OUR BABY GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can hardly sit down to type this post....my heart is pounding, my eyes are tired, and I'm just too frazzled!!!

Yesterday morning at Bible study I had wanted to ask everyone to pray that our referral comes Thursday (today) or Friday, but decided to keep quiet as I feel like that's all I talk about lately!  Later last night I decided it wasn't too selfish to ask, so I threw out a note on FB asking others to please pray that we receive our referral before Bobby leaves on Saturday for a week....

Well, the praying paid off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was in a work meeting all day today while Bobby was working in Hebron (about 45 mins away)...I anxiously kept looking at my phone to be sure I didn't miss a call or email.  Bobby and I agreed this morning that if we did get "the call" I'd wait to see her face until he came home.

When I got home my mom and I decided to take the kids for a walk so I ran in to change my clothes and stopped quickly to check my email....

1 new message. 

           From: Stephanie (our family coordinator). 

                                  Subject: Referral

I was totally caught off guard as I was expecting a phone call to tell us the email was coming....boy did I want to click on the file and take a peek!!!! I don't know how, but I did wait for Bobby to come home (we took our walk to pass the time...but I was a little giddy to say the least!). We got home from the walk just in time to get the video camera set up before Bobby walked in. 

While Eli and Owen were playing on the deck (Ayla left for gymnastics with grandma), I pushed record and we opened the file....oh how one email can change the world!

I hope to be able to share our videos (one of Bobby and I and one of the kiddos) sometime so you can see our initial reactions!  Words cannot express our feeling, thoughts, or emotions...

Our baby girl....right in front of us.
Adorable.
Loved.
Perfect. 
God's gift.
Ours.

Her face is already etched in my mind.  Oh how we long to touch her, hug her, cuddle her, and welcome her *in person* to our family.   But for now, all we can share is her picture.  Her sweet, delicate face and her tiny little body.

Isn't she precious?!!!??!?!??!?

We cannot share more information about her right now....but PLEASE keep her in your prayers!  We are saddened of the situation that brought her to our family and ask that you also pray for her birth family. 

A few weeks ago when reading another DRC family's blog and how their family has received a few referrals that have ended up falling through (not from our agency), I asked God to please bring us a referral soon and that she would be the daughter He has chosen for us.  I even prayed, "God if you could, please give me some sign that lets me know she IS the child you have for our family."  At that point the only sort of sign I could think of was that she would share a birthday with her cousin, Walter.  I joked about it with my sister-in-law, and today on our walk I asked my mom how old she thinks our girl is, "I'm guessing she's the same age as Walter," she replied....

AND THAT IS SO! 

Our baby girl was welcomed into this world on the same exact day as her cousin Walter. 

And so, I will go to bed tonight praying for our baby girl.  Praying that the next steps go smoothly, that she is healthy, well cared for, and that we can be strong during this long wait until she is in our arms.

Tomorrow I'll  write more about the process and what comes next (we're expecting to wait around 6 months until we can travel to get her)....but for now, I'm going (to try to) rest knowing who our baby girl is, where she is, how old she is, and knowing that God will continue to guide us through the journey of adoption (for both this beautiful girl and for our child whom He has planned for us in Ethiopia).

Introducing our baby girl to Eli, Ayla, and Owen

 Celebrating as a family at Applebees (of course, with her photo right by our side)!

My four beautiful children! 

1 Samuel 1:27
For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition that I made to him.

Good night:)

Love from our family (which is now 6....still waiting on 7) to yours!