9.14.2009

Finally a Referral!

It has been so long since we began this process. But we have finally received the long-awaited phone call from our adoption agency...we have a referral! She gave us a brief description over the phone and said the pictures would be coming via e-mail. It was a baby boy, 3 months old. We finished the call and then almost immediately, the pictures were in my inbox. How exciting and very surreal. To open an email containing pictures of our son...crazy and scary and wonderful. He is so adorable. He has beautiful, creamy, caramel skin that is typical of many Ethiopians and his big brown eyes are gorgeous. We were expecting a thin child because many we have seen are emaciated - but he was not; his weight appears to be very healthy. In one of the photos, he was sucking his thumb...I melted. I am anxious to post the pictures, but there are very necessary rules (both written and unspoken) about protecting the privacy of children during the international adoption process, so until he is "officially" ours, I cannot post any photos.

We have accepted the referral and now our case will begin the process of winding through the Ethiopian court system. Should all go smoothly, we will travel to bring him home in December or January. We are hopeful, but cautious, as there could be road-blocks that arise. My brain is frantically trying to protect my heart as I fall in love with this precious little one. But a friend mentioned that we should celebrate what we have today. So that is where we are...celebrating what we have today. There is a lot to process emotionally - there has been throughout the duration of our adoption journey. I spend much time thinking about his mother, about her sacrifice to give her child a better life. About the sorrows of his family and of so many families all over Africa. We are thrilled that he will be joining our pack, but there is always an underlying thread of sorrow for what our precious son has been through in his short life.

7 comments:

myfourgems said...

I am so so goose-bumpy happy for you!

I remember that Shea kept a pic of Eli in her back pocket until they went to get them...I hope I can see the pic of your precious babe soon!

Lets plan on getting together for that coffee soon...I could even come over and bring Grace and the kids could play...I'll be in touch about that.

Enjoy today and the process of falling in love with your new son, it is just awesome.

jkstuke said...

Hey Tiff,

Just paused for a second (that rarely happens!) and you came to mind. I can't even imagine what your heart is feeling right now. I felt mine leap when I read your last post. We are praying for the entire process - every aspect we can think of. I wish I was closer to experience this with you and to lend a hand where needed. Hopefully we can chat soon. Miss you...

Julie said...

Hi! My name is Julie. I found you through the CWA blog. We are also adopting from Ethiopia--also a boy. Can I ask? For how long have you been waiting? I hate not having a "number", so I'm trying to get a sense of where we are in the wait. We had our dossier finished and put on the waiting list the beginning of June, so we've been waiting a little over 3 months.

Congratulations on your referral! I can only imagine the range of emotions. :)

Kate said...

My heart is so full after reading this!!! I'm so excited for you and for the little boy that will be joining your amazing and loving family. Love you Tiff.

Brandy said...

Tiffany & Family,

I am sooo very excited for you guys. This is certainly reason to celebrate! I pray that all goes according to plan and that any roadblocks will simply be speedbumps on this happy journey for you all. Congrats on God's latest blessing and keep the info coming. I love to check to see if you have any news and this time you sure did!! Many prayers headed your way! :)

Our Family said...

Congratulations!! Just as Julie asked, I would love to know how long you have officially waited. We are using CWA and we have been on the waitlist for almost 5 1/2 months. We are waiting for a baby girl which does take longer. I would love to form a group of all of us waiting to share our stories. I pray that your travel time comes quickly!!

Our Family said...

Thank you, Tiffany, for letting me know your timeline. I will keep following your story. I hope you get a court date soon and pass easily! Let's stay in touch...jmcollins05@hotmail.com