It's Go Time!

I woke up late last Friday morning.  At 8:22, I cracked my eyes open, being extremely heavy from the night before.  I felt like a train had hit me Thursday, and when I went to bed Thursday night I felt like that train backed up for the trip back to the station and did a double-take over my lethargic body.  I'm pretty sure I'm dealing with a sinus infection that creeped its way into my body mid-week last week.  I didn't sleep well at all Thursday, so Craig allowed me the pleasure of sleeping in while he got the kids up, got Daisee dressed and took her to school.  I did what I usually do and called my mom to start my day. 

We had talked a while on our landline, and I heard my cell phone ringing in the kitchen.  I barely said "let me call you back" to her after I saw that it was Lifeline calling.  I knew what we were expecting, but when you're in the adoption process, you expect the unexpected, or you don't expect the expected.  You just expect 'whatever'.   Our social worker, Stephanie, said, "Hey, Paige..."  I said, "Hey, Stephanie".  She said, "How are you?"  I said, "just tell me why you're calling."  She laughed, but only because she knew what I was expecting.  I had harrassed her weekly with emails threatening to chew my fingers to shreds if we didn't find out something about our travel dates soon.  When she said, "Hang on and let me conference Craig in", I knew things were about to get good. 

Sure enough, we had been given our official referral.  The government says were good to go, so, by golly, we're goin'. 

We're leaving for Bulgaria this Friday.  Our flight will leave Birmingham around noon, and we'll fly to Houston.  From there we fly to Frankfurt, Germany and then finally to Sofia, Bulgaria.  That's where our daughter is . . . in Sofia, the capital city.  We leave Birmingham at lunch time, but we won't get to Bulgaria until around 1 PM on Saturday because of the time change.  They're eight hours ahead of us, so our bodies are probably going to go into shock trying to get used to new schedules for a little while. 

We'll take Saturday afternoon and Sunday to rest and recover from jetlag, and at some point we'll be introduced to our full-time translator and our driver.  We have no idea what to expect out of these people, but from what we've heard we may have more than we're bargaining for.  A couple Craig talked to last week said that at some point, they had to pretty much ask their translator to back off just a little bit.  It seems they really want to be with you ALL.  THE.  TIME. 

Our visits with Maya will begin on Monday.  As it stands, we're only allowed two hours with her per day, Monday through Friday.  Keep in mind that the Bulgarian society is very rigid, but we're hoping that the orphanage director will be flexible and allow us a little more time.  This is something we won't know until we arrive at the orphange, so we're going to try and make a good first impression upon the person who's mercy we're at. 

This week, we're going to be preparing and packing.  Things are taken care of with the kids.  Daisee is going to Craig's parents for the weekend, and the boys will be with their dad.  After that, my mom and dad will be staying here with all of the kids.  Lots of people have asked how they can help with the kids, and my mom says, "when they start acting up with us, we'll call somebody".  So, if you were saying that to be polite, then block my numbers NOW. 

Our church had a beautiful time of prayer for us during our service tonight.  We reminisced for a moment of a time 5 1/2 years ago when these precious people had a time of prayer for us.  It was when we found out that our twins would serve a purpose that wouldn't be readily understood by us.  It was a time of sorrow, but also a time of great expectation.  There were so many people surrounding us that were taking our names and our babies' names to the throne of an almighty God, and we knew that the trial we were facing would turn into something that would give glory to our Lord.  And boy, did it.  We loved and lost, but the times we spent with friends, family, and our babies will forever be remembered in such special and sacred ways.  We expect nothing different as we embark on a different type of journey.  This time, we go to bring the love of Christ to a little girl who, right now, has no hope in where she is.  We go to love her because HE loves US.  He is calling us to love a little girl that He loves, despite the 'worthless cause' that her society has labeled her as. 

Thank you, friends, family, and church for supporting us.  For your financial support, for your words of encouragement, and for your prayers.  As we leave this week, I'd like to ask of a few specific requests that you can pray for.

 Pray that Maya will be receptive of us.  We're coming into this with open arms (literally), but she won't recognize immediately what this means.  I have no doubt that it will absolutely be 'love at first sight' with Craig and me, but she's a little baby girl that doesn't know any comfort other than the rails of her crib.  This will be a big change for her, and we're praying that God prepares her for us.

 Pray also that we'll be Jesus to the people we encounter.  We want to show the love of Christ to those who may not know it.

 Pray for our children here.  The boys are used to being away from us from time to time, but Daisee hasn't spent more than a couple of nights away at a time.  I'm not sure how well she'll do for that long, and, quite frankly, I'm not sure how well I'll do either.  I don't like being separated from my kids.  I suppose a night or two at a time is ok, but ask Craig and he'll tell you . . . after that its time to be a mama again. 

Pray that when its time to leave, God will give us a peace that will really need to pass our understanding.  I'm not sure how we're going to handle having to leave her.  Not sure at all.  We need to be prepared for that, and have the faith and trust we need to know that when we walk out of those doors, the hand of God is going to stay over her and protect her.  We know that in our heads, but I'm afraid a piece of our hearts will be left behind until we can return back to bring her home. 

And then pray for us as we travel.  I try not to talk too much about it, because I don't want my excitement over actually getting to fly on an Airbus A380 to overpower what the real meaning of this trip is. 

And I may have gotten off on a tangent there.  We need to make it there and back safely, ok?  Just pray that the wings stay glued on.

If you'd just do us the honor of remembering these things when you pray, that's all we ask.  Its the absolute most important thing you can do.  He's in control of this and and he hears you and knows what we need.  He hears it all.  Our hurts, our fears, our requests. 

And he hears the silent cry of a little girl thousands of miles away, that will finally get to meet the ones who have loved her for months . . . her mama and daddy.

Just a few more days, sweet baby girl . . .

Happy Times

This is the first post I've written in a while that doesn't have anything to do with adoption.  Oh.
Wait . . .so maybe I'll just throw this little bit in here.  Our dossier is supposed to hit somebody's desk at the MOJ this week.  So.  That's its final destination.  Bring on the term 'patiently waiting'.  Whatever.  Have you MET me?

I just wanted to throw a few pics out there, just because I think they're cute.  Here goes . . .

Obviously I still can't NOT write about adoption stuff.  This was kind of a bummer, though.  We applied for 5 grants, we got one, and this was our first official rejection letter:

 

Don't get the impression that we expected to receive a resounding 'YES' to every organization we applied with.  It was just a little blow to the ego.  We'll move ahead and wait for others to respond, understanding that if we got all of the grants, then the love wouldn't be able to be spread around to all of the other orphans that are waiting in the wings.  God is absolutely giving us what we need, when we need it.  He's pretty awesome like that.

 

Moving on . . .

 

Aunt Laurie got married this past weekend.  The kids all had a special part in the wedding.  Most of them followed through.  Except Daisee.  She had a precious part, because she was the flower girl.  She had a pretty dress, and a pretty little headpiece to wear.  It was your classic little flower wreath, made of pretty white roses and pretty ribbon.  All was well . . . until the wreath went on the head.  You seriously would've though I had just placed a crown of thorns upon that sweet little brow.  She wasn't wearing it.  Not that day.  Probably not ever.  She had a serious meltdown just as the ceremony was beginning, and thank goodness my mom was there to take action.  For a brief moment, she got better, but then I think she realized she was actually wearing the wreath.  My mom says she snatched that thing off of her head and flung that sucker like a frisbee across the church grounds.  It wasn't a happy moment, and the kid never even made it down the aisle.  Poor Frank (the ring bearer, who did a fine job without her) walked down all by his lonesome self and never had a sweet little gal to help off the stage when it was time.  Bummer.  But, here she is in her princess dress . . .

 

 

. . . and what looks like a little flower halo around her head ISN'T.  We just happened to snap the pic with the flower arrangement behind her perfectly positioned.  I guess this can help you imagine what the headpiece might've looked like . . . sorta.

 

I thought this was a sweet pic of her and Laurie before the ceremony started.  Laurie was giving her a pretty pearl bracelet as a flower girl gift.  If only she'd have known . . .

 

 

Here's a pic of my man-child all dressed up in his suit.  You'll probably never see this again, so you might want to save it.  I mean, if you like Ryan and all . . .

 

 

 . . . and Gavin.  You probably will see this again on him.  In fact, he's had this tie on for three days straight now. A TIE.  For THREE days.   The precious kid can't get enough of it.  He says he loves wearing it, because the adults at church and WalMart (because he wanted to

 wear it to WalMart . . .???) talk to him when he's wearing it. 

 

 

Look at this next picture.  See the tie?  He wore this outfit (minus the tshirt...he had on his dress shirt and black knee socks and dress shoes) to AWANA Sunday night for nerd night.  This is Tuesday morning.  He STILL HAS ON THE TIE. 

 

 

Love these kids.

 

 . . . and I love Les Miserables.  I've seen it twice (most recently being last night, when Mr. Wonderful surprised me with a babysitter and said, "Let's go again."), and I intend to go back Thursday night and see it one more time.  Oh, yes I do.  Maya's middle name?  Cosette.  It comes from the movie.  Go watch it and you'll see why.  Just beautiful.

 

That's all I've got.  Go get a snack and enjoy the rest of the day!

 

Love, Paige

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As of today...

Things are seriously creeping . . . or so it seems.  I think its the weather.  The sun has to come back out in full force at some point, right? 

Our dossier has reached Bulgaria.  Its currently in translation, and will be there for another few days before it will be legalized.  Once legalization is complete, it sits on somebody's desk until that somebody does what he or she needs to do tobe able to call us and say, "come on over". 

I'm getting impatient.  I knew that would happen at some point.  Right now, we have a daughter that doesn't live with us.  In fact, we don't really know where she lives, how she lives, or who she lives with.  We don't know how bad her conditions may be, but we don't know how much better off she may be than other orphans in her area.  As a parent, I REEEEALLY don't like unknowns.  Especially when we're talking about the welfare of one of my kids.  Maya is mine . . . she's ours.  We've claimed her, and I want her.  NOW.  I want to hold her, I want to give her a real bath and cover her in Baby Magic, and I want to talk to her and let her know how crazy her family is about her.  I want her to know what love feels like, because right now, she doesn't have a clue. I want her to know the love of a God that created her . . . perfectly.   She knows what the confines of a steel crib is like, but she doesn't know what the love of a mama and daddy can provide.  I want so badly to give her what basic humanity requires . . . what makes us thrive.  My heart sometimes hurts so badly for her.

If you haven't taken a look at this blog yet, www.nogreaterjoymom.blogspot.com, go take a peek at what's going on with this family.  Adeye is in Bulgaria, with her two oldest sons, right now on a trip to bring her two newest family additions home.  I've never met this woman face-to-face, but she's absolutely an incredible inspiration to me.  I've loved reading her updates, but it makes me long so badly for someone to call us and tell us that we can come and see our Maya.  Once that first trip is over, it will be so hard to leave and wait to go back.  But my heart needs that time with her.  I miss my daughter that I've never even met.

Hold tight, my sweet girl.  We're coming.


-Paige

God Showed Up

I know we're all excited about this football game.  Our eyes are glued to the tube, too.  BUT.  I've gotta tell you about how God showed up today.

Last Friday, we took our first withdrawal out of our 'emergency fund'.  This was our Dave Ramsey money . . . meaning he says to leave money in an untouched account that equals 3 or 6 months worth of expenses.  My hubby is all about Dave Ramsey, so our fund was fully funded.  Up until last Friday.  This was completely ok, though.  We know that God has called us to the purpose of adopting Maya, so we've been prepared to use that money.  Let me tell you, though.  God doesn't call you to a task without equipping you to do so.  Haven't I said that before?

Back in November, I spent HOURS preparing and sending out grant applications.  I had four organizations that I was going to send applications to, and I prayed hard over those things before I sent them out.  I had no idea what would happen.  I didn't really know how these people went about choosing who got what, but I knew that we could forego our applications and get absolutely nothing, or we could give it a shot and see what happened. 

Last Friday, we took $2000 out of our emergency fund.  It was the first time we had touched that fund.  Today, I went to the mailbox.  I saw an envelope from Families Outreach, one of the organizations that we had submitted a grant application to. 

I'll let you read it.

 

Sorry for the horrible image...something was wrong with the photo uploader so I had to use my webcam :).

 

I'm sure you get my point.  We've prayed and prayed for the Lord's provision with this, and just when it might start to hurt just a teeny bit, He shows up.  Not a minute too late, not a dollar short.  Do you see that we withdrew $2000, and we got a grant for $2000?  That's not coincidence!  He knows what we need, when we need it. 

 

We haven't yet heard from any of the other organizations, but even if we don't receive another dime, I believe He did this just to drive home His point.  The point that says, "TRUST ME".  We've been blessed with a few donations from others, and every time another dollar shows up, we hear Him. 

 

We hear you, sweet Father, and we're honored to fulfill your purpose, and to be your children.

 

If you ever doubt, call me.  Email me.  Facebook me.  Just do something.  God is something you don't want to miss out on.

 

Keep praying!

 

Much love,

 

Paige

Another Bonus...

Here's a video of Maya!

Meet Maya...

We got an early Christmas present in the mail today.  our I800 form has been approved, and we're so incredibly happy to introduce you to our newest daughter and sister, Maya...

I'm so proud to be able to share these pictures with you.  This approval was the last little bit of 'official-ness' we were waiting on, so now our dossier can be sent to Bulgaria.  Once its translated and approved there, we'll wait for our invitation to travel.

So that's it.  We wait.  Our thinking now is that we'll travel in February.  Things have moved much faster than we anticipated, but that's definitely a good thing.  She's waiting on us, and we want to go get her...like, YESTERDAY!

Of course, this first travel experience will only entail us meeting her and spending a few days with her.  Then we'll have to return back to the US to finalize everything before we travel once more to actually bring her home.

We're so very excited.  Thank you so much for continuing to pray for us as we walk this road. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,

Paige

News!

This has been quite a process so far.  When Ryan and Gavin were adopted, we were only going by laws and guidelines that pertained to one country.  Simple.  What made it even simpler was the fact that it was our own country.  No translators needed, not a whole lot of weird terms we didn't understand, and no I800 forms or 'biometrics' to worry about.  However, the world of international adoption is about as easy to understand as instructions for putting together a 4-handed robot . . . in Vietnamese braille.  However, we've learned much about what it takes to be able to adopt internationally, and by God's grace, we're almost there. 

On December 18th, we'll have our dossier appointment.  On this day, we'll have everything done that we can possibly do.  We'll sign our names to all of our documents, and Lifeline will finish up.  After that, its on its way to Bulgaria, and hopefully we'll get travel dates telling us when we can go and see our girl.

Which leads to the question many have asked about.  A lot of you know that a few weeks ago, we were faced with a decision that scared us.  Have you ever gone to the opthamologist and put that crazy machine over your eyes?  You know, the one that fits over your face so you look like a housefly?  On the other end, someone with crazy-bad coffee breath, that's within three inches of your face, is saying, "better one, or two?"  Well, that was the question we were asked.  One . . . or two?  We found out that there was a strong possibility that Melina, the little girl we tried to commit to first, may not have had a family, after all.  As I've written about before, adoption is a big money-maker for Eastern European countries.  The agency that had her file said, at first, that they weren't going to let us have it because they had a committed family for her.  However, when the files were due again, she wasn't coming up on the 'committed' list, which led us to believe that the first agency lied about it.  Melina was young, and she could make a lot of money for them, so they could've been trying to keep her simply for that fact.  Maybe not, but maybe.  You just never know.  Anyway, we really didn't think we could leave her behind if there was no one else to take her.  If she could just come here and get treatment, there was so much potential for her.  Not only that, but she was the one we fell in love with first. We just couldn't risk her staying in an orphanage without getting the help she needed.  After talking it over with our agency, we decided to get approved for two.  So . . . we did.  As far as we were concerned, we were bringing Maya AND Melina home.  I had no idea how in the world we were gonna do this.  I really didn't.  Craig would think about it laying in bed at night and start to sweat.  I mean, it wasn't even the additional funds of getting her here we were worried about.  I'm just talking every day operations!.  We were convinced, though, that this is what we were supposed to do.  We prayed like crazy.  I just knew that God would work it all out and that he would 'equip the called'.  We just prayed for his will, and today, he showed us what that was.

The new lists came out today (or yesterday in Bulgaria) and we now know that Melina is officially committed to another family.  Are we disappointed?  Well, maybe a smidge, but we're also relieved.  We're thrilled that she has a family that's waiting for her, but, again, we fell in love with her just like we did Maya.   God has shut a door, though, that I'll not try and pry open.  That's his plan.  I was reminded so much of the story of Abraham and Isaac when this was staring us in the face.  Abraham knew what he was supposed to do, as hard as it was.  He knew that God was asking him to sacrifice his beloved son.  He followed through without fail.  But, it was God's perfect plan and timing that ultimately prevailed, and Isaac was saved.  I wondered if this was the same kind of lesson we were being taught.  Was God testing our obedience?  We doubted and were questioning our ability to bring not ONE, but TWO children with significant special medical needs into our lives.  Our strength, sanity, and resources said , "NO!", but our trust and faith in God said, "YES!"  We were willing to do what seemed impossible.  I truly believe that God was just sittin' back, with his arms folded, saying, "Let's just see what happens here . . ."

Anyway, we're bringing Maya home and we're very at peace with the thought of seeing her sweet face joining our family.  I PROMISE . . . that as SOON as we receive our official immigration approval, I'll share her photo with you.  You really have no idea how badly I want people to see what a precious, beautiful little girl she is.

Now comes the hard part.  It shouldn't be, but it is.  Some have asked us about donating money to help with Maya's adoption.  First, let me say that we're incredibly appreciative of donations that we've received this far.  We're constantly praying for God's provision, and he's doing that.  But, those of you that know our story with the twins know that we've experienced his provision beyond what we ever could've comprehended 5 years ago.  There were so, so many of you that gave to us during a time that was difficult in every way imaginable.  With the amount left over after our bills were paid, we were able to help others with similar needs, and I can't tell you the blessing that it was for US to be able to do that with what we had been given.  I'm BLESSED to be married to an insanely meticulous, brilliant man that keeps up with every dime we spend.  Not only that, but he's kept me grounded in realizing the value of saving.  We've been married for almost six years, and he's been very diligent about saving money.  We have an 'Emergency Fund' that we've been putting money into for some time now, so we're able to pay for a good chunk of our expenses from there.  But, again, God has his ways of using others to complete his purposes. If you'd like to help with any expenses, we've set up a Lifesong account through our agency.  This account will allow you to donate, but also will also give you a tax deduction . . . YAY!  Please DO NOT feel obligated or 'guilted' into doing this.  Its simply a way that we can make it easier for those who want to give.  You can contact me through email (paigestewart0120@hotmail.com) or message me on Facebook and I'll pass along the information you need to be able to do this. 

Thanks so much for all of your prayers and support throughout this entire journey.  We have the best friends and families ever, and although some think we've lost our minds thinking we're able to do this, we know that there's so many others who have our backs.  Just trust and know that we're absolutely doing what our Lord has called us to do.  There's a tremendous joy just in following and saying "YES!" 

Much, much love . . .