February Referral Updates

Our agency sends out monthly updates for all families that have referrals. We received these pictures early this month of Lilia. They were taken at the end of February. Doesn't she look great!? She is up to 9.5 lbs (up from 6.5 at 2 months old) and is trying to roll over. She's also pulling up her head to a 45 degree angle which is great to hear developmentally.

I'd like to say these pictures brought nothing but pure joy, but it's not true. Mixed in with joy in seeing my daughter's face, I felt a deep sadness. A sadness that she is growing and changing and we're missing it. A sadness that she doesn't have her mama and daddy and big sister cheering over every little milestone, giving her millions of hugs and kisses a day. A sadness that she is halfway across the world and frankly, it is going to be awhile until we can bring her home.

Our agency is giving us the ballpark figure of traveling mid May. Why? Because recently all the requirements for issuing visas for children adopted from Ethiopia changed. We are currently waiting for our post placement paperwork to be submitted (it has been almost a month since we passed court) and it is taking forever. It has been so painful to wait any news and to hear nothing. If you think of us, please pray for Lilia and for us. Pray for God to stretch out his hand and bring her home faster than we have been told. Pray that whatever obstacle there is in getting this paperwork submitted would be taken out of the way. We need to get our baby girl home. This family is not going to feel complete until she is in our arms. Thank you all for your prayers and encouragement, honestly, we've need them.