Can I get a Halleluja?

Hmmm... where should I start? Should I give the quick and easy version stating the good news or should I narrate how it all went down so everyone can experience the nail biting, nervous anticipation and then overwhelming, mind boggling elation that we experienced? Well, since no one spoke up I suppose I will go with the latter and hope that you all find this as amazing as I did :)

Calls and emails to our lawyer last week didn't even get a response out of him let alone any news of word from the bfather. Luckily, on Sunday and Monday we had my wonderful mother-in-law (MIL) in town on her way home after spending the weekend with Angie (the bmom). She was headed out "Greyhound Style" (on the bus) Monday morning but first had to exchange her ticket. While waiting with my dear husband (DH) at the bus depot they decided to give the bfather a call. However, despite the notes that she had written and all the worked up anticipation, she got his voicemail and decided to hang up.

Now I'm not sure if this is his usual M.O. or not, but just minutes later he called my MIL back asking if she had just called his cell. She explained that she had and told him who she was (they knew each other from when Angie was dating him so it wasn't a first time introduction) and asked him what he was thinking about the letter he had received from our lawyer. According to him he never received the letter, though some of the legal language he used later in the conversation made my MIL think otherwise. So she explained the situation to him and laid out all of his options for him if he decided to parent the child. Her goal throughout the conversation was to him know that she was there to support him not to force his hand or judge him and according to DH she did a spectacular job! In the end he asked for a few days to think about it which in an of itself was great news to us because we'd already been waiting 2 weeks for an answer, not to mention the months prior to the letter that we had been preparing for River not knowing how the bfather would react. A few days was definitely a time frame we could work with!

My MIL and DH got her ticket exchanged and decided to head to our house to wait until the bus was scheduled to leave. As they were walking in the door my MIL got another call from the bfather. Apparently in a matter of 30 minutes something had happened to help him make up his mind and he asked that all of the paper work be sent to him so he could sign his consent to the adoption! My MIL and DH were doing cartwheels when she got off the phone and when DH contacted me at work I burst into tears of relief! The biggest hurdle that all involved were so afraid of had been overcome :)

I've got to give props to my Heavenly Father because, thanks to His love and guidence, part of me was not surprised at all. Part of me felt like I knew this is how it would go from that beautiful day in February when Angie asked us to adopt this child. The Lord has been there from day one making sure that all the right connections were made and that we all were prepared for such an awesome experience. And who even knows how far back His preparation of all those involved began? In some ways I feel like for me it was the day we found out we were going to lose our little angel last year and in other ways I feel like for me it was way back in the 80's when I first showed my independent streak and decided that the "normal" path was not the path for me whether it was in the clothes I wore, the music I listened to or the career I chose. But most likely it was back before we came to this earth and we were all hanging out together and decided that this was the life that we wanted to live. Angie, myself, DH, bfather, MIL, FIL, my parents, my siblings, DH's siblings, our friends, and of course... River!

I also want to give props to my MIL who had the guts to call the bfather and get this great news for us. We wouldn't have any news to celebrate without her help! I also want to say thanks to all of you who have supported us and kept us in you thoughts and prayers. I want to let you all know that in doing so you have taught us so much about love and we promise to pass it on to the little one :) And last but certainly not least I want to thank Angie and the bfather for the opportunity to bring River into our family. What better gift could anyone give in life?

Can I get an Amen? :)

Happy Angel-versary, Anna!

Not all of God's children need to be born and raised on this earth. Some are so special that they can learn their lessons and teach others the lessons that they need to learn in just weeks or months on this earth. My niece Anna (well, we aren't officially related but we're close enough with her mom and dad that we might as well be) is one of those special children and I wanted to let her know how much she is loved by her (pretty darn close to) family in Fort Collins on this special day.

On June 18th, 2007 Anna was born onto this earth and into Heaven. The Lord knew that she was too beautiful for this world and He also knew that the little angel that my DH and I lost in May of 2007 needed a friend to play with up in Heaven :) Anna's parents put together a beautiful memorial site for her and I have included a link for all those who would like to honor her memory as well!

http://anna.muchloved.com/

We love you Lowry's!

I think I'm finally getting the hang of this!

Today I added a few links that I wanted to share with everyone. The links can be found on the left hand side of the blog under the "About Me" section. They are in two categories, "The Stories of Inspirational Families" and "Haitian Adoption." The Stories of Inspirational Families section has links to the blogs of the wonderful ladies I have met on trying to conceive and adoption discussion boards. They have been more help to me then they will ever know and I want to share their stories with others so their lives can be touched as well. I would recommend checking them out. I do quite regularly :)

The Haitian Adoption section has a link to a great blog by a family who adopted twin boys from Haiti and links to information about the country of Haiti and The Mercy and Sharing Foundation which is a non-profit organization that provides adoption opportunities, housing and assistance to the next generation of Haiti. So why the links to Haitian adoption you may be wondering? Earlier this year, my sister (who just in case she needs reminding, literally is THE BEST!) lent me a book given to her by the author who also happens to be the driving force behind The Mercy and Sharing Foundation. The book, called "Angels of a Lower Flight" tells the story of Susie Scott Krabacher and her journey from Playboy Playmate to champion of the beautiful children of Haiti. I highly recommend it to any looking for an inspirational read. I had tears in my eyes throughout the whole book and finished reading it with a desire to find my son or daughter in Haiti.

The process of adopting River has been a very eye opening experience and I have felt very welcome in the adopting family community. Many of whom have expanded their desire for a family beyond the borders of the US and beyond the borders of race. It is truly amazing and I thank my Father in Heaven daily for the opportunity to see the world through different eyes.

Nothing is set in stone yet, but after getting back on the trying to conceive train a year or so after we welcome (hopefully) River into our family, and hopefully having some children the boring biological way :) I would LOVE to adopt internationally and right now I feel drawn to Haiti. I will also be adding links to information on Ethiopian and Chinese adoption as those are other great countries. And maybe one day Eritrea, too!

Check the links out and enjoy!

P.S. Still no word from the bfather! Grrrr... I'm starting to get irritated :P

A plea for prayers...

Last Thursday, which happened to coincide with dh and I's 5th wedding anniversary, our lawyer sent a letter to the bfather informing him of the bmom's intentions to give the child up for adoption. (Note: from here on out I will refer to bmom as Angie short for Angel, because I don't want to reduce her role to simply just bmom because she is too special for that). We still have not heard from him, but I'm sure it will take some time before he comes to a decision so I'm trying not to let the silence scare me. In the mean time any and all prayers on the behalf of dh and I, Angie, River and the bfather would be great! We are anxiously waiting to find out whether or not he would like us to be River's parents and are hoping that his response will be a belated anniversary gift to us!

Thank you all for your support :)

A river of water in a dry place...

Once we found out that the child we hope to bring into our family in September was a boy my dear husband (dh) and I had a daunting task on our hands... To come to an agreement on a name for a boy. We are big fans of unique names but recognize the importance of not burdening a child with too weird a moniker. (Note: Those who know us are most likely rolling their eyes at this point because what we consider "acceptable" is anything but to them ;) Finding a unique girl name that we also consider presentable to the public is much easier than it is for a boy. And my idea of unique yet acceptable names for boys was MUCH different than that of my dh. I love Biblical names like Isaiah, Malcolm, Elijah... or cute names like Harley and Arlo. But dh insisted that none of those names were tough enough and that he wanted to choose a name for his son that sounded tough like the name of a kid that could beat you up. An added criteria that made things very difficult! After weeks of late night name exchanges, heated debates, and competitions over who could come up with the silliest names we finally settled on the right name... And not just a first name, either. A middle name as well! When we finally put the two together I got goosebumps and we knew we had found the perfect name. And so I would like to present to you our little miracle in progress....

(insert drum roll here)

7 1/2 weeks



9 1/2 weeks



22 weeks





24 weeks





River Shane

His middle name is the name of my dh's oldest brother. He has always said that he wanted to name a son after his brother and Uncle Shane is very honored!

Recently, while reading in the book of Isaiah, I came across the following scripture that I immediately fell in love with.

"And a man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." - Isaiah 32:2

The meaning behind the prophetic words of Isaiah are a great debate amongst religious scholars, but I can guarantee you that this scripture is NOT referring to my precious son. However, the night that I read this scripture I was overcome with how profoundly it described my feelings about this precious little boy. He truly is my river of water in a dry place. For years I have desperately wanted to be a mother without any luck. But now, provided the adoption process continues to move forward, I will finally have that chance. In the wise words of Homer Simpson... "Whoo hoo!"