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!

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!

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:

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.

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!

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!

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.

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.