We are now back home after our visit to Missouri and I had to share this picture. Jonathan is already showing what it means to sacrifice for our child, as he dared to wear this shirt at Busch Stadium in St. Louis!

We took the pictures for our family photo pages, which are part of our dossier to be submitted to Ethiopia : )

Successful Home Study Visit (3 of 4)

Time got away from me to get something posted beforehand, but we successfully completed our third home study visit this morning! It was definitely the most intimidating visit yet, as we had to complete individual interviews about our childhoods, our families, our marriage, etc. The uncertainty of what to expect was difficult, but I believe we both did well : ) It took about 2 ½ hours.

Our final visit is scheduled for July 6^th and this is where we will receive a rough draft of our home study. Assuming no major changes need to be made, we will then send it to our adoption agency and the state of IL for approval. Once it is finalized, we will submit our paperwork to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for approval to bring a child into the U.S. from Ethiopia. That process can take 6-12 weeks and is the final approval we need to submit all of the paperwork for Ethiopia (our dossier). We pray all continues to move along smoothly : )

We are now headed to St. Louis to visit Jonathan’s grandma, then to a Cardinals game, and then to my grandma’s for a few days. Excited to have a few days away!

Too Cute to Pass Up

Ever since we began this process, I find myself being drawn to the baby section of every store I am in : ) We occasionally purchase something practical (i.e. baby lotion, diaper changing pad) to begin to stock up on items that we will need regardless of the baby’s gender, age, or size.

The other day, though, I decided to look at some cuter items. I found this at Target – thought it was perfect!

Second Home Study Visit was a Success!

We completed our second home study visit today! It went very well. Our social worker (Maria) brought us a stack of papers (about an inch and a half thick) that we went through. They provided us with a great deal of education for various adoption concerns, such as attachment & bonding, medical issues, and potential cultural/racial issues. It was a bit overwhelming, but very helpful overall. We are anxious to work through the paperwork more to continue to educate ourselves. We have so much to learn!!

Fundraising continues to go well, also. We just began our 8^th week of pie sales and we delivered our 100^th pie today!

Thanks, again, for all your thoughts, prayers, and support through the process. Everything continues to move along smoothly. We will to keep you posted : )

Upcoming Home Study Visit (2 of 4)

Just for a quick update – our second home study visit is scheduled for this coming Wednesday morning. Everything continues to move along smoothly, so we just ask for your continued prayers for this process. We will post more information about the visit on Wednesday evening.