Waiting.....

It's been awhile since last posting. It's so hard to write about just sitting around waiting for things to happen. Waiting for my boys Ephrem and Anteneh to come home. Waiting for this amazing baby to be born.

Hello, my name is Thea and I am............just waiting. (tick, toc, tick, toc)

I am now 38.5 weeks pregnant and waiting. Waiting to meet this little one who God has so graciously allowed me to grow under my heart at the ripe old age of 43 nearing 44. We do not know the gender, and no, I have no inkling at all. And if I did, I would be wrong; I always am. This pregnancy has been nothing short of easy. It's been beautiful and healing in so many ways. I am relishing every moment of this pregnancy and have taken nothing for granted. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy....and possibly make fun of. It's ok. I can take it. My two youngest girls are assisting me how to show off a belly.












On the adoption side of things, our boys have their birth certificates (B.C.'s are not routinely obtained at birth like they are in the US) and they now have their passports. Now, all we are waiting for are the following: the visa medical, interviewing the aunt that relinquished the boys and the embassy approval for the visa. After all this is done, we will be notified of the date of our embassy appointment.

Both Steve and I have decided that we will not be traveling to Ethiopia to get them but have them escorted to the US. As impersonal as this seems, we both strongly feel that we need to be rested and ready for them to arrive as opposed to recovering from jet lag and potential illness. We want to be on our game as this is going to be a huge change, if not just plain traumatic, for our boys. I will rest assured that as they travel to their new home with us, that they will be accompanied by someone who speaks their language and can answer all their questions about flying for the first time. I pray this decision to have them escorted brings some amount of initial comfort to them as their life changes forever.

I will ask for prayer in some areas that have been weighing on my heart. Will you pray that this birth goes gently? I am not afraid, but birth is an awesomely powerful event that takes great stamina. Like the last five of our nine children, this blessing will also be born into our arms at home.

Also, our boys will be grafted to our family tree with severe trauma in their past. Will you pray that the Lord gives us insight, patience, loyalty and an extra dose of love to help them heal from their past? We are ready for them, but we are not prepared as we have no idea how they will choose to cope with what they have been through. Pray that the Lord will give us the ability to convey protection and a sense of belonging to our boys. And lastly, pray that at some point our boys will someday, if not immediately, cling to Christ for their ultimate security and protection.

Thank you friends. I just need to tell all of you who read this blog, how much I have enjoyed your comments and encouragement while we have taken this amazing journey to grow our family. It has meant the world to me.