And then there was one...

...and that one would be us. When it comes to getting a boy, we're the new number



The couple ahead of us on the waiting list, Troy and Amber, got their referral today moving us into the top spot. I'm a combination of freaked out and excited. Needless to say we'll be keeping our phones charged and close by our side.

For those keeping score at home, JB & Carla are up to #5 on the boy list.

And down the stretch we come...

We got our monthly update email from AGCI with our new numbers. Officially we're #4 for a boy and #15 for a girl, but the email included this..."there are a few referrals that were recently made that have not yet been factored out of the lists as we are awaiting the official acceptances". We're pretty sure that at least one of the families ahead of us on the boy list who got a referral doesn't have their official acceptance in yet. If so, that would make us unofficially #3 (at least) on the boy list.

On the toddler front, our case manager told us that "there are three other families ahead of you for a toddler girl, but two only go up to 2 years, and the other only to 3 years". Our parameters go up to 4 years. So if a three year old girl would come up for adoption, we'd be first in line. If you think we need a girl, this is the scenario you should be praying for.

Now for a toddler boy, there is no one standing in our way. We're at the top.

The thought of getting a referral for a baby has me a little scared. When we started this process, I assumed we'd get a toddler referral long before we'd make it to the top of the regular list. Well, it's coming right down to the wire. Monica is more excited about the possibility of a baby than I am. Based on how quickly we've gotten to this point on the list, I've decided that maybe there's a reason we're rising so rapidly. Maybe God has a plan different than mine. Proverbs 3:5 popped in my head the other day while I was thinking about this. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." Technically the reference didn't pop into my head. I had to look that part up. The "lean not on your own understanding" part is the whammy for me. I guess if God thinks we should have a baby, I'm willing to defer to His wisdom.

FYI - JB & Carla are #9 boy and #22 girl.

More movement

The couple holding the number 1 slot on the boy list got their referral yesterday. That puts us up to #4 on the boy list and #16 on the girl list. We may not find out about any more movement up the list until we're in the #1 slot. The families who are now #1 & #2 haven't revealed themselves to the blog stalking community so there's no way of knowing when their referrals go out. We know who is right ahead of us at #3. So, once they get their referral we'll know we're in the top spot. I think we'll get a call or an email from AGCI next week letting us know what our "official" numbers are. I'll be sure to post if/when we get those.

FYI - JB & Carla are now #9 on the boy list and #23 on the girl list.

Top 5, Already?

Just a quick update to say that it looks like we're unofficially sitting at #5 on the boy list. These folks are the new #1.

Also, at the request of my sister, here is one of my favorite blogs of a family who is home with their Ethiopian boys. They adopted TRIPLETS (two identical and another one who hung out with them in the womb)! From the videos I've watched, these boys just crack me up. They are always piling on top of each other. Life is a full-contact sport for them. To see what I mean, watch the video from this post or this post or this post.

New Numbers

Sorry for slacking off on the posting lately.

We got our monthly update call from AGCI on our wait list numbers. Officially we are #12 on the boy list and #23 on the girl list. Last month we were #14 and #27. Those numbers should be dropping soon though. There were a number of referrals that were given out this week. Those people don't come off of the wait list until they are able to officially accept the referral. From what I've read on other blogs, I think we can subtract 4 from the boy list and the girl list numbers based on the referrals that have been made but not yet officially accepted. It's very, very likely that they will be accepted but it takes some time to get through the paperwork.

Last month when we got our official numbers they gave us unofficial toddler list numbers of #2 on the boy list and #4 on the girl list. We didn't get an update on this unoffical list but we were told that there was a toddler referral this week. After a little digging I found the blog of the family who got the referral. They got a referral for a 3-year old girl. I believe they were only on the girl list. So that would put us unofficially at #2 on the toddler boy list and #3 on the toddler girl list. After our first batch of numbers, I've sort of been assuming we'd be getting a boy. All of a sudden I'm realizing that I could be getting a daughter! I'm not sure if I should be scared or excited at that thought so I'll go with both.

Another positive thing we found out from our phone call is that there are a lot of families traveling to bring home their children. From the end of December through early February there are around 30 families traveling to bring home their kids. Each child that leaves the orphanage opens up a spot for a new child to come to the orphanage.

Unless we get a referral, we probably won't get any official updates until next month. Back to waiting....

The wait has begun

Monica spoke with Christy Penney, our adoption case manager, a few minutes ago. We mailed our dossier to AGCI two weeks ago but were missing one document that needed to be state certified. That arrived at AGCI's office today. We're now officially done with our dossier and on the waiting list! Christy called and gave us our official wait list numbers. We are #28 on the girl list and #14 on the boy list. That's great and all but here's where it gets exciting, scary, crazy, etc....Christy told us that there are only three families ahead of us waiting for a toddler girl and only ONE family ahead of us for a toddler boy! C-R-A-Z-I-N-E-S-S!

After we receive and accept a referral it will be approximately 3-5 months until we travel to pick up our child. Our case will go through the Ethiopian courts before we travel.

Laundry Room = Serious Progress

The laundry room project has been moving along nicely the past few weeks. Last week dad and I got the hardwood floor installed. I used various leftovers from Stoney Acres Hardwood Flooring and mixed together the wood species and finish colors. Before I installed it in the laundry room, I laid the boards out in the basement so I could get the mix how I wanted it. They even had a leftover transition piece I could use to go from the hardwood to the linoleum.





This week the cabinets and countertop were installed. As you can see from the pictures, we're still missing a few doors and some hardware but that part is almost done. Don Miller built the cabinets.



The cabinets over the washer and dryer area (they're still in the basement - not looking forward to hauling those up).



The mudroom locker thing I designed for Don to build. I still need to get the coat hooks installed.



Now we're waiting for the plumber to come out and hook up the sink and we'll be functional. Oh and the electrician (me) needs to wrap up a few things too. Did I mention we still have to haul the washer and dryer up from the basement?