a post of randomness

So this month we moved one spot last month. We are number 

66

We have been on the waiting list for 9 months so far.  It's looking like we still have a ways to go as you can see.  We are hoping that the referrals start to come a lot faster now.  We are trusting the Lord's timing and enjoying Eden and our boys. 

Eden is three months old today and is doing great.  She is starting to smile and hold her head up.  She is trying so hard to coo at us.  She sleeps most of the night now and takes a 4 ounce bottle every three hours.  She likes her groceries a lot.  She still hates tummy time and only wants her pacifier when she is hungry.  She is the easiest most laid back baby we have ever had.  Thank you, Lord.  

Pray with us for those at the top of the waiting list who have been there for a very long time that they would get the call that they are so desperately wanting. 

Thanksgiving and Christmas are already here which is really crazy.  I haven't even started Christmas shopping yet.  

On another random note the low for today is 27 degrees!!! Really?? I thought we lived in Louisiana.  

We are still selling tshirts and bracelets and necklace charms so let us know if you are interested for Christmas gifts.  I am all about buying handcrafted gifts this year.  Gotta support the small businesses and the uniqueness is awesome. 

Catching up

          So our new number for Ethiopia is

We moved one spot last month which is more than we thought we would move.  

The big news at our house is that we brought our sweet Eden home from the hospital. We have been home in Louisiana for a week. It was so good to be able to bring our sweet girl home. There were times when we didn't think this whole adoption would happen, but we knew the Lord was in control and are so thankful that he saw fit to add this sweet blessing to our home. She is so sweet and easy.  We can't get enough of her and are enjoying every sleep deprived minute with her. ;)

Our agency has said that when she is 6 months old if we are comfortable receiving a referral that they are fine with us moving forward with our Ethiopian adoption. They have said they think it will be about 9 months before we get one. We are totally fine with that and are praying that we can raise the remaining 11,000 that we need to complete the adoption. 

I'm not going to lie when I think about raising MORE money I start to hyperventilate a little bit.  More money? We have to raise more? I'm going to be brainstorming over the next few months on how to best do this and come up with some new fun fundraisers that everyone should enjoy.  In the mean time we still have Ethiopia t-shirts, bracelets, and puzzle pieces left to sell, so feel free to let me know if you want one.  We know that the Lord has called us to adopt both Eden and Willow so we will rest in knowing He will provide for Willow when the time is right.  He has done the impossible right before our eyes so many times with our adoption of Eden and we are so thankful and continue to anticipate what He will do with Willow. 

Here are a few pictures of Eden for your viewing pleasure.

                                   

Jude holding her for the first time

                                      

The first time Carter met her

The boys getting to see her for the first time

Getting to leave the hospital

Puzzle Progress

Here is how the puzzle is coming. We have sold 93 pieces so far

We have a little under $2000 dollars to raise before Eden is born. Not too bad, huh? We know The Lord is going to provide. We are so thankful for everyone that has purchased pieces so far.  Help us sell some more puzzle pieces to finish our girls' puzzle. Pieces are $10 a piece. I can't wait to hang it up in their new room :)

He's a SHE???

So, it's about time I tell the exciting story.  We had just had a super cute little gentleman's shower the night before for Malachi. So, keep in mind that I have received monogrammed stuff, boys clothing, and had a Malachi puzzle as well.  Our birth mom had had a Dr's appointment the day before, so I was just waiting to hear how her appt went.  At some point I looked down at my phone and saw that I had a missed call with a voicemail.  It was from the attorney's office.  In the message she said she had something to tell me but just added "All I'm gonna say is, I hope you didn't buy blue paint."  At this point I was in total shock. Did she say what I thought she said?  I called Casey immediately and told him what the message said. I kept trying to call her back and didn't get an answer. Was this true, could it really be a girl and not a boy.  I was hyperventilating, in case you were wondering. :) I did eventually get in touch with her and confirm that we were talking about the same birth mom and that the Dr also confirmed that it was indeed a girl! So, back to the store I went and exchanged all the blue for pink and can I tell you how much fun it is to buy girl's clothing? I had a blast. I took all the monogramming off the blankets and such and bought a new puzzle. So, we are now in girl mode. We are frantically trying to get her nursery done in these next 5 weeks before she is born. We'll see if we can do it.  So Malachi Davis is now Eden Elise, and we can't wait to have her in our arms.

We also had an awesome garage/rummage sale where we made over 3,632 dollars.  Such a blessing.  We have mailed our August check and only have to pay for one more month. We are in the home stretch.

Ethiopian adoption news.  It has been an incredible month of referrals for Ethiopia. We should get our new wait list number tonight and should move a lot of spots. Will let you know asap what that number is when we know.

Thank you to everyone that has prayed and supported us through this amazing adventure of adoption.

The Houghs