My last post for a while...

Well, this is my last post for about 3 weeks. Will leaves in the morning and he is taking the computer back for bills and to skype with us. I will have my phone and kindle but I don't have the thunder thumbs to blog on them! :)

The tears started yesterday and are now flowing a steady stream as I think about Will leaving us. I know it's what has to be done and I know that the time will go by quicker than I imagine but right now all I know is that I don't want him to leave. I don't want to be away from here more than a day much less 2 and half weeks. I am totally that wife that hates to see him leave even for a weekend guys' trip a couple times a year. You see I have an amazing man and though we are both a far cry from perfect, he is the the absolute best thing in the world to me other than my Savior. And for the last 3 weeks I've had the opportunity to not only experience him as a husband, but as a father and that fills my heart til it overflows.

I'm as ready as I can be... he has stocked me up on tons of water (I drink a lot) so I don't have to carry the big jugs with Reese... he has mapped out all the places to visit... he has found us a park... grocery shopped for me... and wiped my tears. I love him.

In ~30 hours half of my heart will be back in Tennessee while the other half is here in Poland and we will be coming home August 20th. Now I will focus on teaching Reese how to say "mama" and preparing her for her crazy Aunt Lindsey and Hudson who will probably squeeze her til she pops when they arrive here on August 16th.

I will leave you with some birthday pictures that most of you have already seen on Facebook! :)
Talk to you all in a few weeks!!

Drum Roll Please....

It's here! The moment we've been waiting on since we first started this process ... for 1 year 6 months and 12 days to be exact! We are officially the proud parents of a beautiful and energetic little 2 year old girl. ... and better yet today is her 2nd birthday as well! What a great 2nd birthday! And now we get to share her with all of you to see! I will not take up your time with lots of words to read ... the pictures tell you why we are on cloud nine!

THE FIRST PICTURE WE SAW NOVEMBER 2013!

THE FIRST TIME WE MET HER IN DECEMBER 2013!

FIRST DAY BACK WITH HER THIS TRIP ON JULY 8TH!

FIRST FAMILY PICTURE!

GOTCHA DAY!

 
FIRST CHURCH SERVICE IN POLAND!


AND JUST MORE OF MY FAVORITES!

Court went great. It was so much easier than I expected. Our judge was nice. She did shorten the appeal period to 14 days (vs 21) and I'm grateful. We have to wait until then to apply for Reese's visa and there is a Polish holiday around this time so we won't fly home until the 20th. I'm already sad thinking about Will leaving and us being by ourselves for 2 weeks. It's been awesome just being the 3 of us. My sister and Hudson are coming over though and I'm pumped all in the same breath about that.

We bused to Warsaw today and are finally in the apartment I found us. I love it... it's super clean and they even left us welcome refreshments and maps. Will has our agenda planned. :)

I'm already overwhelmed and so thankful for all the prayers we had coming our way and all the comments on Facebook! We are so loved by all of you and we love you back even more! :)

Surviving the Social Worker Vist...Katowice and Krakow...

Tuesday was our visit with the social worker/psychologist... we survived despite my stress out on how to make coffee with a pot and water. I ended up going and buying instant thanks to another mom's advice who has done all this before. The orphanage director came as well and said she would request us going home 2 weeks after court... please pray this happens. As my mom has always said, I'm a total home body. I just don't feel the need to be anywhere more than a week.

We've been site seeing this past week as much as we can. We are staying on the outskirts of Katowice so we've been into Katowice a few times. It's really neat and different how city life carries on... something we'd probably think even if we were in New York. We bus everywhere...it's not that bad however the whole time I'm usually holding my breath because it's hot and there are no windows or A/C, praying Reese doesn't touch something and stick her fingers in her mouth, and kicking myself for not having hand sanitizer wipes for all of us. Ha! Other than that, it's cheap and is saving us money. :)

Today we went to Krakow. We chartered a bus there and it cost us only $10 round trip for all 3 of us. We are quite impressed with ourselves!! It was fun. There are long streets with stores, restaurants, and alcohol shops all up and down that lead to a big center. I had fun finding some cool stuff... hand made Easter eggs, an amber ring for Reese when she is older (let's hope it's not fake), and our Dads a souvenir.

Here a few pictures of Old Krakow...

 People were dressed up and you could take pictures if you tipped them. These were our favorites.

We are getting closer to court on Tuesday!! Then get ready for social media to explode with pictures of Reese!! :)

One Week and the In-Betweens

It’s been 1 week since Gotcha Day and it’s crazy what a week does! I keep saying that every day but from the 2 hour melt down the 1^st night to our little girl crawling up on us to go sleep is amazing!! Everything is going better than we thought and we are so thankful. We even went back to the orphanage today to be transported to get her vaccinations.  My understanding is she needed these since she will be 2 when we arrive in the states. Plus, she was due for them. She didn’t seem to be phased by the orphanage but I almost went into Mama Mode when the lady took her out of Will’s arms when she cried over the shot. I know she was just trying to do what she thought was best and it was only because she loves her. I’m grateful for that as I have said before.

Poland is great and we are enjoying the beautiful weather. Everyone here has been so nice and we have even learned how to navigate the bus system (by getting lost once! Lol!). Our funniest question has by far been, “How’s Obama?” Haha! Needless to say, the guy voiced his opinion before we said anything and let’s just say we all agreed on that subject and didn’t even have to say anything… we even got free samples of food after that. Lol.  We have tried to stay active and enjoy the area we are in. We have tons of places to walk and do this for a couple hours a day if not more. There is even a great playground area for Reese. Will is definitely not impressed with the lawn care around here. It seems no one really mows and they for sure do not weed-eat. I am reminded of this at least once daily when we walk. But they sure plant lots of beautiful flowers and I, of course, think they are beautiful. Ha!

 This was so cool... It's all flowers and plants!

Will checking out the weed-eaters here in Poland!

One of the areas we walk!!

The food here is great! Actually, the pizza is AMAZING! I know, pizza, right? Well there is only so much meat and potatoes I can handle. Remember, I’m here for at least 6 weeks so cut me some slack.

 This was my favorite!!... they put corn on their pizza, too!!

 So it's in a Jack Daniel's cup however it is boiled fruit! It was soooo good. Linds it made me think of you! The best way for fruit juice. This is apricots.

I’ve said it once but I must say it again, the Miller’s (missionaries here) are truly a blessing from heaven to us. They have helped us with the apartment we are staying in now, allowed us to attend church with them, had us over for dinner, and given us a stroller, pack and play, and toys to use while we are here. I can’t imagine being so far from home without help from them! At supper Monday night we got to hear their story… they are here in Poland through Josiah Venture where they are working to launch Fusion (it is a ministry to youth through music). They have 4 beautiful children, 1 who is also adopted. They are just a wonderful family with huge hearts. If you are looking for a way to connect to missions, I ask that you consider them. (Give here: https://josiahventure.webconnex.com/1052161) I know it hard to give sometimes so if you are unable to, please pray for them as they work to spread the gospel in Poland.

We have a visit from the social worker this coming Tuesday. She will testify in court for us on our behalf. We are trying to keep Reese bruise and bump free until then! Lol… she is walking however at a regressed stage because of delays expected from the orphanage but the PT in me is making her walk a lot and therefore we have a few falls as expected with any toddler. Nothing that has caused tears yet, whew! So, I misunderstood about court. It is still July 29^th however it is in the city Reese’s orphanage is in instead of Warsaw. After this, we head to Warsaw. I’m still searching for a place. I thought I had found a few at a cheaper rate however nothing that has connected for different reasons. Please pray for this. I could be there for up to 34 days after court and paying $65-70/night will be impossible. Although we are fully funded, we aren’t funded for these prices. Of course, there has been a lot of hidden expenses once we got here and that hasn’t helped. Also pray that the judge will let me and Reese leave early and head home 2 weeks after the court day. My cousin, Austin, has been living at our house and I think he would rather us stay gone for a little longer… he better move over though! My bed is all mine when I get there! I’m ready to see my dogs too and let Belle and Bo lick their new sister. I left at a busy time during work as well and I know I need to get back to my patients before my boss loses his hair! Lol.

We’ve Skyped with the family and the kids are priceless… Reese has no idea how much love she is going to get, especially from her cousins that go nuts when we call. Oh, and Hudson got his passport today!! He and Linds will be here for our last week to fly home with me since Will won’t be here.

I can’t wait for y’all to meet Reese!!

P.S. For some reason blogger translates my posts to Polish then back to English so sorry if the wording is weird! I did proof read. J

Gotcha Day!

Where do I begin? We have now been with our beautiful daughter for 36 hours ... and now she is sleeping. Gotcha day was filled with lots of emotions for us, her, and her caregivers. I can not begin to tell you how Reese loved you and even more so, how much she loved them. It was a tearful goodbye for them. Reese was glad to be going "pa pa" (bye-bye).

So we are now in Katowice where we are staying in an apartment that was set up through the American missionaries we were introduced to. The blessings have been numerous and there is no explanation except That God is completely in control. We are here in this apartment with a full kitchen, washer, and even an iron! (They did not have one at the hotel and not everyone has a washer ... we do not have a dryer here.) We are able to stay here for one third of the cost of what we would be paying through our agency. We are within a short walking distances of a grocery store and there are even two parks to go to. One has a children's area: which is perfect to swing with Reese. She LOVES it outside! The driver That takes us to the important stuff (court, doctor's office, etc..) Is named Tom. He graciously let us borrow his wifi hook up so we can communicate with you all at home ... for free! How great is that!

Tomorrow we are heading to our 1 ^st church service as a family! The missionaries (The Miller's) are meeting us and one is riding the bus (since we do not have a car seat and can not ride with them ... plus they have 4 children!). I'm excited! I can not wait for Reese to be home to meet her church family at Bethel though.

Reese is warming up to us and likes to stay busy. It's not all easy though ... we had a 2 hour melt down last night at bed time. I'm not sure who cried more, me or her. It's so sad not being able to comfort her and hurts even more to think she has never been rocked to sleep and her familiarity it is a crib with 6 other children. The tears are totally worth it though...Will was both our savior last night. Reese rocking to sleep and then holding me as I sobbed without fully knowing why. I understand why people say they fall more in love with Their husbands after the birth of Their child. I love him so much my heart overflows and I can not even begin to think about him leaving us to come home. Today was better with a nap and sleep. Just keep praying every day gets easier for her.

We continue to be blown away by all the encouragement, kind words, and comments you all leave and they make all this easier for us. Y'all are going to love Reese. She is funny and sassy and I think she will be a little too much like her Aunt Lindsey ... she is quite stubborn and a fighter. I will have more to tell you on a later post but for now I will end with a picture That holds my whole world. No. face for her since rules are rules ... July 29 ^th will be here before we know it. 

Day 1

Today was AMAZING! Our little girl has grown and is funny as ever. Her personality is so BIG and we had a blast with her. She is finally walking and babbling ... who knows if she is actually saying Polish words, lol. We got to spend 3 hours with her this morning and 3 again this afternoon. I have tons of pictures and wish I could share them but can't for 3 weeks.

We are going to have to go through "visitation" for 3 days since there is a new director over the orphanage. We are allowed to get her Friday morning to come stay with us. We hate this isn't happening sooner but it is actually going to give us a chance to talk to the doctor and nurse about all of her medical history so we are happy about that.

Thanks for all the prayers and keep them coming ... we still have a lot of bonding and attachment to go through. J

We're back!!

We are finally back in Poland! We have made it to the hotel, ran to the store for the essentials (water and fan so I can sleep), ate lunch, and now back in the hotel ready to sleep. It's been almost 31 hours of no sleep except a couple of 30 minute cat naps on the plane. We are pretty tired.

I was however going through our suitcases when I stumbled on something I did not pack ... my sneaky sister had Will put an envelope full of cards and a journal from my great friend in my suitcase without me knowing. I can't open the cards yet because they have specific dates but I could see that there are so many cards from so many different people. Maybe this mama thing has already gotten the best of me because the tears came without me opening even one. My heart is overflowing with everyone's love and blessings. It makes me even weepier to know that y'all will share this same love to my daughter when she is home. Thank you all from my whole heart. 

So this is all we know so far ... we meet with the in-country representative tomorrow at 9 to head to the orphanage. Apparently we are going to have to do "visitation" for a few days since there is a new director. And, of course, am going to try to convince them to cut this short so we can have Reese for good and start the official bonding process. We're so excited and it is becoming more real to us. Will said, "Just think, we get to see her every day for the rest of her life starting tomorrow." Poor Reese, her Daddy is never going to let her grow up and marry off. Haha!

After we get through this initial week, we will be heading to a nearby city to stay in an apartment. It's so cool because the ADOPTION network brought us together with some American missionaries who I have been talking with since returning in December and they have set this up through Their church. This not only saves us money, but Allows us to meet some people who can show us the ropes around here and gives us a church to attend! How cool is that?

I promise to keep everyone updated but for now I can barely keep my eyes open. Thanks for all the prayers, posts, texts, and calls. We are so blessed with you all in our lives!

The BIG Call

As most of you know, we got the BIG CALL Monday! I was actually on lunch so it was perfect timing. I saw our agency was calling but honestly thought it was something about a grant we received because they had just called me Friday about it. My squeals couldn't be contained when they said "this is the call you've been waiting on." My co-workers all knew what had happened… they could hear me! I couldn't even understand our agency after that and it took me 3 times to realize they were asking me if I had a piece of paper to start writing dates. She said we needed to be there Monday, July 7th! Wow! That means we have less than a week!! It gets better because she said our court date is July 29th! That's Reese's birthday!! What a 2nd birthday she is going to have... turning 2 and officially having a mama and daddy!!

So I've been running around like crazy, barely being able to focus on my work. There is a lot to do before Sunday morning gets here. I'm even having trouble eating. I mean, I've played in hundreds of basketball games and I'm not sure if my nerves have ever been this shot.

Luckily, my cousin is house sitting! I think he will enjoy having a house to himself with a frig stocked with Gatorade and pizza. We are lucky on the timing because he doesn't have any sports for a month and so he can be there day and night to take care of my chickens and ducks! (Yes, they need morning and night attention... I've grown quite fond of them) Will comes home before me so then he will be able to pick up the routine! I have to admit it makes me quite emotional when I think of leaving my dogs, too... (sigh)...

Today was my last day at work until this is all complete and we are settled back home. I fought back tears through a few patients.  I grow so close to them and so many have been going through this adoption with me. Their excitement means so much to me. And I have the absolute best co-workers in the world. My boss is a mad man who is about to see all my patients on top of his just so I can leave. There aren't many people that selfless... I'm truly blessed. Will is as well. He has an awesome group of customers and great guys working for him who are going to keep things running smooth.

I need to wrap this post up since I should be packing. Here is how it works though for everyone that is interested:

July 7- we arrive in Poland

We should be going July 8 to see Reese and it is up to the orphanage's director if we have to visit her a few days or if we get her right away... let's pray for the 2nd but also that it's a smooth transition for her

As soon as we have Reese, we are pretty much free to do as we wish staying within a certain city. This is the bonding period. We will have a social worker visit us and observe how it is going. We are blessed that we were introduced to some missionaries that are in the same city through the circle of adoption and they have found a place for us to stay. This is going to save us lots of money and it's very helpful to have people there to show us the ropes.

July 29- we head to Warsaw for court. This is the big day!! This is the court hearing that grants us Reese's "official parents." This is "Adoption Day." After this, we can post pictures!! Just get ready for your social media to explode... I will be that mom!!

Will is returning home after this but Reese and I have to stay. Reese has to remain in country for 21 days after the adoption day for visa, birth certificate, etc. to be processed. The plan is to get my sister over to Poland for a few days to fly home with us. We will just have to see how it works but it looks like I'll be gone at least 6-7 weeks.

I will keep the blog updated the best I can!

Whew!! I can't believe I'm about to be a mama! J

The 6 Month Mark...

6 months ago I was walking into a store in Pigeon Forge on the annual family trip we take with Will’s family. My phone rang and I looked to see our agency was calling. I guess my mother-in-law saw the look on my face as I dropped the shoes I was looking at and walked out the door. In less than 5 minutes I was crying and trying to get a hold of Will… it was THE CALL! We had a little girl in Poland in need of a family. Needless to say, my shopping ended that day and Will quickly came and picked me up. We couldn’t get to the computer fast enough to pull up the email with Reese’s referral information and pictures. 5 months ago today, I was leaving a little girl behind in Poland that stole our hearts from the 1^st pictures we saw.  It’s been a crazy half year since that. When I get my hands on our little girl, I never want to let go again.

So let me catch you up on some stuff… first, Reese’s orphanage director resigned back in March. We found this out through the grapevine. We knew a new director had been appointed and honestly figured this wouldn’t back us up too much. Well it has. Everything had to go to court again since there was a new director and therefore a new guardian over the kids. Then we got the horrible news that the old director passed away on May 2^nd. We are unsure what happened but feel the most logical explanation is she was terminally ill and that is the reason she resigned in March. Her name was Bernadetta and we had the pleasure of meeting her on our 1^st trip. She didn’t speak English but words weren’t needed to see how much she loved Reese and how Reese loved her. We received pictures after a surgery Reese had to have where Bernadetta went to visit her in the hospital to hold and love on her when no one else would and since we couldn’t. For the love she showed our daughter, we will always be thankful for. Reese will always know about Bernadetta and the angel she is who is now watching over her in heaven.

Despite the sad phone call we received, God didn’t leave us feeling discouraged. This is going to get lengthy but hang in there… you have to read this!! So a few weeks ago, a lady contacted my sister wanting to give a donation to our adoption. (we haven’t had a fundraiser or donation in quite some time and need $10,000 to travel on our last trip) On the 4^th, I actually talked to this person and we decided to meet on the 9^th. Then on Wednesday the 7^th, I got a phone call from Show Hope (a grant agency that we applied to). I was working so they left a message that they had a question about our application. This was at 10:30 am… I put my phone in my pocket just in case they called back. I NEVER have my phone on me at work. Soon after this, I got a text from my sister that yet another person she knows through her horse business contacted her wanting to give a donation. Then at 1:30, I got a phone call. I figured it was Show Hope but I saw it was our agency and quickly answered. They received more paperwork for us to sign! It was a court petition of some sort that we didn’t know we would need but the good news is that it finally came. I was a little worried because I knew our notary (ha! I like how I say “our notary”) wouldn’t be a church that night and Will wouldn’t be off in time to meet me at the bank. My patient at the time asked me what happened and I told her. She quickly said that she could notarize everything and even offered for us to come to her house to do it after Will was off work. How cool is that? God planned for her to be in the clinic at that time! But wait, it gets better… so while I’m finishing up with this patient, Lindsey must have been emailing me because I got this at lunch. Listen to what she says…

“There is something going on behind the scenes that you don't know about. God is moving, especially with these financial provisions. I think you'll hear something soon and I bet you will travel in June. He's putting things in to place, and in my experience He doesn't do things ahead of time, He waits until the last minute so we know it is Him. I LOVE THIS!”

I, of course, called her to tell her that paperwork came in today which she didn’t even know about before she sent that email. Crazy, huh? Well, the day continues to get better because at 3:30 that day Show Hope called back! They explained that last year they partnered with the Tim Tebow foundation who is now supporting 4 adoptions with medical needs a month. It just so happens that his foundation reviewed our application and gave us an $8000.00 grant! $8000 people!! Did you read where I said we needed $10,000 to have our travel paid for? OH MY GOODNESS! And let me quickly tell you that from the couple people who wanted to donate we ended up with $9000.00 in 2 DAYS and we don’t even know (we know of, but don't really know) these people who gave this to us! There is absolutely no explanation for this other than the Lord. I love Him and not just because He is preparing us to travel financially but because He made things happen this past week to show me that He hasn’t forgotten about me and Will, Reese, or this adoption. He allowed me to feel His presence... something I have needed lately.

A friend posted the following verse on Facebook while all this was going on... it sums everything up perfectly!

“Look at the nations and watch—
and be utterly amazed.
For I am going to do something in your days
that you would not believe,
even if you were told.”

Habakkuk 1:5

Love that Hurts

I never knew that I could love someone so much it hurts. I mean truly and painfully hurt.  Sure when you’re growing up you go through those moments that you think are the worst in your life and wonder if you will ever get past them. Then you meet the man of your dreams and realize what love is all about.  But even after that when you lay eyes on your child and your heart fills so full that it could burst…yet 3 days later you’re walking out a door with no idea when you will be back and your heart is breaking into a million pieces… that is the moment… that’s when love began to truly hurt for me.  It’s the moment I stare at a picture and can barely breathe. It’s the moment I watch a short video of her daddy playing with her that the tears come.  It’s the moments I hurry back to my office at work to check my phone to realize no one has called with information and I wonder if I can bear another hour at work before I can make it to my car to plead with God for tomorrow to be the day.

 I tell God that I can’t do it all to know that He will make sure I can. He wakes me every morning with a gentle reminder that He loves her more…more than I can ever dream… a love that was willing to give up his Son as I plead for Him to give me my daughter.  I know this Love and lately these days I have been more and more thankful for it.

We currently have no additional information. We have no travel dates. We have no timeline. But we do have a Father that began writing this story long before I even knew it was ours. I’m not sure if it makes it “easier” in this earthly body of mine but it does give me hope… hope that each night I lay my head on my pillow that I have survived yet another day and because of that I am one day closer to holding her.

“Wait for the Lord;

Be strong and take heart

And wait for the Lord."

-Psalm 27:14

We're Approved!!

WHOOOO HOOOO! We got our approval from USCIS on Wednesday! This is awesome news because I've been developing an ulcer since Friday (not really) but I have been overly worried (a horrible habit that I have) because on Friday I received a phone call from a lovely lady named Brenda. She is an officer working for USCIS and unfortunately our agency forgot to sign some very, very important paperwork so she couldn't process our request to return to pick Reese up. Somehow I didn't bust into a million tears but I think she could hear the fear of being set back further in my voice. Let me tell you that the Lord had His hand all over this because this kind woman told me that if I could get a signed copy scanned and emailed to her then she would try to push my file through!! I immediately called my agency and had them do this. I was definitely thanking God for Brenda and asking God to bless her for her kindness to us. On Monday, I emailed Brenda and told her thanks again for everything and today we received our approval!! This is huge because had she not been so kind, we could be waiting for a couple more weeks. Thank you, Brenda!

So it came in the mail on Wednesday. My MeeMaw and sister were watching the mailbox like a hawk. As soon as it got there, Linds took a picture and emailed it to me. I was then able to forward it on to our agency who was going to send it to our in country representative. We now wait for her to get the official paper and take it to the judge to request a court date. Then, we get travel dates!!

Please pray specifically for our travel dates. I know I ask for prayer over and over and over and hope you see that these prayers are heard and answered. At times even to the specific day!! We are praying for travel by the end of March. My PTO at work maxes out then and I stop accruing.

Thanks for staying connected with us and following us through this journey!!

The Current Picture

I'm much worse at this blogging thing than I thought I would be... It's been WAAAYYY too long since I've posted. To be honest, I have a couple posts that I've written but just never felt 100% about posting them.

So let me update you all on what's been going on!!

First, let me tell you about our dessert auction/spaghetti supper we had at Bethel in January. No other word but “AMAZING” comes to mind. We teamed up with the Lytle’s who are adopting from the Congo and had a great night! You see, these crazy and hilarious people that attend Bethel ( J ) helped us raise $1942.00 with the Lytes!!! In ONE night! This is nuts! Once again, “thank you” just doesn’t seem enough. I just can’t wait for Reese to get home to meet her church family!!

Then, my sister threw me an awesome baby shower the weekend after! I think I have been through all the stuff at least a dozen times. We got the cutest stuff and now I’m itching to get her room done and clothes hung up. J The best part of this shower was seeing so many family and friends that I haven’t seen in a long time! I even had 2 friends drive 4 hours for it! That’s what it’s all about…. It humbles me so much thinking that these people love my little girl so much already that they are willing to sacrifice time and energy praying and encouraging us!

Things get even better!! We got a phone call on Friday, Jan 31st that our paperwork had arrived and was being mailed to us! It came last Monday (Feb 3rd) and at 9:10 pm I was dropping it back off with a couple other forms to FedEx this time sending it to USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services). So now we wait. We must receive clearance from the US which is taking at least 1 month to process. Once we get that, we scan it and email it to our agency who forwards it on to our in country represenative and wait on travel dates! Still a lot of waiting but this is a HUGE step.

I honestly don't think it is possible to explain how much I miss my little girl. I mean, I even think I'm crazy when I think about how much I love this little girl that I've only spent 3 days with... Please pray that this last stretch moves smoothly and quickly for us. And please pray for God to start preparing Reese for the huge transition ahead of her.
 

 

One of my favorite pics from the 1st trip (edited of course because of rules)!

I can't wait to get kisses all the time from her!!