Yes, we are still waiting....

Hi friends....
It has been many many months since we have posted an update on our adoption.  No ,we did not fall off the face of the earth and no, we have not stopped hoping and dreaming and waiting for our baby! In these many months, we've gone through many family changes, and many many emotions, but we have never lost hope that we will meet our baby one day soon.
It is now January of 2016 and it has been over 2 years since we started our official journey towards baby.  As of this month, a total of fifteen different birthfamilies have looked at us as a prospective adoptive family....and all fifteen have found a different family for their child.
We have been riding on wave after wave of tempered excitement followed by disapointment once again.
Then 2016 brought our "number sixteen"....and this time we were asked to come meet the birthmother! What joy that we were FINALLY...possibly?...a real option! Dare we hope for.....hope?! This birthmother was a sweet woman who we both enjoyed and found an easy connection with.  I left that meeting with a special love for her in my heart. My prayers were for comfort and clear direction for her as she made this difficult choice.
A few short days later (but it felt like forever), we got the call that the birthmother needed to sort through a few details, but that she planned to place her son with us!
And the breath holding began......dont get too excited, but get prepared.....the baby is coming soon.....do we have diapers?...do i dare go look in the baby's room?.....no, not yet.....just in case...should we tell anyone?...should we tell our son?.....no, lets keep it quiet....i CAN'T keep it quiet!
We managed our "cautious excitement" in the best way we could and I found, once again, that my hubby was my earthly rock and the Lord was my true Strength and Sustainer.

Then the phone rang at 10:30pm......"the baby was born last night...."   I almost took what felt like my first breath in weeks!!! Our son??...was our son born last night?!!!  but then....... "the birthmother has decided to parent her son. She has enough support now. I'm sorry."

And then it was over.
Nothing to say.
No goodbye to this sweet birthmom, no getting to see this little boys face....
No way to figure out how to feel, or what to feel, or what to do now.
My first feeling was to be thankful that God answered my prayer- i had asked Him to help this mom to make the right choice. And He did...and she did.
But then i cried.
And i cried hard.....many many tears...but silently...very silent heavy tears.
It's like a grief you feel you aren't allowed to have. Im supposed to be happy for this family. And, truly, I am. But im also so sad.
Though we had no claim to him, I was beginning to turn my long-held love toward this little boy....and now i felt like i lost my "almost-son"......a loss for certain........a miscarriage of sorts...... an emotional miscarriage.......a miscarriage of hope.
A part of my heart feels vacant.

But despite our sadness or disapointment, we do not hope as the rest of the world hopes....we have a great and gentle Father who knows the desire of our hearts. He has great and perfect plans in mind for us.
Has He abandoned us? No!
Has He forgotten us? No!
Does He promise that this will be easy? No....no, He does not. (But we always knew that.)
BUT.... does He promise to sustain us as we regain our strength to move forward again.....YES, YES, YES!
And so, once again, we are clinging to the hope of Jesus and knowing that we can safely rest in His care.
And so, again, we wait.......so, again, we ask for your prayers for God to give us courage and sustain us as we wait.

our "40 days and 40 nights"

Homemade love awaits our baby- and reminds us of God's faithfulness and His promises through our '40 days and 40 nights!' 

I recently read a great encouragement by Maya Ralston entitled "When God Makes You Wait."
I found such encouragement from it, that I want to share it with you.  Maybe you feeling God is making you wait? Waiting for a job, waiting for a soulmate, waiting for the right home, waiting for healing from a disease....we've all waited for something in our lives.  Im sure we've all had a wait (or two or three) that have tested the soul and given our faith a good shaking.
As we wait for the arrival of our baby (going on 17 months now), we have to cling to the promises God has for us- that His plan, His timing are best for us. We could not arrange it better than He can.
Consider these folks from the Bible who waited:

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"Jesus could have come and healed Lazarus when he was still alive. INSTEAD, He waited to raise him from the dead when he was already in his grave.

God could have made David become king the day after he was anointed. INSTEAD, he waited 15 years to rise to the throne, many of those years spent fearing for his life, hiding out and running away from his father-in-law.

God could have soken to Moses in he desert about sending him to free His people from slavery 40 days after he ran away from Egypt. INSTEAD, He waited 40 long years.

God could have gotten Joseph out of prison one year after he was sentenced there. INSTEAD, he was stuck in that dungeon for 10 years before he was finally set free.

God could have given Abraham the son He promised him when he was stil la young man. INSTEAD, He waited until Abraham was 100 years oldnand because of physical reasons would have a more difficult time conceiving then.

God could have answered prayers and met the needs of these men of God much quicker, but He didn't. He made them wait instead. And He often makes us do the same.
He makes us wait for healing to come after we've prayed for years and there is no sign of recovery.  He makes us wait to fulfill His call on our lvies after He puts the desire and passion in our hearst to serve Him in a certain way.  He makes us wait to give us the desire of our hearts, whether its a baby, a spouse, or a new job.  He makes us wait for direction when we are stuck at a dead end and we don't know where to go or what to do.  He could answer that same prayer that you've been praying for years every night in a millisecond.  That same prayer that has been bringing you to tears. That same prayer that the longer it goes unanswered, the more it makes you question if He even hears.

He kept Moses in the desert for 40 years, Joseph in a priseon cell for 10 years. He kept Abraham childless for 100 years and David o nthe run for 15 years. And maybe He is keeping you right where you are at for the same reason He kept these men waiting for so many years: to build your faith!
To build you faith in the dungeon cell, during the valley of your life when it's too dark to see and too hard to believe.  To build your independence on Him when you are barren and empty to see if He is truly all you desire and all you need.  To see how well you wil ltrust and serve Him when you are still stuck in the background somewhere, doing seemingly nothing too significant for Him.  To build your trust in Him when the storm keeps raging, the battle keeps going and breakthrough and victory doesn't seem near.

See.....sometimes the waiting period of our lives is the most important time of our life!
It is during this period when nothing seems to be happening, when prayers seem to go unanswered, when God seems so far away that the most spiritual growth happens in our lives.  That we learn to be more like Him.  It is during this time that we build spiritual "muscle."  We grow i nfaith.  We learn to only depend on Him.

What are you waiting for today?
What longing do you have that seems so far from ever being fulfilled? What prayer do you keep on praying that seems out of reach of God's ears?  I want to remin you that God is not deaf to your prayers.  He is not blind to your tears, to your desires, and to your needs.

If He is making you wait, there is a very good reason for it!
If He is telling you 'no' today. maybe it's because He has a better 'yes' waiting for you tomorrow. If He is keeping you in the same place you've always been today, maybe it's because He's building your faith before you can enter the Promised Land tomorrow.  If He is not healing you or bringing you victory today, maybe it's because you will have a greater testimony when He waits to help you be an overcomer tomorrow.

Wherever you are today, know that God is right beside you and that there is a purpose for you.  Even if the purpose is to wait.  Don't give up just because you don't see anything happening today.  Maybe there is nothing physically happening that your eyes can see but there is definitely something happening in the spiritual realm as you learn to rely on Christ.

Don't allow your waiting period to make you hopeless about what tomorrow will bring.
Instead, let it build your faith and give you even greater hope for what God has prepared for you.  He amde some of the greatest men of faith wait. Don't be discouraged if He makes you wait as well.  He will come through for you, just as He came through for them!

"Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -Psalm 27:14"
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"Don't give up just because you don't see anything happening today.  Maybe there is nothing physically happening that your eyes can see but there is definitely something happening in the spiritual realm as you learn to rely on Christ."
These words are a powerful encouragement that I repeat to myself daily when I feel sad or confused or frustrated that our baby has not arrived yet.
So I pray for our baby and count my blessings in the meantime.
Noah and his family waited 40 days and 40 nights in a stinky boat full of animals with only endless stormy ocean surrounding them.  I think of his wait on God often because our baby's room is decorated with the Noah's ark theme.  (It seems all to appropriate the longer we wait.)  We all wait in some way at some time, so as I pray for us to remain focused on God's faithfulness during our wait, I pray for others too.
Though our waits are different, we are all really in the same boat together!

We are a 'Lifesong for Orphans' family!

                                                                                                              

March 9, 2015

Dear church, family, and friends of Dave & Jennifer Metz,

                                                 

God desires orphans of all nations to be adopted into Christ-honoring families so they can hear the

Word of God and ultimately be adopted into God’s eternal family through faith in Jesus Christ.  While God calls us to fulfill James 1:27 and “visit the fatherless” not all are called to adopt.  Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to go on mission trips, and some to adopt.

Lifesong for Orphans is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and to obey God’s call to “visit the fatherless…in their affliction” (James 1:27).  With over 147 million orphans worldwide, Lifesong seeks to mobilize the Body of Christ to love and care for orphans.  Lifesong serves families, churches and orphans through adoption funding.  Additionally, Lifesong brings joy and purpose to orphans globally in seven countries and domestically through foster care initiatives.  Please visit our website (www.lifesongfororphans.org) for more information.

Dave & Jennifer have sensed God’s call to care for the fatherless and have joyfully stepped out in faith and obedience to adopt a child here in the states.  As you may already know, adoption can cost $25,000-$35,000, and this financial burden prevents many godly families from adopting.  Lifesong believes God has called this family to adoption and invites you to support them financially to help them bring this sweet baby home.  

Funds donated to Lifesong for Orphans will be given to help cover adoption expenses. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and your gift is tax deductible.  100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover adoption costs--nothing will be taken out for Lifesong for Orphans administrative costs.  

Will you invest financially in the life of this child?  It will be an investment with eternal return.  God bless you for laying your treasures up in Heaven.

For His Glory,

Andy Lehman Vice President

Bringing Joy and Purpose to Orphans

PO Box 40 Ÿ Gridley, IL 61744

P 309.747.4527 Ÿ F 309.747.4647 Ÿ www.lifesongfororphans.org

  

I'm a guest blogger!

Thanks to Christina, Tiffany, and MaryAnn for letting me part of your awesome blog!!! Check it out!
http://www.playeatgrow.com/2015/03/how-do-i-talk-to-my-child-about-adoption.html

Growing in our Hearts Fundraiser Blessings

Encouraging, tagging, donating, setting up, baking yummies, shopping, bagging...so many friends, family, and strangers came out to encourage our family and the Galbraith family at the Growing in our Hearts Fundraiser. 
Our sale was an overwhelming blessing financially but in other ways- ways that are closer to my heart.....
One woman and her daughter came in to shop at the sale and spent a long time telling me their adoption story.  Her daughter was shopping for loads of pink anything and was buying for her baby sister....they left with lots of great deals and I was left with a double blessing.
Thank you immensely for the wonderful turn out and support!

Two Family Fundraiser Coming March 14th!!!

We are so grateful to the Galbraith family for including us in their adoption fundraiser sale!

We are currently taking donation of gently used children's clothing/ toys/ items, homemade crafts, and other gently used household items to sell.  We are willing to pick up donations from nearby friends- all donations must be recevied by Sunday March 8th.

Looking for Bakers too! All baked good sales will benefit the Galbraith family, and sellable donations can be given to the Galbraith family as well.

Please spread the word and come on out and shop!!!!!!

All the pieces are coming together!

Our adoption puzzle is filling with names of wonderful people who have generously given their dollars, the support, and their prayers to us in our journey.  We are thankful and honored to be so loved!
(to become a piece of our puzzle, we are asking for a $5 per piece donation to acheive our fundraising goal. a paypal link is available here on our blog if this is something you would like to participate in!)
Thank you for blessing us and our baby-to -be.  This baby is so loved by so many people already!!!

He holds the world, my life, my future, my family, and our baby, gently in His hands...

Our baby is just "our baby"

Happy New Year! 2015.....the year of our new baby.
Maybe?
We hope!
     With a new baby on the horizon, and many friends having babies of their own recently, it occurs to me that even though our baby will come to us in a different way than the "bio babies" being born around us, they will still be simply..... a baby.
...and we will simply be parents of a new baby.
...and Liam will simply be a big brother.
     We will not refer to the baby as "the adopted baby" and we dont want to be referred to as "the adoptive parents"....we are just "the parents." Our children do not need special prefixes and don't need to be referred to in ways that distinguish them from each other. They are simply "our children."  Having a newborn in the house again will likely be much the same as it was 4 years ago (but hopefully with less hours of crying!)
     This week, a friend asked how they can help us when our baby to be arrives....(what a great joy to know others care and are there to support you!)...and I imagine we'll need the same kind of help that any parents of a new baby will need. Once our baby is home, they- and we- are just like any other newborn, any other parents, any other family with the same struggles of sleepless newborn nights and crying fits and endless dirty diapers.
     With these thoughts in mind, I found a blog called "Joy Comes in the Morning".
http://www.joycomesinthemorning.net/2014/07/22/5-ways-to-support-adoptive-families/
    In this post, Angela gives some great ideas for how to help waiting families, and how to help once the baby has arrived. Many of these ways to help are great for not only waiting families but for biological families awaiting the birth of their baby.
     This encouraged me to think more about being the hands and feet of Jesus to other families when a new baby joins them....I hope it will encourage you too!!

Adoption's roots

I love history...reading about it, visiting historical places, and learning what life was like in different times and for different people. Since we began our home study process last year, I've become more and more curious about the history of adoption in the US.  I found this link that gives a brief overview of the history of domestic adoption in the US. 

http://childfound.org/domestic-adoption/

There is intense sadness in the way so many children were treated during this history....history may have started out with 'good intentions' but the way of carrying out those intentions often had insensitive and sad results. One of those historical moments that both fascinated the history buff in me, and brought tears to the mother in me, is the Orphan Trains.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orphan_Train

All this talk about history makes me wonder what kind of culture our family will embrace and become part of when our baby arrives....maybe our baby will be of south american descent, maybe asian, maybe a combination of several.  I'm excited about teaching Liam to know (and love) his history, his family history, and his heritage as he grows (he already has his own junior bagpipe!!)
I wonder what culture, heritage, and history we will absorb into our newly blended family once baby comes...I hope we have some details to share with baby so they can appreciate their roots as well. It will be fun to learn about another kind of heritage and celebrate all the histories in our blended family!

notes from another waiting family...

http://livinglifewithopenarms.blogspot.ca/

It's good to be in good company :)
This blog is written by a friend of mine who is also "waiting for baby"....in times when i feel like no one understands the emotions, anxieties, and occasional turmoil of the adoption process (so far), i have often turned to blogs of strangers for companionship and help. Its sweet to know I now have a friend who feels the same things!!
I understand wanting to celebrate in big ways, and friend- we are celebrating with you as you wait!!

The 4th Christmas Stocking

     I love decorating for Christmastime.... I love pulling out the pine scented candles and the hanging the twinkling white icicle lights above our front door...i love the colors, the joy, and the nostalgia of a tree full of ornaments- some homemade and some with special memories.  Of course, the true celebration of Christmas for our family is the birth of our Savior, but I also enjoy all the jingle and lights that come along with the Christmas season.

     This year Liam helped me hang up our stockings, and as we put our 3 stockings on the fireplace, we must have been feeling the same sudden twinge of sadness (like mother, like son?).  As I hung them I wondered when we would be hanging a 4th stocking from the fire place.  Should I have gotten one for our baby to be? There are exactly 4 hooks for hanging stockings on the fireplace after all...
     I didnt dwell long on the thoughts and had already turned to find another decoration to hang when I realized Liam was still staring at the 3 stockings....

"Mommy, why do we only have three stockings? What about our baby? Our baby needs a stocking!"

     I stopped and took a deep breath to keep the now increasingly sad "twinge" from bringing tears.
I thanked him for being sweet and remembering "his baby," and then I explained that we are going to wait until our baby comes before we get a stocking for him/her.  He seemed satisfied and went on the play happily with his cars.

     This was a wonderful Christmas full of family time, fun, and celebration of our Lord Jesus, but throughout the whole time of celebration, I couldn't seem to shake that little sad twinge in my heart.
Will we have 4 stockings next Christmas? 
Was this our last Christmas as a family of three?
Is our baby's birthmother pregnant right now?
Is she trying to enjoy Christmas, but worrying about what to do?
Is she with family this Christmas?
I try not to dwell on any of these wonderings for very long.  We have no news of our baby yet, so there are no answers to any of my questions yet. 

     But I feel like something...someONE...was missing this Christmas.  It felt like we should have 4 stockings, because in my heart, we are a family of 4......just missing one right now. 
     Liam is eager too....despite being resolved to only having 3 stockings for now, he insisted that "his baby" needed a Christmas present- just in case they came in time.  He picked out a blue baby maraca and we wrapped it.  He wants to keep it wrapped until he/she comes. What a sweet boy!
     Dave is patient...I know he looks forward to our baby coming home, and he is good at waiting (or at least he looks like he is "good at waiting.").  I'm so grateful that he will just give me a hug when he finds me standing in the baby's room...he is a rock in our family. :)  He helps us be patient.

so,
Dear Baby, (wherever you are).....we hope you are growing and healthy inside your mom right now.  I pray for you daily and we are all eager to meet you, see your face, and snuggle you up. We can't wait to sing to you and rock you and kiss you and show you how loved you are......and buy you the 4th stocking to hang on our fireplace for your very first Christmas at home.  I know your big brother will help you hang it up. Merry Christmas baby- we love you and we miss you.
Love,
your Mommy

"Second verse, same as the first".....but with something new :)

The last time i posted an update, we were excitedly heading toward the "matching" phase of our adoption.  However, we were in for a bit of a roller coaster between that post and this one.  Just after our second of three home study visits, we were put "on hold."  It was a very challenging and emotional "hold" for me, and since there wasn't much to update in that time..i didnt......until tonight :)
So......i feel like a broken record...."second verse, same as the first....".....we did not finish when we expected to, but this time i can say its for REAL.....
Our final visit has finally happened, and as of tonight we are officially DONE our home study process!
YAY- i couldnt be more relieved and joyful and excited to move forward...forward into the 'matching'...forward into the real waiting.....forward into the great unknown that God has already planned out for us.  What a ride this will be!
Our family profile can now be viewed by birthfamilies and we will either find ourselves matching up with a pregnant birthmother (and eagerly awaiting our due date), or we could get a surprise phone call that gives us less than a day, or a few days notice for a baby coming home.

When i was pregnant with Liam, I remember wondering all sorts of things...."will he have blonde hair? will he looks like me or Dave? will he like to read? will he play sports? what will his first job be?"  The wonderings went on and on.....
With this baby though, I havent thought once about toddlerhood, or future hobbies or jobs...or even about what kind of infant they will be.....because i dont even know basic stuff, like: WHEN they will be born, WHERE they will be born, WHAT ethnicity or gender they are....and that list goes on and on.
For all the unknowns with Liam, we at least knew approximately when he would be born (ok, he was a couple weeks late, but we were close), and where (although he threw us for a loop and wanted to be born in the hospital, contrary to our plan). And we were pretty darn sure he'd be caucasian ;)
The unknowns with this baby are enormous- so much that its hard to even sort through all the 'wonderings.'....we'll just have to wait and see...and THEN we can begin wondering :)

With so many unknowns ahead, and much uncertainty, we ARE certain of this.......God has a perfect plan for our baby (wherever they may be), and it will be a wild but amazing ride to find our baby.  We will need to lean hard on God to emotionally sustain us and provide for us, so we ask for your prayers in this.....wisdom in chosing our baby, emotional strength, and the ability to adjust to many news things in a very short time.

Thank you for hanging with us in prayer during these past few "silent" months, and thank you for continuing to share our joy as we now move closer to bringing baby home.

-Nifer

FAQ's:

Q Where are we adopting from?
A: PA or DE

Q: What are the laws in those states?
A: in PA the paperwork is finalized when our baby is 30 days old, but they can come home with us immediately from the hospital.  in DE, the baby needs to remain in state for 2 weeks, at which time all paperwork is finalized.  This means we would need to move to DE for 2 weeks if we receive our baby form that state.

Q: What is the time frame at this point?
A: In the domestic infant program, our agency's wait time is 1 day to 1 year. It could be a quick placement if the baby is already born, or we might have a few weeks or months notice if the birthmother hasnt given birth yet.

July 1st: "due any day"

     July 1st......we don't have a "due date", but at least we do have THIS date.
This is the date we will finish our 3 home study evaluations (done by our Bethany Case Worker), and this is the day we will become eligible to be matched with a child (or a pregnant birth mother).
     After July 1st, I guess you could say we are "due any time."  In reality that "any time" is not likely to be July 2nd, and maybe not in July at all.....it may not even be in 2014.
Only the Lord knows when we will meet our new baby....He has never steered us wrong to this point and provided what we need, so I trust Him to bring out baby into our lives at just the right moment.
(Now if I can only keep my eager, antsy self from wanting Him to hurry it up! haha!)

     So, you may wonder (and some of you have asked)..."what exactly will happen after July 1st?"
Well...here's what we know....
     As of July 1st our "family profile" will be made available for birth families to see.  Our profile will be shown only to parents who's circumstances/preferences match ours.
Then we hurry up and wait......our profile will be shown and when a birth mother/birth parents want to talk with us or meet us, we'll set up a time and get to know one another.
     They may pick us....they may not.....some people ride that wave many times before they have a successful "match." I'm not sure how to really prepare for the emotions that will undoubtedly accompany the ups and downs, so I'm praying God will grant great patience and temper my tendency to get super excited....until its time to get SUPER EXCITED :)
    We could be matched with a birth mother who is 5 months pregnant, or we could find that a baby has already been born and is awaiting a family! Again, only God knows.....

    From here on out, it is becoming more and more real that our baby is not some dream baby with no face, no name.....but he or she is very possibly in utero at this moment....and he or she will be coming to our family soon!!!!!
     I can't wait to meet you baby Metz!

Sweet Blessings

     What a wonderful blessing we experienced during our "Faces of Adoption" Event and Bake Sale!
     We were blessed to learn, and be encouraged, from the personal adoption stories of Anne and Matt (two Grace Chapel friends).  Sharing such personal aspects of their lives posed emotional challenges for them, and we are so grateful that they were willing to share!
     We also got to hear more about adoption and foster care from Heather Bert, the Director of Bethany Christian Services.  After the event several people told me how they learned a great deal that they "never knew" about adoption, and were really touched by the personal stories.  Several even mentioned that they might consider adoption or foster car ei nthe future as a result of what they heard! Praise the Lord!
     In the midst of all this, we had many folks join us for some yummy bake sale fun!  We had even more baked goods than we expected and even though we ended up with some leftover, we were graciously allowed to bring them to the AWANA meeting that week, where we were able to sell all the rest.
     We want to give a truly heartfelt THANK YOU to those who baked, bought, came, shared stories, encouraged us, planned, organized, publicized, and helped work the sale.  The proceeds of the sale were a great blessing toward helping us afford our adoption!!!  A very special thanks to Christina Reif who did not hesitate and jumped right into planning this bake sale once she heard of our plans to adopt.  What a wonderful gift from a friend!  Here are a few pics from the event (just in case you missed it!)....
Nif, Dave, and Liam

Thank you for your help Amy, Rachel ,and Rachel!!!

Thoughts from the "first trimester"....

I've thought a lot about how this baby's entrance in to our family is so different, but also so very similar in a lot of ways to when we had our son almost 4 years ago.

As I write this I am staring at a big stack of papers that include things like FBI clearance forms, CPR certifications, pages of information on our beliefs, backgrounds, jobs, financial info.....this has been our first trimester. (We are waiting on the arrival of one last form and we wil lbe submitting it all THIS WEEK!)

No one asked our deepest darkest secrets when we got pregnant with Liam....no one made sure we could perform infant CPR in case of emergencies....no one double and triple checked our references and asked if we would be suitable parents.....no one verified tha we had a support system and a safe home....

As we worked through piles of adoption paperwork for the last 3 months, I occasionally felt a sense of  "is all this really necessary? We didnt do this with Liam..." Then I realized, we SHOULD have done this with Liam.  Our children are special and precious- both of them- and while we did our very best to be prepared for Liam, and with this baby we are scrutinized more officially, it is good and safe to be sure we are ready for this baby....or ANY baby. I'm so thankful that our agency is thorough with this process- for the sake of the children and the parents (adoptive and birth parents).

In the last 3 months, there has also been excitement, joy, eager expectation, and wondering about our new baby....will it be a boy or a girl? What will he or she look like? 

These were all things I wondered about and found excitement in when I was pregnant with Liam.  With Liam we had occasional OB visits and ultrasound pictures to enjoy....with this baby I have to close my eyes and just imagine the baby I have pictured in my heart.

Liam has given up his room and moved on to a new "big boy" room...and as the baby's room comes together with a slightly new look, I'm more and more excited to eventually have a new baby in it! I go in the room sometimes and just look at the few "gender neutral" onesies hanging in the closet.....will they be big enough? too small?

A lot of things are the same....friends and family sharing in our joy, starting the dreadfully difficult process of agreeing on baby names (Liam has chosen the names "Dora the Explorer" and "Liam Jr."), getting the room ready....

And a lot of things are different....no morning sickness (hallelujah!)....feeling more mentally prepared in general in the absence of difficult pregnancy related symptoms.....having no idea about a "due date".....no chances to share ultrasound pics or know that our baby is "the size of a kumquat this week".....

I am labelling the completion of our home study paperwork the "end of our first trimester" and as I look back on this process so far, I'm just overwhelmingly thankful for the blessings God has given us in that time.  I'm thankful to God for His great plan for us.  I'm thankful for my husband who allowed God to open his heart up to this baby.  I'm thankful for the family and friends- and folks we barely know- who have shared in our joy and encouraged us.

And I am thankful for the birthmom who will choose life for our baby.

I can't wait to meet you, baby Metz.....soon...soon....

Mommy loves you!

A Sweet Treat...

The "Faces of Adoption" 

Community Adoption Event and Bake Sale

Sunday, May 4th, 2014 @ 'The Rock' 

(19 E. Eagle Rd, Havertown)

Parking at Grace Chapel (1 W. Eagle Rd, Havertown)

Bake Sale begins at 12:30, Adoption Event begins at 1pm

All proceeds from the bake sale will benefit our family's adoption.

Calling all bakers of homemade yummy deliciousness....we need your help!

Treats that are simple, fancy, unique, big, small....we love them all!

Thank you for using your gifts to help us!

To sign up to donate baked goods, click here.

Join us for the free adoption event where you will

learn about adoption, and hear personal stories from people

in our community who are touched by adoption.

Please share this event with friends, coworkers, neighbors- it's open to all!

The "Faces of Adoption" Bake Sale Fundraiser

          We are excited to announce the "Faces of Adoption" Bake Sale!!

Liam and his cousin love cupcakes!!!!

Mark your calendar for Sunday May 4th (time TBA) to hear personal stories of friends touched by adoption, learn more about adoption, hear an update on our family's journey and.....shop a delicious bake sale!!!!! 
(all proceeds will help us defer adoption costs).

We need BAKERS who are willing to donate yumminess!
(Contact Nifer or Christina Reif if you want to help by donating baked goods.)
Thanks to all who have worked hard to help make this happen!
More info to come......

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A Thirty-One update: THANK YOU to Chrissie Stulak and all those who shopped the sale. We hope you enjoy your purchases, and we are thankful that you chose to help us in the process!  We were able to raise almost $300 toward our adoption costs! What a great blessing!

A Puzzle update: Our puzzle is together and we've been adding lots of names! THANK YOU for sharing in our joy! We have many pieces left for those of you who still want to be part of it!

and most importantly.....
An Adoption Update: we are still in the paperwork phase of the Home Study. We are nearing the end and have set a goal of turning in all paperwork by April 23rd. At that point we will move on to our three Home Study Inteviews.  
Once those are completed we will make a Family Profile (that will be viewed by prospective birth parents) and be an official "Waiting Family".
Our prayer at this point is that we will be diligent in completing our paperwork and continuing to trust God to provide for us. We need God's guidance as we move into applying for scholarships, grants, and loans to help us with financing.
Thank you to those who continue to ask us how we are doing with the process, and have kept us in prayer! God is doing great things!

The Thirty-One sale is on!

Need super cute and stylish organizational ideas? 

Need to buy a gift for a birthday or Mother's Day (it will be here before you know it!)?

Looking for an adorable alternative to those cheap Easter baskets for kids?

Many thanks to my friend Chrissie who offered to donate a portion of this month's proceeds to defer our adoption expenses! You only have until March 25th to shop to benefit our adoption!

Please feel free to share this with friends, coworkers, family, and anyone who loves Thirty-One products or has a heart for adoption!

Happy Shopping and Thank you all!

Nifer and Dave