Timeline

A quick timeline of our adoption journey so far (if I could figure out how to add it to the side I would...I'll enlist help from someone eventually):

February 2010 - Started adoption process
September 3, 2010 - On wait list
October 2011- Go on hold
March 10, 2012 - Off hold, back on wait list (adjusted wait list date)
March 1, 2013 - Referral
March 20, 2013 - File submitted to court
April 8, 2013 - Found out MOWCYA court date scheduled for May 24, 2013
May 16, 2013 - Found out MOWCYA court date changed to May 21, 2013
May 22, 2013 - Birth relative relinquished, no MOWCYA letter
June 4, 2013 - MOWCYA letter in file, court date scheduled for June 7, 2013
June 7, 2013 - Passed court
July 25, 2013 - Submitted to U.S. Embassy
August 7, 2013 - Cleared embassy
August 9, 2013 - Received word that our requested embassy appt of Aug 22 was accepted.
August 19, 2013 - Left for Ethiopia
August 21, 2013 - Arrived in Ethiopia, met Mamush
August 22, 2013 - Took custody of Mamush and had embassy appointment
August 26, 2013- - Left Ethiopia
August 27, 2013 - Arrived home in Seattle

Referral!!

We got our referral!! I can't believe I'm actually typing the words. It seems like it's been so long coming that I never thought I would be able to say it! WE GOT OUR REFERRAL!!! 

He's a beautiful little boy that I am already madly in love with even though I've only seen a handful of pictures of him and never met him in person or heard his voice. 

Here's how March 1, 2013 went: 

What a very ordinary Friday it was going to be. I was going to drive to Lynden for work (about a 2 hour drive from my house) to find meters that had no addresses attached to them. BOR-ING!!! I was even wearing sweats because I knew I would literally be driving all day long and really, who was going to see me and who cared what I looked like? 

Just as we're getting ready to walk out the door (I was taking Madelyn and Nolan to school) my phone rang. It was Brandon. It was 8:57am. We usually leave at 8:56am so I was already feeling the pressure of being late. I answered in a very clipped and hurried way, "Hi." Brandon asked me, "Did you see the email from Lindsay?" I said, "No.....I'm walking out the door to take the kids to school." He said, "Read your email." I, not in a nice way, asked him, "What did it say?" He said, "There is a little boy and she wants to know if we want more info on him." My heart started HAMMERING. WHAT?! Is this it?? It's not how it's supposed to be! We're supposed to get a phone call from Fort Worth, Texas. What in the world?! I literally could not think straight for about 10 seconds. Brandon said, "Just check your email." 

So...I get in the car to drive the kids to school, thinking that I would check my email on my phone as soon as they were out of the car when my phone rang....817 area code - Forth Worth, Texas!!!!! This was it...this was what we'd been waiting so long for!

I answered, "Hello?" I got THE. BEST. GREETING. EVER. "Hi April, this is Lindsay from Gladney and this is your referral day." WA HOO!!!!!!! 

Of course I started crying because I was so happy and then asked if she could call back so that Brandon and I could run home and be on the phone call together. About 1/2 hour later we saw the first pictures of our son and got  his background information and health information. We are so over-the-moon happy I can't even describe it. 

Brandon kept saying it would happen in March. He had a "feeling". My friend Suzi said the same thing. She thought March. They were right! 

I can not wait to meet our little guy and tell him how much I love him. The kids are ecstatic and can't wait to meet him. Just praying now that everything goes smoothly for court and embassy so that we can bring him home and start our new life as a family of 5. Thank you, Jesus, for our new son.