Update on Olivia!!!!!

We also received some good news this week -an update on Olivia. One of the representatives from our adoption agency traveled to Ethiopia last week. She was able to visit Olivia and gave us an update on her status and also took some pictures of her!

We have been told that Olivia smiles easily and is a generally happy, but vocal baby! They provided us with an update on how much she is eating, that she is holding up her head and that she wakes 2-4 times per night for a bottle or diaper change! Good thing her nights are our days!!!! She is sharing a room with three other babies. And here's a glimpse at some of the pictures.....

Some tummy time! She's holding up her head. That's a good sign. And check out all that hair!!!!!!

Such big, beautiful brown eyes!!!!

Whew! Only a small delay.

We received the official word today that our travel plans will be delayed by two weeks. This may seem like a bummer, but I am really praising God through this.

*Praise God that this is ONLY a two week delay.
*Praise God that we found out BEFORE we departed, as some families travelled to Ethiopia and then got the news from the Embassy that they had to wait two weeks causing them to either return home and then fly back or stay in Ethiopia for an extra two weeks.
*Praise God that tickets were still available on all the flights we needed.
*Praise God that we are comforted in knowing that Olivia is in God's hands.
*Praise God that we are trusting His timing over our own and know that He has a purpose in this minor delay.
*Praise God for the peace that only HE could give me, as He knows I am a planner by His design!
*We're also still praising God that we are only required to travel ONE time to Ethiopia, as all of the families being matched with children now are required to make TWO trips.

We are still waiting to find out from our travel agent how much it will cost to change our tickets, but again we're trusting in God to provide for this additional expense.

Thank you for your prayers and your encouraging words.

Oh NO!

We are supposed to leave in TWO WEEKS to go meet our daughter and bring her home. We just got a call today letting us know that our trip may be delayed due to the a change in our Embassy date in Ethiopia, as they apparently have more families scheduled on that day than they can process. It's all up in the air at this point and we won't have any more information until next week. Please pray. We know this is all in God's timing, but it's difficult to find out that we have to wait longer to get our hands on our precious daughter.

Getting there....

Eleven shots plus two sets of pills (one set almost done and one set to go) later, we're almost completely vaccinated against everything you can imagine. Ok, not really, but it seems that way. Good thing we started our vaccinations so long ago.

Olivia's bag is PACKED -with the exception of a couple outfits my mom purchased for her especially with travel in mind which I don't have yet. Otherwise, it's completely ready to go and just sitting on the floor in her room ready to board the plane.

Our donations are packed and ready to go also. Thank you to all who have donated. We won't be able to take any more physical donations due to an issue we're having with luggage costs on a different airline, but we ARE still taking cash donations, which we will use to purchase items for the orphanage once we are in Ethiopia.

I started getting stocked up on diapers this week. Just when we were getting used to NOT buying diapers, we're starting over again.

All her clothes are washed and ready to go. Hand-me downs have been SO wonderful this time around. Thank you to all who have shared with us.

A & E attended their first Vacation Bible School this week at our church. Other than us leaving them each morning, they LOVED it and left completely exhausted.

I was called for jury duty two days before we depart, and NO I didn't request a deferment. It's not like they're requesting my presence while I am out of the country. I figured I owe it, and why defer it when it will happen anyway. Maybe they won't need me in that round anyway. Regardless life doesn't completely stop (although it may seem like it will).

I have my list complete. You fellow list-makers know what I'm talking about. It's my packing list. I have written down everything I feel like we need to pack, and I'm ready to just throw it in the suitcase and go.

A & E are so excited for their baby sister to come home. They talk about her often and sometimes even say, "Mommy, I want my Baby Sister to come home." It's so sweet. They have enjoyed helping me get her room set up and her clothes washed and organized. They will be such great little helpers!

We depart in less than three weeks. Our calendar is getting pretty full in the meantime as we're trying to get lots of summer type events in before we go.

Please continue praying for Olivia and the nannies who are caring for her. Please pray for loving hands and sensitive hearts to meet her needs until we can get there.

Pictures of her room!

Here are the pictures of Olivia's room. It's ready to go!

Just an update

I haven't wanted to post anything else, because I love the last post so much, and I didn't want to move that beautiful little face down the blog. But I am sure you will all stop reading if I stop posting.

Here's the happenings over the past few weeks.

-Olivia's room is ALMOST ready to go. I have a couple boxes to get out of there and 2 more wall hangings to go up and it will be complete. I will post some pictures once it's done.

-I took a HUGE load of stuff to the Good Will this week, and our garbage can and recycling have been stuffed full. I have sold things on craigslist and I even learned how to sell things on ebay. Getting rid of things is so fun for me. It allows me a chance to feel more organized. I love this part.

-We have our trip booked, and we leave in 4 weeks. The time has been going by pretty quickly until this week. Now I am feeling a bit of a drag.

-Our packing list is almost complete. I really want to begin actually packing, but it's too early. I will hopefully get Olivia's suitcase packed this weekend, which might be helpful for me.

-I am currently washing up all the clothes we have for her and am ready to get them put in the dresser drawers. I'm seriously nesting.

-Grandma has her ticket to come out here, as she'll be staying with the girls while we're gone!

-We received the last of our immunizations this week, so our bodies should be ready to go.

That's about it. More to come later.

Plus ONE!!!!

We are proud to announce that as of today, we are the legal parents of....

Olivia Mihiret Anderson.

We received word today that we past court last night while we were sleeping (since they are ten hours ahead of us). She is two and 1/2 months old!