While We Wait

I am going crazy over here trying to find something to occupy my time while we wait for the referral. Below are a few pics I have of the nursery set in progress...

My other small project that occupies a little of my time is coming right along. Here are some pics of it.

Check out Pacey in full sprint by the port-a-potty!! He is so excited about his new yard!!!

This is a pic of the upstairs. We haven't decided where Ian's nursery will be but either way our master bedroom is plenty big enough for a bassinet/co-sleeper/or a couch for Cortney to sleep on!!!

This is a picture of the living room from upstairs. Cortney is liking this wall for the big screen!!

Ok, that is all I have people! Other than work, sewing, and making decisions for the house I have about 24 hours a day that I am concentrating on the referral. Pray it will be soon, please!!!

2 months of waiting for a referral

Tomorrow is 8 weeks of waiting over at camp Clevinger! I am beyond anxious. I spoke with Natalie today who assured me that she could not tell us how many families are currently waiting for a referral. You can call it forensic blogging, or WORAP (Waiting on Referral Adoption Psychosis) as Jocelyn so nicely puts it, but basically I have turned into some crazy, freaked out person obsessed with all ringing phones!!! I try every day to not allow all of the hope to creep in but somehow between the hours of 9am and 5pm (Gladney time) I find myself running over top of people to answer all ringing phones. At Rite Aid we have 7 lines and I have actually hung up on people if someone else wasn't available to answer a ringing phone! Does this make me a bad pharmacist?? Maybe, but the thought that Natalie may be calling to deliver the news of a referral makes me do crazy things!!! I'm sure it will stop...after we have baby Clevinger home! All of you blog stalkers out there rest assured that as soon as we have the referral I will certainly post ASAP!!
The optimistic side of me hopes that 8 weeks is nearing the end but I have to tend to the glass half empty side of me that says settle in for another 4-5 weeks of waiting=( Hope I have something good to share soon!

7 weeks..tomorrow of course!

I'm not sure why but I always find myself in the mood to blog on Thursdays!! Mystery to me as to why!! I think that all blogging families have read the Daileader's blog and we have all instantly been filled with hope! Cortney and I know that Ian may not be one of the babies currently in the Gladney house but it gives us the reassurance that progress is being made. Needy babies are being identified, Gladney is locating these children, medical tests are being done, and families are being matched all during these days which are filled will hope that the phone will ring and Natalie will be on the other end. The wait is so hard and I think that any family will tell you that the hardest part is being in the dark.

The house project is moving nicely. We have walls...on the first floor at least!!! I would love to say that it is taking up some of my nervous energy but I don't think that any project can take the constant "what ifs" out of day!! What if today is the day, what if he is in the Gladney house now, what if it is tomorrow...ahh, exhausting to say the least!!!

Tagged by Tara

I have been challenged by Tara to post 8 interesting things about myself. This is really difficult since the most interesting thing about me is that I am adopting my first child from Ethiopia but everyone already knows that!!! So here are 8 things nonetheless that may or may not be interesting!!!

1. Watermelon is my favorite food of all time!! My brother-in-law and I can cut a watermelon in half eat our part in one sitting!!!

2. I started water skiing when I was 3 with my dad!!

3. I have a doctorate in pharmacy!

4. I got married in Las Vegas at the Little White Wedding Chapel to by high school sweet heart and love of my life!

5. I treat my dog like he is a real boy. Anyone who knows us knows Pacey our little (80lb) puppy! He isn't aware that he is a d-o-g and we sure aren't gonna tell him!!!

6. Like Tara I love to worship in the car! I play my Christian music as loud as I can and scream
the words like an opera star!! I cry, praise, and sing in a short car ride far more focused than in my bed at night!!

7. I got to see my niece Emma come into the world. She was the most beautiful little baby!

8. When I was little I used to eat coffee grounds! I loved them and I would sneak and eat them all the time!! (I'm not sure why my mom didn't give me a vitamin since it sounds like I was certainly deficient in something!!)

Work continues on the house. We hope to have walls this week!! I love progress!!

Ahh, 6 weeks...well tomorrow

Where, oh where is Baby Clevinger??? Natalie emailed us today to tell us that she had spoken with Belay and that our dossier has been completely translated! That is exciting, just to think that at some point this week they had a conversation about the Clevinger family!! Since this is the millennium in Ethiopia we expected no news this week! We are sure that they are partying over there!!! I think back to when we celebrated the millennium, it was a load of fun! I was a senior in high school!!! Can you believe that???!?! Now, seven years of college, many tuition dollars, a marriage, a doctorate, and a new house (part of a new house) later I am blogging about how the millennium is being celebrated in the country from which my first child will come!!! Life is amazing!!

Tomorrow is 6 weeks that we have been waiting. When we started waiting Cortney and I picked dates that we thought we would have our referral by as goal of sorts. He picked a really early date that passed a week or so ago and I picked tomorrow. I figured six weeks was about what families were waiting for boy referrals so Sept. 14th is my day. Now that we know that this week is the week of celebration my date seems to be out as well!!! October 16th is our wedding anniversary so it would be GREAT to have it by then, if you are reading this Natalie!! (I wonder if they do read blogs???) Anyway, I am going to post some pics of our house project.

In the beginning there was a tree...

Did I say tree? I meant GIANT SEQUOIA!!!

Then there was a stick....

And the men with their chain saws cut the stick into pieces.

Then came the block...

Next they started putting brick on the block....

Stay tuned for the rest of the house!!! We hope it will be here soon!! We spent the evening picking out windows, shingles, bathtubs, showers...etc. It was a fun time that kept my mind off the referral for awhile!! Hopefully the referral will come soon and I can spend my time buying baby stuff to put in the house!!!

5 weeks...and counting

First, YAY Renee and Geert!!! Every time I look at those precious angels I could just cry. They have 2 beautiful children!

Next, you guessed it, today is 5 weeks waiting for a referral!! We are making progress on the future home of baby Clevinger and we are moving through the waiting weeks quickly! We have an awesome God who always offers his comforting hand. We are hopeful and prayerful that the wait won't be too much longer and today would be a great day for a referral!!! Hope everyone has a great day!!

Perspective

The other day my sister told me about a story that she heard on the radio about adoption. It has taken until tonight for me to understand and deal with what she said.

As we wait and I complain and cry about how much I want the baby to be here and how I don't understand why we have to be in the dark about referral times and that we are worried about if we will have the baby home by Christmas, I have lost perspective. I have misplaced the meaning of why we first began this journey. If you go back to my very first post you will see that it was God who led us to this place and provided the way for us to adopt this child from a country in which he revealed to us as needy. It was God who guided our minds and our thoughts and orchestrated the events over the past 3 years so that we may be prepared to do his work. I have forgotten somewhere along the way that this isn't about me, or even baby Ian, this is about God. This is about my service and obedience to him and my part in His perfect plan. My eyes get clouded by the devils haste but my Savior has never forgotten nor forsaken me. In times that I felt my heart would break from the longing for a child, He pulled me through and showed me His tender comfort like only he can provide. I am His servant and He is my king, why do I think for a moment that this wait is anything but His plan for me? This comfort I have found tonight is wonderful and I pray that I have the faith to prevent the devil from snatching it away. For those of you waiting for something tonight, may God Bless you with the strength to hand it over to Him.