First month of forever.

I know, I know.

I am AWFUL at this blogging stuff. The last time I updated the blog was in September. We found out that we did not pass our first court hearing and were waiting for our second hearing on the 26th of September.

Well...I have some catching up to do, but in case you didn't know...our sweet Maya Pallavi is finally HOME!! Back in the beginning of September, I really thought that we would go another Christmas without our daughter, but the Lord made a way for her to be home before Thanksgiving!

We arrived in Phoenix on November 20, 2016 at 12pm after being in India for a month!

We've had an awesome first month home! We're finding our new "normal" and she is adjusting better than we ever could have expected. Yes, there are extremely hard moments, but this adoption process is continuing to remind of the grace that we can extend because of the grace we are so freely given.



My amazing sister in love took these photos for us on Thankgiving! Never have to hold a picture frame again! It's still so surreal to see her in our family photos! We are so very thankful.

Our little Christmas blessing. We prayed for this. God is so faithful!

Things to remember:

• You weigh 33lbs. 4oz. and are 40 inches tall! You've gained about 2 lbs! 
• Your goofy dance moves.
• How absolutely terrified of the dogs you were...it took 8 days for you to be OK with them. You're still not so sure about Miles. Molly is becoming your little puppy pal! You like Mitzy...Mitzy is afraid of you! 
• You have had your share of meltdowns, but are calmed by rocking in the glider with mommy. Usually, at the end, you open up about your past. You love talking about Babies Home and all your friends there. 
• You learned how to how to pedal a tricycle.
• You're learning to speak in phrases and short sentences. You understand so much of what we say to you!
• You love music and dancing
• You are very expressive. You have the best facial expressions!
• We ordered your first pair of glasses.
• How you ask to be carried in the Tula carrier. 
• You love your baby cousins Edison and Lylah.
• You sing "Jesus Loves Me" and "Jingle Bells".

Likes:

• Minnie Mouse
• Eating (Seriously, you can eat man-sized portions of tacos and spaghetti...you also like pizza, carrots, apples, bananas, oatmeal, salmon, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and potato chips. You LOVE chips.  )
• Sleeping (you sleep from 7:30pm-7:30am!)
• Princesses and playing dress up
• Playdough and painting
• Trolls
• Playing outside
• Dancing and listening to music
• Playing with your brothers and their friends! You love all the Nerf guns, superheros, and toy cars that we have here! ;)

Dislikes:

• Cheese
• Not getting your way
• Sweet breakfast food like cinnamon rolls, muffins, or donuts (we're working on it! LOL!)
• When other people have shoes on in the house and you don't!

And as if that wasn't enough picture overload, here's a little slideshow of our first month home! 

And if not, He is still good.

Sometimes things just don't go the way we want.

Sometimes you can pray all the prayers, believe all the things, have all the hope...

And still find yourself in a place of disappointment.


This is where we are after our court hearing on Wednesday. A familiar place of sadness, disappointment, and more waiting.

Unfortunately, we did not pass in one hearing, and our next hearing is scheduled for September 26th. A little over 3 weeks from now which seems like an eternity, but I know it will come quickly.

Today, our family coordinator offered a bit of encouragement. "It's not the movement that we had hoped for, but it's movement, and any movement is still good." She's right. She will come home. It may not be in my timing, but someday we'll finally get the call to book plane tickets and hotels. Until then, we just have to keep trusting, praying, and hoping.

The crazy thing is late that night on the 30th, something in my heart knew that things wouldn't go the way I wanted. The same experience happened on the way to my OB appointments where we found out that we were miscarrying a few years ago. As I scrolled on Facebook, these two posts were literally one right after the other. God really used these words to comfort me, even before the hurt began...

"Really, right now: you're going to be okay... 

There is a plan & there is a purpose & there is a God in heaven who didn’t just ink you onto the palm of His hands but etched your name right into Himself with nails & He’s hasn’t just got your number, He’s got your heart. He sees you, hidden in Him, & you aren’t ever forgotten because God can’t forget those right in Him.

His perfect love absorbs all your fears tonight & His perfect grace carries all your burdens, & your story is a happily ever after because Christ bought your happily ever after --- so you *always know how this story ends*: 

You’re going to be okay."

-Ann Voskamp

"..sometimes it's ridiculously hard to know how to live through the stuff we're facing & you know, maybe this is it:

"Be cheerful -- no matter what; pray -- all the time; thank God -- no matter what happens. This is the way God wants you who belong to Christ Jesus to live." 1Thess5:18

So maybe there's our map through our Wednesday -- we will crush our complaints with thanks -- we will not give in to cynicism, we will not give up to discouragement.

Let's be cheerful, prayerful, thankful -- to keep the day from becoming: awful.

Today's game changer: There is always, always, always something to be thankful for."

-Ann Voskamp

So, here were are yet again in another month of waiting. Please continue to lift our family up in prayer. We appreciate your prayers, hugs, encouragement, and support more than you'll know. I'm praying that September 26th will be our final court hearing.

"But even if He does not, let it be known to you, O king, that we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up." 

Daniel 3:18

It's almost court time!!

I can't believe that this day has come.

We've been praying and waiting for this day. And now we are  literally HOURS away from our first court hearing.

It's a bit surreal. August 31st could be the day that our little sweet P will become our daughter.

We pray that God would move mightily in that court room tonight while we are sleeping. That our case would be heard. That He would guide the judge's heart and mind to grant us verbal approval. That we would be one giant step closer to our daughter.

After 26 months in process we are SO ready to go get our precious girl.

Please be praying with us tonight! We will be sure to keep everyone updated as soon as we find out anything!

We appreciate your prayers, support, and encouragement more than you will ever know! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Closer than we've ever been

Last night, I couldn't sleep.

Maybe it was that cup of coffee that we had at 7pm, maybe it was the sound of the rain pounding on the skylight that we have in our kitchen (which is one of my favorite sounds, by the way). As I lay there in the dark, my mind traveled to Ind*a. I can envision her sweet little face. I've pinched and zoomed and inspected every single pixel of each picture that we have of her. That's just what you do when your daughter lives 8,854 miles away. You live for seeing new photos and you pray.

Sweet P, there isn't a day that you aren't prayed for. Not just by us, but by people we may not even know.

A week from today we will be going to bed, but on the other side of the world one of the most important days of our two year adoption process will be beginning.

Court day. 

I felt like this day would never come, but the fact is, it's almost here! If the Lord puts us on your heart this week, please respond in prayer.

Pray that everyone necessary would be present. 

Pray for the judge, that he would hear her case and that he would give us verbal approval that same day. Pray that he would issue written orders in record time.

Pray for our girl and our family. Big, exciting changes are on the horizon for all of us. 

Pray for God to move mountains so we can book our plane tickets SOON! 

It's getting real. Today we are one day closer to meeting the girl we've loved since we saw her face on May 1, 2015.

She turns 4 in a month.

Last year when we celebrated with Indian food, cake, and family, I thought that 2016's celebration would include a precious little girl.

With our August 31st court date, having her home for her birthday is pretty much impossible. I say pretty much, because I know God is powerful, and if it's His will, we will be celebrating with her. But, realistically and practically, I'm preparing myself to celebrate another birthday spent apart. 

However, I have to remind myself that one month from now, we'll be much closer to getting on a plane! Closer to embracing our sweet girl and never letting go. Closer to hearing her voice for the first time. Closer to telling her how much we love her. Closer to thanking her caregivers for loving on our girl while we couldn't. Closer to starting our forever with her.

I pray that this month leading up to her birthday, that she truly feels the love of Christ deep down in her little soul. That she has a joy, peace, and excitement about her new family. 

We're coming Sweet P, we really are. 

Happy almost birthday, my baby girl!! 

August. The month we've been waiting for!

It's been a long time since we've had official "movement" in our case. Our last big approval was January 20th when we got word that we received NOC (No Objection Certificate).

Today is a special day. A day we have waited over FIVE months for. A day when our family coordinator called with some of the best news we've heard in a LONG time.

"You have a court date THIS month!!"

When I heard her speak those words, my heart was racing, my hands were shaking, and tears were flowing.

Finally. One major step toward bringing our little sweet P home!!

If all goes well, our case will be heard in court on August 31st. Nothing about adoption is predictable, even a specific court date. There are so many ways that this could play out. Obviously, we are praying that everyone needed shows up on August 31st and the judge gives us verbal approval that same day so we can pass court. This is pretty rare, but it has happened before. The more common scenario usually has a few court dates. However, at this point, we're just excited to actually have a date. Please continue to pray for the remainder of our process and now, specifically for court!

Here's what we have left in our process:

Pass court (verbal orders)

Written Orders

Orphanage applies for P's passport.

Orphanage receives P's passport. 

Get on a plane!

We're getting closer sweet girl!! 

Another month has come and gone...

I've said it before. Adoption is hard. Lately, the waiting is taking a toll on my heart.

I am constantly thinking about P. I walk a fine line (not always that well, might I add) of keeping my focus with the family that's living right here with me in our home, and daydreaming about our precious daughter all the way in Ind*a. I feel so torn. I long for the day when we're all under one roof.

At the beginning of this month, the POA that we sent arrived where it needed to be and I had the hope that we would finally get the court date that we had been waiting for. Well, the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into a month. That month has come and gone.

June came and went. July has done the same. Unfortunately, we are still without a court date.

I feel so discouraged, so drained, so tired of waiting, and the worst and possibly ugliest of emotions...so jealous. I see families that were matched after us traveling to bring their little ones home, or have been home for a while now. Yes, I rejoice with them. Each and every child home to their forever families is a huge victory that must be celebrated, but I wonder why we aren't celebrating this victory yet? Why after 25 months in process, and 15 months since we've laid eyes on our precious daughter is she still not home?

I'm really trying to lean into Jesus. I'm asking and praying for His strength to sustain me in this time where I feel so hopeless and impatient.

I know this post sounds so gloomy and depressing, but some days, that's reality. I want to be real with you all and share both the mountains and the valleys that I experience throughout this adoption process. It just so happens that we've been hanging out in the valley for a while.

I know that we won't be waiting forever. Someday, we'll finally be boarding that plane, driving to the orphanage, and holding our girl for the first time.

Please continue to pray with us. Pray that AUGUST will be the month that we have our first hearing. Pray for a quick court process so that we can bring our girl HOME!