazy to stop and do it.
Lachlan's Aunt and Uncle then stopped by to unload their van, and do some pre-shopping. She picked up a really cute piece of furniture for their tv, and a gigantic frog. I kid you not. Your junk? Another person's treasure. Here is a picture of the frog when we loaded it from our friends' house earlier in the week.
I really mean gigantic.
Uncle Larry, Aunt Debbie and their son, Chris got there just in time for Lachlan to show up with the UHaul, which means they got the honor of helping us load the rest of the garage.
So, the UHaul was loaded, and the three Coffeys took off to Shelbyville. We made a quick stop at my friend Megan's house (read her blog) to pick up tables. And then to unload at my mom's. Yikes. By this time, we were pushing dinner. We then drove back across town to another friend's house to load up the van. Made a quick stop at our favorite Mexican place for COLD BEER, and then back to unload at mom's. THEN....We drove to the opposite end of the world...I mean, the county, to get a really amazing Antique Mahogany Table from my BFF's momma, "Momma D." That sucker is heavy. Back for a drop off...Poor Ellory was a trooper, but needless to say, this was not the most fun of trips for her alone time with us. We then jumped back in the car, headed to Crestwood and made our final pick up of the week. We were very ready to get back to my mom's and crash, but got held up by this dude:
It was frustrating but laughable. We also came with in 9 miles of running out of gas. (Or so our fancy new-to-us van said.) Thankfully we escaped the wet paint dudes, and finally made it to a gas station and then home around 10pm. We rushed Ellory Sue off to bed, thanked Aunt Lauren in our hearts that Ezra did not have to endure the journey, and then began the task of pricing...until 12 when we gave up and resigned ourselves to stress and exhaustion induced sleep. The thing with stress sleep is that it also wakes you up, so at 6am we were up and going.
I made coffee, which we were never able to drink, and we began unloading. And people began showing up. 8am means nothing to yard sale junkies. They take whatever time you say, and subtract 2 hours and your coffee from it.
We were still unloading, the UHaul still untouched, when at 9:30 I realized that Ellory was hard at work on her very successful Lemonade stand, but that I had not fed her breakfast or brushed her teeth...or mine for that matter. She very maturely said she'd find something and then reappeared with a giant bag of "EXTREME Goldfish" which she ate the rest of the day. Lachlan immediately pulled his back, and neither of us even considered sunscreen, which by 3 pm would result in some pretty awesome burns, and added blisters for Lachlan.
Labor Pains.
We were hoping to take pictures of the boxes, the sale, the lemonade stand, but by 2pm I found myself still unloading boxes, when Lachlan called it a day and I started to repack the unsellables. Literally, I went from laying clothes out on a table to repacking them in a matter of seconds. We were thankful to have my brother and sister in law stop by and then be coerced into helping for the last 2 hours or so.
WE.WERE.ALL.EXHAUSTED.
But we managed to get almost $800 closer to Baby Buna. And it was all worth it.
We are so thankful to all of you who donated and bought!
We are planning another sale in several weeks, so you are still welcome to drop off or have us pick up your unwanted items.
contact us at tsc382@yahoo.com
Lachlan, Ellory and I had been going non-stop since, well, truthfully, all week, but for the sake of this post, we will start with Friday.
Ellory finished her last day of Vacation Bible School at noon on Friday. She did great! Our church did great! So many servants, pouring into the all those little hearts...I'm not much of a crier, but seeing 160+ kids belting out the truth of the gospel through song, is enough to moisten my eyes.
After VBS, we shipped Ezra off with my sweet sister in law, Lauren, and Ellory Sue and I began the final preparations for the yard sale.Our first stop was our friends, the Wainright's, house. I loaded up the van with lots of stuff, and Ellory took a break to play with her friend Nora. She was very disappointed when I broke up the party, because, they "hadn't even gone to the ball yet."
Then, Princess Tiana...I mean Ellory and I rushed home, packed up all our stuff, organized her lemonade stand bag o' goodies, and loaded up the van with as much stuff from the garage as possible. To. The. Top.I meant to take pictures of all the craziness, but it was too crazy to stop and do it.
Lachlan's Aunt and Uncle then stopped by to unload their van, and do some pre-shopping. She picked up a really cute piece of furniture for their tv, and a gigantic frog. I kid you not. Your junk? Another person's treasure. Here is a picture of the frog when we loaded it from our friends' house earlier in the week.
I really mean gigantic.Uncle Larry, Aunt Debbie and their son, Chris got there just in time for Lachlan to show up with the UHaul, which means they got the honor of helping us load the rest of the garage.
So, the UHaul was loaded, and the three Coffeys took off to Shelbyville. We made a quick stop at my friend Megan's house (read her blog) to pick up tables. And then to unload at my mom's. Yikes. By this time, we were pushing dinner. We then drove back across town to another friend's house to load up the van. Made a quick stop at our favorite Mexican place for COLD BEER, and then back to unload at mom's. THEN....We drove to the opposite end of the world...I mean, the county, to get a really amazing Antique Mahogany Table from my BFF's momma, "Momma D." That sucker is heavy. Back for a drop off...Poor Ellory was a trooper, but needless to say, this was not the most fun of trips for her alone time with us. We then jumped back in the car, headed to Crestwood and made our final pick up of the week. We were very ready to get back to my mom's and crash, but got held up by this dude:
It was frustrating but laughable. We also came with in 9 miles of running out of gas. (Or so our fancy new-to-us van said.) Thankfully we escaped the wet paint dudes, and finally made it to a gas station and then home around 10pm. We rushed Ellory Sue off to bed, thanked Aunt Lauren in our hearts that Ezra did not have to endure the journey, and then began the task of pricing...until 12 when we gave up and resigned ourselves to stress and exhaustion induced sleep. The thing with stress sleep is that it also wakes you up, so at 6am we were up and going.
I made coffee, which we were never able to drink, and we began unloading. And people began showing up. 8am means nothing to yard sale junkies. They take whatever time you say, and subtract 2 hours and your coffee from it.
We were still unloading, the UHaul still untouched, when at 9:30 I realized that Ellory was hard at work on her very successful Lemonade stand, but that I had not fed her breakfast or brushed her teeth...or mine for that matter. She very maturely said she'd find something and then reappeared with a giant bag of "EXTREME Goldfish" which she ate the rest of the day. Lachlan immediately pulled his back, and neither of us even considered sunscreen, which by 3 pm would result in some pretty awesome burns, and added blisters for Lachlan.
Labor Pains.
We were hoping to take pictures of the boxes, the sale, the lemonade stand, but by 2pm I found myself still unloading boxes, when Lachlan called it a day and I started to repack the unsellables. Literally, I went from laying clothes out on a table to repacking them in a matter of seconds. We were thankful to have my brother and sister in law stop by and then be coerced into helping for the last 2 hours or so.
WE.WERE.ALL.EXHAUSTED.
But we managed to get almost $800 closer to Baby Buna. And it was all worth it.
We are so thankful to all of you who donated and bought!
We are planning another sale in several weeks, so you are still welcome to drop off or have us pick up your unwanted items.
contact us at tsc382@yahoo.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011
YARD SALE DELAY
Wah wah...
The yard sale that we have busting our tails over the past few days has been put on delay.
We were tagging onto my mom's neighborhood wide yard sale--a sure bet for yard sale junkies to attend--but, she called last night with the news that the neighborhood association had postponed the sale until June 25th.
No big deal. We considered going ahead with it at our house instead, but decided that the appeal of the neighbor sale was just too much. So, we are waiting until next Saturday.
The good news is, if anyone has any junk, there is still time to get it to us.
If you live in Shelbyville, and are able to drop it off to my mom's house, that would be great. Otherwise, you can drop it off to our house, or contact us, and we will be happy to pick it up!
We already have some great items, with more in the works! We are praying it will be a great way to raise money for our babe! If you don't have any yard sale items to donate, we still appreciate your prayers that it is a success!
More details in the coming days!
The yard sale that we have busting our tails over the past few days has been put on delay.
We were tagging onto my mom's neighborhood wide yard sale--a sure bet for yard sale junkies to attend--but, she called last night with the news that the neighborhood association had postponed the sale until June 25th.
No big deal. We considered going ahead with it at our house instead, but decided that the appeal of the neighbor sale was just too much. So, we are waiting until next Saturday.
The good news is, if anyone has any junk, there is still time to get it to us.
If you live in Shelbyville, and are able to drop it off to my mom's house, that would be great. Otherwise, you can drop it off to our house, or contact us, and we will be happy to pick it up!
We already have some great items, with more in the works! We are praying it will be a great way to raise money for our babe! If you don't have any yard sale items to donate, we still appreciate your prayers that it is a success!
More details in the coming days!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Home-study Re-cap
Painless. Totally painless.
I finished tearing apart and putting our house back together. Lachlan would probably want me to note that that included piling a laundry basket with the last few items I was at a loss of what to do with, and storing it in Beth's dining room. I'll admit that I have a problem finishing things. It's usually only the last item or task in whatever project I am undertaking, but nonetheless, it's a trait on my husband's annoyance list. He's a finisher, unless we are talking about food, in which case, he REFUSES to take the last bite...Someday when we we are not scrapping money together for a baby, we will save for therapy for the both of us. Until then, he will sigh, "Terri, really? You can't finish this last little bit?" and I will cry "Babe, it's one bite, finish it...You're going to go get a snack in like 2 seconds. Just eat what you have." And in the end, we will still love each other...
Oh. Home-study.
So the house was spot-less. Free of expired medications and with all matches and cleaning supplies in their proper, out of reach places. We were still nervous.
We handed in our reference letters, and physical exam forms. We showed our negative TB and HIV results, and were given a list of a couple more documents to get together.
She took a tour. Short and sweet. My sweet husband all but forced her into my Real Simple laundry room. She asked us to buy two additional fire extinguishers--one for each floor.
Ellory was on her best behavior. (Thank you Jesus!) And was polite and funny, and all the things that make her such a sweet girl.
Done.
We thought things went well, but made sure to ask..."So, nothing would make you not approve us, right?!"
"No red flags."
Shew!
I had been sick for days, and crashed the rest of the afternoon. We celebrated with cheap-o pizza for dinner, and relaxed the rest of the weekend.
Now we wait. We will turn in the additional paperwork this week, and pay our fees. Within a couple weeks, we should be moving on the the dossier documents.
For now we are consumed with finding resources to fulfill our training requirements, and budgeting are re-budgeting our income.
We'll be jump-starting the fundraising efforts this weekend by having a yard sale at my mom's house in Shelbyville. The neighborhood has a yard sale each year, and although it doesn't give us much time to prepare, it will be the best time to have it. If you have any items you want to get rid of, we'd be happy to pick them up from you! Call or email us!
The following week we hope to begin planning the events we have up our sleeves! We are really excited about both events. Stay tuned for details!
I finished tearing apart and putting our house back together. Lachlan would probably want me to note that that included piling a laundry basket with the last few items I was at a loss of what to do with, and storing it in Beth's dining room. I'll admit that I have a problem finishing things. It's usually only the last item or task in whatever project I am undertaking, but nonetheless, it's a trait on my husband's annoyance list. He's a finisher, unless we are talking about food, in which case, he REFUSES to take the last bite...Someday when we we are not scrapping money together for a baby, we will save for therapy for the both of us. Until then, he will sigh, "Terri, really? You can't finish this last little bit?" and I will cry "Babe, it's one bite, finish it...You're going to go get a snack in like 2 seconds. Just eat what you have." And in the end, we will still love each other...
Oh. Home-study.
So the house was spot-less. Free of expired medications and with all matches and cleaning supplies in their proper, out of reach places. We were still nervous.
We handed in our reference letters, and physical exam forms. We showed our negative TB and HIV results, and were given a list of a couple more documents to get together.
She took a tour. Short and sweet. My sweet husband all but forced her into my Real Simple laundry room. She asked us to buy two additional fire extinguishers--one for each floor.
Ellory was on her best behavior. (Thank you Jesus!) And was polite and funny, and all the things that make her such a sweet girl.
Done.
We thought things went well, but made sure to ask..."So, nothing would make you not approve us, right?!"
"No red flags."
Shew!
I had been sick for days, and crashed the rest of the afternoon. We celebrated with cheap-o pizza for dinner, and relaxed the rest of the weekend.
Now we wait. We will turn in the additional paperwork this week, and pay our fees. Within a couple weeks, we should be moving on the the dossier documents.
For now we are consumed with finding resources to fulfill our training requirements, and budgeting are re-budgeting our income.
We'll be jump-starting the fundraising efforts this weekend by having a yard sale at my mom's house in Shelbyville. The neighborhood has a yard sale each year, and although it doesn't give us much time to prepare, it will be the best time to have it. If you have any items you want to get rid of, we'd be happy to pick them up from you! Call or email us!
The following week we hope to begin planning the events we have up our sleeves! We are really excited about both events. Stay tuned for details!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Nesting.
Yesterday, when Lachlan left for work, our home was...how can I put this lightly...tsunami-aftermath-esque. We'd spent the few hours we had at home on Sunday afternoon doing odd jobs to prepare for our upcoming home-study. Lachlan worked on officially sealing up our kitchen cabinets with those annoying little child safety latches...apparently access to dishrags, trash cans and chemicals is bad. (I've been foiled in my attempts to dispose of garbage ever since.)
I took on the task of the laundry room. We've lived in this house 2 years, and I have organized, cleaned and reorganized this room upwards of 6 times. Each time however, it ends up a big pile of "just throw that crap in there and I'll deal with it later." So, I reorganized my stockpiled pantry of toilet paper, spaghetti sauce and shampoo, and reassigned the tossed items of the past 6 months to their proper rooms, finally breaking myself of several appliances, linens and odd and ends into a yard sale pile, (note to self: organize a yard sale.) Needless to say, when the laundry room was finished, it could have donned the pages of Real Simple, where the rest of you would say, "yeah right, no one has a laundry/storage room that looks like that." But then, I could have panned out into the family room beyond, and you would have breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that, all the crap you have in your laundry room and storage, was now just in organized chaotic piles all over our basement.
I ended Sunday by scattering the chaos around the house, moving boxes of dry goods to the kitchen, a "return to friends pile" in the dining room, a box of too little baby clothes outside the attic door. It was all progress, but messy progress.
Back to yesterday.
Knowing that my job this week boiled down to two tasks, 1. keep kids alive, and 2. prepare for home-study, it was clear that Lachlan expected to come home to breathing children and a more organized and prepared home. At 4pm, I sent Lachlan the following text.
"Before you come home and accidentally hurt my feelings, you should know that I have worked my butt off today doing things you will never know I have done."
I passed off the alive part of Ellory to my sweet and amazing neighbor and friend, Beth. While Ezra and I tore apart the rest of our home.
Now, before you tell me, I already know that our social worker will not be opening my refrigerator, or even if she does, she will not judge the sticky goop on the bottom shelf as a sign of unfit parents. I know that she will not care about the FIVE boxes of 3-12 month clothes I have packed away from Ezra's room. She will not be alarmed to find my dishtowels and cloth napkins had made their way into the same pile... However, this has become much more than "post an emergency escape plan," and "make sure all your fire alarms are in working order" kind of home-study checklist. This my friends, has turned into full on obsession, in what may be over a year before we even see a picture of Baby Buna. I want everything perfect. I want to be prepared. I want Baby Buna. But for now, throwing out 1 month old Advil PM, and scraping the goo off my refrigerator shelf is all I can do. So. Here I am. I've torn my whole house apart in the past 3 days. Now I have 2 more to put it all back. All for my Baby Buna.
I'd call it borderline crazy, but nesting sounds so much sweeter.
Please pray for:
Us Coffeys here, as we continue to prepare our home and hearts for Baby Buna.
Our home-study that will take place Friday at 3pm.
God's provision-- we need to sell our car quickly to have the funds due our social worker. We had a great showing tonight, and are hopeful they will make us an offer tomorrow.
Faith the Lord will provide, and discipline and wisdom to manage our resources.
Mostly--Baby Buna, wherever he/she may be-- conceived or not, born already or almost-- that he/she would somehow know we are coming.
I took on the task of the laundry room. We've lived in this house 2 years, and I have organized, cleaned and reorganized this room upwards of 6 times. Each time however, it ends up a big pile of "just throw that crap in there and I'll deal with it later." So, I reorganized my stockpiled pantry of toilet paper, spaghetti sauce and shampoo, and reassigned the tossed items of the past 6 months to their proper rooms, finally breaking myself of several appliances, linens and odd and ends into a yard sale pile, (note to self: organize a yard sale.) Needless to say, when the laundry room was finished, it could have donned the pages of Real Simple, where the rest of you would say, "yeah right, no one has a laundry/storage room that looks like that." But then, I could have panned out into the family room beyond, and you would have breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that, all the crap you have in your laundry room and storage, was now just in organized chaotic piles all over our basement.
I ended Sunday by scattering the chaos around the house, moving boxes of dry goods to the kitchen, a "return to friends pile" in the dining room, a box of too little baby clothes outside the attic door. It was all progress, but messy progress.
Back to yesterday.
Knowing that my job this week boiled down to two tasks, 1. keep kids alive, and 2. prepare for home-study, it was clear that Lachlan expected to come home to breathing children and a more organized and prepared home. At 4pm, I sent Lachlan the following text.
"Before you come home and accidentally hurt my feelings, you should know that I have worked my butt off today doing things you will never know I have done."
I passed off the alive part of Ellory to my sweet and amazing neighbor and friend, Beth. While Ezra and I tore apart the rest of our home.
Now, before you tell me, I already know that our social worker will not be opening my refrigerator, or even if she does, she will not judge the sticky goop on the bottom shelf as a sign of unfit parents. I know that she will not care about the FIVE boxes of 3-12 month clothes I have packed away from Ezra's room. She will not be alarmed to find my dishtowels and cloth napkins had made their way into the same pile... However, this has become much more than "post an emergency escape plan," and "make sure all your fire alarms are in working order" kind of home-study checklist. This my friends, has turned into full on obsession, in what may be over a year before we even see a picture of Baby Buna. I want everything perfect. I want to be prepared. I want Baby Buna. But for now, throwing out 1 month old Advil PM, and scraping the goo off my refrigerator shelf is all I can do. So. Here I am. I've torn my whole house apart in the past 3 days. Now I have 2 more to put it all back. All for my Baby Buna.
I'd call it borderline crazy, but nesting sounds so much sweeter.
Please pray for:
Us Coffeys here, as we continue to prepare our home and hearts for Baby Buna.
Our home-study that will take place Friday at 3pm.
God's provision-- we need to sell our car quickly to have the funds due our social worker. We had a great showing tonight, and are hopeful they will make us an offer tomorrow.
Faith the Lord will provide, and discipline and wisdom to manage our resources.
Mostly--Baby Buna, wherever he/she may be-- conceived or not, born already or almost-- that he/she would somehow know we are coming.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Coffee for the Coffeys
Fact: Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee.
Fact: Ethiopia is the birthplace of the newest Coffey.
Fact: You can buy coffee to help us bring home our Coffey.
Just Love Coffee is a fundraising site for adoptive families. They sell Fair Trade Coffee by the pound, and in sample packs, as well as t-shirts. You can buy 1 pound, or even set up an account to have coffee delivered to your door on a set schedule! The best part is, when you buy from our "store," we get $5 from every bag to help bring home Baby Buna!
You get coffee, we get a Coffey. It's really a win-win, don't you think?
Check out our store here
http://justlovecoffee.com/thecoffeys
We'd love to have you support us in this way!
Papers, Papers, Everywhere.
We went to a coffee shop last weekend, to sort through and figure out what papers we need to sign, what checks needed to be written, what needs notarizing, what we needed copies of, and proof of, and who needed to be contacted, emailed, called, questioned....agh!
Then we invested in an accordion binder.
It's maybe my most prized possession at the moment.
In it we have reading resources, and certified birth certificates, checklists and copies. We have home-study papers, and dossier papers. We have things to be mailed, things to be signed, and grants to look into. This file is as close to our baby as we can get for now, and we are throwing ourselves into it. The binder says: go to the police station, and I go. The binder says: Make an emergency evacuation plan, and Lachlan's on it.
This week we have each visited our doctor's offices to receive our first physicals since high school, with the added pleasure of TB, HIV and Cholesterol labs. We wrote 5 pages each in our "personal surveys". We mailed background checks to the State Police, and the kids and I adventured downtown to get city police checks. WE BOUGHT A MINIVAN. Today, I meet with our social worker for my personal interview, and Lachlan meets with her tomorrow. The kids' have appointments for their physicals in a week.
As much energy and organization as all this takes, I like it. I am participating in a task that will bring home my baby. It's the part after this, when all the forms have been mailed, and my primary task is waiting that I am not looking forward to. I like knowing. I like when things happen BEFORE I think they will.
Ellory was due May 29. Ezra, April 9. Praise God they both came early. I am that psycho pregnant lady who would have physically and emotionally lost it if I would have been pregnant at 12:01 am on May 30 or April 10. I'm not proud of this fact. But I'm aware.
I am the friend you call in your 39th week to verify what tactics to take in inducing labor. I like to, at minimum, believe I have some say or hand in doing something to make my babies arrival eminent.
I.KNOW.I.HAVE.A.PROBLEM.
Adoption should be the ultimate lesson in patience for me. God's good way of reminding me to take a deep breathe and remember that He gave it to me. To remember that He is rightfully and thankfully, in control on Baby Buna, and the perfect timing for him/her to join us in our home.
Pray for patience. Pray for Baby Buna. Pray for Ellory and Ezra. Pray for our personal interviews and homestudy. Pray for the finances of this to all come together. Pray that we would trust in God to provide for all these need and desires.
Then we invested in an accordion binder.
It's maybe my most prized possession at the moment.
In it we have reading resources, and certified birth certificates, checklists and copies. We have home-study papers, and dossier papers. We have things to be mailed, things to be signed, and grants to look into. This file is as close to our baby as we can get for now, and we are throwing ourselves into it. The binder says: go to the police station, and I go. The binder says: Make an emergency evacuation plan, and Lachlan's on it.
This week we have each visited our doctor's offices to receive our first physicals since high school, with the added pleasure of TB, HIV and Cholesterol labs. We wrote 5 pages each in our "personal surveys". We mailed background checks to the State Police, and the kids and I adventured downtown to get city police checks. WE BOUGHT A MINIVAN. Today, I meet with our social worker for my personal interview, and Lachlan meets with her tomorrow. The kids' have appointments for their physicals in a week.
As much energy and organization as all this takes, I like it. I am participating in a task that will bring home my baby. It's the part after this, when all the forms have been mailed, and my primary task is waiting that I am not looking forward to. I like knowing. I like when things happen BEFORE I think they will.
Ellory was due May 29. Ezra, April 9. Praise God they both came early. I am that psycho pregnant lady who would have physically and emotionally lost it if I would have been pregnant at 12:01 am on May 30 or April 10. I'm not proud of this fact. But I'm aware.
I am the friend you call in your 39th week to verify what tactics to take in inducing labor. I like to, at minimum, believe I have some say or hand in doing something to make my babies arrival eminent.
I.KNOW.I.HAVE.A.PROBLEM.
Adoption should be the ultimate lesson in patience for me. God's good way of reminding me to take a deep breathe and remember that He gave it to me. To remember that He is rightfully and thankfully, in control on Baby Buna, and the perfect timing for him/her to join us in our home.
Pray for patience. Pray for Baby Buna. Pray for Ellory and Ezra. Pray for our personal interviews and homestudy. Pray for the finances of this to all come together. Pray that we would trust in God to provide for all these need and desires.
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Meeting One
On Monday night we met our social worker for the first time. I felt like I was going to hear the heartbeat of our babe. It wasn't quite as exciting, and instead of urine samples and that cold belly gel, we were given a stack of papers to fill out, a list of papers to collect, a list of appointments to make, and briefed on all the things we need to rearrange, change, add and/or take away from our home. It was all a bit overwhelming, yet exciting, as we were given tangible "tasks" to complete to come a step closer to our little one, (who by the way we have nicknamed "Baby Buna"--Buna is "coffee" in Amharic).
Next week, Lachlan and I will meet with our social worker alone, for our personal interviews. Before then, we have to fill out personal history surveys, and basically write a college admission essay. We also have to get physical exams and have our doctors verify our health and ability to provide for our baby.
We are scheduled for our home visit to take place June 10th. This will be a financial stretch as all our homestudy money will be due on this date, but we didn't want to put it off considering that our social worker is 8 months pregnant. Her labor would push back our homestudy visit and report until August. Please pray that we would complete everything we need to before her child is born. Pray for us as we work diligently to gather, prepare, write, plan, meet, etc. over the next few weeks, as well.
Stay tuned for some exciting news in the fundraising efforts! We think you will enjoy!
Next week, Lachlan and I will meet with our social worker alone, for our personal interviews. Before then, we have to fill out personal history surveys, and basically write a college admission essay. We also have to get physical exams and have our doctors verify our health and ability to provide for our baby.
We are scheduled for our home visit to take place June 10th. This will be a financial stretch as all our homestudy money will be due on this date, but we didn't want to put it off considering that our social worker is 8 months pregnant. Her labor would push back our homestudy visit and report until August. Please pray that we would complete everything we need to before her child is born. Pray for us as we work diligently to gather, prepare, write, plan, meet, etc. over the next few weeks, as well.
Stay tuned for some exciting news in the fundraising efforts! We think you will enjoy!
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Nana
Last Friday night, our little family was able to celebrate the birth of some close friend's first baby. What a cutie. Israel Comet took his sweet time getting here--he was 10 days over his due date--so we were quite happy to finally meet the little man and celebrate with his momma and poppa at the hospital. When we were almost home, we received a message from Lachlan's Aunt Debbie, that Lachlan's Nana (Nonna) was in the same hospital. She had had a pretty rough go the previous night, but seemed to have made really great progress Friday. Lachlan decided, that although it was already past our babes bedtime, we should turn around and go visit. We hadn't seen Nana since October, when we had all traveled to Texas to celebrate a family wedding.
We had a brief but sweet visit with Nana. Lachlan was able to show off his newly straighten teeth, financially aided by Nana! And we were able to share the exciting news about our new baby!
By Saturday, things turned again, and we were told it would soon be time for Nana to pass. We--and Lachlan's sisters--were all out of town celebrating our nieces' 4th birthday. We were blessed, however to be able to return to the hospital on Sunday, to spend time with family, and say our goodbyes to Nana. She passed, with her children and Lachlan's sister by her side, Sunday evening.
This week has been filled with lots of emotions. New life, birthday celebrations, and death. We attended the first night of visitations yesterday, and will continue this evening, laying Nana to rest on What would have been her 78th birthday, Thursday.
My husband said it well; "Death for the passing believer has certainly lost it's sting, but for those left behind, the sting is still present."
Our hope is that Nana was secure as a child of the living God--that she entered into eternity "sting free". Our prayer is that we remember that this fallen world, full of pain and sorrow and death, is not our home, and that when He returns or calls us home, we will be freed from the sting as well.
We had a brief but sweet visit with Nana. Lachlan was able to show off his newly straighten teeth, financially aided by Nana! And we were able to share the exciting news about our new baby!
By Saturday, things turned again, and we were told it would soon be time for Nana to pass. We--and Lachlan's sisters--were all out of town celebrating our nieces' 4th birthday. We were blessed, however to be able to return to the hospital on Sunday, to spend time with family, and say our goodbyes to Nana. She passed, with her children and Lachlan's sister by her side, Sunday evening.
This week has been filled with lots of emotions. New life, birthday celebrations, and death. We attended the first night of visitations yesterday, and will continue this evening, laying Nana to rest on What would have been her 78th birthday, Thursday.
My husband said it well; "Death for the passing believer has certainly lost it's sting, but for those left behind, the sting is still present."
Our hope is that Nana was secure as a child of the living God--that she entered into eternity "sting free". Our prayer is that we remember that this fallen world, full of pain and sorrow and death, is not our home, and that when He returns or calls us home, we will be freed from the sting as well.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
OFFICIAL!
We got an email last night with the official approval! Now we wait again to be contacted by the Ethiopia Program Director, who will guide us through the next steps!
We are also cleared to begin the home study process, so we will be calling our social worker today to set up our first meeting. The home study segment of the process is approximately $1650, so we will also be working our butts off to scrimp, save and fundraise!
YAY YAY YAY!!!
We are also cleared to begin the home study process, so we will be calling our social worker today to set up our first meeting. The home study segment of the process is approximately $1650, so we will also be working our butts off to scrimp, save and fundraise!
YAY YAY YAY!!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Money Money Money Money
Today has been filled with research (21c translation: googling) and brainstorming (21c translation: facebook poll) on how to fund our adoption. The first result is direct from our super awesome friend Laura. She suggested we add a paypal donation button, and sent me all the links and such I needed to do so. So, now you will see it in the top right corner.
I got lots of other great ideas form friends, like t-shirts and letters and lemonade stands.
Then I asked Ellory Sue. At almost 4, this girl is loving and giving, and thoughtful beyond belief.
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: Ellory Sue. It's going to take a lot of money for us to bring our baby home. I'm trying to think of some ways we might raise money. You got any?
Ellory Sue: Well, you can have all my money.
M: Ellory, that's beautiful, you are going to be such a great big sister to your brother or sister! I can tell you love them already.
E: Well, I do, and I just want to help. So you can have it all.
M: Do you have any other ideas?
E: We could go to the bank.
M: We might end up doing that, They might let us borrow money to bring our baby home, and we can give it back.
E: I could sell my things.
M: You have things you would want to sell for your new baby? That's a great idea. Maybe we could have a yard sale, and you could have a lemonade stand!
E: YESSSSSSSSSSSSS! I'll say, 'Get your lemonade, take it home! Get your lemonade so we can bring our baby home!"
Then she proceeded to go into her room and emerge with the contents you see in the photo. I halfheartedly apologize if something you gave her is in this pile. You see that big pink tutu? I worked too many stinking hours on that thing, because I wanted to give Ellory a homemade gift for Christmas two years ago. I Made it the BIGGEST, FLUFFIEST, PINKEST tutu this side of the Mississippi, and the girl has touched it a total of 6 times, usually to tell me she doesn't like it. When she brought the pile of things out, there was this urge in me to say, "No, Ellory, not these things, not your things, not the thing I MADE!" And that heart translation would have said: "Our things, my time, this STUFF...it's more important than people. That tutu is more important than your brother, your sister."
How sick is that!? From the mouth of babes I tell ya! My sweet girl understands sacrifice more than I do. And I love that this new Coffey, and Ezra have a sister who would give up everything she had for them!
Tutu anyone?
Closer...
So it's not official-official, but we got an encouraging call from our agency yesterday! In addition to the application, photos, tax documents and contract, we had to have a medical letter sent from my doctor that outlined some medication, treatment, prognosis, etc...Thankfully, they received all the information they needed, on the proper letterhead, with proper signatures...Whew!
And so, yesterday, they called...well, I'll be honest, they returned my call--I might be a total freak when it comes to aiding the process as much as I can--So, they returned my call to let us know that they had all they needed, and they would continue to review all the information and send it on to the Ethiopia Program, whom we should here from "in the next few days." Agh! (I've never been so thankful for concrete dates and times for the pre-natal appointments I had with Ellory Sue and Ezra.) At that time, they will pass on all the information and document checklist of the things we need to complete and gather to compose our dossier.
I should note how thankful we already are for the way this process is stretching us and growing us. First and foremost, we are blown away as we reflect daily on our own adoption through Christ Jesus, as God's children. Not kinda of children, or second thought children, or children-for-now-but-don't-you-mess-up children, but really really God's own. It's one of those things that as Christians we've "known," but are now being blessed with the parable of our own lives.
I had similar feelings when Ellory Sue entered into her 2nd year of life. I felt like I was bombarded by pictures of our Father's perfect, gentle, gracious parenting. On several occasions, I'd set out a "station" of shiny new toys and books for Ellory Sue to play with, and walk to the back of the house to switch the laundry, or prepare lunch. Inevitably, I'd reenter the room to here rumbles and baby talk coming from the bathroom, where Ellory had forgone my "good gift" and opted to play in the bathroom trash. I'd flip, and then beg God for forgiveness, as clear images came to mind, of how I was doing the same--seeking garbage, wallowing in filthy, when His good gifts were before me.
Three weeks into this adoption process, God has been so gracious in showing us that while we have the best intentions and desires, and we are fighting hard for our child, we are still sinful humans. God, however, and His love, desire, intentions and fight are nothing but holy and pure. And he really did wage war to complete our adoption!
We are also learning that even though this child, in our hearts, is already really our baby, as much as Ellory and Ezra were in those first hours we knew they were growing inside me, people will say, or insinuate, or in some other way communicate doubt. The same way we doubt that God could really save "that person." The same way we think there is something we can do to be more of God's child that we already are. As we venture down this road to our child, I am all the more confident in God's free gift of grace on our lives, unwavering in our screw ups and our own doubts, or the doubts of those we encounter--we REALLY ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!
And so, yesterday, they called...well, I'll be honest, they returned my call--I might be a total freak when it comes to aiding the process as much as I can--So, they returned my call to let us know that they had all they needed, and they would continue to review all the information and send it on to the Ethiopia Program, whom we should here from "in the next few days." Agh! (I've never been so thankful for concrete dates and times for the pre-natal appointments I had with Ellory Sue and Ezra.) At that time, they will pass on all the information and document checklist of the things we need to complete and gather to compose our dossier.
I should note how thankful we already are for the way this process is stretching us and growing us. First and foremost, we are blown away as we reflect daily on our own adoption through Christ Jesus, as God's children. Not kinda of children, or second thought children, or children-for-now-but-don't-you-mess-up children, but really really God's own. It's one of those things that as Christians we've "known," but are now being blessed with the parable of our own lives.
I had similar feelings when Ellory Sue entered into her 2nd year of life. I felt like I was bombarded by pictures of our Father's perfect, gentle, gracious parenting. On several occasions, I'd set out a "station" of shiny new toys and books for Ellory Sue to play with, and walk to the back of the house to switch the laundry, or prepare lunch. Inevitably, I'd reenter the room to here rumbles and baby talk coming from the bathroom, where Ellory had forgone my "good gift" and opted to play in the bathroom trash. I'd flip, and then beg God for forgiveness, as clear images came to mind, of how I was doing the same--seeking garbage, wallowing in filthy, when His good gifts were before me.
Three weeks into this adoption process, God has been so gracious in showing us that while we have the best intentions and desires, and we are fighting hard for our child, we are still sinful humans. God, however, and His love, desire, intentions and fight are nothing but holy and pure. And he really did wage war to complete our adoption!
We are also learning that even though this child, in our hearts, is already really our baby, as much as Ellory and Ezra were in those first hours we knew they were growing inside me, people will say, or insinuate, or in some other way communicate doubt. The same way we doubt that God could really save "that person." The same way we think there is something we can do to be more of God's child that we already are. As we venture down this road to our child, I am all the more confident in God's free gift of grace on our lives, unwavering in our screw ups and our own doubts, or the doubts of those we encounter--we REALLY ARE GOD'S CHILDREN!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
I'm not barfing...
But we are expecting a baby. Or child.
We think.
We've submitted all our application work, pictures, tax documents, contracts...
Basically we've taken the "test" and now we wait. Wait for 1 line or 2. Wait weeks, not minutes to figure out if we are "expecting."
We eagerly await to shout it out, but for now we cautiously pray, that the desire to grow our family through adoption would move forward. We trust that our great God, our own adoptive Father has given us this desire!
So we ask that you join us too, in hopeful expectation that our baby, already born, or perhaps yet conceived, somewhere in Ethiopia would someway know that they are loved, prayed for and hoped for, and we that we can't wait to bring them home.
I've always wondered why a blog in the process of adoption, and 2 weeks in, I know. It's a lot of information. There are many questions from all our friends and family...and (although we really have nothing to share at this point) we are happy to share this adventure with all those who love us. However, the reality is, I can't be on the phone 30 hours a day sharing every detail with every friend and family member. So, we have revived this blog to consolidate all the information and all our thoughts here.
We welcome comments and questions. And we covet prayers as we embark on the unknown!
In every joy and in each heart ache along the way, we pray that all glory be given to Christ Jesus our Lord, who made our own adoption into God's family, our reality.
More to come!
Terri for the Coffeys!
We think.
We've submitted all our application work, pictures, tax documents, contracts...
Basically we've taken the "test" and now we wait. Wait for 1 line or 2. Wait weeks, not minutes to figure out if we are "expecting."
We eagerly await to shout it out, but for now we cautiously pray, that the desire to grow our family through adoption would move forward. We trust that our great God, our own adoptive Father has given us this desire!
So we ask that you join us too, in hopeful expectation that our baby, already born, or perhaps yet conceived, somewhere in Ethiopia would someway know that they are loved, prayed for and hoped for, and we that we can't wait to bring them home.
I've always wondered why a blog in the process of adoption, and 2 weeks in, I know. It's a lot of information. There are many questions from all our friends and family...and (although we really have nothing to share at this point) we are happy to share this adventure with all those who love us. However, the reality is, I can't be on the phone 30 hours a day sharing every detail with every friend and family member. So, we have revived this blog to consolidate all the information and all our thoughts here.
We welcome comments and questions. And we covet prayers as we embark on the unknown!
In every joy and in each heart ache along the way, we pray that all glory be given to Christ Jesus our Lord, who made our own adoption into God's family, our reality.
More to come!
Terri for the Coffeys!
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