9 months later...

In June, when it was warm (much warmer than today), we were de-cluttering and packing up boxes to take to my loving brother's house to store there. I remember packing those boxes, loading those boxes, storing them upstairs in his house. I remember praying - drained, emotional, hopeful and exhausted:

"God please...please let me unpack these in a new house. I really don't want to pack these things, and do all of this just to bring it all back here in a few months if we don't move."

Today I unpacked most of those boxes. In our new house. The house that is feeling more and more like home every day. For all of us. Moving them from my brother's house to our van made me pause and take in the moment a bit. This could have had a very different outcome...I sometimes have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming...we really are on the path we are on. 

Yesterday I made my last trip to the post office. I shipped everything off that I could (assuming nothing will have to be re-done OR re-re-done - please, no.) It took exactly 9 months. :) How funny is that? The "move" - added about 3 months give or take (for those of you playing along at home). 

Tomorrow our package should arrive in Oregon and will then be shipped to Washington DC (to hopefully be authenticated before life there gets even a whole-lot-crazier in the next couple weeks. Then it will get shipped back to Oregon to our agency. Our caseworker will organize it in a Dossier Binder and ship it to China. There it will sit until it gets "logged in" and translated. Once it does we will be notified and given a LID (log in date). Then we will wait for a referral... we will wait for a phone call letting us know that an email is on the way with information and a picture of a little girl who needs a family. Good thing I'm an expert at waiting. 

Exhale (pause for snickering)

Would you pray for me us as we wait? Would you pray that we would have the peace that passes all understanding especially when we do receive a referral. We have the choice to accept or decline and the thought of both makes my stomach do gymnastics. 

The truth is God knows who Grace is already. He knows and has always known that she needed us and that we needed her. I told a 10 year old friend recently that I pray for Grace. She replied "but you don't even know who she is yet!" God knows. I'm praying that He is already preparing her heart to be loved. I pray that whomever is caring for her now is gentle and kind so that she feels safe. 

Please pray for our kiddos too. Sometimes I forget that adding a sister to our family is a monumental change - on top of several other large changes we've weathered so far. 

It's gonna get all kinds of exciting in the weeks to come - I can hardly wait :)