Well, we’re quite overdue for an update aren’t we?  Lots of things have been happening since our last post.  The boys and I went to Birmingham to spend a few days with family.  My mom and aunt put together a wonderful baby tea with the help of a few other people.  It was very nice and I got to see lots of people I haven’t seen in what seems forever.  Thank you all for the wonderful gifts!  While we were visiting, we had a couple family get togethers and enjoyed ourselves.  It was a nice trip but the time always seems to pass too fast while we’re home.

My parents were planning to come home with us to stay through Christmas.  My mom wasn’t feeling well and really needed a break since she does a lot to help my dad.  She definitely has a full plate!  She decided to stay home and has been seeing several doctors.  She’s scheduled for outpatient surgery before Christmas on her esophagus.  Hopefully she will be getting better and get lots of rest very soon.  We miss her being here, though.  The boys are enjoying having Papaw here and are helping him lots.  They’re being real troopers helping me keep his travel trailer picked up, etc.

We’ve been keeping my dad busy while he’s here.  On Thanksgiving, we went to Cracker Barrel (our usual) and to the new Harry Potter movie.  Our friends, the Bellingers, joined us this year.  We had a nice time.  Papaw was able to see Blake’s recital, Chase in the Christmas parade and he went with us to our Families with Children from China monthly social dinner.  He really enjoyed seeing all the beautiful little girls.  He did say, though, he’s a bit jealous because they already have their little princesses. J   This week, we’ll go to Chase’s Christmas concert at school.  Chase has taken full advantage of having Pap’s truck at his disposal.  He’s going to hate to have to drive his Jeep again when Paps leaves!

Now for some news…notice I didn’t say good news!  China has definitely slowed down.  When we started the process, we anticipated a 6 month wait to referral.  If that were still true, we’d be seeing a picture of our beautiful daughter in January.  Notice I said beautiful?  See, I know she’s beautiful, I just haven’t seen her yet!  Anyway, last week referrals arrived, but only for dossiers from April 1 – April 14.  We still have 2.5 months in front of us before we get to see Emma Grace.  Rumor has it that March, April and May were record setting months for dossiers to be logged in China.  So, there are lots of babies getting homes, just not as quickly as we’d like.  At this point, we have *no idea* when we’ll get our referral.  We’re hoping for sometime between March and May, but we won’t know until it gets closer.  We just have to wait for update from our agency and watch the referrals when they arrive for the dates, etc.   It’s really discouraging not to know when it’s going to happen, but God is in control.  I have to keep telling myself that because I have control issues and I like things to run like clockwork!  So, the latest news is no news.  Believe me; we’ll let everyone know as soon as we find out concrete information.  I’ve been postponing my update because it really seems depressing to put in words that it’s slowing down.  It is what it is, though.

Oh, our dossier should be entering the review room any day.  This is where it will go under critical review to make sure everything is in order and correct.  After that, we’ll just wait our turn for the matching room.  That’s when they’ll put Emma Grace’s file with ours and make the first steps to our forever family.

So, that’s about it for now.  I’m going to post a few pictures.  Please visit the Shutterfly link to see all of the shower pictures.  Again, thanks everyone for the wonderful gifts!

My mom sent me this great plaque for Christmas, this is what it says:


Adoption Creed
Not flesh of my flesh
nor bone of my bone
but still miraculously
my own.

Never forget
for a single minute
you didn’t grow
under my heart,
but in it.