Our Adoption Journey Continues: Yielding to a 2nd Calling!: September 2009

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

She walks!

For all her adoring fans... here she is! Big Brother Micah started BIG walking the day after he turned 13 months... hmm... so did Little Sister! Way to go cutie!

Coming soon... an update of other "1sts"!... 1st b-day, 1st pony ride, 1st car! tee... hee...

What will you name her?

First Name: Shani
Middle Name: Mihret

Shani:
Her first name is Shani (pronounced Shah-nee). In Swahili, the name means "Marvelous, Wonderful & Adventure". In Hebrew it means "Lily". And, in Irish it means "God is gracious. Gift from God." (the same as her adoptive Mommy's name... Shana) We indeed feel that God has called us on a marvelous, wonderful adventure! And we long to hold this precious Gift from God in our arms and to help her to grow into all that He has in store for her!

Mihret:
Her middle name is Mihret (pronounced Mih-hi-rhet). It his her beautiful Amharic given name meaning "Mercy". God has certainly shown us His abounding grace and mercy in this beautiful process of adoption!

A 2nd Miraculous Journey of Adoption Begins...

January 19th, 2008: We are notified that our wait for Emma Mei may be 3+ years. We begin praying for God's will to be known to us and researching our options.
February 19th, 2008: Meeting with Holt representatives to further discuss our options and we continue the prayer journey to see which, if any, was God's plan for us.
February 21st, 2008: After a wonderful time of encouraging prayer, we feel led to look at African baby names. We begin to fall in love with a little Ethiopian girl named "Shani Kristine".
March 23rd, 2008: Shana is reminded that "Christ is VICTORIOUS!" and His plans are perfect!
March 24th, 2008: God clearly reveals His plan (and sense of humor) to Shana through a clanging cymbal. We begin a 2nd journey as we commit to adopting from Ethiopia.
March 26th, 2008: We receive our paperwork from the Holt Ethiopia program and get started immediately.
April 11th, 2008: All of the paperwork we need to complete ourselves is done and notarized!
April 21st, 2008: Shana & Micah pick up the completed home study from Holt and send in our request to USCIS to have our first adoption be from Ethiopia. We celebrate this huge step by going out to dinner as a family, picking out Shani's first baby doll and David presented Shana with a surprise... a baby girl outfit!
April 22nd, 2008: Exactly six months from our official log-in date in China... Shana & Micah drive to Salem to have documents state certified and then Fed Ex the completed dossier to Eugene. Total paperwork journey from start to submission... 28 days!
April 26th, 2008: Girls Weekend Away - Mountaintop Experience sharing the news with the girls!
November 5th, 2008: Received a match! A beautiful 2-month old baby girl!
December 11, 2008: Received update & new pictures!
February 3rd, 2009: Court date! Praise the Lord! We passed the first time!!!
February 5th, 2009: We received our travel dates! We leave in less than 2 weeks??? Thank you Jesus!!!
February 18th-27th: Travel to Ethiopia!!!

Our Adoption Journey Continues: Yielding to a 2nd Calling!

Home at Last: Shani Mihret!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

She walks!

Check it Out!

Micah Here! Hey folks... Have we got a story to share with you!

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What will you name her?

A 2nd Miraculous Journey of Adoption Begins...

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Links you may interested in to learn more about the journey of adoption and Ethiopia