Home Sweet Home

Jake was just 17mo. old when Tori was born. I remember the odd phenomenon of seeing him for the first time AFTER she was in my arms.......he looked absolutely ginormous! The still mostly bald headed, 5 toothed boy was so large in comparison to newborn Tori. I wasn't expecting that kind of comparison when coming home yesterday. I know that my kiddos are older and therefore there is no comparison to teeny tiny little Miss, but when I saw them yesterday for the first time? I swear they looked as though they had grown by a foot since I left.......most likely it is the newborn comparison, but it caught me off guard, big time!

Our flights yesterday couldn't have gone smoother. Ethiopia to Frankfurt (via an unexpected stop in the Middle East at 2am - definitely scary when you're not expecting it) to Houston to Kansas City. We had a tight connection between Frankfurt and Houston - an hour and a half to get through immigration, collect our luggage, check in at a different airline to get boarding passes, go through security screening again and then board the plane with long lines throughout each step of that process. We did have to do some socked-footed running after the security screening, but we were NOT going to miss our last flight! We arrived and it was already open boarding, no lines with minutes to spare. Praise the Lord!

As hard as it was to leave my sweet girl? I am so glad to be home. However, I can't seem to think of my little Miss or see a map of the world without tearing up. So my local people be prepared. It is hard to leave someone so precious, so vulnerable on the other side of the world - I am so incredibly glad I had the chance to go - but she is now more than a picture. She is full of personality and absolutely precious. Just look at her......

As for where we are in the process? We should be receiving our paperwork this week (that we've been waiting three months for) and will be submitting to PAIR. There is a glimmer of hope that we could get in before courts close, but just a glimmer - everything would have to move lightning fast AND smooth with no hiccups - which as you all know, has not been our story thus far. We need a miracle. Would you join us in prayer? Please also be praying for her health.  The nurse "sister" at the foster home was talking to me, just Monday, about because she is SO small, that she has very little in reserve if she were to get sick. It is definitely more risky for her to be there longer than she has to be. Pray that she gains weight and that God would protect her from illness. I know that God loves this little gal. That he even knows the number of little curly hairs on her head and that I can trust that He is holding my sweet baby in the palms of His hands.

Micah 7:7 

As for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, 

I wait for God my Savior; 

my God will hear me.