at last...

She is so beautiful!

Her cheeks are so chubby.

When she's 11, I'll be almost 21!

Can I hold her?

This is crazy.

So, looks like we're going to be the cool old parents.

Can I just scream?

Yes, her hair is curly.

She is so precious.

These are just a few of the comments around the house today :).  At last, we finally got THE CALL.  And of course I missed it.  I got the message to call back and just froze.  Angie from CHI was great.  She said she just needed to ask me a question:  What was it that I wanted for Christmas? ;)  And then, "I have your referral."  We have been on that crazy wait list for 25 months!  And we were with a different agency for 12 months before that - so this really has been a 3 year journey to this point. 

But ahhhh... how 5 simple photographs can melt away (some) time.  She is really so perfectly beautiful.  Huge eyes, chubby cheeks and a big smile.  She is 11 months old.  I'm honestly not sure how much information I'm allowed to share on this ol' blog, so forgive me for not giving more details.

So what's next?  We have to have her records checked over by a pediatrician who specializes in internationally adopted children.  Once that's completed, we are able to send in our acceptance of the referral (along with a check for $3,560 if you are keeping score at home :)).  Then we do some more waiting for court dates and will get to go to her maybe in 6 weeks - this is a huge guess here.  Then we'd return back in 3 weeks or so to get her - again a huge guess. 

I do have one more thing to share.  Just yesterday I met with a mom who lives near me.  I blogged earlier about our connection.  Our daughters have been in the same orphanage and are now together at the House of Hope.  They are around 3 months apart.  She got her court date yesterday and leaves for Ethiopia next Saturday.  She will actually get to hold and play with Esther.  She will be able to take some gifts from us to her.  She will get to take pictures and video of her for us.  This is really astounding.  Astounding in a "my God is so big, so strong and so mighty... there's nothing my God cannot do" kind of way.

I feel like I'm just throwing out random information.  We are really still processing it all.  After 25 months of waiting, you'd think it wouldn't be a shock, but it is.  It overwhelming to think about what is yet to come.  And honestly, the money always stresses me, but God has been faithful to the penny all along the way.  I ask for your continued prayer as we navigate through the court process, prepare for things in our home, raise our needed funds and finally make that flight.  I will of course give more details and pictures once I'm able.

Thank you friends.  What a blessed day indeed.