Our REFERRAL Call!!!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Psalm 126:3


This past Thursday was THE day!! It all started out normally. I took the kids to school and drove to the Y. I decided to up my time and resistance on the stepping machine so that hopefully soon I would see some results.....I started a sudoku puzzle and was listening to the Today show on my husband's old MP3 player. A friend came up and started chatting. I was so relieved b/c when someone is talking to you the time working out goes by much faster. I finished working out, ran by Home Depot and Walmart and grabbed some paint to repaint the front door. (I have been working on all sorts of home projects lately like clean out the garage, wash the fence, etc....Guess I was "nesting" and didn't know it.)

I have been checking the listserv everyday and sometimes multiple times during the day hoping SOMEONE would get a referral. No news though and Thursday I had another project to do, so I didn't think about it. I told Lilly (our dog) that when I finished cleaning the door I would make lunch and sit out at the patio table so she could play in the yard. I brought that Sudoku puzzle with me that I started at the Y. It's hard to focus there when you can't breath .

I came in, hit send and receive on the computer, and I had an email from our caseworker saying she was trying to get ahold of me or Trevis.....I was like, WHAT??? Oh my goodness.....I ran to the phone....flashing answering machine=caseworker....I ran to my cell phone: missed call-voicemail. I called Trevis and he answered the phone with, "Did you call her?" I asked him if he had talked to her and he told me that he let his work phone and cell phone go into voicemail b/c he wanted her to talk to me first...Gotta LOVE that man....I tried to call "K"--our case worker right away, but it went into voicemail...My heart was racing and I was thinking, "I can't believe I missed a potential referral kicked back in the patio chair, watching the dog roll around in the grass, and finishing a Sudoku. What are the odds?"

"K" called back a little bit later and said there was a little guy she wanted to talk to me about. He is at the upper end of our age range and his birthday is actually coming up really soon, so he will be older than our original parameter of 0-3, but technically he was 3 for 5 more days. She 3-wayed Trevis and began sharing all the information. I was sitting at the laptop at home and Trevis was sitting at his laptop at work. It wasn't quite how I envisioned it all going down, but man was it exciting. My heart was going 90 to nothing.....Then, suddenly I was overcome with the realization that this child was going to be my son for the rest of mine and his life. I have two kids, but the responsilility of adding another child seemed like a very big thing to me. We went over the medical, social, and court info. Our caseworker asked if we'd like a little time to be able to talk and then call her back. I was like, "yes" b/c Trevis and I don't make little decisions without really thinking and praying much less a decision as important as this. He drove home as quickly as we hung up. We prayed and talked. We know that God has placed this little guy into our family. His name starts with "D".

We saw a picture of little "D" and our caseworker sent us several more pics after we got off the phone. (We are not allowed to post them until he is ours in the United States.) I began thinking, 4-year-olds...Go back Melanie....What do four year olds like to play with? Hooray, now I can get him some clothes!! Oh, my goodness, we've got to get his room ready." As you can see, my thoughts were all over the place and I had to pick Natalie up from school in 45 minutes. It was Fall Festival at her school and I had volunteered to work the bowling booth. People were asking me about the adoption, but I couldn't share yet b/c I hadn't even told my kids or our caseworker that we were going to proceed. After I volunteered my 30 minutes, I told Trevis, "Let's go get Spencer from cross-country practice." I couldn't wait to tell the kids. They were both in the back seat and had the most excited looks on their face when I told them we had received our call. They wanted all the details. We gave them everything we knew. I called "K" after we parked back at the Fall Festival b/c Spencer was dying to play the outdoor lazer tag and all the other games.

After the Fall Festival, we took the kids home and showed them the pictures. They are so happy to have a little brother and especially happy that he likes to play ball, is active, friendly, social, playful, smiling, and will be potty-trained. Look at their faces.

We don't know when we will travel yet as the courts are closed until the end of September. We do know that we have lots to get done in the next five days. Please pray for our family that we are able to get all of our paperwork done, all phone consults, and things notarized. Please pray for "D" his heart would be receptive to us, that God would fill him with hope and joy, and that he will attach quickly....Thank you so much everybody.

Romans 15:13--May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in Him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

With Much Love,